By ROB STOUT

By ROB STOUT
SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR
Let's be frank, 99 percent of adolescent males who pick up a guitar do so, as Pete Townsend confessed, not to push the boundaries of musical knowledge, but because their physical appearance hinders their chances of getting girls, or getting drugged-out and committing acts of unspeakable arrogance with little consequence.
Aerosmith, inspired by the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, for most of the 1970's proved Townsend correct. The band carried on the tradition with an added propensity for overkill that only being American can bring. If you were a young, skinny white guy growing up in the Midwest, chances are you picked up a guitar for many of the same reasons.
Leading the way: And Aerosmith was there to lead the way. Young and skinny, only with cooler clothes, Steve Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer embodied much of what the 70's youth fantasized about, but couldn't realistically achieve. Constantly on tour, they became America's hometown band -- and it was next to impossible for a summer to pass without crossing paths at a nearby hockey arena or outdoor festival.
On any given night, raw intensity reigned as Tyler bounded to the edge of the stage screaming the opening verse to "Back in the Saddle" while Perry, with his perpetually cool sneer and guitar slung low, traded riffs with six string counterpart Whitford. Along with the band's engine -- Kramer on drums and Hamilton on bass -- they rocked away countless summer nights in a vaguely British, no-frills manner, with lots of attitude and volume as their only special effects.
Unfortunately, much of this intensity came from ingesting mountains of cocaine. Thus, after nine years on the road, Aerosmith slowly evolved from musicians dabbling in drugs into drug addicts dabbling in music. When the inevitable break-up did occur, it came after the 1979 release of the aptly titled album "Night in the Ruts."
It would be four years before the Boston quintet would even sit in the same room, much less play "Sweet Emotion." Failing solo careers, and newfound sobriety, however, brought the band members back to their sensibilities, and they stumbled through the mid 1980's with several mediocre comeback albums.
Whether it was the drug-free lifestyle (face it, Keith Richards didn't write "Brown Sugar" after doing free weights) or waning youth, the band struggled to regain its song-writing momentum.
Striking gold: But just as critics were forecasting their second demise, they struck gold (then platinum) with 1987's "Permanent Vacation," which announced their rebirth as a viable rock band.
They followed with "Pump" in 1989, their most commercially successful album and tour, taking them through the 90s under the watchful eye of Geffen Records hitmaker John Kalodner, who ensured a steady output of made-for-radio fodder written mainly by professional songwriters.
The combination, while not entirely the Aerosmith of old, was nonetheless unbeatable, and a steady supply of hard currency began to flow.
Suddenly, the band that had had it all, then lost it all, had it all back again.
And to their surprise, the 'Smiths were becoming as commercialized as any group of aging rock stars could imagine: movie soundtracks, jeans commercials, TV appearances, music awards and, to top it all off, something no other rock band had -- an amusement ride at Disney World, the "Aerosmith Rock N' Roller Coaster," shaped like a stretch limo.
Different direction: Now free from their contract with Geffen Records, the band has taken a different direction both commercially and artistically with "Just Push Play," its 13th studio album. Just as U2 reclaimed the basic essentials of its early music with the Grammy winning "All That You Leave Behind," Aerosmith recorded the album's twelve tracks in Perry's basement studio free from corporate oversight and without the aid of a producer.
As a result, this latest outing is a long-awaited return to the rough, edgy sound that had been drowned out by the glossy production numbers that Geffen Records banked on.
The weepy piano ballads have largely been replaced by in-your-face power chord stomps, as well as some ultra-funky shuffles reminiscent of 70's classics "Walk This Way" and "Last Child."
With the first single "Jaded" released in February, the album is set to hit stores Tuesday -- just weeks before the band's March 19 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with Michael Jackson, Queen, and Steely Dan.