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"Done with Mirrors" is the eighth album by Aerosmith, released in November 1985 under the Geffen Records label.
This is the album of the band's definitive reunion, returning to the historical lineup with Perry and Whitford on guitars after six years.
BACKGROUND
Both guitarists (Perry and Whitford), shortly after the release of Night In The Ruts in 1979, had left the group due to continuous quarrels among the five members, but also, especially in Joe Perry's case, to pursue solo projects (see the three albums by The Joe Perry Project, namely "Let The Music Do The Talking" in 1980, "I’ve Got the Rock'n'Rolls Again" in 1981, and "Once a Rocker", "Always a Rocker" in 1984). Whitford's solo career, however, lasted the time of one studio album "Whitford/St. Holmes" in 1981.
In 1982, after recruiting the two new guitarists Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay, the band released their seventh studio album, the first, and thankfully the last, with these two guitarists. The album's title is "Rock In A Hard Place". An album with great but few episodes, but heavily flawed episodes, hence quite a disjointed album that on one side pumps you up to the max and on the other hand is just a letdown, to be frank. Clearly, this record certainly doesn't bring the band back to the glory of the mid-seventies, as the absence of the two founding guitarists is markedly felt, missing the two fundamental ingredients of what was the explosive mix called Aerosmith. It is clear then to define this album as their worst, although there is the mitigating factor of not having been the true Aerosmith we all know.
REVIEW
At this point, due to the band's negative moment and the not-so-great results of Joe Perry and Brad Whitford's solo projects, a rapprochement of the band's historical core occurred in 1984. It was February 14 when Perry and Whitford surprisingly visited the rest of the band after a concert in Boston, leading to a historic and magical reunion.
In the same year, the band left their historic label Columbia and switched to Geffen.
From my point of view, the album appears much more charged compared to the previous album. However, there are still some who claim that this is their worst album, but they are greatly mistaken, probably because they have never listened to it and speak with others' words, thinking this album is lousy because so-and-so told them, what ignorance.
There are some healthy hard rock tracks that I find immensely pumped which make you jump out of your chair during every listen such as:
The song that opens the album, Let the Music Do the Talking, was part of the first album by The Joe Perry Project named "Let the Music Do the Talking", which became the most successful single from the album reaching 18th place on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks.
and other more laid-back but still delightful and catchy tracks nonetheless, such as:
Again, in my view, the album is not far from "Permanent Vacation" of 1987 and Pump of 1989, but it is an integral part of a hypothetical triangle formed precisely by these three albums, which share the common trait of all being released in the eighties, under the Geffen label, and having the historical lineup restored at the highest compositional levels, something that hadn’t happened since Rocks of 1976.
The sound of the 80's Aerosmith is decidedly different from the 70's, which was characterized by a not inconsiderable dose of Blues mixed with Hard Rock, with the hypothetical triangle of the 70s period being formed by "Toys in the Attic" of 1975, "Rocks" of 1976, and "Aerosmith" of 1973, all released by Columbia Records.
With the eighties, in fact, they transitioned to a Hard Rock which I would define as much more commercial and it was precisely this new way of playing that would bring back the band’s global success.
So I would conclude by saying "Done With The Mirrors" is an excellent appetizer that pairs perfectly with the main course "Permanent Vacation" and the subsequent second course "Pump". This is the perfect dinner served by Aerosmith in the 80s. Listening to "Done With The Mirrors" won’t ruin your appetite at all, but rather it will make you even hungrier, and you will devour the next two albums, try it to believe it at "AEROSMITH Restaurant, Via HARD ROCK & BLUES No. 1972, BOSTON (U.S.A.)".
