Released on October 28, 1998, ‘A Little South of Sanity’ was the final album to be released with Geffen Records. Funny thing with Aerosmith, three albums in to a 6 album deal with Geffen, Aerosmith signed a new contract with Columbia Records…who does that. At the time they signed the deal, they only had done 3 albums. ‘Get a Grip’ became #4, the greatest hits compilation was #5 and this live album was the 6th and final one. I guess Columbia Records and Geffen had a good relationship because before this 6th album came out, Columbia got to release ‘Nine Lives’. Only Aerosmith could pull something like that off.
But we are here to talk about the live album ‘A Little South of Sanity’. The album was pieced together from two entirely different tours. Some songs from the 1993-1994 ‘Get A Grip’ Tour and the rest from the 1997-1998 ‘Nine Lives’ Tour which was still going on after this album was released. And here is the strange thing, we don’t know the shows every song comes from which I think is nuts. Isn’t anyone tracking that information? Apparently not. We do know some songs, but a lot are still a mystery. What we do know are there are 23 tracks and almost 2 hours of live Aerosmith. That is perfect.
The cover art is said to be inspired by an incident where Joey Kramer’s Ferrari caught on fire at a gas station. Joey blamed the gas attendant for the incident. Therefore the picture of the gas attendant on the cover is said to be filmmaker Patrick Connolly. At least he is claiming it is him. I don’t know if it is confirmed. And it says filmmaker, but I don’t know what films he has done and I guess it isn’t important. Also on the cover, you notice the album got a Parental Advisory Sticker and it is the only album of Aerosmith to ever get one. It is for some of the colorful language Steven uses in between songs.
While the band was touring for the release of the album ‘Cheap Trick at Budokan: The Complete Recordings’, the band decided to record some shows. On a four night stint at The Metro in Chicago from April 30-May 3, 1998, the band recorded all the shows. One of the cool things they did at these shows is each night they played one of their first four albums in its entirety which was in celebration of the re-release of those albums. After that they then played songs from throughout their career. From those recordings, they made a compilation which turned in to ‘Music for Hangovers’.
The album was released on June 15, 1999 and it didn’t just have the main members of Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson and Bun E. Carlos, oh no. They also had a guest appearance from the Smashing Pumpkin’s main man Billy Corgan. Billy also wrote the liner notes as he goes through his love of Cheap Trick and him joining the band on stage multiple times. The show isn’t Budokan, but it is still pretty great. There is a DVD of this release, however, I only have the CD and that is what we will review. Enjoy!
The album opener is “Oh Claire” is a little jam that only says “Oh kininichi wa” and was the last song (uncredited) on ‘Heaven Tonight’ from 1978. They then go straight in to their classic track “Surrender” which they sound just as good as they did 20 years earlier on Budokan. It is rocking with a punk flair and enough energy to get the crowd warmed up for the rest of the show. Then comes the high velocity of “Hot Love” which speeds down the stage at breakneck speed and Robin shows he can still sound as great he did when he recorded the song oh so long ago. Always a fun favorite for me and even more so here.
I love how when Rick introduces the next track it is by his favorite singer in the whole wide world Mr. Robin Zander. Good thing because he’s been stuck with him for 20 years now. They sing “I Can’t Take It” which might be the only song not from the first four albums. How is possible that Robin still sounds as young and talented as he did when he started. It is crazy and I’ll stop harping on that subject because you get it now. Next up is one of their most famous “I Want You To Want Me” and how can you not singalong to this one. It is played at such a fast tempo it is almost exhausting trying to keep up as Bun E. just pounds away on that snare. And one cool thing about them playing the entire first four albums, they now have on tape songs you might not expect as that one for me was “Taxman, Mr. Thief” which opens with a cool Rick riff throughout as he is really killing it here. In a song that had them being compared to the Beatles (which happened a lot), live it is a straight-up rocker and sounds amazing.
