Aerosmith - Done with Mirrors

Proof positive that the Toxic Twins should never be apart, Done with Mirrors was Aerosmith's first album since Joe Perry returned to the band in 1985. Though it didn't garner as much commercial success as did the follow-up Permanent Vacation, this album is in many ways truer to the heart of what Aerosmith was in their 1970s heyday. From the opening drive of "Let the Music Do the Talking" (which reuses that great riff from 1977's "Draw the Line"), to the strong grooves of "The Reason a Dog" and "Gypsy Boots," to the rockin' shuffle of "The Hop," Done with Mirrors is full of strong moments. The two best tracks on the album, though, show Aerosmith heading back to their roots: the swampy rock of "She's On Fire" and the jive-to-drive of "Darkness," both of which have the raw, bluesy base of the band's best material. If nothing else, Done with Mirrors indicated that Aerosmith may have been down, but they definitely weren't out of the running yet--something that Permanent Vacation would prove two years later. --Genevieve Williams Amazon.com

Aerosmiths most under rated album

After a few average releases in the late '70's and early '80's, Aerosmith got back to a sound more true to their best rocking albums of their early career from the early to mid '70's with Done With Mirrors. To this day, although not their best album, Done With Mirrors in my opinion is Aerosmith's most under rated album. Released in 1985 with the original band line up back together again, a new contract with Geffen Records and new producer in Ted Templeman (of early Van Halen fame), Done With Mirrors was to be Aerosmith's "come back" album. But poor sales resulted and unfortunately this album was not the break through it was meant to be. It was their following album Permanent Vacation and then Pump which catapulted them to the top again, with both those albums far outselling Done With Mirrors. However, whilst those two albums are undoubtedly great, they also marked the beginning of a period in Aerosmith's career where the record company began to dictate to them how their albums should be done. Thus what followed was a string of albums up to (and including) Just Push Play which attempted to stick to the successful formula of Permanent Vacation and Pump, but the results were ultimately soulless mediocrity (with the odd song being the exception).

Done With Mirrors is the last of the Toxic Twins (Tyler/Perry) written albums, so you won't find any top 40 mushy so called power ballads here. What you get is pure blues based hard rock in the true Aerosmith style. Recycling the riff from Draw The Line, the album kicks off with a ball breaking rocker in Let The Music Do The Talking, a song also released by Joe Perry on his solo album, but this is the better version. It is one of Aerosmith's best tracks since their Rocks album.

My Fist Your Face follows and this is another of the albums best tracks. A groovy rocker with attitude, it's my favorite song on the album, along with The Reason A Dog.

Although there aren't any other stand out songs when you first listen to this album, it does contain many pleasant surprises when you get into it. These include the rocker Gypsy Boots, the coolness of She's On Fire, and the rocking The Hop with Tyler on harmonica. Even the final track Darkness rocks, despite a mellow piano and vocal opening.

The band is in great form on this album, playing in a straight ahead rocking way that has sadly been lacking with their albums of late (until Honkin' On Bobo that is). Thankfully there are no Steven Tyler vocal aerobatics or his annoying noises between verses or during guitar breaks and solos. Instead Tyler sings in a more straight forward way with the occasional trade mark scream. I wish he would sing like this these days!

I was 14 years old when Done With Mirrors was released, and my mother got it on LP for my uncle's birthday (thanks Mum! you are responsible for getting me into hard rock/metal). At the time I thought this album and band were the epitome of coolness and my opinion still hasn't changed. I wish they would re-release a remastered version of Done With Mirrors as I would definitely get it. Even more though, I just wish Aerosmith would get back to this type of recording again i.e. an entire album of blues based rocking Tyler/Perry songs. One can only hope!
May 1, 2008

Got a hard core mamma with a hot hootchie koo...

Man did the world need Aerosmith, the REAL Aerosmith, back in a big way. By 1984, the band and leader/frontman Steven Tyler were on its last legs and in Steven's case, practically death's door. Joe and Brad whose careers post A-smith were on standstill caught the band backstage in early 1984 and the idea of the reunion was born! The band would tour that summer to good box office and a new record deal, with Geffen, was landed. Problems still abounded for the band as its legendary drug dependency had yet to be licked despite press to the contrary. 'Done with Mirror', a very ironic title, was released in October 1985 and made an underwhelming splash. It could be the most (or 2nd most after 'Rock/Hard Place') overlooked album in the catalogue. The reason? Well, maybe the band had lost some of their songwriting chemistry though the album as a whole is very good. No big hits, but in light of the latter albums of that and the next decade that turned out to be kind of a good thing. "Let the Music Do the Talking" is an Aerosmith classic, though it was a rerecord of the title song from Joe's solo debut with new lyrics from Steven. It is a barnstormer with more than a passing salute to "Draw the Line". "My Fist Your Face" is a mood burner that instantly connects (Tuilo Eppagalucci????). Other darn good songs include both "Shela" and "Gypsy Boots". There really aren't any terrible songs on the record though most of the others really aren't memorable. The sound of the record is a very raw and no fills live recording courtesy of veteran Van Halen man Ted Templeman (who's first and last Aerosmith job this was). Maybe the lack of the success was blamed on him by Geffen but the truth is the band wasn't quite ready for their return to the big time...that would take sobriety, Vancouver and 'Permanent Vacation'. April 12, 2008

what an album

Supposedly this is the worst Aerosmith album. I really don't think so. It has a certain sloppy and especially heavy style that really makes the music even better, in my opinion. Maybe it's because I prefer my rock and roll to have a messy edge to it.

I'm neither a fan of Aerosmith's 70's classics or their 80's comeback period, but the in between stage, and particularly this album, is interesting to me. It marks a period in time when the band members were trying to straighten out their lives after all the hard drugs and personal struggles they were facing, and focused on making music for the fans once again.

Some signs of what was to come a few years later can be found on this album, and it's interesting to hear the beginning stages of their major comeback to the world of rock that would go down in history as one of the greatest comebacks for a rock band of all-time. March 10, 2008

This would be Aerosmith's last solid effort.....

1985's "Done with Mirrors" is one of the under-rated albums in thier catalogs (so is 1977's Draw the Line) and the music here is exactly what Aerosmith was about in their heyday. Good solid rock music with a heavy blues vibe. ITs not as solid as "Toys in the Attic" or "Rocks" yet it still is a great album to have in your collection, if you loved the stuff the band did in the 1970's. This would be the last good Aerosmith record that we would here, as once "Permanent Vacation" was released, and I heard "Dude looks like a lady" I knew that it would all be over. The band would spiral into a frenzy of writing all FM friendly rock tunes, with all the magic of what made them great in the 70's, just fizzle away. It would only get worse as the band would dabble with soft FM love ballads that would make us all think that all the drugs and booze really must have gotten to them. "Done with Mirrors" is one that never really got rollin on the pop charts, but once again, its a good album the last real solid effort that we would get from the band. January 3, 2008

Nice rockin' album!

I just recently bought this album back & I'm glad that I did! I can't believe that I sold it before! This is definitely a traditional sounding Aerosmith album, not a huge album like 'Pump' or 'Permanent Vacation,' but it has plenty of good grooves & it's nice for when you need a quick fix of hard rock when you are on the go. It's definitely worth it to pick up if you are an Aerosmith fan especially of the 80s. May 15, 2007

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