51 Years Ago, This Iconic Rock Group Finally Made It Big

On April 8, 1975, Aerosmith released their third studio album, Toys in the Attic. The record was an immediate success that catapulted the Boston rock band to international stardom, fueled by their hit single "Walk This Way".

The group had previously found success with Get Your Wings and their self-titled debut album, but it wasn't until Toys in the Attic that they finally found a global stage and cemented themselves as one of the defining rock voices of the '70s.

The record projected a much more confident, sophisticated sound that was more accessible to general audiences and ditched the gritty, grimy distortion of their early work. This was a masterstroke from frontman Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry, with whom he wrote the majority of Aerosmith's songs.

Toys in the Attic quickly became Aerosmith's most commercially successful album, outselling their previous two records by a considerable margin. It sold roughly eight million copies over the years, which was an impressive feat for a band that had previously been considered a blues rock niche.

Much of Toys in the Attic's success can be put down to "Walk This Way", the hit single that remains one of Aerosmith's most popular tracks even today. The track peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 when it was re-released in 1977.

"Walk This Way" was later covered by hip-hop group Run-D.M.C. on their 1986 album Raising Hell, bringing a whole new wave of popularity to the song and introducing a totally different audience to Aerosmith's music. This helped boost the longevity of Aerosmith's success and keep them relevant for several decades.

The cover outperformed the original song, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and launching the new trend of "rap rock", later popularized by groups such as the Beastie Boys and Rage Against The Machine.