...Since you 86-ed me, pretty beat up
Never restitched me, pretty beat up
My face is a mess, pretty beat up...

yeah love it.

I like the song ''Undercover'' nowadays more than SFTD....think of it they play ed more of the album last tour....its about time they play Too much blood 9 long version live!!)-

I was reading Keith's Rolling Stone interview circa the 40 Licks tour, where he says that "Undercover" will NOT be on the 40 Licks CD, and implying that he doesn't care for it. I guess he was outvoted.

Undercover is one of the albums (along with Tattoo You) that enthralled me to the Stones for life. I used to work the night shift at a convenience store, and I would listen to Undercover over and over and over and over. Never got tired of it. Still love it.

Must be Hell was my favorite ... I would crank that track up as loud as the stereo would go and it would transport me to another world entirely.

The whole album, in fact. Just this relentless, primal drive to the whole record (which adding any ballads would have destroyed, IMO). An incredible work of art showcasing the degree to which sex and violence and power are inter-related. Lyrically stunning, rhythmically unstoppable, sonically overwhelming. As an earlier poster said, the whole band is on fire.

Now, if they would only remaster it please... (but I digress).

Drew



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-12-04 03:14 by drewmaster.

i totally agree with drewmaster, with just one exception: my most appreciated songs are undercover of the night, she was hot, and too tough! but all other songs are great, not one weak one, even the one i didn´t like that much back then in the eighties (pretty beat up) i do like in the meantime!

i think it was the last time the stones made a record which actually could be considered "modern"(this doesn´t mean of course that i don´t like the records which came afterwards, on the contrary).

drewmaster Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Undercover is one of the albums (along with Tattoo
> You) that enthralled me to the Stones for life. I
> used to work the night shift at a convenience
> store, and I would listen to Undercover over and
> over and over and over. Never got tired of it.
> Still love it.
>
> Must be Hell was my favorite ... I would crank
> that track up as loud as the stereo would go and
> it would transport me to another world entirely.
>
> The whole album, in fact. Just this relentless,
> primal drive to the whole record (which adding any
> ballads would have destroyed, IMO). An incredible
> work of art showcasing the degree to which sex and
> violence and power are inter-related. Lyrically
> stunning, rhythmically unstoppable, sonically
> overwhelming. As an earlier poster said, the whole
> band is on fire.
>
> Now, if they would only remaster it please... (but
> I digress).
>
> Drew


word! loved the convenience store angst release technique.

It was the first studio album I listened to also - loved it!

Best song of the last 30 years, followed by:

Start Me Up
Plundered My Soul
Under the Radar
Saint of Me

I know no one asked, I just thought it needed to be said.

Agree with drewmaster who calls it relentless. What makes Undercover special is its lack of ballads. The whole thing is dark, yet effortlessly so. Dirty Work, which follows it, is the opposite -- ham-fisted, forced darkness and violence.

PLUS:
I can't imagine where "Think I'm Going Mad" would have fit on that record. By leaving it off, we get to love it even more for being a b-side!

Quote
drewmaster
Undercover is one of the albums (along with Tattoo You) that enthralled me to the Stones for life. I used to work the night shift at a convenience store, and I would listen to Undercover over and over and over and over. Never got tired of it. Still love it.

Must be Hell was my favorite ... I would crank that track up as loud as the stereo would go and it would transport me to another world entirely.

The whole album, in fact. Just this relentless, primal drive to the whole record (which adding any ballads would have destroyed, IMO). An incredible work of art showcasing the degree to which sex and violence and power are inter-related. Lyrically stunning, rhythmically unstoppable, sonically overwhelming. As an earlier poster said, the whole band is on fire.

Now, if they would only remaster it please... (but I digress).

Drew

They did remaster it.

Quote
rooster
I like the song ''Undercover'' nowadays more than SFTD....think of it they play ed more of the album last tour....its about time they play Too much blood 9 long version live!!)-

+1

To find out if an album is underrated or if my memeory is bad I have trick that does it. Think of yourself as a producer or a manager. Someones bleeding his her heart out about this new album that you just have to give five minutes. I just did that with Undercoiver of the night and Dirty work. Quick listen to all the songs, just quick, the beginning, the middle. This album sucks big time. I like it because of the videos I saw, the sound and three songs. The good ones: Undercover, Too much Blood, She was hot. Wanna hold you is ok though kinda weak. The rest is garbage. The radio edit of She was hot is some of the best things they did in the 80s.

Dirty work is awful. One hit is ok, has some attitude at least. The rest is so bad it should never have been released.