Billy Corgan gets introduced before the next song and if you have the DVD you see he comes out dressed up as his hero Rick Nielsen which got a big laugh. Billy plays guitar on the song “Mandocello”, he is the main guy on the intro and outro, which is a song I found boring on the studio album, but live has a whole new life and sounds fantastic. Robin’s angelic voice still sounds like perfection and Tom’s bassline drives the song home. What was missing on the studio shines through here. “Oh Caroline” is up next and they attempt this one acoustically which is a really nice twist. Already a great song and a sign of a really great song is if it can be played acoustically and be as good and guess what, it is. “How Are You?” which studio wise opens with a piano, live just goes straight in to a heavy bass line and drum beat and rocks right out of the gate. Before it was a mix of Elton John and The Beatles and now it is a rocking Cheap Trick like only the can do. The chorus is a hell of a lot of fun and perfect for a live performance.
“If You Want My Love” slows things back down and although a little rough around the edges vocally is still a classic must have song in the set. This was the first song I felt you could see the flaws in Robin’s vocals which I didn’t know existed. It is still a fun song waving your arms from side-to-side in the air! Then comes one of my all-time favorite songs “Dream Police”, bet you don’t know what album this one is from?? Tom’s bass is the highlight here as it is the driving force of the song. Without it, the song would’ve felt so flat and two-dimensional. Rick joins the vocal fun at the one break which has him going crazy and nuts belting out the lines, it is great. “So Good To See You” has a whole 60’s Beatles vibe and is another where Robin just attacks the vocals. It sounds as good or better than the studio track. I love the energy coming from the band.
Another song I wouldn’t have expected is “The Ballad of T.V. Violence” off their debut, but I guess it makes sense as it is about a Chicago Serial Killer and they are in Chicago. It is a darker and a heavier song and Rick really shreds on this one and Bun E. slams those skins. Robin sings it with a little more edge and the whole band slays! The final song is another favorite with “Gonna Raise Hell”. Bun E. kicks things off with a great beat, Tom lays down the bass riff followed by Rick’s laying the same guitar riff as the bass. Robin sings it with a gritty, gravelly vocal to try and sound as tough as he can. It is a great, heavy rock song to end the show (or at least this CD). Go out with a bang and leave them wanting more which this does. I hate to see it end.
Although the album is from songs spread over four nights, they did mix it where it works seamlessly as if one complete show. Now, it is no Budokan, but what it is is a band that was still having fun playing live although their albums weren’t selling at the time. They have accepted that people love those 70’s albums and they fully embrace it. Had they become one of the very first “heritage acts”? Probably so, but thank god as they could still perform at such a high level. The show is full of energy, fun and excitement and if there is a band to see live, it is Cheap Trick. My Overall Score is a 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars. I mean you can’t go wrong with Live Cheap Trick!!
Kiss has finally realized they can make money on live Bootleg type albums just like everyone else has been doing out in the will. They are finally releasing their own Bootleg Series called “Off the Soundboard”. First up for them was the show from Tokyo 2001 which had Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Eric Singer. This time around they are going with the line-up of Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer. The show is Virginia Beach from July 25, 2004. This tour was the Rock the Nation Tour and one I didn’t see.
When I saw this was being released, I was excited at first as there were a handful of songs that haven’t been on all the tours so it is always great to get live versions when you can. The ones I was excited about were “Unholy”, “King of the Night Time World”, “Got to Choose” and “I Want You”. Their previous release was absolutely perfect. This one turns out, not so much…at least to me. They did maintain the same bootleg feel to the packaging as it is real simple cardboard box feel with stamped looking markings like the bootlegs of old. I do love the simplicity (even if it is a little flimsy).
