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TMZ.com

Aerosmith's drummer Joey Kramer[1] -- who's been with the band since it formed in 1970 -- is being kicked around like a rag doll by the other members, who are unfairly blocking him from rejoining the band before some once-in-a-lifetime events ... according to a new lawsuit.

Kramer claims his fellow Aerosmith members -- Steven Tyler[2], Joe Perry[3], Tom Hamilton and Brad Whitford -- are going against 50 years of precedent by not allowing him back in the band after a temporary disability ... something that's never been done to any of them.

According to the docs ... Kramer suffered minor injuries in Spring 2019, but was ready to return for the band's Vegas residency shows by Fall.

Instead of being welcomed back as expected ... Kramer claims he was subjected to a brand new band policy he did not approve of, where he would have to audition to prove he was "able to play at an appropriate level" in order to regain his drummer role.

Again, Kramer claims this has never happened to any of the other guys in Aerosmith's 50-year history ... all of whom at one time or another had to step away[4] for a time.

Even worse, Kramer says the band asked him to perform a series of solo rehearsals against a "click track" -- not even live with the other 4 guys -- as his audition ... and they would listen to the recordings to decide whether he got his gig back.

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Kramer claims the stress of the ordeal had "significant repercussions" to his health and ended up in the hospital in November, which required him to cover the cost of a replacement drummer ... and

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