Published on Oct 20, 1998
Ask any rock fan, afficionado, or musician, and they will tell
you that it’s not only your chops in a studio that make you. You
must also be able to deliver the goods onstage – where there’s you,
your instrument and an audience and nothing to hide under. Heck,
many bands are able to survive on their stage capabilities alone
while their albums are not doing so hot on the charts. The opposite
is also true; many bands are unable to flesh out their material on
a stage like they do in a studio and this shows in their live
releases. Anyway, to capture these moments, bands have been putting
out live albums for as long as they’ve been able.
This presents a bit of a problem. Why? Because many times the
live albums released are NOT the best example of what gave that
band/artist their reputation. For every
Live At Leeds and
If You Want Blood You’ve Got It, there’s an unfortunate
The Song Remains The Same. For every live album that makes
us feel like we were there, there’s two that are nothing more than
the studio albums performed onstage. It’s the sad truth, but even
after all this time, artists have still not mastered the live album
format. So when one does, it should amaze us.
Why does this matter to Aerosmith? Well, take away their
Classics Live albums – which are early recordings of them as
they battle in small clubs and before they reach their’ 70s
pinnacle – and you’re only left with
Live! Bootleg. Unfortunately for us Arrow-smith fans, that
album got recorded as the band was headin’ way down the drug train.
So, it’s really not the best the band could – or can – do. After
their dissapearance and reappearance, fans have been clamoring for
a live album that would fully capture Boston’s baddest at their
best. This brings us to
A Little South Of Sanity, an album of live performances from
the
Get A Grip and
Nine Lives tours.
The first element that makes a live album worthwile is the
artist’s performance. Here, each member of the band shines and
struts. This isn’t just the Steven Tyler-Joe Perry fiesta. Each
member contributes and adds to the flavor. From the solid wall of
drumming from Joey Kramer to Tom Hamilton’s tough bass work and
Brad Whitford’s rhythm to the aforementioned Toxic Twins
(trademarked, of course), the performances are all solid and miss
not one beat. Starting with the rocking “Eat The Rich” and running
through stuff like “Monkey On My Back,” “Living On The Edge,” “Rag
Doll,” Back In The Saddle,” and the staples “Mama Kin,” “Walk This
Way” and “Sweet Emotion,” the set is lively, mean and
wonderful.
However, that alone does not make a live album good. There must
be a difference between it and the studio albums – after all, if
there’s no difference, you might as well save your money and stay
at home. Here there are some pleasant surprises. For example, I
have never been a big fan of “Last Child.” (Please don’t kill me!)
In here, the song is very FUNKY – by that I mean, if your ass is
not shaking within five seconds of hearing it, look behind you
cause someone stole it! Other good stuff that becomes even better
live include “What It Takes,” “The Other Side” and “Cryin’.”
The last thing that really makes a live album worthwhile is that
it should take you there. This album amazingly puts you there –
from start to finish, you get the feel that you are there. (And I
should know, I
was there). The audience should come out from your speakers
and attract you. The emotions and feelings should be close to those
you get when seeing them live. And here, you want to be in that
audience and you feel like you are.
About the only problem I have with this set is that there’s no
more inclusion of material from
Nine Lives. Where’s “Pink”? And they give nothing more than
the hits out of
Get A Grip? (I want to hear “Fever” and “Get A Grip”!) Other
than that, I’m cool with it.
Overall, ladies and gents, if you want a sample of what
Aerosmith is live and on-stage, well, BUY A TICKET!!!! (I
appreciate the fact that Aerosmith didn’t overcharge for their
kickass set – unlike other bands.) If you can’t go, well, then you
may want to check out this album. As live albums go, this one is
tough to beat. Enjoy!!