I am a big fan of the "Undercover" album. I'm not sure where to place it in terms of the Stones Eras, but to my ears, it belongs at the tail end of the Stones' "Silver Era", which ran as follows:

Some Girls (Revived their sound & career)
Emo Rescure (NOT JUST a "SG" rerun, but a more, playful album)
Tattoo You (Masterpiece #2 of this era)
Still Life (should have been better... wait for an archival release...)
Undercover (This era's Goat Head Soup)

Can anyone deny the ridiculous rocking fun of "She Was Hot"? Or Ronny's Groove-werk on "Pretty Beat Up"? Or Keith's DELIGHTFULLY ABSURD "Wanna Hold You"? Or the SHEER MANIC ENERGY of the title track???

Jeezus, I'm getting all worked up because my current copy is scratched to SHITE and I can't listen to it. So are you with me, or against me?!?!?!

"And still you're a SLUT!"

Undercover is fairly highly regarded here recently, I think.

interesting periodization, but I would have to include Dirty Work in the same era, whatever you think of its quality. Beginning with Some Girls and lasting through Dirty Work, most of the basic tracks for all the (studio) LPs were done at the same studio, Pathe Marconi in Paris. Plus the "break-up" happened after DW, and Steel Wheels then kicks off a new era of more sterile, sanitized, and increasingly pointless product.

anyway, assuming your Golden Age is the usual '68-72, let me argue with that in favor of '64-66, when the original band was together in concept and execution.

I love the record, the last album of the old good Stones, it rocks like hell, the rhythm section shine, great lyrics, the whole band is on fire.

The period 1978-1986 is great, after DW all is simulation.

Hey that's an astute point, cc, concerning the consistency of recording studios during this timeframe.

Amd I can honestly say I'm shocked. Because to me, "Dirty Work" sounds a heck of a lot more 80's-polished than anything that preceded it - and thus, sonically, has more in common with "Steel Wheels" than "Undercover". Plus, most of "Dirty Work" the album is humorless, no? I mean, in contrast, it sounds like they're having a pretty good time throughout "Undercover" - and they share that vibe with their listeners - they invite the audience to be party to their absurdities ("Ever seen Texas Chainsaw Massacre? 'Orrible, wasn't it?") Same goes for other albums of the "Silver Age": thinking of the humor in 'Shattered', 'Little T&A', 'Emo Rescue', 'She Was Hot', 'Far Away Eyes', 'Summer Romance'... the list goes on and on. This was a time for a more human, fallible, friendly Stones. Their guard was down.

While "Dirty Work" sounds sterile and calculated... like most of that which would follow. I think *this* is where they started taking themselves too seriously for their own art's sake. This is where they started puffing themselves up. ("Back to Zero"? Aw, fer chrissakes....)

As for your '64-'66 era - yeah man - hard to argue with all those killer singles. Geez, "Time Is On My Side" still gets me out of bed and cookin' breakfast on a hung-over Saturday morning, ya know.

To state the obvious... what a hell of a band.

Ugh, Dirty Work is not polished, imo... I think Some Girls, one of the Stones best, is their most polished sounding album, while DW is raw and sloppy. Sloppy in soooo many ways.... but I digress (and have digressed so many times in this forum before on this very topic). DW was a disappointing effort.

Undercover I always loved... It has some 80's production, but really, I totally agree that it is the end of their "silver" era. I'll go with that. I also agree that from Steel Wheels onward was sterile, but I think Bridges was their best since '83.

Undercover is the most under-rated album, I think... as many have stated here before. Some hate it, but I love cranking that album. Fritz, you have inspired me to listen to Undercover on the way to work tomorrow. It's been a while.

Much of the Stones best work is characterised by a sort of dangerous dark vibe.
Undercover was arguably the last album to really have that in spades.

The best thing you can say about "Undercover" is that they made their best vidoes from that album.
"Undercover", "She was hot" and "To much blood " is really great videos, top score ! But the album its self, I've never liked.
Well it has its moments, i think She Was Hot and I wanna hold you is classic but the rest is not my taste of Stones music.
Ps. And the album cover is the worst ever!"

Undercover's a love it or loathe it album here. I love it. I consider it an 80s "Satanic Majesties", in that it was an experimental, quasi-concept album. It was also the last experimental album The Stones made. Sure, they'd try out new things again, but it was mostly the in the water experimentation, never full immersion.

We have discussed this so many times, Friz the Cat and I'm with you, except I rate Undercover as the silver era's Exile on Main st.!

And don't understimate Dirty Work either, it has character!

By the way, I find also the cover of UC to be a great one. I asked some friends here in italy the BIG question ...

Who tried to see what's under the stickers?