You know every artist has something in their catalog that they try to forget or completely ignore at least. And for Jeff Scott Soto, this is that record. Done for fun with a bunch of friends and never an intention to release it yet somehow it still got released. Recorded way back in 1992, it finally saw the light of day on November 12, 2009. What could be so bad that the artist cringes at its mention, well I am not sure how to put this. You know we discussed his R Rated, raunchy, parody album with the band Skrapp Mettle a couple weeks ago…Well, this makes Skrapp Mettle look like The Wiggles or even Sesame Street. This is NC-17 or even X-Rated material. I think I may have found the WORST ALBUM EVER MADE!!! And I am not being overly dramatic. I truly think this could be it.
Who were the perverted minds behind this project? It was Jens Johansson (Keyboards) and Anders Johansson (drums) both from Jeff’s time with Yngwie Malmsteen. On bass it was rounded out with Jonas Helborg and of course Jeff Scott Soto on vocals.
Back in 1991, Aerosmith actually signed a new recording contract with their old label Columbia Records. The problem was they hadn’t completed their obligation to Geffen. They had a 6 album deal with Geffen and only 5 albums had been released. There appears to have been a deal that they would release a live album under Geffen, but first they were going to record their first album for Columbia Records un der their deal.
The recordings started in Miami at Criteria Studios with Glen Ballard as producer. He also co-wrote several songs on the album. Desmond Child and Taylor Rhodes both came back to the fold to also co-write songs for the album. Right before rehearsals started, the first signs of trouble reared its ugly head. Joey Kramer was suffering from depression and wasn’t able to play at that time so Steve Ferrone was brought in to hit the skins. As a result, rumors were flying around that the band was in trouble. If that wasn’t enough, when they delivered their album, Columbia was not real happy with what they received. They decided to replace Glen Ballard and brought in Kevin Shirley in to produce and re-work the album.
In September 1996, the band went back to the studio, this time in New York City at the Boneyard. John Kalodner was also brought in to help supervise and the band and due to the delay, Joey Kramer was able to play on the album. They recorded all the songs they had previously done with Ballard so Joey could play on them. Kalodner helped the band reduce their over 20 tracks recorded for the album down to the 13 that were actually released on the album. This also gave them a ton of tracks to use as bonus tracks for the Japanese edition and any other international release. The album saw the light of day finally on March 18, 1997. They released 5 singles, the album went to #1, they won a Grammy and the album sold over 2 million copies. Not as good as their last album, but still pretty damn good.
The artwork for the album caused a lot of controversy in the Hindu community. The original cover had been inspired by a painting in a book by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, featured Lord Krishna (with a cat’s head and female breasts) dancing on the head of the snake demon, Kāliyā. The band had no idea it was offensive and quickly removed it and used a new picture of a cat tied to a circus knife-thrower’s wheel. The booklet for the album was some really cool artwork in and of itself. There are 12 pieces of art and each picture has a picture of the previous page’s artwork building on itself meaning that 12th picture includes all 12 pictures and the first picture includes the 12th so it just keeps going round and round and round. It is pretty cool…maybe the coolest thing about the album (oops did that give the review away a little).
Musically, the album isn’t much different than the prior three albums as you can hear those elements for sure on numerous songs. However, at times it is heavier and way more experimental with some of it working and some of it not. It all starts with a a guitar note and then the wailing of a cat and then they jump in to the title track “Nine Lives” co-written with the great Marti Frederiksen. I believe that cat scream was used on “Rock And a Hard Place (Chesire Cat)” off ‘Rock and a Hard Place’. The song is a ball of energy with Joey pounding on the drums and Tom slamming a bass groove. The guitar work of Brad and Joe is exceptional as every and it is classic Steven on vocals. However, not my favorite opening track of theirs albeit still a good song.
Then we get the cheesy and tongue-in-cheek “Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)” co-written with Glen Ballard who produced the first recording session for the album. It has a little bluesy tinge to it and some well-used horns, but it is nothing new or original and sounds like it could’ve been on any of the previous three albums which is why it made a perfect single and became a hit because the radio world likes the same old song and dance.
