Keno's ROLLING STONES Web Site
FANS ALBUM REVIEWS
TATTOO YOU
Sixteen Reviews - Overall Average Rating - 8.66 Tongues
(We are accepting fan reviews for this album once again, for a limited time)
TATTOO YOU
By Oklahoma Zeppelin
June 2, 2003
Rating:
Where to begin? TATTOO YOU is the last great Stones album; the last non-handheld
Glimmer Twins production; the last time Keith and Ron's guitars really fed off each other
in those sparing, VARYing, deceptively layered interplays. Also Charlie's last truly
inspired drumming; and it's filled with purposeful songs that don't self-mandate breaking
the 4:30 mark.
It couldn't start off better. And next time 'Start Me Up' comes on at a bar, look around
as a boost of energy spreads. Everyone's 'on' here. Charlie's intro fill -- backwards and
off a beat -- is thrilling, Ron's subtle leads perforate vocal lines, Mick's brilliant
'never never seen..ayy-eey-ayy-een' exaggeration, Keith's 'lead-rhythms' filling gaps.
Really, listen how the guitars don't simply match each other -- amazing. The song is
short, healthy, pure, perfect.
Not since EXILE's side two has there been a thematic approach to a side -- here
the Stones blitzrock/blues thru side one, and relax on side two, culminating with one of
the Stones' great singles, 'Waiting on a Friend.' An under-recognized classic, 'Worried
about You' opens side two with Mick's terrific falsetto, which builds and deepens on other
side of Wayne Perkins' 10-tongue guitar solo. We all need this.
To listen to some sound clips from
TATTOO YOU or
to buy it click here:
Tattoo You (Re-Mastered)
More fan reviews:
TATTOO YOU
By Joe Drummer
March 23, 2003
Rating:
For starters this album deserves a little more credit than some of the reviews have given
it. It is about the last remaining sounds of the 70's Stones with the 80's music in
general; turning everything to shit, apart from a few bands like Metallica and U2.
Anyway I found this an amazing album 'Start Me Up' is something of an anthem for a party
song and 'Hang Fire' keeping a bit of a rocking pace up, 'Tops' and 'Worried about You' ,
have sort of the same ballad feel about them, but the stand out of the album has to be
'Heaven', sounds unbelievable after you have a joint and listen to it on headphones.
'Slave' has a bit of a chunky blues sound about it and is another personal favorite, the
rest of the songs make up a great album for a party with a good mix of sounds, and
finishing on with 'Waiting on a Friend' a good mix of songwriting and musicianship this
remains in the top ten albums of all time in my book!
TATTOO YOU
By Jake Langham
March 23, 2003
Rating:
Possibly one of the greatest rock n roll albums ever written , from the first chunking
chords of 'Start Me Up' to drowning notes on 'Waiting on a Friend' , every track has its
own flavor and groove. My personal favorite song would have to be 'Slave' or 'Tops'.
Mick is just so smooth, and Keith and Ronnie are so established by this album it just fits
like a glove. This an excellent buy for any age group to slam on at a party to get
everyone rockin, or quietly sit back in a dim light with a joint and a bourbon on the
rocks, and let the evening drift away!!!
TATTOO YOU
By thijs den otter
March 4, 2003
Rating:
TATTOO YOU is a very nice album that contains two classic songs and a couple of
great fillers. It does, however, have some flaws too. So, starting with the songs I don't
care for:
'Heaven' is a song that can be missed on this album, and I don't like 'Slave' much either.
These songs have an EMOTIONAL RESCUE touch and that album happens to be my least
favorite. It is an okay performance I guess, but it's just not the kind of music I want to
hear from The Stones. 'No Use in Crying' is a song that's worth being in the
Stones-catalogue, but this is also the kind of song that should have been a b-side for a
single, not an albumfiller. 'Worried about You' and 'Tops' are nice album tracks. Songs
like 'Neighbours' and 'Black Limousine' are okay in my book, although I can imagine why
some people get bored with them. My advise: both songs were performed and recorded live.
