Customer Reviews

Tattoo You

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Tattoo You was originally released August 25, 1981, it went to #1 in both the UK & US. The album includes the single hits Start Me Up, Hang Fire, and Waiting On A Friend. It's also got Keith's ode Little T&A and Ronnie's Black Limousine. Tops and Waiting On A Friend were pulled from the unreleased vaults (they were recorded in Jamaica during the 1972 Goats Head Soup sessions and Tops still had Mick Taylor on guitar). Producer Chris Kimsey collected the best of the unreleased tracks from 1972 through 1979, featured the new hit Start Me Up, and added a new session (that produced Slave, Neighbours, and Heaven). Most people know the music, so in my reviews I try to give you data on the sessions and interesting facts connected with the songs and the album. Here we go:

Interesting notes include:
.....the megahit Start Me Up was recorded during the same sessions that produced Miss You in New York in 1978....the Stones had abandoned the track but Chris Kimsey salvaged the single take, had Mick add new lyrics, and remixed it to create the version on the album
.....the original title of the album was Tattoo....the "You" was added by Mick during last minute rushes
.....Mick did last minute overdubs by himself without involving the rest of the Band, so he was the only person who knew what the new album would sound like before release
.....Sonny Rollins got the inspiration for the sax in Waiting On A Friend by asking Mick to dance for him while he played
.....when Mick Taylor heard the new album he realized he was playing guitar on Tops and had to sue his old band to get his royalties

There were 9 years worth of sessions that contributed to Tattoo You. They started in Jamaica in 1972 finished with mixing at Atlantic in NYC during April - June, 1981.
Nov 25-30, and Dec 6-21, 1972 at Dynamic Sound in Kingston, Jamaica (Goats Head Soup sessions)
.....Tops
.....Waiting On A Friend
Nov 13-24, 1973 and Jan 14-28, 1974 at Musicland in Munich (It's Only Rock `n' Roll sessions)
.....Black Limousine
Dec 7-15, 1974 at Musicland in Munich (Black & Blue sessions)
.....Slave
Jan 23 - Feb 9, 1975 on the Rolling Stones Mobile in Rotterdam (Black & Blue sessions)
.....Worried About You
Mar 15-31, 1978 at Atlantic Sound in New York
.....Start Me Up
Jan 18 - Feb 12, 1979 at Compass Point Studios in Nassau (Emotional Rescue sessions)
.....Little T & A
Jun 10 - Aug 25 & Sep 12 - Oct 19, 1979 at Pathe Marconi/EMI Studios in Paris (Emotional Rescue sessions)
.....Hang Fire
.....Black Limousine
.....No Use In Crying
Nov-Dec, 1979 at Electric Lady in New York
.....Start Me Up (final mix)
Oct 11 - Nov 12, 1980 at Pathe Marconi/EMI Studios in Paris (the only Tattoo You sessions)
.....Slave
.....Neighbours
.....Heaven

This information comes from "It's Only Rock And Roll: The Ultimate Guide To The Rolling Stones" by Karnbach and Bernson and from my own collection.

This is as good as the Stones get in the eighties, and the bad boys really proved that their fire was burning hotter than ever with Tattoo You, a great companion to Some Girls. This album can almost be considered their swan song, because this is their last GREAT studio effort. Ironically, every song on this 1981 album was recorded in the 70s. Start Me Up was reportedly pinned the same day as Miss You in '78. Waiting on a Friend dates back to '73. You really can't go wrong with the first half of the album. Start Me Up rocks out, Hangfire and Little T&A have swagger, Slave grooves, Black Limosine jams, and Neighbors certainly ranks as a punky, contemporary classic. Some fans are skeptical about the second half, but really, it is a thing of rare beauty. Worried About You has a great feel, Tops is catchy, Heaven is enchanting (and euphoric), Ain't No Use In Crying is a terrific ballad, and Waiting On A Friend is considered by many as a masterpiece. Ignore all the overcriticism by the devoted 70s fans. If you like rock and roll, get Tattoo You. You WON'T regret it.

This was the last STONES record that was solid thru and thru. This album represents two sides of the STONES...one is roots rock n' roll and the other is spirited soul. The results are convincing and compelling. Side 1 is the STONES dishing up some raucaus rock n' roll with start me up,hang fire,little t& a,and neighbors. Black limousine is a blistering blues number with some smokin' lead guitar and slave is an all out jam. Side 2 is the STONES setting the mood with some passionate soul.

Tracks like worried bout you,tops,and no use in crying display the STONES natural ability for soul with lyrics that cut like a knife and a groove that is mesmerizing. These songs are also a showcase for the vocal versitility of MICK JAGGER. JAGGER is just as convincing here as he is in rock,blues,and funk. The album closes with the classic waiting on a friend which features some of the most tasteful and stylish sax playing i have ever heard in popular music. What can i say except that this is classic stuff. Pick up a copy for some pure "SATISFACTION".

