Album Title: O, Yeah: Ultimate Aerosmith Hits
Artist: Aerosmith
Year: 2002
Running Time: 142m 7s

Track listing: [DISC 1] 1 Mama Kin; 2 Dream On; 3 Same Old Song and Dance; 4 Seaons of Wither; 5 Walk This Way; 6 Big Ten Inch Record; 7 Sweet Emotion; 8 Last Child; 9 Back In The Saddle; 10 Draw The Line; 11 Dude (Looks Like A Lady); 12 Angel; 13 Rag Doll; 14 Janie’s Got a Gun; 15 Love In An Elevator; 16 What It Takes  [DISC 2] 1 The Other Side; 2 Livin’ On The Edge; 3 Cryin’; 4 Amazing; 5 Deuces Are Wild; 6 Crazy; 7 Falling In Love (Is Hard On The Knees); 8 Pink (the South Beach mix); 9 I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing; 10 Jaded; 11 Just Push Play (radio remix); 12 Walk This Way (w/ Run DMC); 13 Girls of Summer; 14 Lay It Down; Bonus Tracks: 15 Come Together; 16 Theme from Spiderman; 17 Toys In The Attic

I know, I know. It’s like the fourth greatest hits collection from Aerosmith. Well, actually it’s the sixth apparently. Following on from last year’s release from Geffen (“Young Lust”), this collection differs as it encompasses the band’s entire career on one release for the first time. And just like the previous collection, this one is wroth having too.

Starting with hits from their eponymouse 1973 debut album (‘Dream On’, ‘Mama Kin’), we get a collection that surprisingly brings us the perenially under-rated ‘Seasons of Wither’ and the jazzy big-band cover version of ‘Big Ten Inch Record’. The seventies hits continue on disc one with massive hits singles ‘Walk This Way’, ‘Sweet Emotion’, ‘Back in the Saddle’ and ‘Draw the Line’ before jumping forward a decade to the comeback era of ‘Dude’, ‘Angel’ and ‘Rag Doll’.

On disc two, the hugely successful “Get A Grip” album is well represented with end-of-the-world lament ‘Livin’ On The Edge’ and the infamous ‘Alicia Silverstone’ trio of ‘Cryin’, ‘Crazy’ and ‘Amazing’. The move to Sony brought more hits with ‘Falling in Love’ and a remix of the Grammy award winning ‘Pink’ as well as recent smash hit ‘Jaded’ and a remix of the title track of their “Just Push Play” album.

I know that thirty years of existence means that you can’t include everything, and while it is a relief that the likes of marginal tracks such as ‘Eat the Rich’, ‘Shut Up And Dance’, ‘Hole in my Soul’, ‘Blind Man’ and ‘Walk On Water’ are not here, it is also disappointing to note that tracks from 1982’s “Rock In a Hard Place” and 1986’s mediocre “Done With Mirrors” have been omitted. There’s also no room for ‘Angel Eye’ from the “Charlies Angels” soundtrack or the brilliant ‘Sunshine’ from 2001’s “Just Push Play”.

And why is the classic ‘Toys in the Attic’ only a bonus track on some releases of the album while two versions of ‘Walk This Way’ are included? A mystery.

But overall it’s a great collection and a fitting testament to a band that have survived because they have adapted so well. A new alubm is slated for release in 2003 – a return to ‘blues roots’ they say, but they’ve been saying that for years. I’ll believe it when I hear it. Meanwhile, enjoy.