Jaded

AEROSMITH – Just Push Play (2001 Sony, includes bonus track “Face”)

“I don’t think we’ve made a decent album in years. Just Push Play is my least favorite.” – Joe Perry

The sad and depressing fact of the matter is, Aerosmith could have retired long before Just Push Play, and we would have lost nothing terribly valuable. They’ve pandered for hits before, but never as blatantly contrived as Just Push Play. It’s an embarrassing state of affairs that deserves every inch of scorn we’re about to unload upon it.

Hi-tech digital tracks written and produced with outsiders make up Just Push Play, a weak attempt to be young hip and cool when Aerosmith were anything but. Look at the sleek haircuts in the band photo. Only Joe Perry appears to know what band he’s in. The album was recorded with sterility. At no time were all five members in the studio together, according to Joe, and that’s exactly how it sounds.

If their heads weren’t in the clouds (coming off their biggest hit single ever) they might have made a rock album. “Beyond Beautiful” is a close imitation, a robotic and stiff carbon copy. Ballads like “Fly Away From Here” sound as if faxed in from the office. These blatant attempts to repeat past glories are among the most offensive on Just Push Play. It is true that one of Aerosmith’s first hits (“Dream On”) was a ballad. That was a long time ago and a long way from being flat broke and banging out a song in the middle of the night on a piano. These new ballads like “Luv Lies” and “Sunshine” are written specifically by hitsmiths in order to appeal to people who would not normally buy an Aerosmith CD. The result is that they appeal to nobody.

As bland and unappealing as these forgettable ballads are, none are as offensive as the title track “Just Push Play”. Nobody asked Aerosmith to do a rasta-hip-hop track. The Run-DMC version of “Walk This Way” is the definitive Aero-rap, a masterpiece of serendipity and cutting edge ambition. Aerosmith thought it was necessary to revisit that sound 15 years later, and once again the result is a blurry facsimile that pales in comparison.

“Jaded”, the first single, is a great Aero-hit, one of the few from this era of co-writers and collaborators. Fortunately you don’t have to buy the album to get it, as there was a five track EP you could buy instead. If you go that way, you can still enjoy a couple different versions of the charismatic single. “Jaded” had the kind of chorus that Aerosmith used to be able to write in their sleep, but now apparently need help to do.

There were different bonus tracks for different regions. US and Canada got nil, but Europe got “Face” while Japan received “Won’t Let You Down” and a bunch of other stuff including five live tracks from 1978 (California and Texxas Jams). That 2 CD Japanese edition might be worth tracking down for the bonus material, but “Face” remained exclusive to Europe. Is it worth it? Actually…it might be. “Face” is an acoustic track that sounds a bit like a B-side. It’s closest to “Jaded” in sound, and sounds looser than most of the rest of the album. It’s certainly not going to become a lost favourite, but if you find a copy at the right price, consider it.

Just Push Play deserves the dreaded Flaming Turd.

1/5 stars

AEROSMITH – Jaded (2001 Sony EP)

It’s not unfair to suggest that I might be a little J-J-Jaded when it comes to 2000-era Aerosmith. People ask me when I think the decline hit. I answer, the abomination that is “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”. Nine Lives was a good album. It might not be an Aerosmith classic, but it was good, no two-ways about it. By the time Aerosmith hit 2001 with Just Push Play, the co-writers and love ballads had taken over completely.

That said, the first single from Just Push Play, “Jaded”, was a pretty good song. Joe Perry didn’t write that guitar hook, but it’s more the drum part that I am drawn to. Joey Kramer was capable of turning crap into class (not that “Jaded” is crap), he is so talented. “Jaded” boasts both catchy verses and choruses, and is firmly ensconced in acoustic-electric-pop land. I think it’s a great track actually, but in the context of its album, it was one of very few. You can handle something like this as a commercial track on a single. On an album where each song is more sold-out than the last, “Jaded” was a very minor victory.

But wait, there’s more! There is an acoustic and a “guitars mix” of “Jaded” as well. The stripped down acoustic version is pretty cool although it lacks punch. If you want to hear the song taken back to the basics without embellishment, here it is, and it’s still a good song. It just misses the soft/loud contrast of the album version. The guitar mix is the opposite. It’s the album track with the electric guitar parts turned up in lieu of the strings. So with the three tracks, you kind of get it in the full spectrum, from the light to the heavy. (Incidentally, there’s also a radio remix of “Jaded” out there, on a 2 CD version of Just Push Play from Japan that I don’t have.)

“Angel Eye” is a non-album track from the Charlie’s Angels soundtrack, saving you from buying that CD for one song. Thankfully it’s a heavy song, but without any serious hooks. The guitar riff is devastating, but once again, Joe didn’t write it. When it comes to this aeon of Aerosmith, perhaps we should just be grateful for a heavy song, period?

The final track is a bit of a throw-away at a mere 1:00. “Under My Skin” sounds like an album outro, or a piece of incidental music recorded for a soundtrack. I guess it’s a teaser for the full-length song that appeared on the album? Too bad because “Under My Skin” is one of the most irritating songs on Just Push Play. I don’t recognize this bit from the song, but I also don’t really want to investigate any further.

2/5 stars