I have to say, I'm genuinely disappointed by this album, maybe I need to give it a few more spins, but right now, I would go as far as to say it's probably their weakest album yet. It's just very bland, even for Aerosmith. Way too many AOR ballads, it's like every other fucking song is a re-write of I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing. And this is coming from someone who even enjoyed Just Push Play and Nine Lives. But this album is just distinctly average with no standout tracks at all.

They need to stop chasing the pop market for a hit.

Mabye music in that other dimension isn't very good?

MattyJam said:

I have to say, I'm genuinely disappointed by this album, maybe I need to give it a few more spins, but right now, I would go as far as to say it's probably their weakest album yet. It's just very bland, even for Aerosmith. Way too many AOR ballads, it's like every other fucking song is a re-write of I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing. And this is coming from someone who even enjoyed Just Push Play and Nine Lives. But this album is just distinctly average with no standout tracks at all.

They need to stop chasing the pop market for a hit.

to me its not a bad album at all, its stronger to me than Nine Lives and close to Get A grip, but far from worst or bad or awful, to me its only issue is too many tracks, But there are strong songs on here.

lastdecember said:

its stronger to me than Nine Lives and close to Get A grip

Really??

There's nothing on the new album which holds a candle to Hole In My Soul, Livin On Thr Edge, The Farm, Eat The Rich, Amazing or Crash.

Fiona01 said:

lastdecember said:

its stronger to me than Nine Lives and close to Get A grip

Really??

There's nothing on the new album which holds a candle to Hole In My Soul, Livin On Thr Edge, The Farm, Eat The Rich, Amazing or Crash.

kicking off this album with Luv XXX, Oh Yeah, Out go the Lights and Legendary Child are all Strong tracks, also Freedom Fighter and closing the album Another Last Goodbye.

I wasnt crazy about Hole in My Soul and not a fan of Amazing, get a grip (the album) to me had too many simiar style ballads.

I have only heard it once so I really need to listen to it more before I form a firm opinion about it but I don't believe that it is their worst album. For me that "honour" still goes to Just Push Play. I do think that the new album is very weak and extremely bland. Obviously Aerosmith have been fairly pop for about twenty-five years now but there are no rough edges at all to any of the songs and it just sounds far too safe and inoffensive. Considering the lengthy gap between their last proper studio album I am extremely disappointed with Music from Another Dimension.

Aerosmith might as well have called this record ''The album Nickleback forgot to make''

Oh well there's still the 70's to the early 90's Aerosmith albums to jam to

Aah, it's not stronger than "Nine lives", but it's also not their worst (that's is subject to what you want out of Aerosmith anyways... to 70s fans everything from the 80s onward on is bad... which is stupid anyway... they had plenty of great songs in the last 25 years). I need a couple more spins, but so far I like it... more than the new Kiss album (of which I also need a couple more spins).

PatrickS77 said:

Aah, it's not stronger than "Nine lives", but it's also not their worst (that's is subject to what you want out of Aerosmith anyways... to 70s fans everything from the 80s onward on is bad... which is stupid anyway... they had plenty of great songs in the last 25 years). I need a couple more spins, but so far I like it... more than the new Kiss album (of which I also need a couple more spins).

thats the thing Aerosmith has fans that dont know the 70's, they have fans at their shows that know nothing from those days except maybe sweet emotion and drream on. This is not a bad record at all, it only suffers from too many tracks but its a pretty good album on its own.

Ah, yes... and they also have fans that know about the 70s, but apart from the hitsongs, prefer Aerosmith stuff of the 80s and later. I definitely prefer Steven's voice from the 80s onwards.

I've given it a few more spins and my opinion remains. The album really is a stinker. Their worst album for sure. Way too much bland filler, and even the better tracks aren't that good.

Luv XXX, Love Alot and We All Fall Down are the best tracks, but they'd be amongst the weakest tracks on any other Aerosmith album.

The Carrie Underwood duet is awful... WCHBL is more of the same AOR ballad bullshit... Closer and Something are blatant filler... Oh Yeah is just another shameless Stones ripoff... Out Go The Lights is a case of them being so happy they came up with a half decent riff that they decided to repeat it for seven and half tedious minutes.

Music From Another Dimension makes Just Push Play sound like Rocks.

[Edited 11/13/12 8:55am]

Yall bought this?