While not quite up to the mammoth standards of Exile or Sticky Fingers, Tattoo You marks a rather glorious conclusion to the Stones' contribution to rock 'n roll history. It was all downhill after this one, and so the promising return to roots showcased on Tattoo You proved to be, ultimately, a false dawn, but what a dawn it was. The album is not just remarkable for its revival of the muscular rock anthems the band delivered so plentiously in their prime, but also in its occasional but brilliant departure from the Brown Sugar days. "Start Me Up's" instantly familiar riff launches the album into a series of similarly gritty and great rock tunes, particularly the epic "Slave," on which Keith's raunchy guitar explodes melodically for nearly 8 minutes, and a lip-smacking 8 minutes it is. "Limousine" is classic Stones blues, replete with every element of great blues-rock; the shrieking harmonica, rollicking blues guitar licks ala Chuck Berry, Jagger's confident drawl, it's all there, and it's one of the greatest blues songs of the Rolling Stones oeuvre, up there with "Parachute Woman," "Midnight Rambler" or "Love in Vain." A few tracks here--"Hang Fire," "T&A," and especially "Neighbors," foreshadow the uninspired noise the band favored on later 80's records. "T&A," at least, offers some delicious drumming and the tongue-in-cheek vulgarity that characterizes the Jagger/Richards songwriting style, but "Neighbors" is just noise, absent of melody and full of empty rage, and "Hang Fire" is just plain rock filler. The unfortunate part of legend status is that everyone knows when you're underachieving, and the Stones certainly know they can do better than "Neighbors," but, as happens with most artists who end up putting out four decades worth of albums, they just don't have the energy to care. As I mentioned, though, the album is catapulted onto top ten Stones albums lists when it wanes gracefully to its sweet conclusion with ballads such as the ethereal "Heaven," "Aint No Use in Cryin'," and the chart hit, "Waiting on a Friend." Whereas previous (and later) departures from their rock roots were abysmal failures--the disco-tinged "Emotional Rescue" and the Regae disaster, "Black 'N Blue"--these unusually atmospheric, heartfelt and hypnotizing tunes tactfully expanded the Stones' musical vision. "Heaven," in particular, bloated with grace, beauty and authenticity, might be the most successful Stones "experiment" of all. These ballads, along with above-mentioned rock classics, make Tattoo You an essential purchase for even the most casual Rolling Stones fan.

Can this album really be 20 years old? It still stands up quite well and boasts the lead-in song, "Start me Up," which is arguably in the top five of all the Stones rockers. The opening guitar riff by Keith is nearly as memorable as the riff which begins "Satisfaction." This album also contains one of the Stones greatest ballads, "Waiting on a Friend," a sweet, almost un-Rolling Stone-ish sounding song; wistful, bluesy and sweet, which is a word not usually associated with this group. (The video for this song is also the best-ever Stones video).

As with most Stones albums, there are unfortunately some throw-away filler songs here. Keith even manages to croak out a rare singing stint on "Little T and A," which is the best of the filler songs. This is an exuberant and fun album, certainly not the last Hurrah for the Stones, but their last really fine album.

And as usual, Mick is behind the wheel of the whole thing.
It's funny - if any other Stones album were organized like Tattoo You (rockers on side a, ballads on side b) I would probably hate it! Yet, oddly enough, by this point in their career, the stones have given us so many well crafted albums - that this "concept" isn't really a problem to me. It's actually really convenient. There are occasions where I only want to hear stones' ballads - and Mick made it so easy. These songs sound so good next to each other. The production is crisp, there is no unsuccessful experimentation - this really is one of my favorites.

Now, a lot of Nay-sayers may protest that an album without any experimentation is just a retread - too safe to be good. I disagree! The funny thing about these songs is that they started out in a variety of different styles (Start Me Up - Reggae) but were refined and reworked to create a coherent whole. Each track dates back from prior sessions (which many other reviews here have pointed out) but together they are in perfect company. This isn't just an outtakes collection, it's more like a carefully constructed collage.

Anyway, my favorite songs off this one are 1) Tops, 2) Waiting on a Friend, 3) No Use Crying. I definitely prefer the ballads here - these ballads are sentimental with a sleazy edge. It that makes perfect sense with a band that's been together at this point for almost two decades. Just picture Mick in seersucker pants rolled up at the ankles walking on the cape thinking about his stock portfolio. Yikes - is that the stones? Yes! And it is glorious! The stones are acting their age on this one, and that is why it works. Trust me, "Tattoo You" will look so good next to all your other stones albums.

It's a collection of outtakes and rejects dating back to 1973, hurriedly stuck together so the Stones would have some product to push during their 1981 US tour ... and it's still the best album they released in the 1980s. Partly it's the glossy sonic sheen Bob Clearmountain's remix gives the songs; partly it's the division between the 'fast' side and 'slow' side on the original vinyl album; but mostly it's because what's included is very good indeed. Start Me Up is a brilliantly raunchy slice of rock; Neighbours and Hang Fire are satiric in intent and just plain fun in style; and Black Limousine is a gorgeous piece of Chicago blues. Elsewhere, Tops and Heaven experiment with soul forms; Waiting On A Friend is not much, but Sonny Rollins' sax solo is genius ... hell, even Ron Wood's soporific barroom ballad No Use In Crying doesn't outstay its welcome. Probably the last Stones album without a clinker.

