2001 started off with a bang for AEROSMITH and things just keep on popping! In January, the band debuted the single "Jaded" at the American Music Awards. A few weeks later it was time for the SuperBowl halftime show. Both AEROSMITH and 'N SYNC performed 2 of their own songs, then were joined by Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly for a spectacular rendition of "Walk This Way."

As of 03/31/01, "Just Push Play" is riding the Billboard Hot 200 Album Chart at #3, after a debut at #2. It's also the #3 album at CDNow online. "Jaded," the first single from the album, is #9 and climbing on the Billboard Hot 100 after only 10 weeks and is #2 on VH1's Top Ten video Countdown. Then there's the icing on the top of the proverbial cake - AEROSMITH'S induction into the hallowed halls of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 03/21/01.

If you didn't catch the festivities, Kid Rock inducted AEROSMITH into the HOF using Tyler's signature scarf/tie covered microphone. With the heart of a performer wanting the distinction of heir to the band's rock and roll bad boy throne, he stated "Aerosmith are to rock and roll what Fonzie was to Happy Days. . ." as he welcomed ". . .the greatest rock and roll band in American history. . ." to the HOF and the stage. Picking up his statuette, bassist Tom Hamilton joked, "Mom, my promise still holds. When I finally get this out of my system, I'll go to college."

Strapping on their gear, it was performance time featuring Kid Rock working the turntables and trading verses with Stephen Tyler on "Sweet Emotion." Next up was a tease verse of "Jaded" that turned into the Johnny Burnette Trio's "Train Kept A-Rollin'," an Aerosmith cover both recorded and live for decades. Tyler was heard to have said backstage, "This is totally overwhelming! To know that you've got a place next to Elvis Presley. . . What's up with that?"

And now that we're up to speed on everything AEROSMITH for the past few months, here's a review of the new album, "Just Push Play."


First let me say if you're an AEROSMITH fan you've GOT to get this album. It doesn't matter if you thought their early stuff was better or if you liked the more recent releases. "Just Push Play" has the best elements from those great early albums, the "Pump" to "Get A Grip" era, and a live show, all rolled into one.

I'm sure by now you've heard this album called "much edgier" than more recent releases like "Nine Lives." It's also been compared to "Pump" quite a bit. Both comments are true, but this album seems to pull all the best things about AEROSMITH together in one really great package.

The reason it didn't get a five star rating is because of a few irritating little areas on the album. One of them is dead air between a few songs. If the song is over with, get on with the next one. Don't sit there counting off extra seconds on the finished track. The other thing is one of my pet peeves that I really thought was finally over - putting a hidden track at the end of the album after you sit there with dead air for an undisclosed amount of time. The wait on "Just Push Play" isn't too long, but I still found it irritating. I also wasn't very impressed with the short musical bit in that hidden track. If you're gonna pull this stunt on me, at least make it worth my while to wait for it. Other than that, this is one hell of an album. AEROSMITH is back in fine form indeed!

The opening track, "Beyond Beautiful" (one of my many favorites on this album), mixes a lot of different styles recognizable from earlier albums, but they sound fresh here. I don't want to say this is typical AEROSMITH, because it's not. There's hard rock, a touch of exotic sound (similar to what was on "Nine Lives"), great guitar riffs and bridges and some very unusual sounds that add texture. The chorus, although very different than the rest of the song, hooked me right away and made we want to listen to this track over and over.

"Just Push Play," the title track, IS typical AEROSMITH, but that's certainly not a bad thing. Tyler and Perry pull off their harmonies big time, Tyler's trademark vocals/moans are in full force and the song has some really weird lyrics. This is just a big, fun, hard rock song.

"Jaded" is the first single. If you haven't heard it yet (which I find a bit unlikely by now!), this song also combines a lot of different styles - hard rock, what I consider alternative, a touch of a Middle-Eastern sound, great harmonies, guitar bridges, etc. Check out "ALL ACCESS: Aerosmith, 2001" on VH1 and find out how Tyler came up with the melody which would dictate the lyrics - and quite interesting lyrics they are: "Hey Jaded/ u got your mama's style/ But you're yesterday's child to me . . . (Chorus) My, my baby blue/ I've been thinking 'bout you/ My, my baby blue/ You're so jaded/ And I'm the one that jaded you . . . My, my baby blue/ I'm so jaded/ And baby I'm afraid of u . . ." That's just a taste of the lyrics. Also, depending on which version of the video you see, you might recognize something similar to the Vampire Theater in the movie "Interview With A Vampire." This is a totally cool song AND video (but Tyler needs to lose the hat)!

