Done With Mirrors

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 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 didn’t live up to commercial expectations.

In keeping with the title, all the text on the album (except for the catalog number and UPC) was written back-to-front and could be read normally by holding it up to a mirror. All but the original CD and cassette pressing flip the artwork, so it can be read without a mirror, and replaced the photo of an illusionist bending forks with one of the band, the band’s logo also being prominent on the new cover. As a result, the original CD (which came housed in a longbox) is considered desirable by fans. All text inside 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 lyric and melody.