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW TALLARICO AND AEROSMITH WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
Thank you all for reading.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
01 Let the Music Do the Talking (03:48)
Rock-a-bye baby, if you wanna dance
Grab yourself a body and take a chance
Said one time around is all you get
I'm still dancin', so you lost your bet
I got a hardcore mama with a hot hoochie coo
Make my wheels start spinnin' like a formula two
Got one for the money, two for the show
Three for my honey, and four to let you know that I
Let the music do the talking
Let the music do the talking ('Cause I can't wait)
Let the music do the talking
Let the music do the talking
Cheesecake, maybe if I take another bite
I'm a real fat city, I'm an aero delight
Threw out my pipe and my alkaline
Got a squeaky clean body and a dirty mind
I'm a real fine dancer, I'll be cuttin' the rug
Got a brand new baby, she's my brand new drug
I got one for the money, two for the show
Three for my honey, and four to let you know that I
Let the music do the talking
Let the music do the talking ('Cause I can't wait)
Let the music do the talking (I gotta get it)
Let the music do the talking
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Yak yak yak
Yak yak yak yak yak yak yeow!
Let the music do the talking
Let the music do the talking
Let the music do the talking
Let the music do the talking
Let the music do the talking
Let the music do the talking
Let the music do the talking
02 My Fist Your Face (04:23)
Wake up baby, what 'choo in for?
Start the day upon your knees
What 'choo pissin' in the wind for?
You musta snorted too much bleez
East house pinball wizard
Full tilt bozo played
Second floor Trekkie makin' warp speed out the door
Julio Anpacolucci
He the only one who stayed
Countin' up the days, please no more
My fist your face, that's for sure
Hey Betty Boop, you got me droolin'
I'm buzzin' 'round your hive tonight
You played the hooky 'stead of schoolin'
Son of a bitch put out the light
Thirteen year old hookers
Drag yourself right through the thorns
You wonder why the man's outside your door
Junior achievers
Got the old bull by the horns
Back in the saddle gets ya sore
My fist your face, that's for sure
East house pinball wizard
Full tilt bozo played
Second floor Trekkie's makin' warp speed out the door
Julio Anpacolucci
He the only one that stayed
I'm countin' up the days, please no more
My fist your face, that's for sure
My fist your face, that's for sure
My fist your face, that's for sure
My fist your face, that's for sure
03 Shame on You (03:22)
Somebody
Trying to take my soul
Nobody
Gotta hear my rock 'n' roll
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
Lolita
Steady as a ghost
Tooth sweeter
Powdering her nose
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
A-smith
Old hank pank
Pulling down your knickers
Ah, who you gonna spank?
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
Joe Perry
Ooh Mr. Style
Some kind of killer bee
Buzz a while
Phoned home last night
P.M.S.
Bitch bitch bitchin'
Gotta do this, gotta do that
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
Shame, shame, shame, shame, shame on you baby
Bogus honey
Square dance close
Oh, grab your partner
Bring it home 'n' dosey, dosey
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
Shame, shame, shame on you baby
Seemin' jazzy
Bein' shipped in
Why's uncle Stanley
Tryin' to keep it hid?
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
Shame, shame, shame on you baby
Seven or eleven
Got to roll the dice
Am I in heaven
Or am I in Miami Vice?
Shame, shame, shame on you babe
Shame, shame, shame, shame, shame, shame, shame on you baby
05 Shela (04:25)
Shela Shela she like a hurricane
Shela Shela she like a ball and chain
Shela Shela she like a hurricane
Got myself a lady
I get down on my knees yeah yeah yeah...
Hotter than Hades
Heaven if you please yeah yeah yeah...
Shela Shela she like a hurricane
Shela Shela she like a ball and chain
Shela Shela she like a hurricane
Some girls put it to ya
Make you scream in pain yeah yeah yeah...
Some will say they knew ya
And then forget your name yeah yeah yeah...
Shela real tight
Shela that's right
Shela
She said she could do it
Love she could fulfill yeah yeah yeah...
