A Little South Of Sanity

Ever look at that huge rack of Aerosmith CDs down at Marbecks and wish there was one compilaton that would encompass the whole thing? Well, here it is, in a comprehensive, two-CD live version.
Recorded all over the world during the tours for Get A Grip (1993-1994) and Nine Lives (1997-1998), the disc has the off-the-cuff, loose feel of many a live album. Sometimes, this works nicely; at other times, the original studio versions are far superior. This disc also inadvertently showcases one big truth about Aerosmith: their early material is more interesting and original than their post-comeback entries, which tend to come in two varieties: pretty, glossy power ballads, like "Angel" and "Hole In My Soul," and raunchy blues boogie, such as "Love In An Elevator." Some of the New Aerosmith songs, like the charming, lighthearted "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" as well as the heavier "Livin' On the Edge" and "Monkey on My Back," with its dark guitar lines, work better, but they don't compare with the real Aerosmith gems.
Disc one focuses primarily on the more recent, less memorable efforts. "Eat The Rich" is basic rock n' roll, with a lyrical sentiment that's more than a little ironic. (Guys, you've been rock stars for decades. You ARE the rich.) "Falling In Love (Is Hard On The Knees)" is entertaining rock radio fodder, but little more. The loose-limbed oldie, "Same Old Song and Dance," finally perks things up. Towards the end of part one, we kick into the real best of post-rehab Aerosmith, including "Cryin'," with its huge hook and bluesy groove, and Steven Tyler's chew-the-scenery vocals. "Rag Doll" sports a syncopated honky-tonk with an off-the-cuff, solely-for-the-live-version guitar riff in midstream.
The high point of disc one is surely "Janie's Got A Gun," a haunting, somber tune about a young woman who blows away her abusive father, and a classic that'll still sound as good twenty years from now. (However, Tyler's half-spoken live delivery of the lyrics doesn't work nearly as well as the studio version.)
Disc 2, however, is chock full o' the great tunes that make Aerosmith such an enduring band. "Back In The Saddle" still sounds as raucous and trashy as ever, while "Mama Kin" and "Walk This Way" are, eternally, great blues-based pleasures that could be sold as an anti-depressant. "Sweet Emotion"'s rollicking beat plays counterpoint to a gorgeous, psychedelic haze of sound; "Dream On" remains the ballad of ballads, with its indelible groove and soaring, hoist-a-lighter crescendo. The rest of the tracks divide evenly between trademark "soft" numbers ("Amazing," "Crazy," "What It Takes") and R-0-C-K! songs ("Last Child," "The Other Side," "Walk On Down.")
At 23 tracks, A Little South Of Sanity is definitely more Aerosmith for the buck - a must-buy for rabid fans, and a good sampler for those who need to figure out which of those 12 studio albums they really want.