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Rating: Prologue. Year 1970, the most famous Liverpool group in history disbands following various vicissitudes (economic and otherwise). The following year, precisely March 1971, the band that was the main "antagonist" in the Sixties to that group, releases its masterpiece, "Sticky Fingers". Exactly ten years later, history tends to repeat itself: in 1980 John Lennon, the soul of the Beatles, is assassinated; August 1981, the Rolling Stones produce their last masterpiece, "Tattoo You". The coincidence may seem forced, but perhaps not too much.
"Tattoo You" is definitely the best work of the Stones in the 80s, both because we have great rock here, even if interspersed with some ballads, and because the best moments were behind them, and the old bad boys would no longer leave their mark in the years to come.
It starts with a bang with "Start Me Up", an easily catchy single built in the best Stones tradition on three simple chords and with all instruments prominently featured, and with "Hang Fire", a fast piece with a simple yet perfect melody. Continuing, "Slave" is one of my absolute favorite hits. It encompasses almost all the standards that made the band of the glimmer twins great: the majestic guitar riff, the blues chords, the misogyny and sexual innuendos of Jagger ("Do it, do it, do it..."), the great performance of the same, assisted by the choirs and a great Billy Preston on organ and the faithful Bobby Keys on sax. After "Little T + A", the only one sung by a lively Richards, "Black Limousine", with a Jaggerian performance on harmonica. "Neighbours" stands out mainly for the shouted intro and the great energy it manages to unleash, but it is in the latter part of the album that the Rolling Stones show their best: sweet ballads, "Worried About You", "Tops", "No Use In Crying" (written with Ron Wood), in which the pianos of Ian Stewart and Preston shine, the semi-psychedelic interlude of "Heaven" (it really seems like hearing Jagger and Richards singing from another world), and finally closing with the sunny "Waiting On A Friend".
In essence, a great album, the last truly noteworthy one from the forty-year-old English band, after the fabulous sixties and seventies had consecrated them as the best rock group on earth.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Start Me Up (03:32)
If you start me up
If you start me up I'll never stop
If you start me up
If you start me up I'll never stop
I've been running hot
You got me ticking gonna blow my top
If you start me up
If you start me up I'll never stop, never stop, never stop, never stop
You make a grown man cry
You make a grown man cry
You make a grown man cry
Spread out the oil, the gasoline
I walk in smooth, ride in a mean, mean machine
Start it up
If you start it up
Kick on the starter give it all you got, you got, you got
I can't compete with the riders in the other heats
If you rough it up
If you like it you can slide it up, slide it up, slide it up, slide it up
Don't make a grown man cry
Don't make a grown man cry
Don't make a grown man cry
My eyes dilate, my lips go green
My hands are greasy
She's a mean, mean machine
Start it up
If you start me up
Give it all you got
You got to never, never, never stop
Slide it up
Slide it up
Slide it up
You make a grown man cry
You make a grown man cry
You make a grown man cry
Ride like the wind at double speed
I'll take you places that you've never, never seen
Start it up
Love the day when we will never stop, never stop
Never, never, never stop
Tough me up
Never stop, never stop
You, you, you make a grown man cry
You, you make a dead man cum
You, you, you make a dead man cum
03 Slave (04:58)
(M. Jagger/K. Richards)
Do it, do it, do it, do it
Don't wanna be your slave
Twenty four hours a day
Hey, why don't you go down to the supermarket
Get something to eat, steal something of the shelves
Pass by the liquor store
Be back about quarter to twelve
Don't want to be your slave
Baby go, baby go, baby go
Do it yeah
06 Neighbours (03:33)
Neighbors, neighbors, neighbors
Have I got neighbors?
Have I got neighbors?
All day and all night
Neighbors
Have I got neighbors?
Ringing my doorbells
All day and all night
Ladies, have I got crazies?
Screaming young babies
No piece and no quiet
I got T. V.'s, saxophone playing
Groaning and straining
With the trouble and strife
Is it any wonder
Is it any wonder
Is it any wonder
That we fuss and fight
Neighbors, do unto strangers
Do unto neighbors
What you do to yourself, yourself, yourself
Is it any wonder
Is it any wonder
Is it any wonder
That we fuss and fight
Neighbors do unto strangers
Do onto neighbors what you do to yourself
Yourself, yourself, yourself
Neighbors, neighbors, neighbors
Neighbors, neighbors, neighbors
Do yourself a favour
Don't you mess with my baby
When I'm working all night
You know that neighbors
Steal off my table
Steal off my table
And doing alright, alright, alright
Neighbors do unto strangers
Do unto strangers
What you do to yourself
07 Worried About You (05:17)
Sometime I wonder why you do these things to me
Sometime I worry girl that you ain't in love with me
Sometime I stay out late, yeah I'm having fun
Yes, I guess you know by now you ain't the only one
Baby, sweet things that you promised me babe
Seemed to go up in smoke
Yeah, vanish like a dream
I wonder why you do these things to me
'Cause I'm worried
I just can't seem to find my way, baby
Ooh, the nights I spent just waiting on the sun
Just like your burned out cigarette
You threw away my love
Why did you do that baby
I wonder why, why you do these things to me
I'm worried
Lord, I'll find out anyway
Sure going to find myself a girl someday
Till then I'm worried
Yeah, I just can't seem to find my way
Yeah, I'm a hard working man
When did I ever do you wrong?
Yeah, I get all my money baby
Bring it, bring it all home
Yeah, I'm telling the truth
Sweet things, sweet things that you promised me
Well I'm worried, I just can't seem to find my way, baby
I'm worried about you
I'm worried about you
Tell you something now
Worried 'bout you, child
Worried 'bout you, woman
Yeah, I'm worried
Lord, I'll find out anyway
Sure as Hell I'm going to find that girl someday
Till then I'm worried
Lord, I just can't seem to find my way
08 Tops (03:48)
(M. Jagger/K. Richards)
Hey baby
Every man is the same come on
I'll make you a star
I'll take you a million miles from all this
Put you on a pedestal
Come on, come on
Have you ever heard those opening lines
You should leave this small town way behind
I'll be your partner
Show you the steps
With me behind your tasting of the sweet wine of success
Cause I'll take you to the top, baby
Hey baby
I'll take you to the top
Step on the ladder
Toe in the pool
Your such a natural you don't need no acting school
Don't need no casting couch
Or be a star in bed
Never, never, never let success go to you pretty head
Cause I'll take you to the top, baby
I swear we'll never going to stop, baby
I'll take you to the top
Don't let the world pass you by
You better take your chance now baby
Or be sorry for the rest of your sweet loving life, baby
Oh, sugar
Hey sugar, I'll take you to the top
I'll take you to the top
I'll take you to the top, sugar
11 Waiting on a Friend (04:34)
(M. Jagger/K. Richards)
Watching girls go passing by
It ain't the latest thing
I'm just standing in a doorway
I'm just trying to make some sense
Out of these girls go passing by
The tales they tell of men
I'm not waiting on a lady
I'm just waiting on a friend
A smile relieves a heart that grieves
Remember what I said
I'm not waiting on a lady
I'm just waiting on a friend
I'm just waiting on a friend
Don't need a whore
I don't need no booze
Don't need a virgin priest
But I need someone I can cry to
I need someone to protect
Making love and breaking hearts
It is a game for youth
But I'm not waiting on a lady
I'm just waiting on a friend
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