Embraced by MTV, Aerosmith reclaimed their hard rock throne and released a series of best selling albums. In 1991 they signed a new record deal with their old label, Sony Music, for a reported $56 million. Though they still owed Geffen Records several albums, Sony decided   to take a chance on the band. Geffen released "Get A Grip" in 1993 and a greatest hits package, "Big Ones" in 1994. It was 1997 before they finally released their first album for Sony Music. "Nine Lives" entered the charts at #1 and instantly went platinum. The following world tour set attendance records at nearly every stop. The band recorded several shows during the "Get A Grip" tour in 1993-94, and during the "Nine Lives" tour in 1997-98. Since they still owed one final album to Geffen, the decision was made to release a double live collection to fulfill that obligation. Aptly named "A Little South Of Sanity," the 2 CD set captures the raw intensity of the band in concert.

Re-united with longtime producer Jack Douglas, the album spans their entire career. You'll find classic tunes from the first album as well as new numbers written by Desmond Child and Glen Ballard. Let's take a song by song look at the new album. Since this album is  meant to represent an entire Aerosmith concert, it begins with "Eat The Rich." It was the second single from the "Get A Grip" album and one of their favorite songs to play live on
the 1993-94 tour. As a matter of fact, this song opened every show that tour. "Love In An Elevator" follows and it's actually based on a true experience that lead vocalist Steven Tyler had in a hotel elevator many years ago during the band's wilder days. In 1996, Joe Perry and Tyler went to Miami to begin writing songs for the upcoming "Nine Lives" album.
One day while walking through the streets of South Beach, near Miami, Steven saw a bumper sticker that read "Fallin' In Love Is Hard On The Knees." He instantly wrote a song with that title and it was the first single from the new album. The live version is included here. They dip deep in the well for some vintage music for "Same Old Song And Dance" which was recorded in 1974 for their "Get Your Wings" album. "Hole In My Soul" is next and this song was the first one they recorded in Joe Perry's new home studio. To practice the song on a live crowd, they booked a show at a nearby club and called themselves The G-Spots. Nobody knew who the G-Spots were until they walked onstage and the crowd realized it was Aerosmith.

"Monkey On My Back" was written on the first day of sessions for the recording of "Pump." It tells the story of the bands early experiments in chemical abuse. Two songs from "Get A Grip" follow and they are among their most requested. "Livin' On The Edge" and "Cryin" both won awards, including a Grammy, an VMA and a MTV Award. "Rag Doll" and "Angel" were on "Permanent Vacation" and helped make that album go multi-platinum. The live version of "Angel" is stunning. Rarely one to stand on the soap box, Steven wrote a poignant song about child abuse titled "Janie's Got A Gun," and included it on the "Pump" CD.

During their drug days, Richie Supa was one of their suppliers.  Later, after he and the band got sober, they were sitting around reflecting on the old days. Steven and Richie agreed that they were lucky to be alive. "It's amazing that we're still around," said Steven. Richie replied, "I kept the right ones out and let the wrong ones in." Steven added, "I had an angel of mercy to see me through my sins." That started the idea for the song, "It's Amazing," which soon became another MTV video that featured actress Alicia Silverstone.  The band released "Rocks" in 1976 and it was one of their best selling albums. Two classic tunes from that album are included on this live set. They are "Back In The Saddle" and "Last Child," and even today, over 20 years after they were recorded, the crowd goes ballistic.  Joe Perry handles lead vocals on "Walk On Down," thus giving Steven Tyler a much needed break to catch his breath. "Dream On" was written by Tyler when he was a teenager. It became a signature hit for the band and has been played live more than any other song in their catalog. No Aerosmith show would be complete with two of their biggest hits, "Mama Kin" and "Walk This Way." Both tunes have been concert favorites since the mid-70's and you can hear why on this CD. The inspiration for "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" came after the band met fellow rockers Motley Crue. The guys in Crue start every
sentence with "Dude." At first the song was called "Cruisin' For A Lady."  Then they added "Dude" from Motley Crue and it evolved in "Dude (Looks Like A Lady).

Bassist Tom Hamilton had written the intro to "Sweet Emotion" when he was in high school. He finally presented the riff to the band in 1975 while they were recording "Toys In The Attic." Often the final encore, it officially ends this 2 CD set. After the roar of the crowd subsides and the roadies tear down the stage, it's time for Aerosmith to head to the next city. This is a band that built their fan base one night at a time.  Hammering it out in a string of one night stands, they slowly climbed the ladder of success. And for them, success was sweeter the second time around.  Now they can fully appreciate their place in music as one of the most influential bands in history.