Aerosmith : Just Push Play

Ever the innovators, Aerosmith's vision of the year 2001 will be instantly familiar to anyone who's had their head in a bucket since 1974. As the cover illustration shows - Earth is ruled by sexy lady robots in Marilyn Monroe frocks. In this brave new world, much of the 'Smith's music is reassuringly familiar, barely changed over their previous 12 albums, a mix of loose-jointed Stones raunch and vast power ballads impressive enough to bring out the
40-something in all of us.


Not quite completely unchanged, mind. When Aerosmith accidentally helped invent rap-metal by duetting with Run DMC on 'Walk This Way' in 1986, few could've envisaged how little they'd capitalise on it. Belatedly, 'Just Push Play' attempts to cash in, with some duff techno-metal frills and the atrocious 'Outta Your Head', wherein Steven Tyler's rapping is so inept it makes Fred Durst sound like Chuck D.


As a screeching middle-aged rock peacock, though, Tyler remains both magnetic and hilarious. Songs like 'Jaded' and 'Fly Away From Here' have a quota of guitar solos, clichés and outdated behaviour that's initially stomach-turning.


But relax: after 1,000 inadvertent listens, they will corrupt your very soul. Truly, age shall not wither them. How could it, when all the drugs did that years ago?


John Mulvey