Listen to any other Stones album from the 60s or the 70s and you'll see what I mean.

I've always like Undercover of the Night - Its never worked live though. The album is awesome very underated.

There was a different version releaseed and played on the radio without the drums in the beginning that I liked better it was played for a couple of days and disappeared and I've never heard it again anywhere!

Quote
Redhotcarpet
To find out if an album is underrated or if my memeory is bad I have trick that does it. Think of yourself as a producer or a manager. Someones bleeding his her heart out about this new album that you just have to give five minutes. I just did that with Undercoiver of the night and Dirty work. Quick listen to all the songs, just quick, the beginning, the middle. This album sucks big time. I like it because of the videos I saw, the sound and three songs. The good ones: Undercover, Too much Blood, She was hot. Wanna hold you is ok though kinda weak. The rest is garbage. The radio edit of She was hot is some of the best things they did in the 80s.

Dirty work is awful. One hit is ok, has some attitude at least. The rest is so bad it should never have been released.

Listen to any other Stones album from the 60s or the 70s and you'll see what I mean.

Agree on Dirty Work...completely disagree on Undercover.

Quote
slew
I've always like Undercover of the Night - Its never worked live though. The album is awesome very underated.

There was a different version releaseed and played on the radio without the drums in the beginning that I liked better it was played for a couple of days and disappeared and I've never heard it again anywhere!

Yes it did, imo.

Quote
DandelionPowderman
Yes it did, imo.

Wow! That cooks! Wooosh of energy, Mick giving it his all! Great playing by all!

I thought I hated this period of stones.

Quote
His Majesty

Quote
DandelionPowderman
Yes it did, imo.

Wow! That cooks! Wooosh of energy, Mick giving it his all! Great playing by all!

I thought I hated this period of stones.

Get the Atlantic City show! It's brilliant.

Appears to be a very difficult song to pull off live. Too bad the f#@king video is almost one static shot of Mick. There's a lot going on in this song. I'm a little suspicious of some pre-recording on this. I'd love to be able to see what Bill was doing, and Ronnie, but we barely get a shot of Ronnie during the lead, and according to this video director, Bill was just a rumor to be glossed over quick and get back to Mick. I don't think we'll ever hear this in concert again. If they can't handle the bass in Anybody Seen My Baby, they sure as hell can't handle this monster.

Quote
24FPS
Appears to be a very difficult song to pull off live. Too bad the f#@king video is almost one static shot of Mick. There's a lot going on in this song. I'm a little suspicious of some pre-recording on this. I'd love to be able to see what Bill was doing, and Ronnie, but we barely get a shot of Ronnie during the lead, and according to this video director, Bill was just a rumor to be glossed over quick and get back to Mick. I don't think we'll ever hear this in concert again. If they can't handle the bass in Anybody Seen My Baby, they sure as hell can't handle this monster.

By pre-recording do you mean how they rehearsed it for the studio recording or for that tour? Because that would be what "pre-recording" is - before recording. The live B-side version features overdubs since they did not pull off that bwang bwang bwang part live. That Atlantic City version is still a dud - and the one from SAL is even worse. It was great that they actually gave the album some attention, I just wished they would have done a better job of representing it (same with how they barely made it through She Was Hot or Sway on the Bang tour).

Great album, even though they reused some riffs from the past, this album rocks seriously.

Vilhelm
Nordic Stones Vikings

The video posted above features overdubs?

I dunno nor really care because Jagger's performance and intent is worth the price of admission alone. The guy is delivering the goods as good as he ever did. Ronnie's short, but cool solo is perfect for the musical context.

Dubbed? If so, good call, if not, good live playing! ><



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2011-04-24 02:52 by His Majesty.

Quote
His Majesty
The video posted above features overdubs?

NO! The live B-side version from the Ruby Tuesday single from Flashpoint!

Quote
skipstone

Quote
His Majesty
The video posted above features overdubs?

NO! The live B-side version from the Ruby Tuesday single from Flashpoint!

Cool! So that's a cooking live performance up above!

In fact as I recall it's the same one, the B-side is from the Atlantic City PPV show. That's how you know it's an overdub, how the guitar suddenly sounds like it does on the studio version - only live it never sounded like that.

The last great Stones album and the last great Stones single.
I remember the day the radio station got the new single: I was listening all day and finally, in the kitchen on the wall radio at my parents' house.....it came like a machine gun, literally. From the kick off, this song had an edge, and balls. Just that first glimpse, the music sounded raw, funky and ballsy. I couldn't hear what Mick was singing about, but I could tell it had some political content and I got really excited. I had been listening alot to the Clash, had just discovered U2 and was worried the Stones would get left behind in the dust of all these bands who had a political and social conscious.
Undercover was the last time the Stones sounded like the Stones, that raw, jangly vibe with Mick's voice strong.