Aw man, I really like this album. I thinkit's funky and rockin. My only gripe is that there are too many ballads for my taste but otherwise it's pretty solid.

didn't notice this thread

I've heard Child and Could Have Been Love and I tolerate 'em both, especially Love, which is a fine song despite the dreadful video

I still have to hear the rest of the album but the reviews by both the fans and the critics are harsh at best: it seems that Joe Perry has lost it and Steven has completely sold his soul to the mainstream, but as I've said, and I still have to hear the whole thing

their worst album? worse than Just Push Play (which was a COLOSSAL disappointment/embarrassment? worse than Honkin' on Bobo? (pointless at best), worse than the filler of Nine Lives? (Full Circle, Kiss Your Past Goodbye, Crash, Attitude Adjusment, ugh) ? no I don't think so...

ok, I'm finally hearing it

1.Luv XXX, not tough-enough sound, decent chorus, but probably their lamest opener ever, even Just Push Play had Beyond Beautiful...

2.Oh Yeah, very average rock track, no, this ain't YoungLust/FINE

3.Beautiful, weird hard-rock/radio-pop song hybrid, uninteresting, sounds like a decent Just Push Play outtake at best...

4.Tell Me, completely faceless semi-acoustic power-ballad

5.Out Go the Lights, humm, intriguing riff, pure Aerosmith sound (kinda Done With Mirrors stuff), derivative and old-fashioned, but so far the best thing off the album...

6.Legendary Child, the rocking single that more or less defines the sound of the entire album, slighty bland melodic/safe sound, old-fashioned yet modern at the same time, not bad nor great, it would be a decent filler track on Pump or Done With Mirrors

7.What Could Have Been Love, "the" ballad of the album, it's pure 93-98, fine song, better than the dreck of today's radio

8.Street Jesus, another track that kinda sounds like classic Aero, but nothing to write home about...

9.Can't Stop Lovin' You, worst track so far, not sure if it's their worst ever (Luv Lies, anyone?), but Carrie sure ruins an already average song...sounds like Lady Antebellum, lol

10.Lover Alot, average fast-rock song...could be a grower though...

11.We All Fall Down, another power-ballad, pure late-90s, dated and bland

12.Freedom Fighter, derivative rocker by Perry, a lot better than the previous song though

13.Closer, the fourth power-ballad sing by Tyler in a row, wtf is wrong with him?

14.Something, another derivative/unremarkable Perry rocker, at least is not a power-ballad

15.Another Last Goodbye, FIFTH Tyler power-ballad in a row, FUCK HIM, their worst closing song ever, and those screams are fuckin' bizarre...

Verdict= it's not a super-bland/safe/lame album, this isn't overtly commercial radio-ready stuff (other than CSLY and WAFD), it's just...an EXTREMELY tired/jaded (pun intended) album, that shows that they're pure veterans that should call it quits...and hell the WHOLE album is way too overdubbed...

their worst album ever? nah, it's slighty better/less insulting than Just Push Play and it doesn't have the lows of Nine Lives...

a very average 3 out of 5 (the best tracks, in my opinion, are those underlined)

this is my version of MFAD

1.Luv XXX

2.Out Go the Lights

3.Legendary Child

4.What Could Have Been Love

5.Lover Alot

6.Street Jesus

7.Freedom Fighter

8.Something

9.Oasis in the Night

10.Up in the Mountain

11.Another Last Goodbye

a solid (but not great) 3.5 out of 5, Perry dominating the album from track 7 to track 10

Another Last Goodbye has grown on me somewhat - it reminds me a little of You See Me Crying, it has a similar cinematic feel to it and is actually refreshing to hear a more subtle, stripped back back ballad from the guys, rather than the endless attempts to re-create IDWMAT.

I agree with most of your review except for Luv XXX which I actually think is a really strong opener - their best opener since Eat The Rich.

Oh, and I liked Luv Lies.

MattyJam said:

Another Last Goodbye has grown on me somewhat - it reminds me a little of You See Me Crying, it has a similar cinematic feel to it and is actually refreshing to hear a more subtle, stripped back back ballad from the guys, rather than the endless attempts to re-create IDWMAT.

Yeah, def a grower, it's a ballad, but not a sellout number, kinda experimental

I agree with most of your review except for Luv XXX which I actually think is a really strong opener - their best opener since Eat The Rich.

hmm, perhaps better than "Nine Lives" (the title song) but that's about it, worse than "Beyond Beautiful" and "Road Runner"

Oh, and I liked Luv Lies.

"IIIIIIII imagine everyone survivesssss"

sorry but that was

I actually LIKED Avant Garden though

I've been listening the album a LOT today and now I can say that it's a piss poor 2012 version of Get a Grip: ballads and rockers, basically, still a 3 out of 5

Quite a few of the songs have grown on me, but the good material is just bogged down by mediocre tracks like Closer, Freedom Fighter, Something, Oh Yeah, Tell Me and that absolutely dreadful Carrie Underwood duet.