“Hole in My Soul” is a ballad co-written with their old pal Desmond Child and he can still help create a great ballad even though in 1997 no one was really doing ballads and having hits except Aerosmith. Steven Tyler’s speaking verses and sung choruses were brilliant and what I loved most about the song. It just worked. The funny thing this could’ve been on any of their albums and this time it doesn’t bother me at all because I feel it is such a strong song.
Then the band goes all experimental with “Taste of India” which is another Ballard co-write. This is one example of experimenting and it working better than expected. With “India” in the title you would expect the song to have that Indian feel and it does with some excellent playing of the sarangi by Ramesh Mishra. It also feels very 60’s with a hole psychedelic vibe to it which I love. Joe and Brad whip out their Stratocasters for this one and really shine adding some great textures. Kramer’s drum sound is immense and Hamilton’s bass groove lays the foundation. Tyler’s vocals blend well with the sarangi and it is all just a little magical. It sounds like nothing else they’ve done and amen to that fact.
Then we get “Full Circle” which has a country-vibe to it and leaves you thinking WTF! It is slowed down a little tempo wise and sounds like something you sing in a bar or on New Year’s Eve as it has this “Auld Lang Syne” feel to it which isn’t necessarily a good thing. It is co-written by Taylor Rhodes which is his only co-write on the album.
“Somethings Gotta Give” picks the energy back up. Another Marti Frederiksen co-write and you begin to see why people want him on their albums. This one is a balls-to-wall rocker. It’s blues influences are immense as it has some massive harmonica solo pieces from Tyler that are some of the best he has ever done. It is smokin’ hot!!
Desmond’s back with another ballad called “Ain’t That a Bitch”. It has a very dramatic opening with some movie-style horns and then explodes in to a blues-filled groove that sees Tyler screaming in that classic style. I don’t think it is as good as the previous ballad because it really is borderline a ballad, but either way still not a bad track.
The next track, “The Farm”, has co-writes by Steve Dudas and Mark Hudson along with Perry & Tyler as usual. This is another experimental track that opens with Steven doing his best Dorothy and Wizard of Oz impression (which sucks) then he screams in classic style and the song kicks in. It is rocker and has so many cool elements and then some that leave me cold. Cut out the movie-type dialogue and it improves the song a ton but drowns a little under the weight of those stupid pieces. It’s use of horns helps make it a little more dramatic and impactful but not sure it is enough.
“Crash” comes out of you like a bat out of hell. It has punk’s breakneck speed and careless attitude. Tyler is up for the challenge and goes toe-to-toe with Kramer pounding drums and Perry’s speedy ass guitar playing. It will appease the rockers in the audience. Co-written by Mark Hudson and Dominic Miller.
Now we are getting to where the album gets a little tiresome. “Kiss Your Past Good-bye” which is another Hudson co-write. The chorus comes out of no-where and is very hooky or memorable. The verses are dull and seems like filler…enough said.
The big exception to the tiresome part is the classic song “Pink” co-written by their pal Richard Supa. It is a blues-filled masterpiece with Tyler strutting through the lyrics. It has a little something for everyone and will appeal to a lot of people. I like the groove and the pacing as it shows a confidence of a band that has been doing this for awhile.
“Attitude Adjustment” is our last Marti co-write. By this time we are pretty tired as there are way too many songs. I am a little bored with it as it is missing a little something extra to put it over the top. More filler for me. Next…
Talk about bloated, “Fallen Angels” is over 8 minutes long. Whew. Co-written with Supa, the song has a dramatic opening with a whole lot of sounds going on and Tyler making some strange noises. It is a slower tempo and I guess you could say a ballad, but for me it is too long and a little boring in that there is nothing I haven’t heard before. It is uninspiring and I am too tired to care anymore at this point.
