Tracklist, Album Covers and Info
Side one
1. "Jailbait" 4:38
2. "Lightning Strikes" 4:26
3. "Bitch's Brew" 4:14
4. "Bolivian Ragamuffin" 3:32
5. "Cry Me a River" 4:06
Side two
6. "Prelude to Joanie" 1:21
7. "Joanie's Butterfly" 5:35
8. "Rock in a Hard Place (Cheshire Cat)" 4:46
9. "Jig Is Up" 3:10
10. "Push Comes to Shove" 4:28
Total length: 40:16
Aerosmith Band Members / Musicians
Steven Tyler – lead vocals, keyboards, harmonica, percussion, piano on "Push Comes to Shove", producer
Jimmy Crespo – lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals, additional vocals on "Bitch's Brew"
Tom Hamilton – bass guitar
Joey Kramer – drums
Rick Dufay – rhythm guitar
Brad Whitford – rhythm guitar on "Lightning Strikes"
Paul Harris – piano on "Push Comes to Shove"
John Turi – saxophone on "Rock in a Hard Place (Cheshire Cat)"
Reinhard Straub – violin on "Joanie's Butterfly"
John Lievano – acoustic guitar on "Joanie's Butterfly"
Jack Douglas – percussion, producer, additional engineer
Production
Godfrey Diamond – chief engineer
Tony Bongiovi – co-producer, additional engineer
John Agnello, Bruce Hensal, Jim Sessody, Gary Rindfuss, Josh Abbey, Malcolm Pollack, Zoe Yanakis – assistant engineers
George Marino – mastering at Sterling Sound, New York
Gerard Rozhek – photography, visual direction
David Krebs, Steve Leber – management
Rock in a Hard Place is Aerosmith’s 7th studio album, released on August 27, 1982, by Columbia Records and certified gold in 1989. It is the only Aerosmith album without lead guitarist Joe Perry, who left in 1979, and also saw rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford leave during recording in 1981. Both were replaced by Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay, respectively.
The album’s production was difficult and prolonged, plagued by Steven Tyler’s severe drug problems, which slowed progress significantly. Guitarist Rick Dufay helped Tyler recover during the sessions, nursing him back to health to finish the album. Despite these challenges, the band reunited with producer Jack Douglas for this record.
An outtake from the sessions, “Riff & Roll,” was later released on the 1991 box set Pandora’s Box.
