No idea what triggers the association, but I especially dig older Aerosmith, and even some of their “unpopular” later albums. Often because they were never afraid to explore, and varied influences always shined through.
Thinking about it a bit more though… I think it’s mostly the phrasing rather than tone, but to me, has overtones of ‘Kings and Queens’ (Draw the Line), or ‘The Reason a Dog’ (Done with Mirrors).
There’s definitely an element of the voice that does it as well though, primarily the raspiness combined with the phrasing. But I’m betting most trigger on Joe Cocker or Randy Newman because of the the old school piano tone, and the fact that it’s so up front in the mix. YMMV though! lol
@Sprkslfly Thanks Rob. Not only did I have plenty of time to grab guitars and basses when on break and appreciate tube amps, I started to notice another trend. The more I recorded it became obvious the analog boards were really capturing the sound I liked for my kit. Personal kit, studio/house kit, didn’t seem to matter. Although I have recorded a lot of material I often times didn’t own the master so I don’t have much of the work, but even with the bands I’ve worked with, I started to notice a trend going back to some of the older analog boards (like the big Mackie), pushing down to DAT’s only for critical listening before final mixdowns, punch in’s, etc., and then finishing/mastering on 2.5" tape. I’m not anti digital, but analog whether tubes, or equipment just seemed to add warmth, and better capture what was going on, with little to no compromise, despite NOT being as “hi-tech” as some of the newer solutions. Just my .02.
YMMV though! lol
” your own post… 
