its was my 1st Rolling Stones record i ever bought,before I had enough money to buy the record i used to go into the record shop and listen to it every day.This album blew me away and is what really got me hooked on the Rolling Stones

Feel The Fear
And Do It Anyway

..and in mine it's 'Out of our Heads' for the same reason as yours...

2 1 2 0

In this album is the RS's soul that i have always looked for...............maybe there are better albums........but this is my favourite one
That's why i am enjoying a lot Hampton, because that was the era in which i was a teenager beginning to live my own life. (BTW, i wonder why has Bob Clearmountain has put RW so low on the mix)

It's a damn good one that's for sure.

Tattoo You is easily one of their best. At least it's the best sounding album (sound, mix, production). Slave and Waiting On A Friend, both with Sonny Rollins on sax, are my favourites.

Waiting On A Friend from Hampton Coliseum 1981 is pure magic (with Ernie Watts on sax). Never get tired of listening to this wonderfull song!

Always thinking of why the ^%&& the Stones never used the sax again that way... Of course we had the trumpet in Terrifying and Out Of Control.

TATTOO YOU is my dearest Stones album. For the same reason as mandu. But also for that reason it is rather difficult to be 'objective' about it. I mean, your old lady is the most beautiful woman in the world, but you also know that she probably is not an obvious candidate for Miss Universum title...

- Doxa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-02-29 11:15 by Doxa.

"Slave" is a great instrumental track. This could be a Stones-classic with a serious vocalpart. But I love this album too.

Greetings Raluca

With the exception of Slave, I don't like the mix of this album - it just doesn't have the crisp and sharp top-end of many of their earlier albums (and one or two later ones like UC). The TY mix is too mid-rangey and with a slightly muffled top end, the snare drum and guitars on SMU especially. Compare the snare drum on SMU with the snares on Memory Motel and I don't Know Why.

The mix of this album is really one of their best, in my opinion. Every part is clear and crisp, and the bass really is fantastic!

Here's my thoughts on Tattoo You:

Tattoo You – 1981 (US #1; UK#2)
Start Me Up • Hang Fire • Slave • Little T&A • Black Limousine • Neighbours •
Worried About You • Tops • Heaven • No Use In Crying • Waiting On A Friend

Stones Fan – *****
Casual Listener - ****


Some Girls was a massive album in 1978, but the corresponding tour was a short one that missed many markets including New York City (except for the surprise Palladium show). Tattoo You’s tour was the largest tour ever at that time with the Stones playing to over 2 million people at 50 shows. The two opening concerts at Philly’s JFK stadium each sold out with 180,000 people combined. This was a monstrous tour and thankfully, Tattoo You was a monstrous album to go with it. In fact it was the last US chart-topper (9 weeks at #1). Yet, amazingly, the album was cobbled together from leftovers (mainly from Emotional Rescue) and lost tracks dating back to even Goats Head Soup.

Somehow, with the overdubbing and mixing, they were able to assemble a very unified sounding album. And unique for the Stones, Tattoo You was split into a rock side and more acoustic type side to fantastic effect.

The album starts off with Start Me Up. Because of its success, it’s easy to take this song for granted now, but it was incredibly exciting to hear that riff start the album off. Along with Brown Sugar and Gimme Shelter, it’s one of the all time great album openers. In many ways, Start Me Up, is the last truly classic “general population” song the Stones have issued. From the get-go, this song was destined, and positioned to be a classic warhorse track. Instantly moving its way in with Jumping Jack Flash, Satisfaction etc, Start Me Up is one of the definitive Stones tracks, and it still sounds great today. The single peaked at #2 in the States and disappointingly only #7 in the UK.

Led by the wonderful harmony background “doo doo doo’s” and Jagger’s terrific lead vocal, Hang Fire is a highlight of the album. Similar in structure to basic Stone’s rock tracks like Emotional Rescue’s Let Me Go or Summer Romance, Hang Fire is simply so much better. The music is tighter, the lyrics are great, the guitar solo rocks (the guitar solo kicks in 48 seconds into the song), and at only 2:20, the song almost seems too short. It was the 2nd US single and peaked at #20. Hang Fire is really a lost Stones rock classic today.