Track Listing:
Nine Lives – Keeper
Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees) – Keeper(1/2 Point)
Hole in My Soul – Keeper
Taste of India – Keeper
Full Circle – Delete
Something’s Gotta Give – Keeper
Ain’t That A Bitch – Keeper
The Farm – Keeper(1/2 Point)
Crash – Keeper
Kiss Your Past Good-bye – Delete
Pink – Keeper
Attitude Adjustment – Delete
Fallen Angels – Delete
The Track Score is 8 out of 13 or 61%. Way too many songs. This album is so over-bloated and just because your CD can hold 62 minutes doesn’t mean it should and this is a prime example. The whole production process was a mess with 2 different producers and 2 totally separate recording processes was not what they needed. It is unfocused at times and all over the place at others. While it does have some great moments, I won’t deny that, I am still lukewarm on the whole thing. The first half is way stronger than the second and a couple songs on here I would call some of their best, but in the end it isn’t their best work. My Overall Score is a 3.5 out of 5.0 Stars as it still is a good album even if it has too many songs and some of those way too long. Cut this down to 9-10 songs and this is a totally different conversation.
After three labels on three different albums, things weren’t going great for Cheap Trick. Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson and Bun E. Carlos needed to rebuild and find themselves again. One way they did this was by Epic Records re-releasing their stellar live album ‘At Budokan’, but this time they did a 2 CD release of the entire concert. All 19 tracks in order just as one done in the concert the show was from back in 1978. It was the 20th Anniversary of the original album and time to show the fans what all the fuss was about once again but in glorious full setlist detail.
The album came out on April 8, 1998 which was only 20 short days from the release of the official album which makes me wonder why they didn’t just wait a few more weeks. But what do I know. The concert was completely remastered and fully restored with all the tracks. And since we’ve already been through the original album track by track, we will focus on only the songs that were not included on the original.
That means we will kick things off with “ELO Kiddies” from their 1977 debut album. Live the song has even more of the band’s early punk aggression. It sounds rich and full and ready to rock your face off. They go straight in to the Terry Reid cover of “Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace” also from their first album. Tom Petersson starts it off on bass and he gives us a little solo rather than the normal blues guitar opening. We get a two minute instrumental instrumental before the song really gets going. The song rocks more than before and Robin sounds as great as ever.
During 1991, Axel Rudi Pell wanted to go out and do some live shows for his most recent album, ‘Nasty Reputation’. There was only one problem. His lead singer, Rob Rock, left the band. That does cause a problem not having a singer. Axel started searching and one name was thrown out to him and that was Jeff Scott Soto. When Jeff found out that he could sing with a former guitar player from the band Steeler, he thought he was having de ja vu! Didn’t he just sing in a band with former Steeler guitar player…oh yeah…Yngwie Malmsteen. Soto couldn’t pass that up so he did it. He also couldn’t pass it up because his band, Slam, he was working with at the time hadn’t completely got off the ground so off he went.
After the tour, Jeff went on his way back to the Slam. That was until a short time later, Jeff got another call from Axel Rudi Pell. Axel was so impressed with Live Singer Jeff, why not have Jeff sing on his new album. Since Jeff really enjoyed working with Axel, why not and off he went. The result of that collaboration was the album ‘Eternal Prisoner’. Soto did more than just sing for Pell, he also co-wrote 6 of the 9 songs on the album. Along with Kai Raglewski on Keyboards, Volker Krawczak on Bass and Jorg Michael on Drums, the album was recorded at RA.SH Studio in Germany from June to September 1992. After a quick turnaround, the album saw the light of day on October 1, 1992.
We might be in the year 1992, but musically the music is still drenched in the 80’s rock and metal sound. If you like Black Sabbath, maybe some Deep Purple with a dash of Aerosmith and AC/DC there is going to be something on here you like. Axel is also a huge fan of Dio and Richie Blackmore and that influence is seeping from all corners of this album. Throw in the powerhouse vocals of Jeff Scott Soto and you have the making a damn fine album…but is it? That is what we are here to find out so turn it on, turn it up and I can’t think of of another turn it statement…oh well…on to the music.
