Great Rock/Metal Albums of 1985: Aerosmith- Done With Mirrors

One of the most curiosity grabbing events of 1985 was when I heard the original members of Aerosmith had gotten back together and were putting out a new album. In the early 1980s, many people had written off Aerosmith as being washed up. All the drugs had gotten to them and their best years were long behind. So, the question was with the release of the “Done With Mirrors” album was: “Are they back for real?”

My first taste of this album was the first single “Let the Music Do The Talking.” When I heard it, I was quite impressed and though I wasn’t shouting that “Aerosmith were back!” I thought that it was a good song and it pressed my curiosity to explore the album more. Hearing “Done With Mirrors” in its entirety convinced me that these guys still had a few tricks up their collective sleeves.

While I won’t say that it belongs up there with their classics, Joe Perry didn’t think much of it at all, but I have to totally agree with his conclusion that it was a step in the right direction. “Done With Mirrors” goes back to more of what had made them icons of the mid to late 1970s. Again, it’s not as great as “Draw the Line” or “Get Your Wings” and not near “Toys in the Attic” but it did make me forget all about the flops that were “Night in the Ruts” and “Rock in a Hard Place.”

Another thing about “Done With Mirrors” is that I don’t feel any urgency to break it down and talk about individual songs here. All of the songs have something about them which I like. I will point out what were a few highlights for me. “She’s on Fire” has a bit of a Lynyrd Skynyrd vibe on it, which is done well. “Shela” has an 80s punk intro but Aerosmith put their own unique stamp on it and even with the intro, you know it’s an Aerosmith song. Tyler’s vocals are the cleanest I had heard from him in years and Joe Perry’s guitar work show that he was back and truly committed to the band. It was said by some that they tried too hard with “Gypsy Boots” because it sounds much like the famous “Walk This Way.” While I see what they mean, it’s still a good song in its own right. However, my favourite track on the album is “My Fist Your Face.” Even though it was only the second track, it confirmed to me that it was worth sticking around to listen to the rest of the album.

Track Listing:

1. Let the Music Do the Talking
2. My Fist Your Face
3. Shame on You
4. The Reason a Dog
5. Shela
6. Gypsy Boots
7. She’s on Fire
8. The Hop

Steve Tyler- vocals

Joe Perry- lead guitar

Brad Whitford- rhythm guitar

Tom Hamilton- bass

Joey Kramer- bass

For many people, “Done With Mirrors” didn’t take the music world by storm. What it did do was put Aerosmith back on the rock and roll map. I have to whole heartedly agree with those who say that it was a step in the right direction for them. They still had problems, they were still musicians dabbling in drugs but the positive was that they were no longer druggies dabbling in music.

It was on the tour for this album when I first saw Aerosmith live and it was clear that not all of the past was truly forgotten. Like most of the concerts I went to, I saw them in Philadelphia and during the show, Steve Tyler was quick to say to us, “Don’t throw anything up on stage, you remember what happened last time, Philadelphia.” It was clear that the band was not quite yet ready to completely forgive Philadelphia for bottle throwing incident of 1979. While I mention this in “Rock and Roll Children,” FFI, read my post on the “Night in the Ruts” album.

Next post: Keel- The Right to Rock

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