Here's my tracklist - I actually think this would've been a good little album:

1. Luv XXX

2. Legendary Child

3. Street Jesus

4. We All Fall Down

5. Out Go The Lights

6. Sunny Side Of Love

7. What Could Have Been Love

8. Lover Alot

9. Oasis In The Night

10. Another Last Goodbye

Damn, I must seriously be in the minority here. I'm actually loving this album more with every listen. No it's not as great as some of their earlier stuff but I really dig it. The fast songs rock and even the ballads are decent but wish there were maybe 2 of them instead of 10 lol!

I've been listening to this quite a bit over the last week and the album has grown on me somewhat. I still think it is much too clean sounding and it has too many average ballads but some of the rock songs are decent. At eighty minutes (including the bonus disc) the album is far, far too long, I really think a tight twelve track/forty-five minute album would have been much better.

I don't know if I can agree that it is better than Get a Grip and Nine Lives. It kind of strikes me as being on par with them but without any great singles (well, maybe Nine Lives didn't have any great singles either but I like the sound of that album much better).

I'm surprised by the general lameness of the Joe Perry tracks. I tend to blame Steven for the mediocrity of the last twenty years but maybe that isn't fair?

Ultimately it feels like too much of a compromise. To me it is almost half an Aerosmith album and half of a Steven Tyler solo album. As a listening experience it is far from satisfying.

Judging by the lack of hits this thread is receiving I'm guessing that the folks here are fairly indifferent towards it.

rialb said:

I've been listening to this quite a bit over the last week and the album has grown on me somewhat. I still think it is much too clean sounding and it has too many average ballads but some of the rock songs are decent. At eighty minutes (including the bonus disc) the album is far, far too long, I really think a tight twelve track/forty-five minute album would have been much better.

I don't know if I can agree that it is better than Get a Grip and Nine Lives. It kind of strikes me as being on par with them but without any great singles (well, maybe Nine Lives didn't have any great singles either but I like the sound of that album much better).

I'm surprised by the general lameness of the Joe Perry tracks. I tend to blame Steven for the mediocrity of the last twenty years but maybe that isn't fair?

Ultimately it feels like too much of a compromise. To me it is almost half an Aerosmith album and half of a Steven Tyler solo album. As a listening experience it is far from satisfying.

Judging by the lack of hits this thread is receiving I'm guessing that the folks here are fairly indifferent towards it.

I'll expand on that: it's 50% mediocre modern Tyler, 30% average Perry and 20% real-good old Aero...

Brad Whitford is the VICTIM of MFAD, he's virtually eclipsed here, yeah I know he is playing through the whole album (probably, this ain't Kiss, lol), but more than ever, he's "just" the rhythm guitarist sacrified by Tyler's poor songwriting and Perry's overdubs...I wouldn't be surprised if Perry played ALL the guitar parts of his songs...I haven't read the credits of the album (I don't own the physical album)

RodeoSchro said:

Mabye music in that other dimension isn't very good?

JoeTyler said:

I'll expand on that: it's 50% mediocre modern Tyler, 30% average Perry and 20% real-good old Aero...

Brad Whitford is the VICTIM of MFAD, he's virtually eclipsed here, yeah I know he is playing through the whole album (probably, this ain't Kiss, lol), but more than ever, he's "just" the rhythm guitarist sacrified by Tyler's poor songwriting and Perry's overdubs...I wouldn't be surprised if Perry played ALL the guitar parts of his songs...I haven't read the credits of the album (I don't own the physical album)

I do wonder who is actually playing on some of the ballads. I wouldn't be shocked to learn that it isn't Aerosmith at all but rather a bunch of session musicians with Joe doing the leads. There's not much to the credits but if you are interested they are on the albums' wikipedia page. Actually the credits there are a bit better than the ones in the booklet:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_From_Another_Dimension

The packaging is probably the best thing about it. It sort of reminds me of Kiss' Sonic Boom (2 audio discs and a dvd) but fancier. The dimensions of the package are slightly bigger than a standard jewel case and it includes a poster. The only downer is that the discs are a little hard to remove (they slide into cardboard slots).

Is "Up on a Mountain" the first song that Tom sang lead on? When I first heard it I just assumed that it was Joe.

Has anyone heard the other bonus tracks ("Shakey Ground" and "I'm Not Talkin'")? I'm mildly interested in tracking them down. I'm guessing that they do "I'm Not Talkin'" pretty much the way that the Yardbirds did but I can't imagine how they would approach "Shakey Ground." It is probably just a straight cover but I hope that they are able to nail the funk in the track.