C

yeah! I love the cover,it´s a great example of "bad taste"...still wonder if it´s a boy,a girl or a mix...

yeah, Fritz, I agree more with Tate, that DW is actually raw, with an attempt to put a studio sheen over it by Steve Lillywhite (on the Stones' instructions), with reverb etc., which is why the sound is so off. On Steel Wheels, the sterility goes all the way down to the basic tracks. Good point about the humor, but "Back to Zero" is hardly puffed up--I think it's the most comical cut on the album! It may have a ponderous "message" but it sounds like it was recorded by 14-year-olds. "I prefer to rot/I don't wanna pop!" followed by jungle noises cracks me up every time I hear it... it's that record's "Sweet Neo Con," another howlingly funny cut.

pick up a new copy of DW when you replace your Undercover--you might grow to like it, too!

I love Undercover and my hands down favorite track is Pretty Beat Up.Love to crank that one up, just relentless. Hats off to Ronnie.

A Holy Grail for me is a professional quality live version of She Was Hot which is a big reason that I will be buying the Shine A Light soundtrack on day one.

I have also often thought that although there is an '80's production feel to the record,particularly Too Much Blood, it is not over the top. If the album had been recorded a couple of years later when the Miami Vice era had really taken hold, it would have been a mess (think Winning Ugly from Dirty Work- ick).

I'm tired, I'm tired of doing what I'm told.
Things are moving way too slow.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-02-15 17:47 by cbtaco19.

Tie You Up is the killer track for me, along with She Was Hot, All The Way Down and Too Tough.

I can't stand Undercover Of The Night live but for some reason I never skip over the LP version. I guess because it's so manic.

Obviously she is a she!

But the sticker, did anybody peep to see what's under?

I bought my copy of UC in LA when it was released, but I could not remove the stickers without ruining the cover, so I let it there, but ... was I curious!

C

This one has grown in stature over time. Once the groove sinks in ......

I don't care for the title song, but really like lots of this.

It also reminds me of a VERY interesting time period of my life - country boy moves to Atlanta for a couple of years. My girlfriend at the time was a student at the Art Institute of Atlanta.

"No Anchovies, Please"

I'm with ya! I love UNDERCOVER.

I believe that what was under the sticker, which one was it? The crotch? The one that is pictured is what was under the sticker - blood vessels, muscle. Or maybe it was wires. The sticker was snake skin. The chest one was a white poodle or some kind of shitty little yipping nipping dog.

(...my undercover poster is banned from photobucket...what morons are working at "photobucket"?)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-02-16 02:01 by Erik_Snow.

Where did you find the naked link?

some kind of shitty little yipping nipping dog.

Could I change my user name to this?

"No Anchovies, Please"

Quote
cbtaco19
I love Undercover and my hands down favorite track is Pretty Beat Up.Love to crank that one up, just relentless. Hats off to Ronnie.

A Holy Grail for me is a professional quality live version of She Was Hot which is a big reason that I will be buying the Shine A Light soundtrack on day one.

I have also often thought that although there is an '80's production feel to the record,particularly Too Much Blood, it is not over the top. If the album had been recorded a couple of years later when the Miami Vice era had really taken hold, it would have been a mess (think Winning Ugly from Dirty Work- ick).

Can't see why so many hate WU. I love it, it's so fun and it has got some great riff.

Try to seek out the outtake version if you haven't heard it. A lot rawer and no 80's sound. Some of the DW outtakes are better than the released versions.

Their most underrated album ever in my opinion

Quote
Erik_Snow

Man Erik does this poster hanging on your wall ?????? always find the cover very sensual

__________________________

For the Stones, it's a 6 out of 10.

Undercover live is great.

Undercover Of The Night is terrible live. She Was Hot (as well as Wanna Hold You) was done so much better. UOTN is studio tricks from Mick's ass. Yes it's a killer tune - on record. But it's not even in the Top 100 Songs of the Stones for me. And that live Flashpoint intended but just became a B-side - they overdubbed the fwang fwang fwang fwang guitar part because live it just sat there, didn't do anything.

Silver era? Does that make everything post Undercover part of the bronze era or have we struck tin yet?

If we're in the business of handing out gold/silver/bronze medals to various stages of the Stones' career then I rate it as follows:

69-76 - Gold
64-68 - Silver
89-05 - Bronze
77-88 - Notable mention

I was hoping for nickel actually because it's so shiny.

AWESOME

I love the album.

"Undercover" didn't sell as well as SG, ER, or TY, though the title song reached # 9 in the States and the album spent four weeks in the top 5. I think the angry, edgy feel and dark, violent imagery relating to sex and politics - plus a strangely claustrophobic mix that is an acquired taste - makes it powerful among hardcore Stones fans but less so among casual fans. Only on 'Too Much Blood' and to a lesser degree 'All The Way Down' do they relax and allow display much light or humor. The band sounds great, and the influence of dub and what was at the time called Afro-beat (all those percussionists) makes it a step forward in terms of production. I agree with cc that "Dirty Work" is closer to "U" than many who hate the former acknowledge. Despite too many backing vocalists and Lillywhite's "80s" production sheen the tracks are strong, the band rocks convincingly even if they're at each other's throats and strung out. DW is a powerful album with something to say about the state of the band and the era, and captures the Stones at one of their darkest periods. After 20 years for me it mostly sounds very good.