As anyone who's ever read a Steven Tyler press release knows, it can be difficult to understand where he's really coming from on any particular subject, and Tyler's rambling explanation for the last-minute scheduling bump for the new Aerosmith record is no exception. Happily, we have guitarist Brad Whitford to set the record straight.

Speaking with the Long Branch-Eatontown Patch, Whitford was candid about the behind-the-scenes roller coaster that's unraveled over the last decade of Aerosmith's career, admitting that the rest of the band was "at odds" with Tyler during his public flirtation with a solo career and his stint on 'American Idol.'

"We felt a little bit left in the lurch," said Whitford. "We wanted to go out and make music. We felt maybe we could go out and maybe bring in someone else to sing, maybe call it a different name. We talked about it but it never panned out. Things just worked out. I always knew the band would perform again, but I didn't know when or how."

Of course, we all know what happened next -- Aerosmith entered the studio with longtime producer Jack Douglas, a move Whitford compared to "putting on a pair of old slippers," and the new album 'Music from Another Dimension' was born. "Everybody in the band contributed music to the album. We're so psyched about it," enthused Whitford. "It's going to blow people's minds. The band sounds and plays better than ever."

So why the delay?

Whitford's explanation is depressingly mundane: The band's label was left in the lurch when the would-be blockbuster movie 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' was bumped back to early next year, thus taking away the big soundtrack tie-in with leadoff single 'Legendary Child' that was supposed to be a centerpiece of the promotional campaign.

"The record company wanted time for a whole new approach and they wanted to get a slot to release the album they thought would be good for it," explained Whitford, promising, "It'll be worth the wait."

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