Listen to those takes and you'll like them a lot better. You'll find 'Neighbours' on
recordings from the 1981 tour, 'Black limousine' as a bonus track on the 'Wild horses'
single CD (taken from the STRIPPED-sessions). The Stones really hit the mark with
songs such as 'Hang Fire' and 'Little T&A'. These type of high-quality rocksongs would
become rarities during the rest of the 80's albums. What makes this album complete from
start and finish, 'Start me Up' and 'Waiting on a Friend' are by far the best
songs here; these true classics show us the Rolling Stones at their best. I love the
guitar on 'Start me Up' and Mick's vocals on 'Waiting on a Friend' are just fantastic. My
conclusion: TATTOO YOU is the best Stones-album from the 80's.
TATTOO YOU
By Locked Away
November 30, 2002
Rating:
Quite simply their best album post Exile On Main Street. It just a shame they had
to raid the vaults, going back nearly ten years in some cases (eg 'Tops') for the
material! That said it is the strongest set of songs on any Stones album since 1972, and
for me it is cohesive and the sequencing makes sense. On top of that it yielded their last
big hit in 'Start Me Up'. The only blemish is the ludicrous inclusion of Mick
Jagger’s 'Neighbours', one of the Stone’s worst songs. Most people will be
familiar with 'Start Me Up' and perhaps the slightly overrated 'Waiting On A Friend', but
apart from 'Neighbours' everything else is worth a listen. 'Hang Fire' is a great faster
number, 'Slave' slows things down, 'Black Limousine' one of their best later blues
numbers. Then there is side two. Surely this is a sequence of tracks to rival even the
Stones at their peak? 'Worried About You', 'Tops', 'Heaven', 'No Use In Crying' and
'Waiting On A Friend' for me represent a cohesion almost totally lacking from their back
catalogue. At last the Stones release material that shows Jagger maturing as a songwriter,
and acting his age- something Emotional Rescue did nothing to show. And the music
was good with a refreshing lack of guest musicians. Just set your CD to skip track six,
relax and enjoy the Rolling Stones- it would be eight years before they would again
produce sounds like these.
TATTOO YOU
By Tilman Rosse
September 30, 2002
Rating:
Tattoo You is one of the very best albums the Stones ever did. "Start me
Up" is one THE rock songs you won´t forget in a lifetime. Actually, this was, much
more than "Satisfaction" the rock song I adored since I heard it the first time
when I was 17. The B-side of what was used to be called al ongplayer was the finest bunch
of songs the Stones ever wrote: At first to mention the fabulous "Worried About
You", which is in fact one of the most intriguing songs the Stones ever wrote. Then
"Tops", which is a great tune and has convincing lyrics as well.
"Heaven" is pure feeling, it is in some way experimental too and reminds me of
Mick´s wonderful falsetto on "Emotional Rescue". "Waiting on a
Friend" is a great, bluesy ballad too. No less than "Angie" or "Memory
Motel", one the best Stones songs ever. "Ain´t No Use in Crying" somehow
was forgotten in the last 20 years. Nevertheless, this one shows especially Mick´s
ability to write romantic but realistic songs. "Tops" is one of my favorites. It
shows the Stones at their peak of songwriting. Nice tune, great lyrics. If you can
honestly say something like this - weaker songs are on the A-side: "Little T &
A" is pure Keith, but not too convincing. He can do better like he especially proved
on his 1988 solo album where he performed "Make no Mistake" which should be part
of the Stones set list. "Hang Fire" is fun, the lyrics show some irony.
"Slave" bored me for years, but now I´m starting to find it somehow exciting.
"Black Limousine" is a great blues-rock song, full of self-irony and humor. The
last song "Neighbors". This one is one of my favorites because of the
hard beat and the very fresh sound of Mick´s voice. All in all, Tattoo You is a
great album which introduced the Stones to an new generation of fans for their next 20
years.
TATTOO YOU
By JONNY from England
July 18, 2002
Rating:
What can I say. For me this is where the Stones should have finished. Anything after this,
doesn't really sound or feel like the Stones. After this they got a bit to bogged down
with rock-fodder and no compassion in the lyrics content or they way the songs were sung.
This album seems to be fairly nostalgic, and its a shame they didn't leave it like that.
