10 Rock Albums That No One Was Asking For

Ever since the ‘80s, Aerosmith had always been on a bit of a slippery slope towards the more pop flavored side of rock. As much as they may have lived up to the Bad Boys From Boston moniker when they were making records like Toys in the Attic, there was definitely a new sonic sheen to records like Get a Grip and Permanent Vacation, bringing in more than a few outside songwriters and making some of the most high profile songs the band would ever have. Once they got their first #1 with I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing though, the band got a horrible idea.

Looking to chase the same kind of success they got from their soundtrack song, over half of Just Push Play feels like the band just leaning into being a pop rock act, having virtually no snarl in the guitars and making tunes that feel like they were meant to get on the radio right next to stars like Britney Spears at the time. There are definitely a few instances where this sound works on songs like Beyond Beautiful and Jaded, but the entire back half of the record is where things really start to fall apart, almost like the band’s trying to soundtrack a movie that hasn’t even been made, with some of the most shallow writing that they’ve done since Joe Perry left the band for the first time.

Given the reception, it’s no wonder that the band’s next release was a collection of their favorite bluesy songs. Because when you’ve alienated your fanbase this much, you’re going to need to remind them why you kicked ass in the first place.