Just Push Play

Just Push Play is the 13th studio album by American rock band Aerosmith.The album was co-produced by song collaborators Marti Frederiksen and Mark Hudson and was released in March 2001. The album's first single, "Jaded", became a 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.

Just Push Play
Studio album by Aerosmith
Released	March 2001[1]
Recorded	April–December 2000[2]
Genre	Hard rock
Length	48:56
Label	Columbia
Producer	Steven Tyler Joe Perry Mark Hudson Marti Frederiksen[2]
Aerosmith chronology
Nine Lives (1997) Just Push Play (2001) Honkin' on Bobo (2004)
Singles from Just Push Play
"Jaded" Released: December 21, 2000 "Fly Away from Here" Released: June 2, 2001 "Sunshine" Released: 2001 "Just Push Play" Released: September 2001

Subsequent singles "Fly Away from Here", "Sunshine", and "Just Push Play", though garnering some airplay, failed to impact the Hot 100, although the latter two charted on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and the former charted on the Adult Top 40.

Background

The album's cover, which was designed by Hajime Sorayama, features a gynoid resembling Marilyn Monroe.[3] 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.[4]

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.

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

I don't think we've made a decent album in years. Just Push Play is my least favorite. When we recorded it there was never a point where all five members were in the room at the same time and Aerosmith's major strength is playing together. It was a learning experience for me: it showed me how not to make an Aerosmith record.[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	65/100[6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[7]
Blender	[8]
Canoe.ca	unfavorable[9]
Entertainment Weekly	B[10]
NME	6/10[11]
Robert Christgau	[12]
Rolling Stone	[13]

Metacritic gave the album 65 out of 100 based on 14 generally favorable reviews.[6] 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."[7] 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.[8]

Darryl Stredan strongly disliked the album, to the point that he considered it proof that Aerosmith should stop making new music.[9] Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly called the album "good but not great".[10] NME 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" and "Outta Your Head".[11] David Fricke of Rolling Stone said that Just Push Play was the closest Aerosmith had come to a "great album" since Rocks, despite the "weak spots" of the album's power ballads.[13] Robert Christgau picked out the album's lead single, "Jaded", as a choice cut.[12]

The album was nominated for three Grammy Awards 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).[14]

Just Push Play debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling over 240,000 copies in its first week.[15]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Beyond Beautiful"	Steven Tyler Joe Perry Marti Frederiksen	4:45
2.	"Just Push Play"	Tyler Mark Hudson Steve Dudas	3:51
3.	"Jaded"	Tyler Frederiksen	3:34
4.	"Fly Away from Here"	Frederiksen Todd Chapman	5:01
5.	"Trip Hoppin'"	Tyler Perry Frederiksen Hudson	4:27
6.	"Sunshine"	Tyler Perry Frederiksen	3:37

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
7.	"Under My Skin"	Tyler Perry Frederiksen Hudson	3:45
8.	"Luv Lies"	Tyler Perry Frederiksen Hudson	4:26
9.	"Outta Your Head"	Tyler Perry Frederiksen	3:22
10.	"Drop Dead Gorgeous"	Tyler Perry Hudson	3:42
11.	"Light Inside"	Tyler Perry Frederiksen	3:34
12.	"Avant Garden"	Tyler Perry Frederiksen Hudson	4:52
Total length:			48:59

International version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"Face"/"Under My Skin" (reprise) (starts at 3:38)	Tyler Perry Frederiksen	4:38
14.	"Jaded" (video)	Tyler Frederiksen	3:47
Total length:			56:24

Japanese version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"Won't Let You Down"	Tyler Perry Frederiksen	3:38
14.	"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"	Diane Warren	4:58
Total length:			57:35

Japanese limited edition – disc two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Just Push Play" (radio remix)	Tyler Hudson Dudas	3:16
2.	"Same Old Song and Dance" (live from California Jam II, 1978)	Tyler Perry	5:13
3.	"Draw the Line" (live from California Jam II, 1978)	Tyler Perry	4:32
4.	"Chip Away the Stone" (live from California Jam II, 1978)	Richard Supa	4:24
5.	"Big Ten Inch Record" (live from Texxas Jam, 1978)	Fred Weismantel	3:58
6.	"Lord of the Thighs" (live from Texxas Jam, 1978)	Tyler	7:13

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 – lead vocals, piano, squeezebox, harmonica, percussion, additional guitar and 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 guitar, 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

Studios

Aerosmith recorded Just Push Play from April to December 2000 at:[2]

