Customer Reviews

A Little South Of Sanity [2-CD SET]

5 star:		(90)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is what you get when you see Aerosmith in concert. They sound great and try to mix in some oldies within the lineup of songs. My only complaint is that it is usually the "same old song and dance" not to pun, but the same six or so classic hits. If you want to listen to a great live Aerosmith pre-mtv release, get "Live Bootleg", also. "Live Bootleg" is highly recommended as it was the last live recording before the band fell into a drug coma and broke up. If you don't get to see Aerosmith in concert, "A Little South of Sanity" will basically bring you there.

Ahhh-k-k-k-k-ow!!!! So there I was, wandering through the land of The Wiz (ah, whatta wonderful place). My sole purpose was to pick up Alanis Morissett's new CD. That's what I foolishly thought, but the Music Gods had other plans. After picking up Alanis's new disc and then finding out Dream Theater's new live CD was out (which I just had to pick up), I wandered over to the Aerosmith section. I'm thinking, "Why am I here? I have just about everything of theirs". Then, lo and behold, this disc with an obnoxious-looking gas station dude on the cover popped out at me. "Yeah," he seemed to say, "go ahead and pick me up because you have no choice. You've never seen me before."

Seen you before? I didn't even know you existed. So, what closet had I been living in, anyway? -- and, wait-a-minute, but what the IS this?! A live Aerosmith CD? A new one? Time to high-tail my arse outta this store before I REALLY get into trouble.

So, what did I have here? A Little South of Sanity (yeah, that description fits me to a T these past few months), a live double CD which appeared to be a hodge-podge of different shows from the Get A Grip and Nine Lives tours. I slipped it into my CD player and I have three words for you: Kicks Boo-tay, Bay-bee!!

Yeah, go ahead and groan: Another Aerosmith live CD? After all, they've already recorded three of those suckers. Sure they have. However, if you'll excuse the cliché, Ladies and Gents, but these men are like fine wine -- with age they sound and rock better than ever. Seeing them with my own two eyes (these ones) twice last summer, and once this summer, they blew me out of my chair. I was rocketed to the moon, folks. With that filed away in my memory bank, I knew I wasn't going to be disappointed with this CD. All I had to do was close my eyes and I was there again, shaking my bootie and screaming my lungs out.

The sound of this CD is so rich it's like eating a piece of New York cheesecake; it's so ballsy it pins you against the wall; and it's so swinging it comes back to smack you in the face. Don't get the rocking chairs out for these fellas, cuz they ain't done yet.

EAT THE RICH is the first song on the first disc, and it starts off the album with a beat that climaxes into a frenzy. This song ain't missing a thing but Mr. Tyler's burp at the conclusion of the song. LOVE IN AN ELEVATOR steamrolls away, with Mr. Perry a-wailing, Mr. Whitford a-shredding, Mr. Hamilton a-swinging, Mr. Kramer a-pounding, and Mr. Tyler changing some words to tickle his fancy.

"You don't mind if we take the next two hours to rock your world, do you?," the Deamon of Screamin' inquires. Heck no! I was gonna go clean the toilet but go right ahead. FALLING IN LOVE (IS HARD ON THE KNEES) makes an appearance next, in all of its spunky, cool-rocking, Tongue N' Lip, glory.

"Ah, West Palm Beach, what the(bleep)are you smoking?!?!" Mr. Tyler wants to know before diving into the coolest, most jamming, toe-tapping -- grooviest (yeah, you heard me) -- version of SAME OLD SONG AND DANCE you'll ever hear. The song gets extended to a cool rap-and-jam session that would puff any fan's chest with pride. This is the blues, good-time, rock n' rolls, folks. Things turn down a notch with HOLE IN MY SOUL next, full of pretty melodies and Steven's witty improvisations.

I was starting to get all cozy with visions of past Aeroshows dancing in my head before I realized I had that MONKEY ON MY BACK. Like a thunderclap, it was bearing down on me, rockin' my world, causing me to think it was the 4th of July.

Boom! Boom! "I wanna hear some screaming!" Ya do, Mr. Tyler? How about if I sit on my speakers like that girl did in the Howard Stern movie, Private Parts. You think you'd hear me then? After some audience participation, LIVIN' ON THE EDGE steamrolls into my speakers, blowing smoke out of their stacks.