Even tough most of the tracks were old already when recorded, there are some great tracks
on the album. For me 'Start me Up', 'Hang Fire' and 'Worried about You' are the best
tracks on the album. The dirty rockers mix well with the sublime and almost lazy ballads.
'Slave' is very vintage and grooves nicely along. Its one of the best musically in years.
The only real crime was adding 'Neighbours' which is dreadful. Very Yawn. There are nice
suprises on the album...who would of thought of the do do do's on 'Hang Fire'. Its as
though the Seventies never happened. Mick's voice seems to be in fine form, which is a
relief, and Keef sounds like he's about to die. This isn't a complaint, this makes the
tracks more raw and sexy which is what the Stones are all about. The cover is cool, even
though very much of the time, and I've been told that's Mick on the cover, but for some
barmy reason I just cant see it. I thought it was a girl. Fantastic. In England the Stones
are seen as old farts, sorry rich old farts, and are not very much appreciated anymore.
That's a shame, they have produced a lot of great music around the world. Of course this
album isn't their best, but it would of been a fitting ending to a fantastic career.
TATTOO YOU
By Jessica Willis
July 11, 2002
Rating:
Tattoo You was the first Stones record I discovered on my own. I was 12 years old
when it was released, and of course I loved "Start Me Up," even though my
innocence took a serious hit when my mother finally told me what "you make a dead man
come" meant. Until I grew up and frittered away the remainder of my innocence, I
didn't listen to any other song on the album.
Tattoo You is definitely a manic depressive album--unfortunately, in CD format, the tension between the lightness of the first side and the darkness of the second side is weakened--for this reason, I prefer TY on vinyl. The LP art also scores major points. Of course, it ain't no Sticky Fingers, but it is definitely one of the better Stones album covers. Naturally, I prefer the green Keef on the back to the red androgynous Mick on the front. At this point in my life, it's all about Side Two, and I think this second half of TY is one of the best album sides of all time. During a particularly dark and unhappy period in my life, "Tops" was a lifesaver. And then there's "Worried About You". This twisted little trifle manages to be both sensitive AND selfish. The song's title isn't fooling anyone. The stoned and sexy "Heaven" is burned into my heart forever. Note to all the strippers reading this: "Slave" and "Little T&A" are vampy bump/grind classics, but "Heaven" is the ultimate moneymaker for the floorshow portion of your set. Add a bearskin rug, lip gloss, and an unfocused gaze, and you'll literally be rolling in cash by the end of the song. Trust me...I speak from experience.
A few years ago I met a guy who also used the B-side of Tattoo You as an
alternative to Prozac. TY fans are hard to find, and those who love its B-side
are truly precious and insane. I married him.
TATTOO YOU
By Addison Ford
March 27, 2002
Rating:
This is definitely a very good later- day Stones offering, with 'Start Me Up' being the
album's strongest track, along with the moving 'Waiting On A Friend' a close second. 'Hang
Fire' is an ideal party song, and 'Heaven', 'Tops', 'Ain't no Use In Crying' and
'Worried About You' are syrupy ballads. The remaining rockers and a Reggae jam, 'Slave',
being mediocre, are still impressive,and the entire album ranks just a few notches below Some
Girls.
TATTOO YOU
By David Gomolinski
November 2, 2001
Rating:
Someone who doesn't know under which conditions Tattoo You was made may consider
this album as a very homogeneous one. All of side one is a perfect set of great rock songs
that could have been made only by the Stones. The other side is cool and slow with songs
that bring us a mysterious and beautiful atmosphere including the final song, the great
"Waiting On A Friend" with it's sincere friendly message.