From the short punk rock of Hang Fire, the album fades in to an existing jam with Mick directly singing the chorus in falsetto “Don’t want to be your Slave”. In comes a talk/sung verse followed by a great sax solo. The music doesn’t really waver but it’s a unique sound for The Stones. Not overly funky, yet it’s a great steady groove propelled by powerful drums. Mixing up in the jam are piano, guitar, sax and a lead guitar solo. It goes on for over 6 minutes and never gets boring or feels overlong. Slave is an exciting opportunity to sit in on a Stones jam, coalesced and produced into a great album track (unlike the similar idea of Down In The Hole on Emotional Rescue).

Little T&A was Keith’s obligatory solo vocal track (every album from Some Girls on would have at least one), but instead of crooning a ballad, he rocked hard again like Before They Make Me Run. Opening with another classic riff, Keith sings “She’s my little rock and roll baby” and it sounds so good. Filled with lots of double entendres, a tasty bridge “bitch keeps bitching…”,, and a great instrumental break, Little T& A is another lost Stones classic.

Woody gets a songwriting credit on the fine rocking blues track Black Limousine. Still played occasionally even today, The Stones are obviously fond of this song. With some good harp licks, powerfully restraint Jagger singing and nice blues guitar soloing from Woody, Black Limousine’s ingredients mix very well together to create a meaty Stones blues track.

Closing out the rock side is a hard rocking, Jagger screaming tale of unruly Neighbours. The song actually picks up steam, and some melody, as it surges along, especially as Jagger sings “Is it any wonder”. The saxophone and snare drum carry the song along. Jagger’s vocals occasionally go over the top, but the song fades out with some nice piano touches before it overstays it’s welcome. Unfortunately, the video is better than the song.

The acoustical side starts off with Jagger at electric piano, singing in mostly falsetto on Worried About You. The backing on the verses are very slight – Charlie’s high-hat and a rhythm guitar slash, which create a very hesitating feel. The song really kicks in at the 3-minute mark when the full band rock in and Jagger powerfully sings. The song ends on a nice groove as they repeat Worried About You till the finale. An obvious Mick favorite, as he plays this occasionally even today, Worried About You, is one of my least favorite Tattoo You tracks. But that says more about the overall album quality.

The hidden gem, Tops, is next and is perhaps my favorite track on the album. Jagger’s tale of the casting couch is an amazing mixture of R&B and rock. His vocals are so in the pocket. It’s one of his most soulful performances and the background falsetto touches are spot on. Charlie’s drums are also fabulous with some Beast Of Burden type touches. Tops was tried out live, but didn’t work. As an album track it is truly tops.

Jagger continues with the falsetto vibe but this time he’s singing over some of the tastiest, jazziest music The Stones have ever produced. An almost ethereal experience, Heaven floats over jazzy chords weaving with Charlie’s snare-rim drumming As Jagger warns, “No one will harm you, nothing will stand in your way”. It’s a fantastic musical experience that is unique in the Stones spectrum.

Another lost classic is No Use In Crying. The song starts off with the chorus sung in harmony. The music is bluesy yet powerful and incredibly tasty as Charlie delays the beat so the song sort of jerks and pulls at you. Jagger sings the verses clear and strong and I love the echo effects / call & response on the occasional line. The harmony choruses overlap and the song merges together to great effect as it ends on a great note.

Waiting On A Friend closes the album. Charlie has played magnificently throughout the album but this is the highlight. This is tasty drumming with accents, offbeats and rimshots. The music is so tasteful and catchy and Jagger and Richards vocals are spectacular. The classic sax solo and the overdubbed harmony vocal buildup are note perfect. It was the 3rd US single and peaked at #13. It also peaked at a dismal #50 in the UK, but regardless, Waiting On A Friend is a classic rock ballad and terrific way to end an awesome album.