Whip your lighters out for some good CRYIN'. As overplayed as this song is, I love it, and I love the way it sounds live. There's something so TORTURED about this song. Me being tortured myself, I can relate. Oh, and that mean, soulful harmonica solo -- Gotta Love It! (pun intended). Are you getting the visual? Sure am, Steven. Boom! Boom! Boom-bah! Boom-bah! RAG DOLL, baby won't you do me like you've done before! <heh heh>. Yeah, bay-bee -- makes me want to dance. Oh, that slide guitar, that thump-thump of the drums that beats in time with my heart. Yes, I'm movin'. Gimme a table boys, and lemme shake my boo-tay!

Now dripping in sweat, my blood a-boiling, I take a seat for a breather as an ANGEL appears. This is a song that isn't played live very often and, surprisingly, it sounds pretty darn good. It's a good, strong ballad, but it was never one I cared to hear live. I holds up quite well, however. JANIE'S GOT A GUN is next in the set, proving to be a powerful number before AMAZING chases it tails, sounding a little weak compared to the original studio-recorded version. There's a lot of echoes on the vocals and Steven's voice sounds a little raspy with fatigue. At one point during the first chorus, it sounds a little out of tune. This is a great song, and one of their strongest ballads, but it could have been a little better live.

"So, you like the old (bleep), you like the new bleep)? Where were you in 79?" Steven crows at the beginning of Disc #2. "Pant. Pant. Pant. I'm BAAACK!! I'm BACK IN THE SADDLE again!" You know there's no hope for Steven's microphone surviving this number. The band's amps and my speakers suffer an equally devastating fate, I'm quite certain. So, get up on that saddle and get "hog wild!"

"Mr. Whitford, I'm sensing you have something up your sleeve," says Mr. Tyler. That something would be the total mind-blowing, funky-booty-shaking, dontcha-go-pouting LAST CHILD. Ah, this song is kind of like taking an ice-cold drink on a sweltering hot day -- DEE-LIC-IOUS!!!

THE OTHER SIDE is next up at bat -- skipping, hopping, tapping, and shaking all over the place before Mr. Joe F**king Perry steps up to the mic to WALK ON DOWN in that ultra cool-grooving way only he can deliver.

Get your lighters out again, but this time get two. As much as I've heard various recordings of DREAM ON, this one has got to be one of the best I've heard. This song is a true classic, and I never get tired of it. Comparing this version to some earlier ones (such as the one included on Live Bootleg), it only proves how far the Boston Bad Boys have come from their drug-hazed days. This song just gets better with time.

"Hey Whitford! Looking at the babes? Come here, Bay-bee!" Steven growls before launching into bluesy ballad, CRAZY -- sounding oh-so-sexy and as sweet as saccharine at the same time.

"To the people who go to Mamma Kins, work at Mamma Kins, and hang out at Mamma Kins -- MAMMA KIN," Steven introduces before launching into a rocking version of the aforementioned song. It rocks, it moves, it jams, and it sounds better than the original recording. Steven sings this one in a low octave while throwing in his special brand of Tyler improvisations.

"Ah, yeah baby. Get the (bleep)offa the fence!" the Demon of Screamin' chants before diving into the funkiest, coolest, get-down-with-your-bad-self version of WALK THIS WAY to be heard by the human ear. Ah, this song sorta reminds me of those favorite pair of faded, worn-in jeans: always feels soooo good when you put `em on -- tight in all the right places while loose enough in other places.

"Hey dude -- lend me a dollar," Steven croons to the melody of Beatles tune, Hey Jude. "Do it! DUDE LOOKS LIKE A LADY! Mamma-ooooh!!" Oh, to have those guilty pleasures in life. What would we do without songs like these? It's like that piece of chocolate -- you know you want it!

"There goes my old girlfriend, well there's another diamond ring. And uh . . . all those late night promises, I guess they don't mean a thing." SING IT, STEVEN! Don't I know it! WHAT IT TAKES has been one of my many theme songs as of late. What makes this song even more special is Steven sings the whole first verse acapella. This song, in all senses of the word, is PURR-FECT!! Beautiful! Gorgeous! Heartwrenching! Love it!

