A Grand Slammer but no Babe Ruth3 Out Of 5 Stars
Of the four albums Aerosmith recorded for the Geffen label, only "Done With Mirrors" was weaker than "Get a Grip." Even in Tyler's biography, he notes that "Get a Grip" was being pushed into by the suits who wanted more hits, and that's what the band delivered here in triplicate. By hits, Geffen meant "Power Ballads," and "Crazy,", Amazing" and "Crying" pulverized radio and MTV, driving the album into a heavy sales pattern. However, if you were wondering where the rock was, you may have been scratching your head.
"Get a Grip" is 80's/90's AOR by committee, with only two songs not featuring outside songwriters. That also tells you that the songs all have big, impactive hooks but little stick. The ballads are drenched with strings, the boogie-rock punctuated with horns. The only unpredictable moment is when Joe Perry takes to the microphone on "Walk On Down," serving to remind everyone why Steven Tyler is the usual lead singer. Especially when Tyler follows Perry with the playful "Shut Up and Dance."
Overall, "Get a Grip" is not a bad album, just an average one. The band had settled into formula for success and milked it (I always wondered if the cover wasn't a pun to that effect) for all they could. It was so slick and commercial that the band got a Grammy for "Living on The Edge." (The second of four they've earned.) The follow-up, "Nine Lives," is a better album.
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