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Thursday, June 11, 2015


Hello, I would like to talk about Aerosmith's 13th studio album, Just Push Play, released in 2001, almost six months to the day before 9/11.

First things first: this is not a bad album. I'm not saying this to be ironic.

I'm also not saying it's a very good album. It's OK. It's the kind of 2000s album you would expect from an aging 70s classic rock institution. Joe Perry's thoughts aside, I feel this is a perfectly mediocre album on the whole, with an occasional above average spark ("Jaded" and the title track, for example).



This record sounds like bad, overproduced, late-period Stone Temple Pilots. Translation: it has a metallic sound which is actually aging pretty well. It sounds like music a robot in a yellow dress could/would get down to. I understand Joe Perry's complaints––the distance / removal of the band dynamic is evident––however, I'm not sure they create said vibe without it.


But the best thing about this album is its title though, which reveals a painfully oblivious culture gap between creator and audience. Aerosmith had already devoured the CD Age with their mega-smash, Get a Grip (1993). Naming a 2001 release 'in honor' of the compact disc medium is downright hilarious. Kids, you don't need to manually put the needle down to get this party started!

Thinking about this in March of 2001, I recall feeling bad for the old fogies that were Aerosmith. But thinking back on it 2015, it sort of lends a humanizing element. To quote the record's second single, power ballad "Fly Away From Here,"

gotta find a way
yeah I cant wait another day
ain't nothing gonna change
if we stay around here
gotta do what it takes
cause it's all in our hands
we all make mistakes
yeah but it's never too late to start again
take another breath and say another prayer

We're all just searching for the next thing, the next big idea. Aerosmith though that next big thing was the CD. Then 9/11 happened. #NeverForget.