Aerosmith - Music From Another Dimension (2012)

coltrane2

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Released: 6th November 2012 (review based on pre-release advance that will be replaced with a purchased copy)

Label: Columbia

Track listing:

1. LUV XXX
2. Oh Yeah
3. Beautiful
4. Tell Me
5. Out Go The Lights
6. Legendary Child
7. What Could Have Been Love
8. Street Jesus
9. Can't Stop Loving You
10. Lover A Lot
11. We All Fall Down
12. Freedom Fighter
13. Closer
14. Something
15. Another Last Goodbye

Review by Coltrane 2

A full eight years since their last album release and a mammoth eleven since their last studio album of all original material, it's finally arrived. This was never going to be a straight forward "yeah or nay" LP review: Rarely has a band polarised opinions within its own fan base so acutely.

Let's be clear, this is a band encapsulating huge success over three clearly defined phases and an astonishing five decades: 70's dirty rock n' roll (1973 - 1979); 80's kiss-the-baton stadium rock (1984 - 1990) and hollywood pop and big ballad mega rock band (1991 - date). They span generations, literally, but unlike many bands, their rate of sales success does not immediately point to a 'golden era'. Whatever your opinion of each of these phases or the three collectively, they are not a nostalgia act, which is really something when you think about it.

This is a point that Joe Perry was keen to stress in pre-release interviews. Yes Jack Douglas produces this LP and yes there are occasional nods to Rocks, Toys In The Attic and, heck, even Draw The Line, but if those 70's era folks are expecting a re-enactment of past glories a la Van Halen's A Different Kind Of Truth then they will, unfortunately, leave the party disappointed.

Luv XXX (hookline "love three times a day", get it?) kicks things off with a cool spoken word intro that fits snuggly with the 50's B movie cover art, before shit-kicking into a massive Joey Kramer drum roll and Whitford and Perry almost tearing your ears apart with a shredding, caustic riff a la Draw The Line (good news so far then). Except the song itself is a little 'so-so' , coming across as a slightly awkward Cheap Trick B-side. It rewards repeated listens and I can see why it's the opening track, but it's possibly not the opening number you'd hope for after an eleven year songwriting hiatus.

Oh Yeah has already been aired live and it's a superb, groove-laden track, quite possibly the closest to that 70's era material: cool Perry riff, Stones "Exile" era girl-girl harmonies and a lovely Toys era brass sound. It's one of the the hardest hitting tracks in the armoury, even if the Perry riff is a little buried amongst the bombast.

Beautiful is, in fact, not a ballad but a very clever rap-loaded rock track a la Dude Looks Like A Lady in the verses, before pulling back into a mega catchy chorus: at least 10 Steven Tyler backing vocals screaming the word "Beautiful" at you. Odd-ball but it really works. Great track.

Then the first ballad kicks in (a recurring theme) and this is where the polarisation will begin. It's actually a rad, Beatles style/ blues ballad called Tell Me, written by Tom Hamilton and the least commercial and most substantial ballad on the LP. It's one of many, which is where the debate between those 70's/ 80's/ 90's - 01's will manifest itself. Good track though.

Out Go The Lights is the best track on the LP by some distance. A monster seven minute Tyler- Perry classic: it's like Rag Doll's big brother and the grooviest, cheekiest, dirtiest track they've written in over 20 years. How's this for a lyric: "If you wanna little Nookie, Cookie, tonight might be your lucky night". Joe Perry absolutely kills on this track, which includes an extended jam and Tyler Harmonica solo. Amazing, killer riff and...well it's just great. There is unequivocally nothing on Just Push Play or Nine Lives fit to lick it's very substantial kinky boots...another comment that may polarise as late era 'Smith fans who didn't dig Permanent Vacation or Pump won't have heard its like.

Legendary Child was, of course, the first single. You may have heard it. It's OK, but next to Out Go The Lights (the hookline of which is used as the main riff for Legendary Child), it is indeed little more than a child standing next to a very considerable and muscular man. It's still a rock track rather than a a ballad though, bless its little fists.

And then the worm turns. What Could Have Been Love is a typical late era, Aerosmith mega ballad. It's competent, catchy and almost identical to Crazy/ Don't Wanna Miss A Thing/ Cryin' et al. You know the drill: Co-authored by Tyler and external professional songwriters (Irwin and Frederiksen) with absolutely no involvement from Perry and a muted barely-audible-as- Aerosmith backing band. Late era fans will love it.

Street Jesus re-addresses the balance: A blues rocker that kicks some serious ass. Not a great tune, but it knows its place and deserves to be on the album ahead of the 'gone hollywood' balladeering. Nice lyrics too "placate and vacate your mind". Nice groove.

Back to ballad-ville with Can't Stop Loving you, which is astonishingly a duet with Carrie Underwood. It's a pop country ballad. By Aerosmith! And this is where you get a glimpse of what, perhaps, has happened behind the scenes. There's compromise between the band members on this LP. Perry has long made no secret of his dislike of ballads. Quote from The Making of Pump "the only ballad I ever thought worthwhile was a slow blues". It's very clear that there's a tug of war, with Perry, Whitford and the rhythm section in one corner and Tyler in the blue corner.

A shocking finding under the name of Aerosmith, Can't Stop Loving You is the type of country pop ballad that Bon Jovi have been trotting out for the last 10 years: it's a pension plan and has nothing whatsoever to do with Aerosmith. It could also be the biggest single of 2013 and I'm pretty sure that Aerosmith know this.

