Aerosmith on 7th Avenue, 1987

Dean Unger of Okanagan Groove Magazine contacted me a few weeks ago about re-printing my old (1990) story about Little Mountain Sound. Dean’s request had me digging through old photo albums and negatives, which makes me even more thankful for digital photography, search and image tagging let me tell you.

The above shot was a happy accident. Aerosmith in 1987, as they say, couldn’t get arrested. For most of the 1980s they had been struggling with declining record sales, and the personal demons of substance abuse. They were in Vancouver that Spring to record what would become their comeback LP, Permanent Vacation.

It was a Sunday afternoon, and I was driving from home towards the almost new Cambie Bridge. Sunning themselves on 7th Avenue in front of the Little Mountain recording studio were four of the five original members of Aerosmith.

As an East side kid who knew every lick of Aerosmith’s 1970s repertoire (didn’t we all?), I did a double-take. I pulled over and parked, then wandered over with my new Minolta SLR and sheepishly asked permission to take a shot. Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton obliged me. I snapped the shutter, then left.

The band came here to work with rock producer Bruce Fairbairn, and his protégé sound engineer Bob Rock, who called Little Mountain Sound Studios home.

Fairbairn and Rock had honed their skills in Vancouver’s dynamic music recording scene of the late 70s and early 80s. Rock had a successful stint as a co-founder of The Payolas, a hit Canadian New Wave group. By 1990 he was recording the world’s biggest rock acts, including Metallica.

It still dumbfounds me that Vancouverites don’t take the time to recognize our own great cultural achievements, such as the huge but short-lived success of Glam Metal and its local roots. Much of the music might seem a little forgettable now, but at the time it meant a lot to millions of fans.

I’ve learned that Bob Rock will be making his re-appearance on the Vancouver scene over the next year in a new music and film project. More details on this as they become available.