There ain't noting to it
Backbone gets a chill yeah yeah yeah... yeoa
06 Gypsy Boots (04:16)
Gypsy gypsy dancing feet
Gypsy gypsy bittersweet
Screamer dreamer disarray
Gypsy gypsy why did you fly away
No good papa's no good
Sister's no good and that's a drag
Sometimes you're feelin'
Like your head's on the ceiling
When you scream hey mama... rag
Oooh... when your daddy come home
Wit an old soup bone
'Cause he drank all the money away
And your mama's in the kitchen
On the phone she be bitchin'
And your girlfriend who called to say
Gypsy gypsy dancing feet
Gypsy gypsy bittersweet
Screamer dreamer disarray
Gypsy gypsy why did you fly away
High school lover with ya corpse undercover
Gettin high jack... Lebanese
Hey mama choosed it y'all all been through it
Or be fallin' off you right to your knees
Pair a shades shotgun rock on
Chewing gum take it to the dance tonight
Your a love hate child with wild child smile
And you don't care wrong from right
Gypsy gypsy dancing feet
Gypsy gypsy bittersweet
Screamer dreamer disarray
Gypsy gypsy why did you fly away
Nobody but nobody baby
Knockin' my socks off
Rock rock rockin'
I'll be gotten I'll be gettin' my rocks off
Nobody but nobody shootin'
never gets a shot off
Yeah yeah yeah
07 She's on Fire (03:47)
Oooh she's on fire
Oooh she's on fire
Hot to trot she's a bit insane
Little bit a pleasure
With a little bit a pain
I got to be smokin'
So I know without a doubt
Where there's smoke there's fire
So I gotta boot it out
Say oooh she's on fire
Oooh she's on fire
Homely child with a hang down lip
Starved for love and companionship
Little by little catchin' up to me
She's more of a woman
Then I thought she'd be to me... yeah
Hungry girl she's the skinniest thing
She's sayin' the word I'm losin' sting ?
She's on fire
She hung my head in a guillotine
She's my flame she's a wettin' my dream
She's on fire
Oooh she's on fire (4x)
08 The Hop (03:45)
Thinkin' 'bout the night life
In the ladies powder room
Brother's like a howlin' wolf
By the light of the silvery moon
Joey's like a Pavlovs dog
When he starts to salivate
A Harley Man gets off his hog
to shake his rattlesnake
Me I got a brand new babe
You know that something just ain't right
I say yeah yeah
Can't stop rockin' tonight
Hangin' at the shopping mall
With a watchman full of sass
Leave your smile outside the door
'Cause the kids be kickin' ass
My old boot heels be smokin'
You really got to understand
We're burning down the town tonight
A when the new shit hits the fan
And me I got a brand new baby
You know something just ain't right
I say yeah yeah
Can't stop rockin' tonight
Yeah yeah
Can't stop rockin' tonight
Layin' on her back tonight
To watch the moon eclipse
Baby eatin' out tonight
But I just ain't leavin' tips
So y'all best watch out what you do
And who you do it with
'Cause you'll be kickin' ass tonight
With the boys in Aerosmith... yeah
09 Darkness (03:43)
Darkness Darkness hungry to the bone
Darkness Darkness take my body home
God I'm in love I'm in love
I'm in love I'm in love
She like a boo-k
She holy roller love me like a song
She like a lightnin'
She roller coaster 'til the break of dawn
She like a shadow
She all around me nasty hearted dream
She got the sexy
She do it to me wake me when I scream
God I'm in love I'm in love I'm in love
I'm in love I'm in love I'm in love
Yak ak ak ak yaw
Now I lay me down to sleep
Goodnight
Pray the Lord my soul will keep
Tonight
If I die before I wake
In your arms my love can't break away
Darkness (she like a shadow)
Darkness (she all around me)
Nasty hearted dream
Darkness (she got the sexy)
Darkness (she do it to me)
Wake me when I scream
God I'm in love I'm in love I'm in love
I'm in love I'm in love I'm in love... oow
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Other reviews
By woodstock
"Done With Mirrors features an excellent cover as usual and platitudes all about getting along, but what about the music?"
"Tyler pulls out his hat at the end, 'Darkness'... the only glimmer in an otherwise poorly executed album."
