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''Just Push Play'' is the thirteenth studio album by American rock band
Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whitford (guitar). Their style, which is rooted in blues ...
, co-produced by song collaborators
Marti Frederiksen Martin Harold "Marti" Frederiksen (born July 1, 1962) is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. He writes and produces music primarily in rock, country, and pop. He is best known for his work with many artists and bands incl ...
and Mark Hudson and was released in March 6, 2001. The album's first single, " Jaded", became a Top 10 hit in the US 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 ''Just Push Play'' is the thirteenth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, co-produced by song collaborators Marti Frederiksen and Mark Hudson and was released in March 6, 2001. The album's first single, " Jaded", became a Top 10 hit in ...
", though garnering some airplay, failed to impact the Hot 100, although the latter two reached the US
Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active ro ...
chart and the former appeared within the
Adult Top 40 The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems ...
.


Background

The album's cover, which was designed by
Hajime Sorayama is a Japanese illustrator known, along for his design work on the original Sony AIBO, for his precisely detailed, erotic portrayals of feminine robots. He describes his highly detailed style as "superrealism", which he says "deals with the te ...
, features a
gynoid A gynoid, or fembot, is a feminine humanoid robot. Gynoids appear widely in science fiction film and art. As more realistic humanoid robot design becomes technologically possible, they are also emerging in real-life robot design. Name A gynoid ...
resembling
Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
. The illustration had already been used for the cover of a compilation album of various artists hits called ''Video Sound'', released in 1985, and which did not include any Aerosmith songs. 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 the 2000 film ''
Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by ...
''. "Face" and "Won't Let You Down" were issued as bonus tracks on later pressings of the album. The track "Do You Wonder" was supposedly recorded for this album, as well. In 2010, guitarist Joe Perry criticized the album:


Critical reception

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
gave the album 65 out of 100 based on 14 generally favorable reviews. For his review of ''Just Push Play'' for
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...
,
Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, oc ...
said that it was their best-sounding album in the past decade, as well as "tighter, savvier, and better" than anything since their 1989 album ''
Pump A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by mechanical action, typically converted from electrical energy into hydraulic energy. Pumps can be classified into three major groups according to the method they ...
'', but it was not much compared to ''Pump'' and its 1987 predecessor, '' Permanent Vacation''. He felt it lacked anything memorable, and the band's "refusal to act their age results in a couple of embarrassing slips into stodginess". Darryl Stredan strongly disliked the album, to the point that he considered it proof that Aerosmith should stop making new music. Chris Willman of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...
'' called the album 'good but not great'. '' NME'' said that while most of the album is not new, it was their first to feature
rap metal Rap metal is a subgenre of rap rock and alternative metal music which combines hip hop with heavy metal. It usually consists of heavy metal guitar riffs, funk metal elements, rapped vocals and sometimes turntables. History Origins and e ...
with songs like "Just Push Play" and "Outta Your Head".
David Fricke David Fricke is an American music journalist who serves as the senior editor at ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, where he writes predominantly about rock music. One of the best known names in rock journalism, his career has spanned over 40 years. I ...
of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' said that ''Just Push Play'' was the closest Aerosmith had come to a 'great album' since 1976's '' Rocks'', despite the 'weak spots' of the album's
power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. ...
s.
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
picked out the album's lead single, "Jaded", as a choice cut. The album was nominated for three
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
in 2001, including Best Rock Album ''(Just Push Play''), Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group ("Jaded"), and Best Short Form Music Video ("Fly Away from Here"). ''Just Push Play'' debuted at No. 2 within the ''Billboard'' 200, selling over 240,000 copies in its first week.