Actually, Tattoo You is a full decade of outtake collections.This is very strange
because this record seems to be much better that the albums in which this songs were
rejected. Two songs ,"Tops" and "Friend" were begun in Jamaica in 1972
during Goats Head Soup sessions with Mick Taylor on guitar (1st apparition after
7 years),two others came from a Dutch session for Black And Blue in 1975 - at
this time they were looking for "Little Mick's" successor , on
"Worried" Wayne Perkins plays guitar and on "Slave" Ron Wood -
"Start Me Up" (it was supposed to be a reggae and it's at least one of their
best rhythm and blues hit!) , "Little T&A" (my favorite song ever sung by
Keith Richards) and almost the rest were recorded around Some Girls and Emotional
Rescue . Only 2 new songs had been written for Tattoo you , "Neighbours"
written by Mick Jagger and "Heaven", the last psychedelic Rolling Stones song,
with only 3 members of the band, Mick Jagger (he plays guitar also), Bill Wyman and
Charlie Watts.
Released in 1981, Tattoo You was in my opinion, the best album they made after 10 years
and they have never produced anything better.
TATTOO YOU
By Dhruv Mookerji
May 26, 2001
Rating:
This is one of the Stones' less talked-about and less appreciated albums, though I don't
know why. It's a fact that most of the songs are mainly outtakes from previous albums but
the ultimate result is what matters. The album kicks off with one of their catchiest
numbers ever, 'Start Me Up', with no complex lyrics or guitaring, just simple hip-shaking
rock and roll. 'Hang Fire' is another catchy number especially the background vocal
refrain. Admittedly the album has some weak numbers like 'Slave' and 'Neighbours' but
three songs namely 'Worried About You', 'Heaven' and 'Tops' lend an amazing smooth feel to
the album with Mick Jagger's singing sounding like the Bee Gees. But the real dark horse
of the album is 'Black Limousine', with its amazing resemblance in riff to Van Morrison's
'T.B. Sheets'. Then of course there is the great 'Waiting On A Friend'. Actually this
album has more diversity of sound than is normally appreciated. Those familiar with the
pop music sound of the early 80s might take to this album easily.
TATTOO YOU
By Alex Short
January 11, 2001
Rating:
When this album came out in 1981 it must of been like a breath of fresh air. It was the
Stones back too their roots. (Quite literally) As most of the songs were left overs from
previous sessions. The earliest been dated back to the Goats Head Soup sessions.
The album gets off to a flying start with the reggae influenced java of "Start Me
Up", which was a left over from the Some Girls sessions. The next song,
along with Keiths' offering is my favorite. "Hang Fire" is a kind of pop/rock
type song with it's "Doo Doo Doo" backing. Fantastic. The Guitar is also great.
"Little T And A" is Keiths song and it doesn't disappoint. Perhaps his singing
is a little off, but this rocker is great. Other highlights include "Black
Limousine". This is a kind of mock blues number. It's not up too the standards of
earlier blues numbers like "Honest I Do" and so on, but Jagger's vocal effort is
enjoyable, and the track has some fantastic guitar. The other song I really like is one of
only two new songs cut for the album. "Neighbors" is I think an attempt by Mick
to sum up Keith Richards living arraignments at the time, when neighbors were complaining
of the noise coming from his room. Despite songs, which I love, the album does have some
tracks, which I think are fairly disappointing. One of which (sorry for those that love
the song) is "Waiting On A Friend", which dates back to the Goats Head Soup
sessions. Hence, Mick Taylor's prescience on guitar. Overall, I have to say that despite a
few below par tracks, the good songs out weigh the bad. So go and buy it.
TATTOO YOU
By John Barnett
September 1, 2000
Rating:
The 80's were the most disgustingly bad era for music that this world has ever seen. There
were about 10 albums made in the 80's that were worth anything, and luckily, this was one
of them. I'll explain later. As far as the band was concerned, it had changed quite a but
from the original lineup. Mick and Keith were still there and still rocking hard, Bill and
Charlie were hanging around, yet they seemed less excited, and newcomer Ron Wood was
playing some great guitar, but nothing like Mick Taylor. Now back to why Tattoo You
is an excellent 80's album. The album is split into 2 distinctly different sides. Side 1
(tracks 1-6) is made up of hard rocking, fast paced tunes. Side 2 (tracks 7-11) is all
beautiful ballads or love songs. Another reason is because most of the songs weren't
written in the 80's! This is simply a compilation of previously written and recorded
tracks by the Stones ranging from 1973-1979. Only 2 songs on here are new, and they are
the weakest ones. The 80's sucked.