It's almost that time, but before any good-byes are uttered, the Boston Bad Boys have to go out with a bang and a little SWEET EMOTION! Sweeeeet E-mooooo-tion!! How sweet it is! Cool and laid-back with enough bite to leave teeth marks, whatta way to leave you . . . . that's right . . . wanting more.

Whew! Is it hot in here, or is it just me? I don't give a fig-leaf what anyone says: Aerosmith, old or new, young or old -- I love it all. As far as song material, I can't chose between the 70s, the 80s, or the 90s -- it's all good. It's like going to an All You Can Eat buffet and being able to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the same sitting. I can't skip meals -- I gotta have `em all! I can tell you this, though: Aerosmith has gotten better live. They may have been "raw" in the 70s, but I think they were so "raw" they were losing too much blood -- passing out, lurching around the stage

Well, I've heard all of Aerosmith's previous live efforts - "Live! Bootleg", "Classics Live", & "Classics Live 2"; of course those were early Columbia releases so they all focused primarily on the same 70's tunes. So "South of Sanity" does serve the purpose of giving us 90's Aerosmith live with some of their newer material.

The problem is that Aerosmith's newer material, at least the hit stuff primarily on display here, is a bit repetitive. When they started writing music with the pop charts in mind, duplicating past successes became a habit. And they were all big, sometimes cheesy, power ballads that took a lot out of you. The first disc of "Little South of Sanity" is a cluster of these ballads, and it is quite exhausting.

The second CD bites into their more diverse, classic material and is a much easier listen. There are a couple recent ballads mixed in but it's not ten all bunched together, which is much more relaxed. Unfortunately, in hitting their old material they ignore some of their stronger, lesser-known songs for the biggest hits ("Walk This Way", "Dream On") which have already been well documented on past live releases.

The sound quality is great, if a little TOO polished (not asking for something as sloppy as "Live! Bootleg" but there is some raw attitude missing from these performances and recordings). Still, it's one of the cleanest live CDs I've ever heard, although it obviously got some studio touch-ups. It's an extraordinary balance in which every single instrument is clearly audible yet with Steven's voice shining through.

So on the plus side, it's full of vibrant sound and their biggest hits. Unfortunately, the song selection is a little too predictable and there are few twists to the performances.

Like most live albums, it's uneccessary, but if you're a hardcore fan or just want all these songs on one collection, it's not a bad offering. Not the best summary of their live act though, because they usually spread out the ballads more and rip open some of their more obscure oldies. For the real live experience, you have to go to the concert, folks.

A casual fan like myself might have been happy with one 15 track disc, but fanatics would be "Crazy" not to love this. 2 discs and 23 tracks of live Aerosmith. The sound is pretty good, or at least not bad enough to complain about. There's a wealth of 90's songs here, but at this point that is a big portion of their material. "A Little South Of Sanity" does have the hits covered pretty well, be they old or newer, and tosses in a few gems like "Mama Kin" and "Monkey On My Back" as well. Overall a good collection, and clearly proves that Aerosmith still has "What It Takes" to rock your socks off.

Really great doudle live set from Aerosmith, the sound is loud and the choice of songs is perfect. One of the best rocking band of the planet.
These guys are real rockers ! Highly recommanded, you can't go wrong.

Review no.116. Very well assembled 2-CD, 23 track audio document of Aerosmith's 1997-98 road trek. I don't care what any old school fans might say about 'Sanity' plus EVEN though it was reportedly one of those 'contractual obligation' live albums, I still think it's a worthy 2-CD release that's truly a must-have. Cuts here that had me keeping this title handy for some time now are "Love In An Elevator", "Same Old Song And Dance", the dramatic "Jamie's Got A Gun", "Back In The Saddle", "Last Child", "Mama Kin", "Walk This Way" and the concert show stomper "Sweet Emotion". Absolutely 100% essential.

