** Aerosmith

A LITTLE SOUTH OF SANITY

(Geffen)

The cynic would have to begin by noting that Aerosmith's new double live CD (out this Tuesday) is nothing more than an easy way for the veteran band to make good on one last contractual obligation to their former label, Geffen. Which is true. Fans -- especially the ones who made it out to the group's last couple of tours -- will be more inclined to point out that Aerosmith Still Fucking Rock. Which is also true.

Either way, A Little South of Sanity is no Live Bootleg. Drawn from the '93/'94 Get a Grip and '97/'98 Nine Lives tours, it's not nearly as unhinged -- as "Crazy" -- as the reformed Bad Boys try to suggest in the title. Like the tours themselves, it's a rather buttoned-down professional affair, with Steven Tyler hitting all his highs, Joe Perry and Brad Whitford nailing their leads note for note, and Joey Kramer and Tom Hamilton plowing diligently through a 23-track greatest-hits sampling that includes everything from '70s classics ("Dream On," "Mama Kin," and "Sweet Emotion") to '90s singles ("Eat the Rich," "Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)," and "Cryin' "), and no real surprises.

-- Matt Ashare