• The Boneyard & The Bryer Patch
• Long View Farms Studio, North Brookfield, Massachusetts
• Ocean Way Studios, Los Angeles
• Sound Techniques
• Village Recorders, Los Angeles
• Pearl White Studios
• Whatinthewhatthe? Studios
• The Studio in the Sunset Marquis, West Hollywood, California

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2001) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[16] 27 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[17] 7 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[18] 35 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[19] 27 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[20] 2 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[21] 19 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[22] 32 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[23] 8 French Albums (SNEP)[24] 32 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[25] 6 Irish Albums (IRMA)[26] 55 Italian Albums (FIMI)[27] 8 Japanese Albums (Oricon)[28] 4 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[29] 24 Polish Albums Chart[30] 24 Spain (AFYVE)[31] 20 Scottish Albums (OCC)[32] 7 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[33] 19 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[34] 3 UK Albums (OCC)[35] 7 US Billboard 200[36] 2

Year-end charts Chart (2001) Position Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[37] 68 US Billboard 200[38] 89

Certifications

Organization	Level	Date
RIAA - USA	Gold[39]	April 3, 2001
	Platinum[39]
BPI - UK	Silver[40]	July 22, 2013
ABPD - Brazil	Gold[41]	2001
	Platinum[41]	2007

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[42]	2× Platinum	400,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Furniss 2012, eBook.
2. Just Push Play (Media notes). Aerosmith. Columbia Records. 2001. pp. 4–14. CK 6088.CS1 maint: others (link)
3. 50 Original Artworks by Hajime Sorayama to Exhibit at Sin City Gallery, Las Vegas
4. https://www.discogs.com/Various-Video-Sound/release/15422635
5. Classic Rock, issue 142, pages 48-49.
6. "Just Push Play Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
7. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Just Push Play – Aerosmith: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
8. Mitchell, Ben. "Aerosmith – Just Push Play: Review". Blender. New York City: Dennis Publishing.
9. Sterdan, Darryl. "Album Review: Aerosmith – Just Push Play". jam.canoe.ca. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
10. Willman, Chris (March 16, 2001). "Music Review: Just Push Play – Aerosmith". Entertainment Weekly. New York City: Meredith Corporation. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
11. Mulvey, John (September 12, 2005). "NME Reviews – Aerosmith: Just Push Play". NME. London, England: Time Inc. UK. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
12. Christgau, Robert. "CG: Aerosmith". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
13. Fricke, David (March 16, 2001). "Just Push Play by Aerosmith". Rolling Stone. New York City: Wenner Media LLC. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
14. "Aerosmith". GRAMMY.com. 2014-03-17. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
15. "Chart Watch: DMB, Aerosmith, Eve - ABC News". Retrieved May 24, 2014.
16. "Australiancharts.com – Aerosmith – Just Push Play". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
17. "Austriancharts.at – Aerosmith – Just Push Play" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
18. "Ultratop.be – Aerosmith – Just Push Play" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
19. "Ultratop.be – Aerosmith – Just Push Play" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
20. "Aerosmith Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
21. "Danishcharts.dk – Aerosmith – Just Push Play". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
22. "Dutchcharts.nl – Aerosmith – Just Push Play" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
23. "Aerosmith: Just Push Play" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
24. "Lescharts.com – Aerosmith – Just Push Play". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
25. "Offiziellecharts.de – Aerosmith – Just Push Play" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
26. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Aerosmith". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
27. "Italiancharts.com – Aerosmith – Just Push Play". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
28. "エアロスミスのCDアルバムランキング、エアロスミスのプロフィールならオリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
29. "Norwegiancharts.com – Aerosmith – Just Push Play". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
30. "OLiS: sales for the period 19.03.2001 – 25.03.2001". OLiS.
31. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
32. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
33. "Swedishcharts.com – Aerosmith – Just Push Play". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
34. "Swisscharts.com – Aerosmith – Just Push Play". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
35. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
36. "Aerosmith Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
37. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2001". hitparade.ch. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
38. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
39. "Gold and Platinum Database Search". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2009-11-24.
40. "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (ASPX) on 2013-01-15. Search for "Aerosmith" to see results.
41. Aerosmith certifications Archived September 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine at ABPD
42. "Japanese album certifications – Aerosmith – Just Push Play" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2001年3月 on the drop-down menu

Sources

• Furniss, Matters (2012). Aerosmith: Uncensored on the Record. Warwickshire, UK: Coda Books. ISBN 978-1781580141.