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Erik_Snow
I love Undercover; in some ways it's their best album after Some Girls
Undercover is one of the few RS albums of which the last couple of tracks doesn't reach the greatness of the first 70% of the record, IMO - even though I like them 3 last songs

I agree, although classic rock fans tend to reverse the preference and only like the last 3. And I think "Wanna Hold You" should have been put somewhere else on the album, to not break the mood so soon.

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phd
No Rolling Stones mood.

what exactly is the "Rolling Stones mood" that it's missing? I think this mood only disappears with Steel Wheels, even if the songwriting was weak for some time before that.

I've talked about this before - Undercover is the proper follow-up to Emotional Rescue. What's nice about U vs ER is that U is way more aggressive and experimental and possibly has even better songwriting overall.

They also sound energised and somewhat seemingly (Mick more than Keith) embraced some new technologies at the time. I would think having been on the Tattoo You tour and playing almost every song so goddamn fast may have allowed them to have, ironically, more fast songs than the previous sessions did, which tied into the No More Fast Numbers sessions or something like that that they called them starting with Some Girls and carried over to Emotional Rescue.

So Undercover is the opposite of that. To me, it's aggressive, it's even more bluesy than the previous two albums in places and certainly has a bigger more full sound than Some Girls and Emotional Rescue and really Mick's singing is much harder, much more convincing and downright better than anything on Some Girls and Emotional Rescue as a whole. The production is way more interesting as well. They really used the studio and the amount of tracks to, possibly, the max. They haven't done another production like it since, with all the funky shit going on throughout Undercover appearing on any album following it. Maybe a few songs on Bridges.

And with all the various styles going on within the album it was almost a band reinventing themselves and taking some chances, actually doing something different. They basically conquered the world with the 1981/82 tours. So it was a fresh start again. Too bad it ended with that album. They've never been that interesting again on record as a whole.

The 2009 remaster of Undercover is awesome.

great post skip

"Well my heavy throbbers itchin' just to lay a solid rhythm down"

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skipstone
I've talked about this before - Undercover is the proper follow-up to Emotional Rescue. What's nice about U vs ER is that U is way more aggressive and experimental and possibly has even better songwriting overall.

They also sound energised and somewhat seemingly (Mick more than Keith) embraced some new technologies at the time. I would think having been on the Tattoo You tour and playing almost every song so goddamn fast may have allowed them to have, ironically, more fast songs than the previous sessions did, which tied into the No More Fast Numbers sessions or something like that that they called them starting with Some Girls and carried over to Emotional Rescue.

So Undercover is the opposite of that. To me, it's aggressive, it's even more bluesy than the previous two albums in places and certainly has a bigger more full sound than Some Girls and Emotional Rescue and really Mick's singing is much harder, much more convincing and downright better than anything on Some Girls and Emotional Rescue as a whole. The production is way more interesting as well. They really used the studio and the amount of tracks to, possibly, the max.

well-written and interesting observations, skippy. of course, i don't agree with a single word of this, but still...

Got some great songs on it !
Not one of their best albums, but Undercover/Too Much are good.
Ronnies good tonite aint he
One Love
Jeroen

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JJFlash2010
Yeah, LeonidP, I wasn't sure when listening to the 83 cd again if it had that extra verse from the old cassette(the original tape was U.S. issue btw), wasn't aware of the import thing either.... is it the import cd that has the extra verse, or vinyl, or both?

Actually I'm not sure. I only ever had the US vinyl and read on this board once about the import version with an extra verse, so I downloaded it off the web and sure enough I found the version w/ the extra verse. I think I read that it was always there on the import vinyl and then later made it to the import cd release as well. It's interesting the the cassette also had the extra verse.

I think Undercover a very good album. The album has nice songs. She was Hot is a classic.

I used to only like she was hot, Wanna Hold U and Pretty Beat up, then slowly the whole album started to grow on me, now I listen to the whole thing.

She was hot is still my favorite Track there's something really special about it. Part of it Is what Stu Adds.

"All the Way Down" has a classic stones sound that was updated in the late 70s early 80s, Its that combination of Bill's bass and layers of guitars.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-06-10 22:51 by ryanpow.