Typically, I'm not a big fan of live albums, but this one turned out to be okay. For once, according to my experience, this was a live album that was clear and not full of so much crowd noise and distortion that the band couldn't be heard. The first time I played it I felt like I was back at their concert, minus all the smoke and crowd. It was great! I'm a huge Aerosmith fan and this is one of their best compilations of hits. If you like Aerosmith and you don't have this cd, BUY IT!

Around three years ago, I first got this cd. I still remember how shocked was I; this was my first serious rock album and i loved it so much. this is what inspired me to take guitar in my hands and listen to rock n roll stuff. Songs like Mama Kin or Crying are one of first songs I learnt to play. It was the only one Aerosmith cd I had for 2 years, then something happened in my mind and I thought "Hell, I gotta have some more Aerosmith" and i got other albums. But back to the record... it's great. Can You believe these folks were in their late 40-s and still kicked ass so much? From powerful, smashing Eat The Rich, through ballads like Hole In My Soul, Crying, killer numbers like Monkey On My Back, Last Child, to closing epilogue of Sweet Emotion, this cd, god, ROCKS, and I mean it does! It really does! I heard all the rumors about new and old Aerosmith - and though I also prefer the 70s A-Smith stuff - When they are live, it really doesn't matter if they are playing sloppy pop like Falling In Love or classic like Back In The Saddle - The band, they just can do it on each single song, no matter if they would even cover Britney Spears, Tyler's "Wo-kakakakaka-kow!" and Perry's incredible Guitar work can make every song a great rocker!

Many complain this album is lacking many A-smith long time hits - Draw The Line, Toys In The Attic, Etc. I can agree with that to some point, but come on, we all had it on Bootleg and Classics Live! So I guess we can spare them they did not play it for the next time here.

Being objective now, I see some of low points of this album. This is the type of live Cd-s that many old bands do - Disc one is basicly new stuff, and disc two is bunch of all bands' golden hits (See "Delicate Sound Of Thunder" from Pink Floyd) but it doesn't make it bad. They could, however, play some more of the 70s stuff and some more less famous songs (I would love to hear "Rats In The Cellar" or "You See Me Crying" live, I beg these guys sometime release an album with such songs on live).

After all, these few arguments do not make this cd bad. I think it is pointless to rate each single song - because all of them are played just the way rock songs should sound like. They sound as fresh as they must have 20+ years ago. Tyler and company are rather old folks, but still they show they know how to rock! They play with rawness, vehenence, and charisma.

Thank You Aerosmith for what You guys have done for me. This is one of greatest live albums of all time. Great point to start Your experience with Aerosmith.

Aerosmith, Aerosmith, Aerosmith. Never leave us again.

What other bands have released more live albums than greatest-hits packages? Few I can think of. Whether or not _Classics Live_, _Classics Live 2_, and _Live! Bootleg_ are your cup o' tea, _A Little South of Sanity_ is a must -- stress MUST -- have Aerosmith album. It's a must-have album, period.

Essentially, _A Little South..._ delivers the hits. Now, I'm not here to whine and complain about the glaring omissions of classics like "No Surprize," "Toys In The Attic," and "Seasons Of Wither". I'm not here to moan about the lack of modern recordings such as "Get A Grip," "Taste Of India," and "Full Circle". No, I'm not here to complain about what this album doesn't have. I'm here to praise what it has.

Overlooking the omissions, the stuff that's on here is stunning. The first disc is chock-full of '90s material, including two (only two, unfortunately) songs from their essential 1997 studio album _Nine Lives_. The first CD delivers the goods, plain and simple.

The second album, though... oy vey. Beginning with a thunderous vocal attack "Back In The Saddle" and closing with a sizzling rendition of the classic "Sweet Emotion," Aerosmith's past is brought up, thrown out, and flooring the listener.

Let me backtrack, though, with a track rundown. The first disc begins with a minute-long drum intro/Amazonian jungle impersonation/rap leading up to "Eat The Rich," a perfect way to get the first disc rolling. It follows with '90s classic "Love In An Elevator" and the infectious hook of "Falling In Love (Is Hard On The Knees". The bluesy riff of "Same Old Song And Dance" plus a bonus, very cool improv session make it one of the most desirable tracks on the first disc. The pace slows a bit with "Hole In My Soul," and just when you think the album's about to stagger, Tyler and Company launch into token drug-use tune "Monkey On My Back," a blistering rocker.

A steady pound indicates that "Livin' On The Edge" is, after some audience participation, comin' up. Though some stuff at the end is left out, "Livin'" may well be the best track on the first disc (and "Monkey," of course). How do you follow up such a great song? With a really bad one, of course. The overplayed, whiny "Cryin'" follows. Skip it, folks. It's one of very few bad Aero-songs. But thank the Lord and praise Jesus, because "Rag Doll" is up next! "Angel," the next track, works as album filler, but thankfully it's followed up by a classic. The audience goes into a frenzy as the lyric is barely out of Steve's mouth: "Dum dum dum, honey what have you done?" Yessir, it's the Grammy-winnin' "Janie's Got A Gun" and is the best song on this album so far. Finally, the first disc is wrapped up with "Amazing," a song that is really very good but marred by a shortened guitar solo and an annoying echo.

And we come to disc two. WHOA. Lemme say that again for the record: WHOA. A frenzied "Back In The Saddle" serves as the opener, a demonstration of vocalist Steve Tyler's blistering potential as a lead singer. But wait -- what does (guitarist) Mr. Brad Whitford have up his sleeve? The funk laced, speeded-up live version of "Last Child," which is far superior to the (still great) studio version. "The Other Side" passes through without making much noise, but lead guitarist Mr. Joe Perry himself steps up to the mic for his self-penned "Walk On Down".

Steve once again takes center stage, though, for the absolutely perfect -- read: PERFECT -- live recording of "Dream On". Wave that lighter in the air, folks. Alas, you can extinguish the lighters now, though, because the other bad song on this album, "Crazy," is coming through. It passes by, though, and the drop-dead best song on this album (and that's saying something) is up: that's right, it's "Mama Kin". It's barely four minutes long, but it's four minutes of pure classic rock, and it's even superior to the studio version (even though Mr. Tyler isn't really sure of the words himself, it appears). No disappointment is major hit "Walk This Way," also superior to the studio version. Is there a chance of this album slowing down yet? Not if "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" has anything to say about it (preceded by a quick sampling of Beatles classic "Hey Jude").

But wait -- what was that I said about slowing down? Yes, the album does slow down to allow ballad "What It Takes". Fortunately, it's vastly superior to the mediocre studio track, even the a cappella first verse. Dead runner for best track "Sweet Emotion" closes out the album, which, even with two discs, seems all too short. But what a song it is. Ack. Song, instrumental, and, finally: "Thank you, good night!"

I have a feeling we should've thanked THEM. This is an essential Aerosmith recording, plain and simple. Thankyew, thankyewverymuch.

Ahhh-k-k-k-k-ow!!!! So there I was, wandering through the land of The Wiz (ah, whatta wonderful place). My sole purpose was to pick up Alanis Morissett's new CD. That's what I foolishly thought, but the Music Gods had other plans. After picking up Alanis's new disc and then finding out Dream Theater's new live CD was out (which I just had to pick up), I wandered over to the Aerosmith section. I'm thinking, "Why am I here? I have just about everything of theirs". Then, lo and behold, this disc with an obnoxious-looking gas station dude on the cover popped out at me. "Yeah," he seemed to say, "go ahead and pick me up because you have no choice. You've never seen me before."

Seen you before? I didn't even know you existed. So, what closet had I been living in, anyway? -- and, wait-a-minute, but what the IS this?! A live Aerosmith CD? A new one? Time to high-tail my arse outta this store before I REALLY get into trouble.

So, what did I have here? A Little South of Sanity (yeah, that description fits me to a T these past few months), a live double CD which appeared to be a hodge-podge of different shows from the Get A Grip and Nine Lives tours. I slipped it into my CD player and I have three words for you: Kicks Boo-tay, Bay-bee!!

Yeah, go ahead and groan: Another Aerosmith live CD? After all, they've already recorded three of those suckers. Sure they have. However, if you'll excuse the clich?, Ladies and Gents, but these men are like fine wine -- with age they sound and rock better than ever. Seeing them with my own two eyes (these ones) twice last summer, and once this summer, they blew me out of my chair. I was rocketed to the moon, folks. With that filed away in my memory bank, I knew I wasn't going to be disappointed with this CD. All I had to do was close my eyes and I was there again, shaking my bootie and screaming my lungs out.