Tattoo You is a fantastic, perfectly sequenced listening experience, incredibly assembled from various sessions and outtakes from years past. From hard rock, upbeat indelible licks, blues, funky jams, soul, rock ballads, ethereal sounds and classic rockers, this album has it all. It is also a high peak of Charlie Watt’s drumming skills and shows how varied and tasteful The Rolling Stones can be. It was a great time when the Stones matched a massive exciting live tour with an equally artistic and commercially successful record.

Nice review kammpberg!

I guess it depends if you lived it or not. The first album is definitive, and Beggars Banquet was the best with Brian, which automatically makes it the best Stones album. Great music after Brian, for sure, but the Natural Magic was gone.

I think it's the best post-Exile album. Side two is so good and so different from anything done previously that one wishes they had continued in that direction. Side one is good, too, but at least three of the numbers (HF, LT&A and Neighbors) are awfully slight. Still one of my favorites.

I AGREE...

Although, not my favorite Stones album...I love, Rolling Stones Now, Decembers Children, Aftermath, Let it Bleed, Sticky fingers and IORR.

But if you think about it, Tattoo You has everything..Rock, Pop, Love songs, Country, Blues, etc...And the sound is clear.
Almost like a icecube. Without being cold...You can hear every note....Just a master mix...

Its a true classic....Not sounding too old and while still not sounding trendy. Its a album they could release today and it would sound relevant.

A true classic that still holds up today...Some 31 yrs later. (can't believe we are that old!!!)

Funny, B&B is NOT one of hotstuffs' "favorite" albums...

Were most of the songs on TY written in 78?

Tattoo You is like Disco & Punk never happened.

dewlover-I do love B&B....Nice pick up on my handle...But it was the only name i could get
from BV....I was on the board for a few years before i signed up and then every name i went with was picked..

Then i got Hot stuff...I liked the song but was never crazy about it..

Now i love HAND OF FATE!! Thats a great great rocker....In line with Sway for me!

Anyway dewlover is a smart person to bring that up...haha.

Yeah, i'm a freakin' genius...

LOL.....Say that over and over again...Then we will start to believe it!! hahah

It's very, very, good. You got rockers, you got ballads, you got Wood, you got Taylor. Something for everybody. It doesn't have mystique and intrigue like Exile, but it's up there among my favorites.

TY is probably the best album to introduce newbies to the band.

As much as I love it, it's hard to say it's better than Let It Bleed or Sticky or Exile or Aftrermath or Some Girls or ......

I still think it is pretty amazing that they were able to cobble the album together from all those different leftover "unfinished" sessions and come up with something so brilliantly good.

One of my favorites too.

Only Side 2 has a coherence. (which is strange, since the cuts weren't recorded at the same time.) It doesn't have that overall sound like the run from Beggars Banquet through It's Only Rock and Roll, and again with Some Girls. It's a great album, but still a little choppy.

Quote
WeLoveYou
With the exception of Slave, I don't like the mix of this album - it just doesn't have the crisp and sharp top-end of many of their earlier albums (and one or two later ones like UC). The TY mix is too mid-rangey and with a slightly muffled top end, the snare drum and guitars on SMU especially. Compare the snare drum on SMU with the snares on Memory Motel and I don't Know Why.

I must have gotten a different version of the album, because I don't hear the problems you've encountered.

I concur, not my first Stones album but the Stones at their Zenith.

Finetuning SG, GHS and IORR are good albums but they seemed to have lost their mojo "some" there, in TY, they've got it back. A very deep album, lots of tracks.

Nice review before. Tatoo You is probably the latest Stones Album with ABB. It only misses Mick Taylor which would have transformed it to the same level of the big four.

Some of Mick Taylor's work WAS on it,was it not? Some songs went as far back as the GHS sessions.I think its a nice LP if thats about the time that one was introduced to the Stones but for one being a fan from the beginning it doesnt even make my top 10.

Well, maybe for the Tattoo You-generation (which in Holland is generally called the lost generation) Tattoo You is the best Stones album ever. They also think (long lines in) melody in music is the icing of the cake instead of an integral part of music, which it actually is. Thanks to disco, punk and dance music. The lost generation indeed.

Start Me Up was like Punk never happened.