Undercover (the album) lacks conviction, i feel. Many of the songs have some promising features but really haven't been worked on enough, both in the sense of composition, and musical arrangement. I actually think the production/sound is quite thin, and generally the album doesn't stand up well to repeated listens as there isn't a lot of attention to detail which comes from a greater dedication on the part of the group. Still, it's generally not an unpleasant listening experience and the album isn't bogged down in slickness (as would be the case in time). Ultimately, very forgettable, however.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-06-10 22:49 by Edward Twining.

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Edward Twining
Undercover (the album) lacks conviction, i feel. Many of the songs have some promising features but really haven't been worked on enough, both in the sense of composition, and musical arrangement. I actually think the production/sound is quite thin, and generally the album doesn't stand up well to repeated listens as there isn't a lot of attention to detail which comes from a greater dedication on the part of the group. Still, it's generally not an unpleasant listening experience and the album isn't bogged down in slickness (as would be the case in time). Ultimately, very forgettable, however.

that about sums it up pretty well for me. it was their first album that took work to try to like....and you shouldn't have to work at liking something...unless they pay you or something...

I agree that for some reason this LP is often overlooked. Not really sure why. Undercover got mega MTV airplay & Too Much Blood & She was Hot also got a fair amount of play also. Too Tough if such a great song that nobody knows.

It's so very lonely, you're 2,000 Light Years from home

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StonesTod

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Edward Twining
Undercover (the album) lacks conviction, i feel. Many of the songs have some promising features but really haven't been worked on enough, both in the sense of composition, and musical arrangement. I actually think the production/sound is quite thin, and generally the album doesn't stand up well to repeated listens as there isn't a lot of attention to detail which comes from a greater dedication on the part of the group. Still, it's generally not an unpleasant listening experience and the album isn't bogged down in slickness (as would be the case in time). Ultimately, very forgettable, however.

that about sums it up pretty well for me. it was their first album that took work to try to like....and you shouldn't have to work at liking something...unless they pay you or something...

They did provide nudity...unfortunately, pealing back those strategically placed stickers often resulted in some ghastly findings!

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treaclefingers

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StonesTod

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Edward Twining
Undercover (the album) lacks conviction, i feel. Many of the songs have some promising features but really haven't been worked on enough, both in the sense of composition, and musical arrangement. I actually think the production/sound is quite thin, and generally the album doesn't stand up well to repeated listens as there isn't a lot of attention to detail which comes from a greater dedication on the part of the group. Still, it's generally not an unpleasant listening experience and the album isn't bogged down in slickness (as would be the case in time). Ultimately, very forgettable, however.

that about sums it up pretty well for me. it was their first album that took work to try to like....and you shouldn't have to work at liking something...unless they pay you or something...

They did provide nudity...unfortunately, pealing back those strategically placed stickers often resulted in some ghastly findings!

i know! i still remember the KFOG DJ (before the lp was released to the public), pulling them off on the air and making ghastly noises as he made the discoveries.

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cc
And I think "Wanna Hold You" should have been put somewhere else on the album, to not break the mood so soon.

Agree with that.
Allthough it's somehow off topic, I never could get a real hold of Wanna Hold You - "Keith's songs" are usually of a higher standard.....but it's all subjective



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-06-11 00:40 by Erik_Snow.

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StonesTod

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treaclefingers

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StonesTod

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Edward Twining
Undercover (the album) lacks conviction, i feel. Many of the songs have some promising features but really haven't been worked on enough, both in the sense of composition, and musical arrangement. I actually think the production/sound is quite thin, and generally the album doesn't stand up well to repeated listens as there isn't a lot of attention to detail which comes from a greater dedication on the part of the group. Still, it's generally not an unpleasant listening experience and the album isn't bogged down in slickness (as would be the case in time). Ultimately, very forgettable, however.

that about sums it up pretty well for me. it was their first album that took work to try to like....and you shouldn't have to work at liking something...unless they pay you or something...

They did provide nudity...unfortunately, pealing back those strategically placed stickers often resulted in some ghastly findings!

i know! i still remember the KFOG DJ (before the lp was released to the public), pulling them off on the air and making ghastly noises as he made the discoveries.

ahhh...those days were grand; no internet, no computers, no cell phones, what the hell did I do with all my time?

oh, i listened to radio (and not satellite radio!)