Songs:
START ME UP: A perfect rock track. The best rhythm guitar riff Keith ever came up with.
Complete with a racy final lyric. HANG FIRE: Too fast, but if fast is your thing, this
song rox your sox off. SLAVE: 2nd only to "Can't You Hear Me Knocking?" as the
best extended jam session the Stones tried. LITTLE T&A: Keith being a dirty bastard to
great effect. You tell 'em Richards. BLACK LIMOUSINE: One of the NEW songs. That's why it
sucks so bad. NEIGHBOURS: One of the NEW songs. That's why it sucks worse than the last
track. WORRIED ABOUT YOU: Beautiful music and lyrics. Proves that the boys CAN be
sensitive to women. TOPS: Same as before, but a better hook. HEAVEN: The weakest of the
old tracks, but still a great song. NO USE IN CRYING: One of the few times that a bunch of
white British guys live up to the original Afro-American bluesmen that they imitate.
WAITING ON A FRIEND: The only word for this excellent song is 'heartwarming'. I know
that's not a common word used to describe a Stones song, but it is. Great sax soloing. Tattoo
You was the last great Stones album. Nothing has lived up to it since.
TATTOO YOU
By christophoros
April 9, 2000
Rating:
At the time when this came out, the creativity of the band was increasingly low (see EMOTIONAL
RESCUE, UNDERCOVER, DIRTY WORK). Only material from the archives collected over years
could make for a little breakout of this phase. And the result is unexpectedly good, the
Stones album with the biggest variety. The first four songs rattle down straight.
Especially to point out are of course START ME UP, a refreshingly minimalistic song with a
congenially simple command as a title, and LITTLE T&A, which sounds like a sixties
song. TOPS and HEAVEN could even originate from the SATANIC MAJESTIES REQUEST
sessions. There are also beautiful ballads and a blues with BLACK LIMOUSINE. Another
highlight is WAITING ON A FRIEND, the best song from the album for the end. The vocals,
that also give the song an exotic touch, alone would already make it great, and it must
have been great for the fans to hear Mick Taylor again after seven years when this came
out. As all of this are only the outtakes, the band just can' t be bad!
TATTOO YOU
By Ed Crawford
June 27, 1999
Rating:
This was the first Stones album (ok, CD, but who cares) I ever got. Start Me Up just rocks
like anything. Hang Fire has a good hook to it. Slave has some good jamming to it. Check
out the Virgin Speciasl edition, where it looks like a record, but in a different CD case
format. Heaven is very good and nypnotic. I sometimes wonder, since I also like the
Beatles, if this is a subconscious song about where John Lennon was at this point
("nothing can hurt you...nothing will stand in the way.") Possible, since lennon
died on 12/8/1980, and the album came out in early 1981. Waiting on A Friend has gone on
to become one of their all time classics. No Use In Crying is a good song about a
failed relationship. Black Limousine is a good blues song. Little T&A proves a good
Keith vocal.
I figured when I got this that I might as well start in the middle phase of their career.
This is a good first album, besides a greatest hits collection. A real winner that you
will enjoy. No time and place in the production of the album seem to add to it. There are
no constraints, and it sounds as fresh as it probably did when first released. This is an
all time classic that can be enjoyed from the stones for all fans for all time.
TATTOO YOU
By Joeman
February 23, 1999
Rating:
Can't believe nobody has reviewed/rated this one. That production sound........so clean
yet punchy. Not muddy like Some Girls. Slave? Check it out on the Virgin
re-issue..extended jam. Yeah, Keith and Ronnie are blow monkeys at this stage but who
cares? Blues, and more blues are here - No Use in Crying, Black Limo. Basically the Stones
re-define and bring us the blues. Rock and Blues at its best. But then again you have the
tripped out hallucination of a number like HEAVEN. This album with the Neville brothers
provided the soundtrack of my 80's college years. Check this one out and you will see the
Stones ARE and always will be the world's greatest rock and roll band....
Keno's mini review, song list, lyrics and more
info on TATTOO YOU
To listen to some sound clips from
TATTOO
YOU or to buy it click here: Tattoo You (Re-Mastered)
