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Rag Doll - Now this is more like it. Though co-writer Vallance is still present (with Holly Knight), this time his pop sensibilities do not drown Perry and Tyler's work. In fact, he enhances it, resulting in a marvellous commercial blues, brimming with life and cock-sure charm. Driven by an enormous drum sound courtesy of producer Bruce Fairbairn, cracking brass stabs from the Margarita Horns and jaunty lap steel guitar work from Joe Perry. "Rag Doll" swings in vintage Aerosmith fashion, allowing Steven Tyler to do the business. Bouncing across the track with lines such as "Get crazy on the moonshine" and "Tap dancing on a land mine", he's in inspirational form - but most especially at the song's Vaudeville finale, when scatting alongside a lonesome clarinent, he magically transports the listener to the heart of New Orleans. - The Complete Guide to the Music of Aerosmith by Martin Power
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