"Fly Away From Here" is a big scale ballad along the lines of "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing." Obviously the songs are completely different, but they're both the same type of power ballad. Big strings accompany the chorus, and, in my opinion, Tyler and Perry sound better than ever on the vocals.

Going back to the fun is "Trip Hoppin'." Great harmonies, great guitar work, the famous Tyler howls and the familiar AEROSMITH style makes this a lively track. The lyrics border on psychedelic nonsense like some of the later Beatles albums ("Magical Mystery Tour" and "St. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"), but the song is really about how great it is to be in love with someone. Getting high on love instead of something else.

Next up is "Sunshine," which is probably the most traditional/classic rock type song on the album. Tyler's vocals really shine on this track, along with the harmonies, and it has some great lyrics to go with it. "They call her sunshine/ The kind that everybody knows/ Yeah, yeah sunshine/ She finer than a painted rose/ Yeah yeah sunshine yeah/ Her kind of love's what I adore/ what kind of trouble/ Am I in for?/ My kind of heaven lies at/ Hell's back door/ And I got more than I need/ Cuz I need sunshine . . ."

"Under My Skin" is one of the more unusual tracks. It's certainly identifiable as an AEROSMITH song, but it's got some REALLY trippy lyrics. The chorus goes: "There's a girl living under my skin/ There's this girl and she's wearing me thin/ And I think she's the reason that it's open broken hearted season / There's a girl, there's a girl . . ." Backing vocals have this really weird echo that makes it sound kinda psychedelic and really digitally sampled at the same time. Finally ,Tyler's trademark harmonica comes to the forefront as well. This is another one of the better tracks on the album. (Side Note: On the VH1 show about the making of "Just Push Play," Joe Perry and Steven Tyler both spoke quite a bit about using digital technology in the songwriting for this album. Removable hard-drives travelling back and forth between Tyler's house and Perry's, where most of the album was recorded in his basement, let both of them work alone and then trade the bass lines, drum tracks, guitar solos, etc. with each other and the rest of the band.)

"Luv Lies" is the other power ballad and a very good one. It reminds you just how great this band is at making music, whether it's a rock out song or a rock ballad. The backing vocals on this song remind me again of later Beatles albums because of how they sound, not because they're any kind of imitation. The instrumentals on this track really stand out, whether they're backing, solos or bridges.

"Outta Your Head" opens with some serious hard rock instrumentals followed by Steven Tyler rapping the verse. I was really impressed by the use of instruments in rather odd ways on this song. They create an effect and atmosphere that backs the rap verses perfectly. The chorus is pretty intense both instrumentally and vocally and the lyrics are really great too.

Another one of my favorites is "Drop Dead Gorgeous." Opening with feedback and drums, the vocal during the verse is altered with one of those echo/distortion microphones, but it really works here. The chorus leaves the echo behind, but it has this great melodic vocal and backing instrumental. The guitar work on this song is super and you can totally picture Joe Perry playing while Steven Tyler swings that mic stand around, using his occasional howls to spice things up. The lyrics on this one are very sense oriented, as in describing ordinary things with strange colors and smells and tastes. You just have to listen to this one.

"Light Inside" is another heavy rocker with a different style chorus. The use of Tyler's vocals with backing instrumentals and harmonies gives this song a lot of character. It also moves along at a pretty good clip with some really excellent guitar work. Digital sampling, echo mics and mysterious sounds fill this song from beginning to end, while it leans a little less on lyrics than some of the others.

The final track on the album (forget the hidden track), "Avant Garden," is another one of my favorites. There's an interesting electric guitar intro followed by Tyler's vocal accompanied by acoustic guitar. The chorus is hard to explain, but the melody is unusual enough to catch your attention and stick with you long after the album is over. Yet again, great guitar riffs and harmonies make the song really awesome. The lyrics are pretty awesome too, and I especially like the "chorus" - ". . . the sun brings the rain/ The moon needs the sky/ I see you and I/ Lying in my Avant Garden/ Beware of the lies/ A word to the wise/ There's sweet cherry pies/ And truth inside our Avant Garden."

Overall, this is a terrific album by an excellent band and I highly recommend adding it to your collection. It ranks right up there with "Pump" as one of their very best. There really was not a single song on the album I didn't like. These new inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame prove once again WHY they were, although it should have happened sooner in my opinion, but you've got to be great to get that honor and AEROSMITH is always great!!