Track Listing

1. Start Me Up
2. Hang Fire
3. Slave
4. Little T & A
5. Black Limousine
6. Neighbours
7. Worried About You
8. Tops
9. Heaven
10. No Use In Crying
11. Waiting On A Friend

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3852 in Music
• Released on: 1994-07-26
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered

Amazon.com
Often viewed as the band's last great album, Tattoo You contributed one true classic, "Start Me Up," to the Stones' canon. The song, still used as a concert finale, begins with a fat Keith Richards guitar riff and ends with a leering Mick Jagger murmuring about a woman who could "make a dead man come." The rest isn't as consistent as, say, "Sticky Fingers," but the fast-paced "Hang Fire," the surprisingly non-sexy "Waiting on a Friend," and Richards's "bitch"-filled "Little T&A" make this the Stones' best '80s release by far. Released in 1981, it was the right album at the right time, with strong singles just after MTV began. With typical savvy, the Stones maneuvered gently into the video age. --Steve Knopper

Customer Reviews

Raunch
Nope, way wrong, babe. Er -

Back in '81, I was so appallingly hip. Nothing but Gang of 4, PiL and Throbbing Gristle for me. "Hang Fire" on the dashboard, though; what a crunch - probably the last unconditionally great rocking pop Stones tune. Timeless adolescence, a perfect mate for "Get Off Of My Cloud." The silly vocal hook, Chuck Berry solo, trailer trash narrator, bar 'n grill drum rolls, brittle slapback - the genius is in the brevity. Gang of 4, PiL and Throbbing Gristle probably thought they were revolutionaries back then, the rubes. Who NEEDS, like, progress? "Black Limousine," throwaway progression but, DUDE, the FEEL of that solo. "Neighbors," both obnoxious and charming; so unabashedly the essence of Stones. And "Start Me Up," a reactionary version of the Stones doing the Stones. Live long enough and you can get away with ANYTHING.

[Insert belch here.]

One of the best post-Exile Stones' albums
The Rolling Stones had a string of stunning albums, up to "Exile on Main Street." Then, after a number of albums that had some strengths and some weaknesses, "Some Girls," one of their best came out. Then a disappointing "Emotional Rescue." But the Stones bounced back with a pretty good work, "Tattoo You." Many of the albums after "Exile" would have a few great songs--but also a number that did not measure up (and some were little more than filler). There is very little filler on "Tattoo You."

The CD starts out, fittingly enough, with "Start Me Up," an absolutely classic Stones' rocker. The guitar riff is top notch, reminiscent of the best of the group's songs.

"You start me up
. . .
You make a grown man cry."

A real rocker. The band is in fine form here; this song has even been used (ugh) to signal the start of sporting events over the past decade or so.

"Hang Fire." Just 2 minutes and 20 seconds, but what is packed into that brief time frame! The guitars growl nicely and the steady drumming of Charlie Watts provides a firm foundation for this song.

"Black Limousine": Starts with some nice harmonica. This is one of the Stones'' home grown blues songs, a genre at which they have done well (recall the wonderful little classic, "Down in the Hole").

"We used to ride baby,
Ride around in a limousine.
You looked so fine, baby,
You in white and me in red."

Sinuous guitar work is displayed and the Stones' rhythm section lives up to its reputation.

"Waiting on a Friend": A softer sound, and effectively done! This is more intimate and contemplative than other pieces on this album. Nice piano work at the outset.

"I'm just standing in a doorway,
I'm just trying to make some sense.
. . .
I'm not waiting on a lady,
I'm waiting on a friend."

This represents an interesting change of pace.

And these aren't the only songs of interest. As earlier noted, there is not much filler here. Other strong works: "Slave," "Neighbours," "No Use in Cryin'," and so on. Keith's obligatory song on this album is one of his better efforts.

Rolling Stones' fans will appreciate this CD greatly. One of their best between "Exile on Main Street" and the present, along with "Some Girls" and "Bigger Bang."

This Tattoo has left a lasting impression!
Although never less than the most visible of rock bands, the Stones were in the midst of a commercial resurgence that began with Some Girls in 1978. Tattoo You (1981) remains the last album of the Stones' classic period and for good reason. Not only does it contain their last true classic song in "Start Me Up" but it also has the tender "Waiting on a Friend", the melodic pop rock of "Hang Fire" and Keith's ode to his newfound love in the catchy "Little T&A". "Start Me Up" was unavoidable on the radio but it's highest charting position was number 2 for several weeks never quite hitting number 1. There was only one song during this time that received more airplay than "Start Me Up" and this song prevented it from topping the charts. Anyone know what it is? I'll tell you at the end.

Upon release the album was divided into a rock side and a ballad side and the first half contains some of the punchiest rockers the Stones have done but the ballad side contains a lot of material that we wouldn't normally get all in one place on a Stones record...and the ballads are gorgeous ("Worried About You", "Tops" and the ghostly "Heaven"). I remember not liking "Heaven" very much and one day in the summer, after a long day at the beach with my then girlfriend, we began our ride home. The sun was going down and we were driving in my convertible over the bridge that takes you over the water and back to 'civilization'. "Heaven" began to play and the whole atmosphere of the song just reflected the whole moment. The evening sun beating down upon the ocean as we crossed over it with the top down on a warm summer evening. That image is forever tattooed in my brain when I hear that song. It captured the moment as perfectly as any song could.

Critics of this release often cite that the material was a patchwork of leftovers and new songs that they put together for an album. This may be true but the Stones are not the first band to do this. Elo's "Do Ya" was written before ELO was even formed, Van Halen did "House of Pain" on 1984 when that song predated their first album in 1978. The list goes on...Hey, if you wrote the song, you deserve to use it. Sometimes the timing just isn't right.

That being said, if you're new to the Stones this is a good place to start. It's got more of an MOR feel to it than any of their other records and the main reason why casual fans seem to prefer it to their other recordings, even the classics. The Stones always had hits, but they were never as commercial on one recording as they were here. Commercial doesn't always mean 'better' but in this instance, it's timeless rock that they haven't been able to top since.

ANSWER: "Private Eyes" by Hall and Oates

Yeah, I know..but nobody ever said life was fair...