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

Aerosmith *
Steven Tyler Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer, best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, piano, and percussion. ...
lead vocals, piano,
squeezebox The term squeezebox (also squeeze box, squeeze-box) is a colloquial expression referring to any musical instrument of the general class of hand-held bellows-driven free reed aerophones such as the accordion and the concertina. The term is so a ...
, harmonica, percussion, additional guitar and drums,
conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest) ...
, backing vocals on "Drop Dead Gorgeous", mixing, production * Joe Perryguitar,
slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos t ...
,
pedal steel guitar The pedal steel guitar is a console-type of steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings to enable playing more varied and complex music than any previous steel guitar design. Like all steel guitars, it can ...
,
hurdy-gurdy The hurdy-gurdy is a string instrument that produces sound by a hand-crank-turned, rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar to those of a vi ...
, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Drop Dead Gorgeous", mixing, production * Brad Whitfordguitar * Tom Hamiltonbass guitar,
fretless bass A fretless bass is a bass guitar whose neck does not have any frets. While the instrument is played in all styles of music, it is most common in pop, rock, and jazz. It first saw widespread use during the 1970s, although some players used them befo ...
*
Joey Kramer Joseph Michael Kramer (born June 21, 1950) is an American musician best known as the drummer of the hard rock band Aerosmith, which was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Life and career Kramer was born in the Bronx, New Yor ...
drums Additional musicians *Jim Coxpiano on "Fly Away From Here" *
Paul Santo Paul Santo is an American Musician, Songwriter, Record Producer and Sound Recording Engineer, best known in the music industry for his work in the recording studio collaborating with "multi-platinum" recording artists like: Aerosmith, Eric Clapt ...
keyboards Kurzweil on "Fly Away from Here",
Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated ...
on "Avant Garden",
engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...
at the Bryer Patch *
Tower of Power Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. There have been a number of lead vocalists, the best-known being Lenny Williams, who fronted th ...
horns on "Trip Hoppin'" *
Dan Higgins Dan Higgins (born January 28, 1957 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American saxophone and woodwind player. He has worked with such artists as John Williams, Seth MacFarlane, Aerosmith, Stevie Wonder, Neil Diamond, Al Jarreau, Maroon 5, Kenny Loggin ...
clarinet, saxophone on "Trip Hoppin'" *Chelsea Tylerbacking vocals on "Under My Skin" * Paul Carusoloop programming on "Drop Dead Gorgeous", engineering at the Boneyard * Liv Tylerwhispers on "Avant Garden" *Tony Perryscratching on "Just Push Play" Production *
Marti Frederiksen Martin Harold "Marti" Frederiksen (born July 1, 1962) is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. He writes and produces music primarily in rock, country, and pop. He is best known for his work with many artists and bands incl ...
– production, mixing, recording * Mark Hudson – production, mixing *
Mike Shipley Michael Shipley (6 October 1956 – 25 July 2013) was an Australian mixing engineer, audio engineer, and record producer. Shipley's music career spanned more than 30 years – mostly working in Los Angeles. At the Grammy Awards of 2012 he ...
– mixing *Richard Chycki – recording *
Bryan Carrigan Bryan Carrigan is an American music producer, engineer, and electronic musician that has been involved in the production of studio albums and film scores. Carrigan is also known for serving multiple roles in the recording studio as music editor, ...
– additional engineering * David Campbellstrings 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 Marinomastering * John Kalodner – John Kalodner *Lesie Langlo – artist and repertoire coordination *Kevin Reagan – art direction, design *Matthew Lindauer – design *
Mark Seliger Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fin ...
– photography *
Hajime Sorayama is a Japanese illustrator known, along for his design work on the original Sony AIBO, for his precisely detailed, erotic portrayals of feminine robots. He describes his highly detailed style as "superrealism", which he says "deals with the te ...
– illustrations


Studios

Aerosmith recorded ''Just Push Play'' from April to December 2000 at: *The Boneyard & The Bryer Patch * Long View Farms Studio, North Brookfield, Massachusetts *
Ocean Way Studios Ocean Way Recording was a series of recording studios established by recording engineer and producer Allen Sides with locations in Los Angeles, California, Nashville, Tennessee, and Saint Barthélemy. Ocean Way Recording no longer operates recor ...
, Los Angeles *Sound Techniques *
Village Recorders The Village (also known as Village Recorders, or the Village Recorder) is a recording studio located at 1616 Butler Avenue in West Los Angeles, California. History The building was built by the Freemasons in 1922 and was originally a Masonic ...
, Los Angeles *Pearl White Studios *Whatinthewhatthe? Studios *The Studio in the Sunset Marquis, West Hollywood, California


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


References


Sources

* {{Authority control Aerosmith albums 2001 albums Albums produced by Marti Frederiksen Albums produced by Mark Hudson (musician) Columbia Records albums