Done with Mirrors
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[2] |
| Kerrang! | [3] |
| Rolling Stone | (unfavorable)[4] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [5] |
| Piero Scaruffi | (6/10)[6] |
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, but 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".[7] Joe Perry was similarly dismissive of Done with Mirrors in an interview with Noisecreep, stating that he "really didn't like [the album]."[8]
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
- Steven Tyler - lead vocals
- Joe Perry - guitar, backing vocals
- Brad Whitford - guitar
- Tom Hamilton - bass
- Joey Kramer - drums
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
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | The Billboard 200 | 36 |
| 1985 | Japanese Albums Chart[10] | 41 |
Singles
Billboard (North America)[11]
| 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[12] | July 21, 1993 |
See also
References
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Aerosmith Done with Mirrors review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide Album Aerosmith: Done With Mirrors". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
- ^ Russell, Xavier (November 1985). "Smith's Krisp". Kerrang!. Vol. 107. London, UK: Morgan Grampian. pp. 18–19.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Guterman, Jimmy (1985-12-05). "Done With Mirrors". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Aerosmith Album Guide". Rolling Stone. 2004. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
- ^ Scaruffi, Piero (1999). "Aerosmith". pieroscaruffi.com. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
- ^ "That Metal Show Season 3 Episode 8: Ratt". That Metal Show. VH1. 2009. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
- ^ Epting, Chris. "Joe Perry Reveals Which Aerosmith Albums He's Not a Fan Of (EXCLUSIVE)". Noisecreep. AOL. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
- ^ "Done with Mirrors Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
- ^ "エアロスミスのCDアルバムランキング、エアロスミスのプロフィールならオリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
- ^ "Done with Mirrors Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
- ^ "Gold and Platinum Database Search". Retrieved 2009-11-24.
External links
- Done With Mirrors at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
- Done With Mirrors lyrics