I think the whole album is weak. It's weaker and less interesting than both It's Only Rock 'N' Roll and Emotional Rescue, in fact it could easily have been the weakest album in the Stones career up to that point in time. I remember being extremely disappointed in the album at the time, especially it being the follow up to Tattoo You, but little did i know at the time that Tattoo You was made up primarily of a series of outtakes which were recorded before the Stones fully lost their muse.

for me, worst stones albums:

Dirty Work, B2B, Steel Wheels, GHS (I know I'll get flack for that one), Emotional Rescue...

Of those 5, Dirty Work I actually do not like, the rest I have at least some degree of fondness for.

Undercover in no way the worst, and one of my favourites.

Aside from the unique sound, it's got great lyrics. "All The Way Down" in particular. Consider the muttered asides (put in parentheses here) in this self-reflective verses:

I was king, Mr. Cool
Just a snotty little fool
(like kids are now...)

Dreamed of reaching greater heights
I talked about it every night
(cheap talk)



Mick seems to have written this song in a pensive mood. Consider:

How the years rush on by
Birthdays, kids and suicides
Still I play the fool and strut

[...]

Give me back that time right now
I can see it if I close my eyes
Was every minute just a waste?
Was every hour a foolish chase?

>Last one with the yellow label in the middle too.


REWIND didn't have the yellow label? (I really don't know, I never owned it.)

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Glam Descendant
>Last one with the yellow label in the middle too.


REWIND didn't have the yellow label? (I really don't know, I never owned it.)

I had to check of course, as I couldn't remember.

REWIND has the yellow label.

Bad production, bad mixes, nice songs that don not fit well together.....maybe is the result of a lack of friendship between bad members in that time.
Songs are nice, and i like the album; but it is very true that everyone got dissapointed after Tatoo You, but the real thing is that this album follows ER , not TY (which is the second Frankestein album; the first was metamorphosis).

If you see it in that perspective, is the final work of a trilogy: SG + ER + Undercover

Edward Twining with the usual whining. You bag the album and then still have to come back to bag it some more. You can't stand the Stones since 1982 - we get it. Been reading the same crap from you for 10 years. Give it a rest already.

And StonesTod why do you butt in on so many threads with so many throwaway comments? You've replaced Baboon Bro as the site spammer only he didn't think he was clever and funny.

UC is a good album and it was the one strangely enough I was hoping to get a hold of most re the remasters. Damn good listen.

They are run of the mill rockers (except UOTN which has dated poorly only because of that drum sound, but was quite a different song back in the day) but they work for the most part. FOB is a 5 minute yawn and WHY is embarrassing and puerile. Other than that it's on fire most of the time. No great songs but a really good party album. Was a flop (by their standards) but that's maybe down to no smash single and no tour.

Yeah...It must be hell...Soul survivor...Rock and a hard place...I´m goin´down...Some similarities when it comes to the riff...But then again...the blues...

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Bjorn
Yeah...It must be hell...Soul survivor...Rock and a hard place...I´m goin´down...Some similarities when it comes to the riff...But then again...the blues...

It Must Be Hell.....why do people say that it's connected to I'm Going Down?

It's Too Tough that has the same riff as I'm Going Down.

It Must Be Hell is a lot closer to Honky Tonk Women - apart from the chorus.

Too Tough and Fight

Didn't quite catch that one, Powderman....

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squando
And StonesTod why do you butt in on so many threads with so many throwaway comments? You've replaced Baboon Bro as the site spammer only he didn't think he was clever and funny.

thank you for noticing; it takes years of practice.

I wouldn't mind at all for the deluxe treatment of this one day soon!

some outtakes they could throw in there

"XXX' w/ the original lyrics before it became officialy known as P.B.U


"Still In Love"

"Too Much Blood" w/ the whole outtake of Mick doing his rap while he was drunk, as I read that's how he did it anyway...


I have to say as well the lyrics are pretty harsh and far superior than D.W., S.W. and the majority of V.L. and E.R. and IORR...

This album is more in your face rock and roll than iorr which just lays flat.. good songs boring production


And for those who hate the mix, I love it.. there is a lot a dirty sounding mixes yeah.. but it sounds better than the super squeaky clean dirty work..

"Well my heavy throbbers itchin' just to lay a solid rhythm down"