Nice recollection, stupidguy2. Reminds of my experiences, too. It was such a thrill to hear "Undercover of the Night" for the first few times from radio (and from MTV I guess). There was so much going on in it, interesting, aggressive sounds, strange political lyrics, Jagger screaming with an intent, the aura and edge of the Stones....based on everything I know of The Stones by then, it sounded awesomely new and contemporary. Maybe someone can now in hindsight judge it: "Aah, The Stones try to cope with horribly 80's production and resulting bad", but it wasn't like that in 1983. It was more like "Wow! Totally out of blue - the band is here and now and surprisingly hot and relevant!" Of course, in the end, it didn't turn out be such a huge hit a'la "Start Me Up", and some more careful listenings cleaned the biggest magic out of it, but still... it sounded awesome, unique and exciting in the beginning!

Thanks again, stupidguy, for remindíng me of that impression. It was real!

- Doxa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-04-25 22:58 by Doxa.

Some more recollections of the past. I think after retro-sounding "Start me Up", and TATTOO YOU over-all, the huge triumphal 1981/82 tour that had a certain nostalgy flavor in it, the meloncholic "Waitin' On A Friend"; there was some kind of farewell feeling in the air. That : this was it. Goodbye The Rolling Stones. I was a new fan at the time, and even I had that feeling in my stomach that it is over now - so glad I was able to witness the last mile. It can't develop any further; there is no way to think how the Stones could continue anywhere any longer now when everything is said and so masterfully done.

Then comes "Undercover of The Night". Totally out of blue. So non-nostalgic, so current, totally and convincingly adopted new sounds, attitude and everything. Straight in to your face. Like a statement: sorry people, we are not going anywhere but are here to stay. And forget your bloody history and nostalgy, we are as current as ever! So Jaggerian move (and unfortunataly, propably the last time Jagger actually succeeded in doing that) And I was so proud of them.

Now in hindsight, one of the greatest moments and lessons I have had during my Rolling Stones fandom.

- Doxa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-04-25 23:21 by Doxa.

i was there and had SOME of that initial reaction to undercover of the night. but, as with almost all of the album, it was balanced by the impulse that the magic of the stones had faded...there was something cold and calculated about most of these songs. forced, contrived...and, ultimately, a recognition that the muse had been replaced by a desperation to be/sound relevant....

Quote
Doxa
Some more recollections of the past. I think after retro-sounding "Start me Up", and TATTOO YOU over-all, the huge triumphal 1981/82 tour that had a certain nostalgy flavor in it, the meloncholic "Waitin' On A Friend"; there was some kind of farewell feeling in the air. That : this was it. Goodbye The Rolling Stones. I was a new fan at the time, and even I had that feeling in my stomach that it is over now - so glad I was able to witness the last mile. It can't develop any further; there is no way to think how the Stones could continue anywhere any longer now when everything is said and so masterfully done.

Then comes "Undercover of The Night". Totally out of blue. So non-nostalgic, so current, totally and convincingly adopted new sounds, attitude and everything. Straight in to your face. Like a statement: sorry people, we are not going anywhere but are here to stay. And forget your bloody history and nostalgy, we are as current as ever! So Jaggerian move (and unfortunataly, propably the last time Jagger actually succeeded in doing that) And I was so proud of them.

Now in hindsight, one of the greatest moments and lessons I have had during my Rolling Stones fandom.

- Doxa

Yes, i became a Stones fans in 80 and I also had that sense by 83, that sense of their time passing, of them being eclipsed. ANd Undercover of the Night just blasted all that doubt and creeping feelings of irelevance away.
StonesTodd, I know what you're saying, but remember, Undercover came in the midst of MTV's dominance and the whole brit new wave, neo-funk.....and the Tattoo You seemed a 100 Years ago. Undercover sounded fresh.
Of course, this was right before the Great Mick Jagger Abduction in 1984. Maybe that's why Undercover seems so important to me now, it was the last time the Stones and Jagger didn't have to try to be cool.

ANybody think the video hurt the song (Undercover of the nIght)?

Another way to think of it....if Street Fighting Man or SFTD came out during the
MTV boom...and the Stones were dressed in goofy costumes with cheesey mustaches.....
would we think less of the song?

Sometimes less is more.


IORR............but I like it!