From their post-Pump output I'd rank them:

Nine Lives > Just Push Play > MFAD > Get A Grip

Although I could see MFAD perhaps overtaking JPP in time.

I've always found Get A Grip to be very overrated. It has aged poorly (unlike Nine Lives, which could still be released today and would sound fresh). Cryin and Crazy are practically identical and songs like Shut Up And Dance, Flesh, Gotta Love It and Line Up are blatant filler. If it weren't for Eat The Rich, Amazing and Livin On The Edge, the album would be a complete dud. My vote for worst Aerosmith album definately goes to GAG.

On the contary, I find Just Push Play to be very underrated with a healthy amount of strong songs. I love Jaded, the bonus track Face is a brilliant overlooked accoustic gem and an unlikely album highlight, Fly Away From Here and Luv Lies are both decent ballads and I also love Outta Your Head and Perry's Drop Dead Gorgeous.

Never bothered with Honkin On Bobo. Did I miss anything much???

[Edited 11/19/12 2:55am]

MattyJam said:

From their post-Pump output I'd rank them:

Nine Lives > Just Push Play > MFAD > Get A Grip

Although I could see MFAD perhaps overtaking JPP in time.

I've always found Get A Grip to be very overrated. It has aged poorly (unlike Nine Lives, which could still be released today and would sound fresh). Cryin and Crazy are practically identical and songs like Shut Up And Dance, Flesh, Gotta Love It and Line Up are blatant filler. If it weren't for Eat The Rich, Amazing and Livin On The Edge, the album would be a complete dud. My vote for worst Aerosmith album definately goes to GAG.

On the contary, I find Just Push Play to be very underrated with a healthy amount of strong songs. I love Jaded, the bonus track Face is a brilliant overlooked accoustic gem and an unlikely album highlight, Fly Away From Here and Luv Lies are both decent ballads and I also love Outta Your Head and Perry's Drop Dead Gorgeous.

Never bothered with Honkin On Bobo. Did I miss anything much???

[Edited 11/19/12 2:55am]

I would rank them a bit differently, probably Get a Grip > Nine Lives > Music from Another Dimension! > Just Push Play. Admittedly Get a Grip was the first Aerosmith album that I bought when it was released, I had only recently "discovered" Permanent Vacation and Pump, so my twelve year old self may rate it higher than it deserves. Of the four albums Nine Lives probably sounds the best but the songs aren't quite there. For me too much of Just Push Play is either bad or embarrassing. I have never heard "Face" so I will have to try to track it down. Looking at all four albums it is depressing how much filler there is and how mediocre they have been in the post Pump era.

Honkin' on Bobo is often hailed as their best rock album since Pump but I don't really like it very much. At the very least it does sound fairly energetic and like an actual band but the songs don't leave much of an impression. If you can find it cheap it is probably worth your money.

rialb said:

MattyJam said:

From their post-Pump output I'd rank them:

Nine Lives > Just Push Play > MFAD > Get A Grip

Although I could see MFAD perhaps overtaking JPP in time.

I've always found Get A Grip to be very overrated. It has aged poorly (unlike Nine Lives, which could still be released today and would sound fresh). Cryin and Crazy are practically identical and songs like Shut Up And Dance, Flesh, Gotta Love It and Line Up are blatant filler. If it weren't for Eat The Rich, Amazing and Livin On The Edge, the album would be a complete dud. My vote for worst Aerosmith album definately goes to GAG.

On the contary, I find Just Push Play to be very underrated with a healthy amount of strong songs. I love Jaded, the bonus track Face is a brilliant overlooked accoustic gem and an unlikely album highlight, Fly Away From Here and Luv Lies are both decent ballads and I also love Outta Your Head and Perry's Drop Dead Gorgeous.

Never bothered with Honkin On Bobo. Did I miss anything much???

[Edited 11/19/12 2:55am]

I would rank them a bit differently, probably Get a Grip > Nine Lives > Music from Another Dimension! > Just Push Play. Admittedly Get a Grip was the first Aerosmith album that I bought when it was released, I had only recently "discovered" Permanent Vacation and Pump, so my twelve year old self may rate it higher than it deserves. Of the four albums Nine Lives probably sounds the best but the songs aren't quite there. For me too much of Just Push Play is either bad or embarrassing. I have never heard "Face" so I will have to try to track it down. Looking at all four albums it is depressing how much filler there is and how mediocre they have been in the post Pump era.