Lover Alot has been subject to a pre-release Mp3 campaign and we're back in Perry-Whitford rocker territory (see the patten)? This track could have been culled directly from the Rocks LP. Not a massively strong track but like Street Jesus it keeps you listening to the LP. And the middle eight leading into the solo is classic Aerosmith.

We All Fall Down, another ballad, is again exactly as you'd expect. The first line is "When your heart is breaking". Nothing unexpected happens thereon. Hookline: "Remember no one can always be strong, we all fall down, I wiil catch you"....you get the drift. It's catchy as a cold on a winter day with the heating turned up, but it's heavily manufactured, radio pop balledry at its most blindingly obvious. And it's written by Diane Warren. 'Nuff said.

Back to the tug of war land and not only do we have a Perry rocker but a Perry lead vocal. Unfortunately, he can't sing and despite some cool guitar work the song is average at best. This is filler of the most benign quality and it makes you wonder why they went for 15 tracks, instead of the best 10 -11. I think the answer is simple: I'm guessing that the Perry position was, 'you have your shitty ballads, Steven, and give me, Brad and the boys our rockers'. Was Tyler even in the building when this was recorded? You have to wonder.

But what have we here, a rocker following a rocker in Closer? Hmmm, not quite as the song starts with a slow bluesy drawl before yet another balladeering chorus, albeit in the Beatles rather than Bieber mode this time. A cool song, if a little forgettable.

The penultimate track, Something, is another Perry composition and another Perry vocal. This time we know that Steven was in the building as the credits tell us he switched to drums. It's another awful filler track. Why guys, just save it for a B-side or posthumous box set? It would never have made it onto any Aerosmith 70's or 80's release....not even Rock In A Hard Place. Dreadful.

We end the last Aerosmith album for god knows how many years with a ballad (again) in Another Last Goodbye. Not quite as shallow as the majority of "lurve" songs on the LP, it contains a very Abbey Road era Beatles vibe. But the hollywood soundtrack "thing" is still lurking in the shadows and manifests itself all over the verses.

So there you have it. The assessment is that this feels not unlike the Get A Grip LP. It contains at least three knock-out classic Aerosmith tunes, a number of very cool moments and (count 'em) six ballads.

Despite all of the pre-release hype and talk of a classic album, it is terrifyingly patchy and as a result very frustrating. The best exponent for this LP is the person who somehow enjoys the Bieber-esq ballads as much as the shit kicking groove rockers, which would be an odd disposition, but I'm sure there are some.

Overall, this contains some great tracks and even some that rank amongst this band's best. It is not, however, amongst their greatest LPs. It scrapes the top 10 (just) on the basis that it outguns anything they've recorded since Get It Grip, but don't get too excited as they've only released three "proper" LPs since that 1993 release.

Worthwhile, but ultimately a disappointing experience.
 
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That 70s Guy

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Re: Aerosmith - Music From Another Dimension

Reminds me of "Get A Grip" album,not bad,but not great.
 

Recky

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Re: Aerosmith - Music From Another Dimension

indeed...very "Get a Grip"ish...not awful, but not brilliant either, having said that I think AeroFans will enjoy it none the less
 

LG

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Re: Aerosmith - Music From Another Dimension

That's a massive well thought out review Coltrane2...:cheers2

You can put me in the 70's group of fans when it comes to Aerosmith, I wish they gave us another Toys in the Attic or Rocks and I wouldn't care if they were revisiting old ground, sometimes that's a good thing.

Still haven't made up my mind about whether to get this album or not...but I know Magic will already have a copy in her library.;)
 

That 70s Guy

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Re: Aerosmith - Music From Another Dimension

Deluxe edition has these bonus tracks....

"Up On The Mountain" (Tom Hamilton lead vocals)
"Oasis In The Night" (Joe Perry lead vocal)
"Sunny Side Of Love"
 

DaKillerWolf

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Re: Aerosmith - Music From Another Dimension

I DLed this album a few days ago and cut it down to 11 tracks w/ only Tell Me hanging in there with the rockers. It's worth a few listens in that format but can't touch Get a Grip as far as rockers go with only Street Jesus and Out Go The Lights doing anything close to hanging with their better material, IM ...not so Humble...O.

Oh, and I have no plans to buy....
 

METALPRIEST

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Re: Aerosmith - Music From Another Dimension

This IS a good review. Hasn't come out yet for me..and I haven't downloaded or anything. I am anticipating this as I have every Aerosmith CD. I have to agree with LG on this one...I don't think it would have been a bad thing for the band at all to revisit cooler days such as Toys In The Attic or Rocks. Hell I'd toss Night In The Ruts in there as well.

But if they could capture Get Your Wings?? Damn what a year in 74 for them. Magical.

I do like Get A Grip...I really do...but I can see myself in what 70's Guy said..."Not bad but not great"...I think that is how I am going to end up feeling.
 

DaKillerWolf

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Re: Aerosmith - Music From Another Dimension

Have to agree that the review itself is well thought out and a nice bit of writing. Now if only the album had lived up to the pre-release 70's vibe hype.....
 

METALPRIEST

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Re: Aerosmith - Music From Another Dimension

I'm getting worried now :heheh: :uh:
 

Riff Raff

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Re: Aerosmith - Music From Another Dimension

Good write up there, Ill still be checking this album out though, still with the same level of eagerness when I first heard about it.
 

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