Just Push Play

Updated on Nov 07, 2023

Edit

Comment

Length 48:56 Artist Aerosmith Label Columbia Records		Just Push Play (2001) Honkin' on Bobo (2004) Release date 5 March 2001

Released March 5, 2001 (2001-03-05) Recorded The Boneyard & The Bryer Patch, Long View Farms Studio, Ocean Way Studios, Sound Techniques, Village Recorders, Pearl White Studios, Whatinthewhatthe? Studios, The Studio in the Sunset Marquis Genres Rock music, Hard rock, Pop rock Producers Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Mark Hudson, Marti Frederiksen Similar Aerosmith albums, Hard rock albums

Beyond beautiful aerosmith

Just Push Play is the thirteenth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith. It was released on March 5, 2001, making it the first Aerosmith album of the 21st century. The album was co-produced by song collaborators Marti Frederiksen and Mark Hudson. The album's first single, "Jaded", became a major Top 10 hit in the U.S. and around the world. As a result, Just Push Play was certified platinum within a month of its release. Subsequent singles "Fly Away from Here", "Sunshine", and "Just Push Play", though garnering some airplay, failed to impact the Hot 100 much, although the latter two charted on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and the former charted on the Adult Top 40.

In 2010, guitarist Joe Perry revealed his distaste for the album, stating that:

Album cover

The album's cover features a gynoid resembling Marilyn Monroe and was designed by Hajime Sorayama.

In 2011, drummer Joey Kramer answered some questions about the album during a fan "Q & A", revealing that he does not like the cover, and that he thought the playing on the album was superb.

A poster of the album cover is shown in the title character's room in the Nickelodeon TV series Drake & Josh.

Several songs were recorded for the album that went unused. "Ain't It True", "Easy", "Innocent Man", "I Love You Down", and "Sweet Due" can be linked as originating from these sessions. "Angel's Eye" was used for the soundtrack to "Charlie's Angels." "Face" and "Won't Let You Down" were issued as bonus tracks on later pressings of the album. These songs are listed in copyright repertories. The track "Do You Wonder" was supposedly recorded for this album, as well.

Commercial and critical reception

Just Push Play debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200, selling over 240,000 copies in its first week.

Metacritic gave the album 65 out of 100 based on 14 generally favorable reviews. For his review of Just Push Play for Allmusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine said that it was their best album since Pump in 1989, but he criticized them "for not acting their age" and said the album was not much compared to Pump and Permanent Vacation. He compared their production name, "The Boneyard Boys", to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' production name, "The Glimmer Twins." Ben Mitchell of Blender magazine said the album was better than Nine Lives by a little bit and feels the album was not with the times and was rather poor. Darryl Stredan had a very strong dislike for both the album and the artist saying that they were not a band anymore, that they were instead a marketing company, and was of the opinion that they should stop producing new music. Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly said that songs to not listen to on the album are "Fly Away from Here", "Luv Lies", "Avant Garden", "Just Push Play", "Drop Dead Gorgeous", and "Outta Your Head", but the rest of the songs on the album are tolerable including several with string sections ("Jaded", "Beyond Beautiful", and "Sunshine") and thinks the album overall is good but not great. In the NME magazine review of Just Push Play said that most of the album is not new, but the album was Aerosmith's first album to feature rap metal with songs like "Just Push Play" & "Outta Your Head". David Fricke of Rolling Stone magazine said that they are still a good band and it is lucky for them to still be around, but he also said that they had not made a "great album" since Rocks, although it came close as did Pump. He compared "Jaded" to an Electric Light Orchestra song and said that the weak spots on the album were the power ballads. Robert Christgau picked out one song from the album, "Jaded", as a choice cut.

Track listing

NB: On the original version, roughly 45 seconds after "Avant Garden" a hidden track entitled "Under My Skin Reprise" plays for about one minute. On the international version, the track is roughly 40 seconds after "Face" and on the Japanese version after "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing".

Personnel

Per liner notes

Aerosmith

Steven Tyler – lead vocals, piano, Squeezebox, harmonica, percussion, additional guitar and additional drums, conga, backing vocals on "Drop Dead Gorgeous", mixing, production

Joe Perry – guitar, slide guitar, pedal steel guitar, hurdy-gurdy, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Drop Dead Gorgeous," mixing, production

Brad Whitford – guitar

Tom Hamilton – bass, fretless bass

Joey Kramer – drums

Additional musicians

Jim Cox – piano on "Fly Away From Here"

Paul Santo – keyboards Kurzweil on "Fly Away from Here", Hammond organ on "Avant Garden"

Tower of Power – horns on "Trip Hoppin'"

Dan Higgins – clarinet, saxophone on "Trip Hoppin'"

Chelsea Tyler – backing vocals on "Under My Skin"

Paul Caruso – loop programming on "Drop Dead Gorgeous"

Liv Tyler – whispers on "Avant Garden"

Tony Perry - Scratching on "Just Push Play"

Production

Marti Frederiksen – production, mixing, recording

Mark Hudson – production, mixing

Mike Shipley – mixing

Richard Chycki – recording

Paul Caruso – engineering at the Boneyard

Paul Santo – engineering at the Bryer Patch

Bryan Carrigan – additional engineering

David Campbell – strings arrangements, except on "Sunshine", "Luv Lies", and "Avant Garden"

Jim Cox – string arrangements on "Sunshine", "Luv Lies", and "Avant Garden", horns arrangements

Alan Sides – engineering on strings

Scott Gordon – engineering on horns and strings

George Marino – mastering

John Kalodner: John Kalodner

Lesie Langlo – artist and repertoire coordination

Kevin Reagan – art direction, design

Matthew Lindauer – design

Mark Seliger – photography

Hajime Sorayama – illustrations

Charts

Album

Songs

1Beyond Beautiful4:45
2Just Push Play3:51
3Jaded3:35

References

Just Push Play Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA