Back in the Saddle reunion tour, Done with Mirrors and drug rehab (1984–1986)

In 1984, Aerosmith embarked on a reunion tour called the Back in the Saddle Tour,^[9] which led to the live album Classics Live II. While concerts on the tour were well-attended, it was plagued with several incidents, mostly attributed to drug abuse by band members.^[9] Their problems still not behind them, the group was signed to Geffen Records and began working on a comeback.^[64] Despite the band signing on to a new record company, the band's old label Columbia continued to reap the benefits of Aerosmith's comeback, releasing the live companion albums Classics Live I and II and the collection Gems.^[65]
In 1985, the band released the album Done with Mirrors, their first studio album since reuniting. While the album did receive some positive reviews,^[66] it only went gold^[39] and failed to produce a hit single or generate any widespread interest.^[50] The album's most notable track, "Let the Music Do the Talking", was in fact a cover of a song originally recorded by the Joe Perry Project and released on that band's album of the same name.^[67] Nevertheless, the band became a popular concert attraction once again, touring in support of Done With Mirrors, well into 1986.^[68] In 1986, Tyler and Perry appeared on Run–D.M.C.'s cover of "Walk This Way", a track blending rock and roll with hip hop.^[29] In reaching number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100,^[69] the song and its frequently-aired video confirmed rap's mainstream appeal and resurrected Aerosmith's career by introducing the band's music to a new generation.^[64]
Yet the band members' drug problems still stood in their way. In 1986, Tyler completed a successful drug rehabilitation program, after an intervention by his fellow band members, a doctor, and manager Tim Collins, who believed that the band's future would not be bright if Tyler did not get treated. The rest of the band members also completed drug rehab programs over the course of the next couple of years. According to the band's tell-all autobiography, Collins pledged in September 1986 he could make Aerosmith the biggest band in the world by 1990 if they all completed drug rehab.^[70] Their next album was crucial because of the commercial disappointment of Done With Mirrors, and as the band members became clean, they worked hard to make their next album a success.^[71]