Honkin' on Bobo is often hailed as their best rock album since Pump but I don't really like it very much. At the very least it does sound fairly energetic and like an actual band but the songs don't leave much of an impression. If you can find it cheap it is probably worth your money.

What do you find embarassing on JPP? Admittedly, the reggae rapping on the title track is cringeful, but that's about it IMO. Definately check out "Face" - it's an instantly catchy, simple accoustic number and probably the best thing from JPP.

Nine Lives has some great tracks, Hole In My Soul is one of their finest ballads, I love the punk influence on Crash, and Ain't That A Bitch, The Farm, Fallen Angels, Nine Lives and Falling In Love (Is So Hard On The Knees) are all A grade material IMO.

MattyJam said:

rialb said:

I would rank them a bit differently, probably Get a Grip > Nine Lives > Music from Another Dimension! > Just Push Play. Admittedly Get a Grip was the first Aerosmith album that I bought when it was released, I had only recently "discovered" Permanent Vacation and Pump, so my twelve year old self may rate it higher than it deserves. Of the four albums Nine Lives probably sounds the best but the songs aren't quite there. For me too much of Just Push Play is either bad or embarrassing. I have never heard "Face" so I will have to try to track it down. Looking at all four albums it is depressing how much filler there is and how mediocre they have been in the post Pump era.

Honkin' on Bobo is often hailed as their best rock album since Pump but I don't really like it very much. At the very least it does sound fairly energetic and like an actual band but the songs don't leave much of an impression. If you can find it cheap it is probably worth your money.

What do you find embarassing on JPP? Admittedly, the reggae rapping on the title track is cringeful, but that's about it IMO. Definately check out "Face" - it's an instantly catchy, simple accoustic number and probably the best thing from JPP.

Nine Lives has some great tracks, Hole In My Soul is one of their finest ballads, I love the punk influence on Crash, and Ain't That A Bitch, The Farm, Fallen Angels, Nine Lives and Falling In Love (Is So Hard On The Knees) are all A grade material IMO.

"Trip Hoppin'."

rialb said:

MattyJam said:

What do you find embarassing on JPP? Admittedly, the reggae rapping on the title track is cringeful, but that's about it IMO. Definately check out "Face" - it's an instantly catchy, simple accoustic number and probably the best thing from JPP.

Nine Lives has some great tracks, Hole In My Soul is one of their finest ballads, I love the punk influence on Crash, and Ain't That A Bitch, The Farm, Fallen Angels, Nine Lives and Falling In Love (Is So Hard On The Knees) are all A grade material IMO.

"Trip Hoppin'."

lol

Yeah, I forgot about that one. That one wasn't great.

rialb said:

MattyJam said:

What do you find embarassing on JPP? Admittedly, the reggae rapping on the title track is cringeful, but that's about it IMO. Definately check out "Face" - it's an instantly catchy, simple accoustic number and probably the best thing from JPP.

Nine Lives has some great tracks, Hole In My Soul is one of their finest ballads, I love the punk influence on Crash, and Ain't That A Bitch, The Farm, Fallen Angels, Nine Lives and Falling In Love (Is So Hard On The Knees) are all A grade material IMO.

"Trip Hoppin'."

Beyond Beatiful was, is and will always be a very strong song but was, is and will always be a criminally overproduced/overdubbed song...

the scratches/reagge rapping of the title-track was the low point of Aerosmith's career at that point, Jaded was an ok single, but it sounds like a late-80s energetic power-ballad with an early-00s production, anachronistic at best (it reminds me of Poison's Fallen Angel meets Meredith Brooks meets Max Martin, ugh), Fly Away From Here was a painfully boring-pointless ballad, Trip Hoppin' flat, silly and overproduced,

Under My Skin, the supposedly great hard-rock number of the album, is repetitive, too clean, overproduced, forced, and overdubbed, it perfectly showed how boring/calculated/safe Aerosmith had become, gone were the raw years, for real

Luv Lies is pure filler/balladry crap, and then comes Outta My Head their WORST song of all time...Drop Dead Gorgeous sure is catchy and intriguing but, surprise! it's also criminally overproduced and full of stupid noises/effects...

so, what's left? a couple of strong tracks (Sunshine, Light Inside) and a couple of underrated ballads: Avant Garden and the bonus-track Face (which was the best song of the entire damn album, I agree with MattyJam)

4-5 good songs out of 13, if that's not their worst ever album (dreadful production as well), I don't know which is

and yeah, Nine Lives has A grade material but also F/E/D- material, unlike Get a Grip, which has A material and then some B- decent filler...

so to me it's GaG > MFAD! > HoB> NL > JPP

[Edited 11/19/12 7:40am]