This is a great album. Maybe one reason I like it is it's an odd album in that it has old tracks dug out of the basement, where Mick Taylor is playing lead guitar (! ). Yes, Mick Taylor plays the lead on "Tops," "Worried About You," and rhythm guitar on "Waiting On a Friend." That's why Mick Jagger didn't include what musicians played on the album, even though Sonny Rollins, the sax legend, played on it. He didn't want people to know about the old Mick Taylor bits. So, this album has Mick Taylor and Ron Wood on lead. Very interesting. (Mick Taylor sued the Stones, incidentally, for some money from this album--as he should have done--and they made a settlement with him.)

The Rolling Stones had a string of stunning albums, up to "Exile on Main Street." Then, after a number of albums that had some strengths and some weaknesses, "Some Girls," one of their best came out. Then a disappointing "Emotional Rescue." But the Stones bounced back with a pretty good work, "Tattoo You." Many of the albums after "Exile" would have a few great songs--but also a number that did not measure up (and some were little more than filler). There is very little filler on "Tattoo You."

The CD starts out, fittingly enough, with "Start Me Up," an absolutely classic Stones' rocker. The guitar riff is top notch, reminiscent of the best of the group's songs.

"You start me up
. . .
You make a grown man cry."

A real rocker. The band is in fine form here; this song has even been used (ugh) to signal the start of sporting events over the past decade or so.

"Hang Fire." Just 2 minutes and 20 seconds, but what is packed into that brief time frame! The guitars growl nicely and the steady drumming of Charlie Watts provides a firm foundation for this song.

"Black Limousine": Starts with some nice harmonica. This is one of the Stones'' home grown blues songs, a genre at which they have done well (recall the wonderful little classic, "Down in the Hole").

"We used to ride baby,
Ride around in a limousine.
You looked so fine, baby,
You in white and me in red."

Sinuous guitar work is displayed and the Stones' rhythm section lives up to its reputation.

"Waiting on a Friend": A softer sound, and effectively done! This is more intimate and contemplative than other pieces on this album. Nice piano work at the outset.

"I'm just standing in a doorway,
I'm just trying to make some sense.
. . .
I'm not waiting on a lady,
I'm waiting on a friend."

This represents an interesting change of pace.

And these aren't the only songs of interest. As earlier noted, there is not much filler here. Other strong works: "Slave," "Neighbours," "No Use in Cryin'," and so on. Keith's obligatory song on this album is one of his better efforts.

Rolling Stones' fans will appreciate this CD greatly. One of their best between "Exile on Main Street" and the present, along with "Some Girls" and "Bigger Bang."

Were there to be fractional ratings for us reviewers to use, a score of 3.5 would be a more accurate assessment of how I feel about this album. However, since you can only rate using whole numbers here, I chose to round up to 4 stars instead of rounding down to 3. As the title I chose says, this is indeed the Stones last better-than-average album - notice I don't say great. Because of the Stones' legacy and track record of making a string of some of the indisputably best records of the rock & roll genre all the way from the early '60's to the late '70's and taking into consideration their enormous and incalculable contribution to the history of rock & roll and late-20th century pop culture, the bar is set rather high for them when the issue of rating individual records comes into the equation. More than half the songs on this album are of at least above average quality with a couple being great but not excellent. In spite of the fact of this album being essentially a collection of tracks not included on albums recorded as far back as the early '70's with a peppering of a few then-new songs recorded for this album and not a studio album in the purest sense being recorded within a resonably short span of time where the lyrics both as they are written and sung along with the individual and collective musicianship of the band in question, it still stands as a damn good Stones' album and actually better than it may have been received at the time of its release. The few 5-star worthy tracks (the 2 biggest sinles "Start Me Up" and "Waiting On A Friend" whose videos enjoyed heavy rotation during MTV's first year or two being a couple) on this album redeem the other at-most better-than-average offerings --the Keith Richards' vocal track being the one dud-- and save the record as a whole from being merely average. Had this album been written, recorded, engineered, mixed and mastered during one studio session over one contiguous period of time and not as a patchwork drawing from unreleased tracks recorded as far back as a decade earlier, this might have been a great album as opposed to better-than-average. Having said that, because of their stature as rock & roll standard bearers, a better-than-average Stones' album is better than most artists' best album. Most bands are lucky to have even one average album, let alone a string of consistently superb albums one after the other over a period spanning a decade and a half - an arguably unequalable feat the Stones' managed to acheive.
As a humorous side-note, I wonder if anyone else found the irony in a recent Stones' song entitled "Don't Stop". Compare it with Tattoo You's "Start Me Up", a song that captures male libido as it transitions from the waning days of youthfulness to the approach of middle-age whereas the title for "Don't Stop" seems apprpriate for a bunch of guys entering their golden years in the age of Viagra.