Permanent Vacation (Aerosmith album)

Permanent Vacation is the ninth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released by Geffen Records on August 25, 1987. The album marks the band's shift to a pop-metal sound that they would maintain up to 1993's Get a Grip.

It was their first to employ songwriters outside the band, instead of featuring songs solely composed by them. This came at the suggestion of executive John Kalodner. He also pushed the band to work with producer Bruce Fairbairn, who remained with them for another two albums. It was also the first Aerosmith album to be promoted by heavy music video airplay on MTV. Though Done with Mirrors was intended to mark Aerosmith's comeback, Permanent Vacation is often considered their true comeback, as it was the band's first truly popular album since their reunion. "Rag Doll", "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)", and "Angel" became major hits (all three charted in the Top 20) and helped Permanent Vacation become the band's greatest success in a decade.

Permanent Vacation has sold over five million copies in the U.S.

In the UK, it was the first Aerosmith album to attain both Silver (60,000 units sold) and Gold (100,000 units sold) certification by the British Phonographic Industry, achieving these in July 1989 and March 1990 respectively.

Reception
The album received mixed-to-positive reviews. In a retrospective assessment AllMusic gave the album four stars, and said "despite the mostly stellar songwriting, which makes it a strong effort overall, some of the album's nooks and crannies haven't aged all that well because of Fairbairn's overwrought production, featuring an exaggerated sleekness typical of most mid-'80s pop-metal albums". Dave Reynolds from Metal Forces magazine called the album "a shit hot album and one I'm gonna play the hell out of". Robert Christgau graded the album a C+, saying Aerosmith were "running out of gas again already".

Loudwire ranked the album as Aerosmith's 6th best album explaining the ranking with, "its lavish '80s production has definitely dated, but 'Permanent Vacation' still ranks among the greatest musical comebacks of all time". Loudwire also placed the album at No. 4 on their 2017 list of the "10 Best Hard Rock Albums of 1987". Loudersound placed the album on their list of the 20 best albums from 1987 and called it a "collection of sublime pop-metal".

Personnel
Adapted from the album liner notes and AllMusic. Track numbers refer to CD and digital releases of the album.

Aerosmith
 * Steven Tyler – lead vocals, piano, harmonica, plunger mute
 * Joe Perry – guitar: lead guitar (all except 10 & 12), lead and rhythm guitar on track 1, backing vocals, pedal steel guitar on "Rag Doll"
 * Brad Whitford – guitar: lead and rhythm guitar on track 1, lead guitar on tracks 8, 10 & 12
 * Tom Hamilton – bass guitar
 * Joey Kramer – drums

Additional musicians
 * Drew Arnott – mellotron on "Angel" and "The Movie"
 * Tom Keenlyside – clarinet, tenor saxophone, horn arrangement on "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" and "Rag Doll"
 * Ian Putz – baritone saxophone on "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" and "Rag Doll"
 * Bob Rogers – trombone on "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" and "Rag Doll"
 * Henry Christian – trumpet
 * Bruce Fairbairn – trumpet, cello, background vocals, production
 * Scott Fairbairn – cello
 * Mike Fraser – plunger mute, engineering, mixing
 * Morgan Rael – steel drums
 * Jim Vallance – organ on "Rag Doll" and "Simoriah"
 * Christine Arnott – backing vocals on "The Movie"

Production
 * Bob Rock – engineering
 * Ken Lomas – assistant engineering
 * George Marino – mastering
 * Kim Champagne – art direction
 * Andy Engel – illustrations
 * Neal Preston – photography