Artist: Aerosmith
Label: Geffen Records
Release: 1985
Runtime: 35.50
Rating: 3/5
Aerosmith set out to reclaim their spot at the head of the hard rock pack with real swagger, first by switching labels, “saddling up” with David Geffen after the long partnership with Columbia Records ended in 1985, and then in November of that year came “Done With Mirrors,” born under a far too optimistic sky. It was the first Aerosmith record after the debacle that led to the inglorious breakup of one of the most influential hard rock bands of all time in the early ’80s. The heavily publicized comeback raised plenty of doubts and questions, and the answers stayed pretty slippery. With “Done With Mirrors,” it’s not just about how the titans of American rock came back, having more or less treated the return of their most loyal fans’ trust as something obvious and normal, but above all about whether a band that, at least on the surface, had decided with fire in its eyes to make a clean break with the past could actually survive. Creatively, that was anything but an easy job, and while Aerosmith “solved” it successfully enough with experience and iron will, a bitter aftertaste remained. The problem with planning such a desired comeback as some kind of big bang is a lack of understanding for finding new ways of expressing themselves, which on the album keeps Tyler’s crew stuck in the past to a certain extent.
The occasional bursts of mutual creative chemistry between Tyler and Perry that we get on the record are all the more welcome for it, especially the leap into funky waters with “Shame On You,” or Perry stretching out the slide on “She’s On Fire,” which strongly recalls the main motif of “Chese Cake,” this time in an acoustic outfit. So far, so good. Before that, Tyler and Perry hit the bullseye with a slightly rearranged version of “Let The Music Do The Talking,” a fiery blend of high-octane rock & roll that, against all expectations, ends up as the album’s one credible favorite. Tyler’s conciliatory tribute, a cover of the peak of Perry’s solo career, announces right from the album’s opening that the creative relationship between the two is meaningfully on the mend. But as already said, the long-awaited comeback ends on mixed feelings, mostly because the approach on the rest of the record feels worn out and past its expiration date, and its corrosive effect on the album’s quality stretches from the song structures to the sterility of the final production polish.
“Done With Mirrors” pulls off quite a few clumsy maneuvers around carelessly assembled songs whose obvious primary job seems to be a raw demonstration of full-fat boredom. The five-piece’s bold march soon starts to reek of nostalgia, soaked in memories from another era, as “The Hop,” Gypsy Boots” and “The Reason a Dog” nicely show, but sadly without the old fire and conviction. The arrangements on those tunes are classic “Smith-style,” with Tyler’s trademark harmonica tricks and raunchy lyrics, but what’s missing is the signature guitar swagger, as well as any potent guitar solos. Even Steven’s closing, strictly melodic creation “Darkness” doesn’t get any further than torturing the same simple piano motif we’ve already heard, then tries to escape the resulting cliché by developing into a more complex melodic structure.
It’s no secret that Aerosmith expected more from “Done With Mirrors” than they ended up getting. The uncomfortable landing passed without a scratch on the band’s image, but it undoubtedly played cruel tricks on the proverbial resilience of the Aerosmith ego. Either way, it was a lesson well learned, and its moral dictated the course of the Boston outfit’s necessary artistic transformation later on.
Lineup
Steve Tyler: vocals, harmonica
Joe Perry: guitar
Brad Whitford: guitar
Tom Hamilton: bass
Joey Kramer: drums
Production
Ted Templeman
Tracklist
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
9. Darkness