After the massive success of their previous album, ‘Pump’, the band took a little break in 1992. They started recording the next album in January & February, but stopped for some rest and didn’t return until September of that year to finish up the album. The music environment had significantly changed since 1989’s ‘Pump’ so I believe everyone was curious as to what they would do. And it turns out, they would keep doing what they do best and didn’t change a thing. When most bands faded away around this time, Aerosmith ended up flourishing even more. How did they do it?
First thing was they brought back Bruce Fairbairn as their producer as he has been creating gold with everything they had done…or should I say Platinum since the last album went 7 x’s Platinum. Second, they brought in some friends to help out such as Don Henley and Lenny Kravitz. Third, the record company wanted them to continue using outside writers to help so back was Desmond Child, Jim Vallance, Jack Blades, Tommy Shaw, Richard Supa, Mark Hudson and Taylor Rhodes. Damn, that is a lot of help!!
The line-up was still unchanged with Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer. The Boston Boys we ready to take on the world again. The album was released on April 23, 1993 and became the band’s first album to debut at #1 on the Charts. They released 7 singles on the album and selling over 7 million copies again in the U.S. It was the band’s third straight album of over 5 million in sales. If that wasn’t enough, the album won two Grammy’s for Best Rock Vocal Performance for a Duo or Group in both 1993 and 1994. The band was on fire still and the fans were eating it up.
Let’s see if I get this right. Two albums earlier with ‘Busted’, Cheap Trick leaves their label Epic Records. They then get signed with Warner Brothers and release “Woke Up With A Monster” and then the label drops them. The band finds an indie label called Red Ant Records to release their new album on April 29, 1997, the self titled, ‘Cheap Trick’, only to be label-less again after Red Ant goes bankrupt a mere 3 weeks after the release causing it to only go to #99 with the lack of promotion. The poor guys are having some major issues.
Now, that doesn’t mean the new album is not any good. It just didn’t get the full promotion it deserved from a financially strapped label. The album, ‘Cheap Trick’, was a fresh start. A starting over. A time to re-introduce the band to a brand new generation of kids, thus having the album self-titled like they did with their debut album. This was a band getting back to their roots and remembering who Cheap Trick were. This was the beginning all over again.
What I love about the cover is a play on what the band had done with most of their covers over the years. Their older albums always had Robin Zander and Tom Petersson on the front and Rick Nielsen and Bun E. Carlos would be relegated to the back cover. This time around, Rick & Bun are on the front and Robin and Tom are on the back. However, to switch up, it is the instruments. Well done boys, well done.
I think most people know of the band Steel Panther. A band that parodies the 80’s rock scene but has lyrics that are filthy, dirty and yet funny…to a point. Back in 1991, we actually had a band that did that exact same thing. That band was Skrapp Mettle. However, they weren’t a parody of the 80’s rock scene because they were still in the 80’s rock scene. They did have the naughty lyrics and let me tell you, they are raunchy and raw. It is pretty telling about how the metal scene was already laughable before it was even over and tells you how far it had fallen.
The one thing about this band and that is they don’t take themselves very seriously. And if you don’t believe me, look at the name of the band members:
Spunk – lead vocals
Nasty Gerbil – keyboards
Snuff Buzzsaw – guitars
Beef – bass
Pounder – drums
Dirk Vespucc – special vocal effects
And if that wasn’t enough, their scumbag lawyer is Richard Bagg from Sleezem, Greezem and Scuzzem. Mangement is Sleeze E. Wadd for Slime Time Management. Oh, and Satanic Marketing was done by Bill Z. Bubb. You see, the band, or anyone for that matter, didn’t use their real names because this was for fun and some were afraid their career would be hurt if anyone found out they were in it. Jeff Scott Soto only agreed to do this if his name was left off the album jacket and by the way, he is Spunk.
2 Loud 2 Old Music 