Done with Mirrors

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Done with Mirrors
Aerosmith Done With Mirrors.jpg
Studio album by Aerosmith
Released November 9, 1985
Recorded 1985 at The Power Station and Fantasy Studios
Genre Hard rock, blues rock
Length 35:50
Label Geffen
Producer Ted Templeman
Aerosmith chronology
Rock in a Hard Place
(1982)Rock in a Hard Place1982		 Done with Mirrors
(1985)		 Permanent Vacation
(1987)Permanent Vacation1987
Singles from Done with Mirrors
  1. "Let the Music Do the Talking"
    Released: 16 September 1985
  2. "Shela"
    Released: 31 October 1985
  3. "My Fist Your Face"
    Released: 2 December 1985
  4. "Darkness"
    Released: 4 March 1986
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 4/5 stars[1]
Robert Christgau B+[2]
Kerrang! 5/5 stars[3]
Rolling Stone (unfavorable)[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide 2/5 stars[5]

Done with Mirrors is the eighth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released November 9, 1985. The release marked the return to the band of guitarists Joe Perry, who had left the group in 1979, and Brad Whitford, who had left the band in 1981. It was also the band's first album released by Geffen Records. It was intended as their "comeback" album, and while it got good reviews during its release, it did not live up to commercial expectations.

In keeping with the title, all the text (except for the catalog number and UPC) on the original releases of the album was written back-to-front, and could be read normally by holding it up to a mirror. All subsequent releases flip the artwork so that it can be read without a mirror, and also add the band's logo. As a result, the original CD (which came in a longbox) is collectable. (All text in the booklet of the first CD-pressing is also back-to-front.)

The title is a double entendre, referring both to illusions that are "done with mirrors", as well as members of the band quitting their drug use (such as cocaine, which is traditionally snorted off of a mirror).

"Let The Music Do the Talking" was a new recording of the title track of the first album by The Joe Perry Project, with altered lyrics and melody.

In an interview, Brad Whitford revealed that Ted Templeman wanted to capture the band's aggressive "out of control freight train" sound by removing the red light that indicated that the band was recording (a technique he used to capture Van Halen's sound). He informed the band to run through the songs in the studio and recorded them without the band's knowledge. Whitford referred to the nerves generated when knowingly recording songs as "the red light blues".

Joey Kramer, who was a guest on VH1 Classic's That Metal Show, expressed his dislike of Done with Mirrors, claiming that the band "never really finished it".[6] Joe Perry was similarly dismissive of Done with Mirrors in an interview with Noisecreep, stating that he "really didn't like [the album]."[7]

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Let the Music Do the Talking"   Joe Perry 3:48
2. "My Fist Your Face"   Steven Tyler, Perry 4:23
3. "Shame on You"   Tyler 3:22
4. "The Reason a Dog"   Tyler, Tom Hamilton 4:13
5. "Shela"   Tyler, Brad Whitford 4:25
6. "Gypsy Boots"   Perry, Tyler 4:16
7. "She's on Fire"   Tyler, Perry 3:47
8. "The Hop"   Tyler, Hamilton, Joey Kramer, Perry, Whitford 3:45
9. "Darkness" (not available on vinyl LP) Tyler 3:43
Total length:
 35:43

Personnel

Production

  • Producer: Ted Templeman
  • Engineer: Jeff Hendrickson
  • 1st Assistant Engineer: Tom Size
  • 2nd Assistant Engineer: Gary Rindfuss
  • 3rd Assistant Engineer: Stan Katayama
  • Analog Mastering Engineer: Howie Weinberg
  • Digital Mastering Engineer: Ken Caillat
  • Production Coordinator: Joan Parker
  • Band Equipment installation assembler #1: Jay Fortune
  • Band Equipment installation assembler #2: Toby Francis
  • Band Equipment installation assembler #3: Patrick O'Neil
  • Album Cover Concept: Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff
  • Art Direction and Design: Norman Moore
  • Photography: Jim Shea

Charts

Album

Billboard (North America)[8]

Year Chart Position
1985 The Billboard 200 36
1985 Japanese Albums Chart[9] 41

Singles

Billboard (North America)[10]

Year Single Chart Position
1985
"Shela" Mainstream Rock Tracks 20
"Let the Music Do the Talking" Mainstream Rock Tracks 18

Certifications

Organization Level Date
RIAA - USA Gold[11] July 21, 1993

See also

References

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External links

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