The Rolling Stones - Tattoo You (1981)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP, later replaced by a CD.  My copy is the 2009 reissue.

I didn't realize it when I bought the LP in 1981, but this album was actually a compilation of touched-up studio outtakes from the seventies. It didn't sound like that to me then and it certainly doesn't sound like that now. It's a solid rock album rooted in blues tradition that leaves you thinking, "these were throwaways?!?" Of course, in '81, this was the first Stones album I'd ever purchased so I really didn't know what to expect. It's amazing how the Stones seemingly moved effortlessly to disco and then back to rock in the late '70s to early '80s. Sadly, the Stones would never release an album this strong again.

One of the Stones' strengths at this point in their long, storied career was their ability to attract top tier guest musicians to play on their albums. This album includes contributions from Pete Townshend, Billy Preston, and Sonny Rollins(!). The latter two completely steal the show on the song Slave, but that's just one example.

The album won a Grammy award, but it wasn't for the rockin' tunes, it was for the immediately recognizable album packaging.

Press of the time:

• Robert Christgau (A-): "this is a damn good record, a great band showing off its mastery"
• Trouser Press: "just another Stones record"
• Roadrunner: "show no signs of being ready to throw in the towel"
• Record Mirror (★★★½): "not a great deal to get worked up about"
• Rolling Stone (★★★★★): "rockers with real momentum and love songs with real objects"
• Stereo Review: "it's not so much peculiar as it is wonderful"
• RPM Weekly: "The Stones aren't going to blaze any new trails"
• DownBeat (★★★½): "a reaffirmation of the Stones' power to create straightahead rock & roll."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #1
• Billboard Rock: #1
• CashBox: #1
• Rolling Stone: #1

Tracks:  On LP, the first six tracks were compiled to form a rock side while what was side 2 (tracks 7-11) are slower attempts at ballads. I always liked the way this album starts, the first 4 tracks are fantastic in content and sequencing. The A side begins to fall apart with the blues Black Limousine, but by that time it really doesn't matter because you're all in (I do confess to occasionally flipping the album early and skipping Neighbors about half the time). I like the slower side much better these days than I did in '81. From those tracks, my picks are Worried About You, Heaven, and the final track, Waiting On A Friend, which is another track totally owned by Sonny Rollins.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: if memory serves, this was the first album I ever bought due solely to peer pressure - all the cool kids in high school were listening to this, so I picked it up. Turns out the cool kids were right for once.

My favorite Rolling Stones tune is Gimme Shelter, but Start Me Up runs a close second. I saw the group in Houston in 2003 and both songs were performed. And Mark was happy.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Some Girls (1978)

The Rolling Stones - Some Girls (1978)

"IT'S NEW TO ME" WEEK (OCTOBER 20-26, 2013)

I don't remember the first Stones song I ever heard but I do remember the first Stones LP I bought: 1981's Tattoo You. When Some Girls came out in May 1978, I heard the songs on the radio but wouldn't have dared purchase the album for fear of what my parents might think ("I'm disappointed in you. That stuff will warp your mind, young man!"). Combining their traditional bluesy rock 'n' roll sound with the occasional touch of disco, the album was a commercial and critical success (except for maybe Lester Bangs over in Stereo Review - see below). It was a fairly big risk; if the album had flopped, the band's career might have ended prematurely. Over 30 years after the fact, I finally picked up a gently used copy. I can only assume that a Stones fan dumped off this copy when they picked up the 2011 Deluxe Edition. I love the title - if there's one constant in Stones songs, it's girls.

Update: In its 2020 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Rolling Stone ranked Some Girls at #468.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone: "has more than its share of highs"
• Stereo Review: "those Same Old Stones Riffs and occasional bits looted from other (usually black) sources."
• Robert Christgau (A): "The Stones' best album since Exile on Main Street is also their easiest since Let It Bleed or before."
• High Fidelity: "both unexpected and revelatory"
• Trouser Press: "The final score? I'd go as far as an 85"
• Roadrunner: "it lacks what makes rock'n'roll truly great - vitality, inspiration, sting"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #1 (2 consecutive weeks, July 15 - 22, 1978)
• Billboard R&B: #46
• CashBox: #1 (2 consecutive weeks)
• Rolling Stone: #5

Tracks:  I always liked the 3 big singles from this album: Miss You (#1), Beast Of Burden (#8), and (shadoobie) my personal favorite, Shattered (#31). Of the remaining 7 tracks, the only skippable song is Far Away Eyes. The rest is typical Stones, including the energetic Respectable and the take on The Temptations' classic, Just My Imagination, which the Stones make their own.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: In 2003, I finally saw the Stones live. Sadly, no tracks from this album were on the set list. I was disappointed that I didn't get to hear Shattered, but with 41 Top 40 hits, the band has an understandably tough job narrowing down set lists. At least I got to hear Gimme Shelter.