Joe Perry split from
Aerosmith under less than favorable circumstances in 1979, directly assembling a solo band,
the Joe Perry Project (with Ralph Mormon [vocals],
David Hull [bass], and Ronnie Stewart [drums]), which soon released its first album, 1980's
Let the Music Do the Talking. Unlike his former band, which would now take excessive amounts of time to record albums that should have been cranked out quickly,
L.T.M.D.T.T. recalled the brash and trashy appeal of early
Aerosmith. Maybe because he wanted to show his former bandmates that he could succeed without them, the performances were extremely inspired, while the songwriting was sharp and focused. The anthemic title track was aimed at all the in-press bickering that was going on at the time between
Aerosmith and
Perry. While subsequent
Perry Project albums didn't contain many
Perry lead vocal spots, the singing on the debut is split 50/50 between
Perry and Mormon. Tracks such as "Conflict of Interest," "Discount Dogs," "Shooting Star," and "Rocking Train" were all up-tempo highlights, and the instrumental "Break Song" showed off the fantastic interplay between the new band, while "The Mist Is Rising" was more low-key. A truly great and underrated record,
Let the Music Do the Talking could have been a classic
Aerosmith release if the drugs hadn't split the band apart. ~ Greg Prato