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A Little South of Sanity (1998)

Where the lyrics of A Little South of Sanity take you, and where it was really made.

Aerosmith's only album to carry a Parental Advisory sticker is a live record, and the man who says he is on its cover claims the artwork mocks him.

Key places

Mixing at Chung King Studios (1998)

Recording site Chung King Studios — The album was mixed at Chung King Studios in New York. Jack Douglas served as producer and mixing engineer on the record. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Crowd in State College (1998)

Live show Bryce Jordan Center — On Love in an Elevator, Tyler calls out to the crowd in State College, Pennsylvania, which marks where that performance was recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Crowd in West Palm Beach (1998)

Live show iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre — On Same Old Song and Dance, Tyler calls out to the crowd in West Palm Beach, Florida, which marks where that performance was recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Crowd in Seattle (1998)

Live show Climate Pledge Arena — On Sweet Emotion, Tyler calls out to the crowd in Seattle, Washington, which marks where that performance was recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Live and compilation album by American hard rock band Aerosmith
• Two discs, released in October 1998 by Geffen Records
• Built from recordings made during the Get a Grip Tour (1993–1994) and the Nine Lives Tour
• The Nine Lives Tour began in 1997 and was still ongoing when the album came out
• Only Aerosmith album to carry the Parental Advisory sticker
• The sticker is tied to Steven Tyler shouting profanities between songs and changing lyrics to racier ones
• Some studio versions of songs already contained profanity

Background

• After the 1984 reunion, Aerosmith signed a contract to make six albums for Geffen
• Done With Mirrors, Permanent Vacation and Pump were finished before the Columbia Records contract of 1991
• The Columbia contract took effect only after the Geffen obligations were fulfilled
• No further Geffen studio album came after Get a Grip (1993)
• Big Ones, a compilation of Geffen-era hits, was put together
• The live album was conceived as the band moved to Columbia

Recording

• No official listing says where or when each performance was taken
• The CD booklet mentions only the Get a Grip and Nine Lives world tours
• Tyler's calls to the crowd reveal the locations of three songs
• Love in an Elevator: crowd in State College, Pennsylvania
• Same Old Song and Dance: crowd in West Palm Beach, Florida
• Sweet Emotion: crowd in Seattle, Washington
• Mixing took place at Chung King Studios in New York, with Jack Douglas as producer
• Engineer Jay Messina, assistant engineers Lawrence Manchester and John Wydrycs
• Mastering by Greg Calbi

Cover

• Filmmaker Patrick Connolly claims he inspired the cover and is depicted on it
• As a teenager he was the gas station attendant for drummer Joey Kramer when Kramer's Ferrari caught fire
• Kramer believed at the time that the fire was Connolly's fault
• Connolly says the cover, released in October 1998, shows a gas attendant who resembles him, mocking that blame
• The fire was later found to be caused by a defective fuel line in the car's gas tank

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Disc 1

Disc 2

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in Boston in 1970 by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer, and Brad Whitford after the Jam Band and Chain Reaction merged.
• The name was suggested by Joey Kramer, who had seen the word "aerosmith" in his school notebooks.
• Their first gig was at Nipmuc Regional High School in Mendon, Massachusetts, on November 6, 1970.

Members

• Current lineup: Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry and Brad Whitford (guitars), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums).
• Perry and Whitford left in 1979 and 1981 and returned in 1984; the original five were reunited from 1984 onward.
• Tyler and Perry are the main songwriting team, nicknamed the "Toxic Twins".

Career

• Debut album in 1973 and Toys in the Attic (1975) and Rocks (1976) established their blues-based hard rock sound.
• The 1986 Run-D.M.C. collaboration on "Walk This Way" revived their career, followed by Permanent Vacation (1987), Pump (1989), and Get a Grip (1993).
• "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (1998) was their only Billboard Hot 100 number one.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001; sold more than 150 million records worldwide.
• Retired from touring in 2024 after Tyler's vocal injury; released the EP One More Time with Yungblud in 2025.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Only Aerosmith album to carry the Parental Advisory sticker
• The sticker followed Steven Tyler's shouted profanities between songs and his racier lyric changes
• Two-disc set released by Geffen Records in October 1998
• Released while the Nine Lives Tour was still ongoing
• Mixes Get a Grip Tour material from 1993–1994 with Nine Lives Tour material from 1997 onward
• Presented as a compilation that also collects Geffen-era songs, separate from the hits set Big Ones

Records

• Billboard 200: number 12
• Top Canadian Albums: number 6
• Previous live album by the band: Classics Live II, 1987

Sources: fr.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Tyler's calls to the crowd place three songs in State College, West Palm Beach and Seattle
• Connolly claims the gas attendant on the cover mocks him over the 15 July 1998 fire
• The fire was later traced to a defective fuel line in the car's gas tank
• The Spanish-language article credits the sticker to Tyler's remarks between songs
• The Parental Advisory sticker is the only one the band received for an album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

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