Tattoo You

Something I never knew: Tattoo You (1981), the only standout album of the Rolling Stones’ past 27 30 years, was actually just a dumping ground for outtakes. The reason I like it so much becomes clearer when you make the connections to the original sessions and musicians (namely Hopkins and Taylor) they came from.

“Tops” and “Waiting on a Friend” were cut in late 1972 during the Goats Head Soup sessions (thus featuring Mick Taylor, not Ron Wood, on guitar; Taylor later demanded and received a share of the album’s royalties).

“Slave” and “Worried About You” were recorded in 1975 during the Black and Blue sessions in Rotterdam. They feature Billy Preston on keyboards and Ollie Brown on percussion. Wayne Perkins plays the lead guitar on “Worried About You”.

“Start Me Up” was originally written as a reggae number called “Never Stop” during the 1975 Black and Blue sessions. “Start Me Up” was left unreleased at the time because Keith Richards had expressed concern that he might have inadvertently taken its main riff from another song he had heard (something that was later to happen with “Anybody Seen My Baby” on Bridges to Babylon).

“Hang Fire”, “Little T&A”, “Black Limousine”, and “No Use In Crying” all came from the Emotional Rescue sessions in 1979.

“Neighbours” and “Heaven” were the only new recordings (from April to June 1981), although the band began a version of “Neighbours” during work on Emotional Rescue.

“Heaven” has an unusual lineup, consisting of only Charlie Watts on drums, Bill Wyman on synthesizer and bass, Mick Jagger on guitar, and producer Chris Kimsey on piano. Some sources also claim that Wyman plays guitar on the track.

Some of the older tracks were overdubbed and mixed during the 1979 Emotional Rescue sessions or in 1981 as Tattoo You was being compiled.