The sound of this CD is so rich it's like eating a piece of New York cheesecake; it's so ballsy it pins you against the wall; and it's so swinging it comes back to smack you in the face. Don't get the rocking chairs out for these fellas, cuz they ain't done yet.

EAT THE RICH is the first song on the first disc, and it starts off the album with a beat that climaxes into a frenzy. This song ain't missing a thing but Mr. Tyler's burp at the conclusion of the song. LOVE IN AN ELEVATOR steamrolls away, with Mr. Perry a-wailing, Mr. Whitford a-shredding, Mr. Hamilton a-swinging, Mr. Kramer a-pounding, and Mr. Tyler changing some words to tickle his fancy.

"You don't mind if we take the next two hours to rock your world, do you?," the Deamon of Screamin' inquires. Heck no! I was gonna go clean the toilet but go right ahead. FALLING IN LOVE (IS HARD ON THE KNEES) makes an appearance next, in all of its spunky, cool-rocking, Tongue N' Lip, glory.
"Ah, West Palm Beach, what the f**k are you smoking?!?!" Mr. Tyler wants to know before diving into the coolest, most jamming, toe-tapping -- grooviest (yeah, you heard me) -- version of SAME OLD SONG AND DANCE you'll ever hear. The song gets extended to a cool rap-and-jam session that would puff any fan's chest with pride. This is the blues, good-time, rock n' rolls, folks. Things turn down a notch with HOLE IN MY SOUL next, full of pretty melodies and Steven's witty improvisations.
I was starting to get all cozy with visions of past Aeroshows dancing in my head before I realized I had that MONKEY ON MY BACK. Like a thunderclap, it was bearing down on me, rockin' my world, causing me to think it was the 4th of July.
Boom! Boom! "I wanna hear some screaming!" Ya do, Mr. Tyler? How about if I sit on my speakers like that girl did in the Howard Stern movie, Private Parts. You think you'd hear me then? After some audience participation, LIVIN' ON THE EDGE steamrolls into my speakers, blowing smoke out of their stacks.
Whip your lighters out for some good CRYIN'. As overplayed as this song is, I love it, and I love the way it sounds live. There's something so TORTURED about this song. Me being tortured myself, I can relate. Oh, and that mean, soulful harmonica solo -- Gotta Love It! (pun intended).
Are you getting the visual? Sure am, Steven. Boom! Boom! Boom-bah! Boom-bah! RAG DOLL, baby won't you do me like you've done before! <heh heh>. Yeah, bay-bee -- makes me want to dance. Oh, that slide guitar, that thump-thump of the drums that beats in time with my heart. Yes, I'm movin'. Gimme a table boys, and lemme shake my boo-tay!
Now dripping in sweat, my blood a-boiling, I take a seat for a breather as an ANGEL appears. This is a song that isn't played live very often and, surprisingly, it sounds pretty darn good. It's a good, strong ballad, but it was never one I cared to hear live. I holds up quite well, however.
JANIE'S GOT A GUN is next in the set, proving to be a powerful number before AMAZING chases it tails, sounding a little weak compared to the original studio-recorded version. There's a lot of echoes on the vocals and Steven's voice sounds a little raspy with fatigue. At one point during the first chorus, it sounds a little out of tune. This is a great song, and one of their strongest ballads, but it could have been a little better live.
"So, you like the old s**t, you like the new s**t? Where were you in 79?" Steven crows at the beginning of Disc #2. "Pant. Pant. Pant. I'm BAAACK!! I'm BACK IN THE SADDLE again!" You know there's no hope for Steven's microphone surviving this number. The band's amps and my speakers suffer an equally devastating fate, I'm quite certain. So, get up on that saddle and get "hog wild!"
"Mr. Whitford, I'm sensing you have something up your sleeve," says Mr. Tyler. That something would be the total mind-blowing, funky-booty-shaking, dontcha-go-pouting LAST CHILD. Ah, this song is kind of like taking an ice-cold drink on a sweltering hot day -- DEE-LIC-IOUS!!!
THE OTHER SIDE is next up at bat -- skipping, hopping, tapping, and shaking all over the place before Mr. Joe F**king Perry steps up to the mic to WALK ON DOWN in that ultra cool-grooving way only he can deliver.
Get your lighters out again, but this time get two. As much as I've heard various recordings of DREAM ON, this one has got to be one of the best I've heard. This song is a true classic, and I never get tired of it. Comparing this version to some earlier ones (such as the one included on Live Bootleg), it only proves how far the Boston Bad Boys have come from their drug-hazed days. This song just gets better with time.
"Hey Whitford! Looking at the babes? Come here, Bay-bee!" Steven growls before launching into bluesy ballad, CRAZY -- sounding oh-so-sexy and as sweet as saccharine at the same time.

