Run-DMC - Walk This Way (Japan 12'') (1986)

Run-DMC - Walk This Way (Japan 12'') (1986)

"Walk This Way" is a song originally recorded by the American rock band Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the album Toys in the Attic (1975) from their LP Toys in the Attic. In 1986, the hip hop group Run-DMC covered "Walk This Way", in collaboration with Aerosmith (with its leaders Steven Tyler and Joe Perry on vocals and guitars, respectively). While working on Raising Hell, Rick Rubin pulled out Toys in the Attic. At shows, Run-DMC had freestyled over the first few seconds of the song on a loop, not knowing what the full song sounded like, or even hearing the lyrics. While Joseph Simmons and Darryl McDaniels had no idea who Aerosmith were at that time, Rubin suggested remaking the song. Neither Simmons nor McDaniels liked the idea, though Jam Master Jay was open to it. They didn't want the record to be released as a single even after recording with Tyler and Perry, and were shocked when it was played on both urban and rock radio stations. "I never even thought 'Walk This Way' would be a single," Rubin recalled. "Not that I didn't like it, but I didn't think in those terms." DMC called it "a beautiful thing" in a trailer for Guitar Hero (This later appeared in a scene from the 2011 film The Smurfs). This version of "Walk This Way" charted higher on the Billboard Hot 100 than the original, peaking at number 4. It was also one of the first big hip hop singles in the UK, peaking at number 8. The song marked a major comeback for Aerosmith, as they had been largely out of mainstream pop culture for several years while Tyler battled addiction and Perry and Brad Whitford were out of the band. Their 1985 comeback album, Done with Mirrors, had also not met commercial expectations. Aerosmith followed "Walk This Way" with multi-platinum albums and Top 40 hits, starting with Permanent Vacation and its hit "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" in 1987. In 2008, "Walk This Way" was ranked number 4 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop". This version of the song is currently ranked as the 148th greatest song of all time, as well as the second best song of 1986, by Acclaimed Music. The chorus of Run-DMC's cover contains a pitch alternation that Aerosmith adopted in most future live performances. In collaborations, the other singer often says "talk this way" every alternate line of the chorus. This rap-style delivery may explain why the song worked so well as a hip hop song when it was covered eleven years later. SIDE A: Walk This Way 5:09 Featuring – Aerosmith SIDE B: Walk This Way (Instrumental) 3:36 My Adidas 2:48 VINYL GRADE: Vinyl: Near Mint Sleeve: Near Mint OBI: Near Mint RELEASE INFORMATION: Label: Profile Records - L13P 7117 Format: Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM Country: Japan Released: 1986 Genre: Hip Hop Style: Hip Hop CREDITS: Cover [Photo] – Glen E. Friedman Producer – Rick Rubin, Russell Simmons Written-By – J. Perry*, S. Tyler* NOTES: Steven Tyler and Joe Perry appear courtesy of Geffen Records Taken from the L.P./Cassette Raising Hell.