"To the people who go to Mamma Kins, work at Mamma Kins, and hang out at Mamma Kins -- MAMMA KIN," Steven introduces before launching into a rocking version of the aforementioned song. It rocks, it moves, it jams, and it sounds better than the original recording. Steven sings this one in a low octave while throwing in his special brand of Tyler improvisations.

"Ah, yeah baby. Get the f**k offa the fence!" the Demon of Screamin' chants before diving into the funkiest, coolest, get-down-with-your-bad-self version of WALK THIS WAY to be heard by the human ear. Ah, this song sorta reminds me of those favorite pair of faded, worn-in jeans: always feels soooo good when you put `em on -- tight in all the right places while loose enough in other places.

"Hey dude -- lend me a dollar," Steven croons to the melody of Beatles tune, Hey Jude. "Do it! DUDE LOOKS LIKE A LADY! Mamma-ooooh!!" Oh, to have those guilty pleasures in life. What would we do without songs like these? It's like that piece of chocolate -- you know you want it!

"There goes my old girlfriend, well there's another diamond ring. And uh . . . all those late night promises, I guess they don't mean a thing." SING IT, STEVEN! Don't I know it! WHAT IT TAKES has been one of my many theme songs as of late. What makes this song even more special is Steven sings the whole first verse acapella. This song, in all senses of the word, is PURR-FECT!! Beautiful! Gorgeous! Heartwrenching! Love it!

It's almost that time, but before any good-byes are uttered, the Boston Bad Boys have to go out with a bang and a little SWEET EMOTION! Sweeeeet E-mooooo-tion!! How sweet it is! Cool and laid-back with enough bite to leave teeth marks, whatta way to leave you . . . . that's right . . . wanting more.

Whew! Is it hot in here, or is it just me? I don't give a fig-leaf what anyone says: Aerosmith, old or new, young or old -- I love it all. As far as song material, I can't chose between the 70s, the 80s, or the 90s -- it's all good. It's like going to an All You Can Eat buffet and being able to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the same sitting. I can't skip meals -- I gotta have `em all! I can tell you this, though: Aerosmith has gotten better live. They may have been "raw" in the 70s, but I think they were so "raw" they were losing too much blood -- passing out, lurching around the stage in a stoned-funk, and forgetting words and notes . . . that Aerosmith has gone to the ashes. I may not have been there in person in the Peace, Love and Be Free 70s (due to the fact that I was a mere young child), but I hear the improvement in the recordings.

In concert, and on this recording, Steven Tyler's voice has gotten so incredibly good it's mind-blowing. The octaves he hits, and the crispness of his voice -- Yow-zah!! Joe Perry still shreds like he never has before, never losing his bluesy, ballsy touch. His playing is truly music to the ears. Brad Whitford wails and shreds up a storm, and is truly underrated. In regards to bass players, in a lot of bands, you can't hear the bass. Usually, the bass player blends with the band, but I could actually hear Tom Hamilton -- and the boy sounds good, I tell ya! Of course, there's Joey Kramer, who pounds and kills the skins on his drums throughout the set. I always thought drummers were maniacs, and Mr. Kramer is no exception.

Aerosmith is a true Cinderella story, for after all the rises and falls -- twenty-plus years later -- they're still the belles of the ball. God bless `em!!!!