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Overall Album Score: 8.5 out of 10 The opinion of this album by critics and fans are completely split. Some say that Tattoo You is a super-cool Stones album where they, very briefly, return to form. They say this album is the Stones' last gasp of brilliancy amidst the seas of muck they had been immersed in what with their Emotional Rescue embarrassment and their totally misguided discourses into punk and new wave. The rest of everybody else says this album is a spiritless one ... these songs were rejected at one point during the Stones' mid-career, and there was probably good reason for that. If these are what the two sides argue, then I will immediately take sides and say that I agree with both of them! ... Yes, most or all of these songs were written for other albums, but they were rejected for some reason or another. (Some even feature Mick Taylor, who left the band back in 1975 ... not that I'm really able to distinguish Mick Taylor from Ron Wood based on the sound they make with their guitars, but ... such is the word on the street). These songs were basically just thrown together to make this album! The cool part about this all is that most of these songs are pretty good! They generally have a good melody, they're played stellarly well, and the most alluring prospect about this album for many-a-Stones-fan is the fact that this album really doesn't have any seeming influence from their punk/disco phase. I'm not one of you (because I actually rather enjoyed Some Girls ... I certainly liked that album more than this), but, yes, this music is more like 1968-72 era Rolling Stones more than anything else. The coolest example of this is "Start Me Up," which sounds exactly like a Stones classic! ... and since it "sounds exactly like a Stones classic," and this was released by the Stones in 1981, that probably means that it is a Stones classic! How cool is that? Anyway, this is a good album. It's not my favorite, but this is a strong album nonetheless that provided the slightly disenchanted Stones fans of 1981 something of a blast from the past. Most of us in the year of our Lord 2004 probably don't care a whole heckuvalot about that, but ... hmhmhmhmhmhmhmhmhmmmm ... Overall Album Score: 8.5 out of 10 (This is a good'n'gritty Stones album just like your mother used to make! Yaaaaay!!!! Is this really going to be the last one? It's not really exuberant enough for me to consider it anything more than a minor classic.) Average Song Score: 8.6 (A very solid collection of songs! I don't think it's as solid as the solid collection of songs were on Some Girls, but who cares? Solid is as solid does. ... This is pretty good for an album full of old Stones 'leftovers.') Album Tilt: 8.5 (This is a nice, retroey Stones album for everyone!!!! I'd get the classic ones first, though, and then get this one.) Artist Rating: 8.5 (Ummm ... I don't have anything bad to say about the artistic quality of this album ... or anything good to say, really.) Track Reviews Start Me Up 10/10 Yep ... The only reason I knew this song before this was because of the Windows 95 commercials. (That was back when I couldn't be on the Internet for more than 15 minutes a day, 'cos we had old-tyme AOL, and so I spent all of my time watching television and avoiding homework as opposed to what I do now ... surf on the Internet and avoiding my homework.) Anyway, I agree wholeheartedly with what every single critic and most fans say about this song: It's just like a classic Stones song! The riff is on the same par with songs like "Jumpin' Jack Flash," "Street Fighting Man," "Brown Sugar," etc. ... Yep! This is a good riff! I also agree with critics who say that this doesn't capture the same sort of spirit that those other classic songs did. But who am I to complain? It has a great riff! (And there is at least some spirit here ... more spirit than most band could ever be able to capture during their entire careers.) Hang Fire 8/10 This is good! It has a good melody and that electric guitar work is really quite cool! (I also really like that background chorus.) The song has energy, and it's enjoyable. Just the same, though, I would understand why they at one time rejected this song! It doesn't strike me as having much of a purpose, or anything. It seems a bit unfocused to me. Slave 9.5/10 Wow!! This is a really good rock jam type thing! It goes on for more than six and a half minutes and it's so awesome that it's ... SUUUUUUUPER!!! The song has this nice, thick atmosphere to it ... the riff is super nice ... Keith Richards is still the awesomest guitarist known to mankind ... Oh yes, Slave is wonderful!!!! It fits wonderfully on this album. Little T&A 8/10 Yeah ... that chorus of "She's my little rock'n'roll" does get a little bit annoying at how many times that it's repeated ... and the hook that's based on isn't that great. But, heck, at least it has a melody! Plus, I can't do anything but praise this wonderful instrument-playing here! Really! These guys are the coolest. Black Limousine 8.5/10 This is still very cool! ... And that's even though this is an R&B based song. And I usually don't care for R&B based songs ... but I do like this one! The Stones are able to lay the atmosphere nice&juicy&thick on here just like they used to back in the pre-industrial revolution. Neighbors 8.5/10 This is a cool song! The riff is so tight and well played ... that saxophone solo is super cool ... and the melody is excellent ... Yep! This is yet another latter-career classic from The Stones! ... But just you wait until you hear what lies ahead ... (you'll like this, baby). Worried About You 9/10 Hmmm ... I'm not sure about Mick Jagger's falsetto vocal delivery here ... Do people like that? I sort of do, I guess. Besides that, this is a remarkably strong one! The melody here is wonderful!!!! And when Jagger's not doing his falsetto thang, his vocal delivery is simply superb. This might not strike you quite as wonderful as "Start Me Up," but this is certainly one of this album's highlights. Tops 8.5/10 This is, yet, another really good song! (I'm pretty sure that this is one of the songs that dates back to when Mick Taylor was still in the band.) This one does capture that great spirit that used to dominate the band's reputation back in the day. Yep! There's nothing bad I can really say about this! It's super! Heaven 8.5/10 Another good song! This one is a more quiet and understated song (that's reminiscent of psychedelic ... it sounds like it was a send-up of Goats Head Soup maybe). At any rate, this mystical song has some wonderful melodic hooks ... the vocal effects aren't the best, but they do lend this song a bit o' uniqueness. No Use in Crying 7/10 This ain't no "Wild Horses" in the slightest sense of the term ... but this ballad isn't bad. I'm overall unimpressed with it, though, because it is kinda boring. Hmm. Oh well. Waiting On a Friend 9.5/10 AWWWWW!!!!! What a cool way to close this album with! After the relatively disappointing "No Use in Crying," we get this utterly pleasant little ditty called "Waiting on a Friend" ... man! It's such a nice, pleasant song with good melodies, harmonies, that great piano, and a sax-solo ... awwwww! I just fell in love with this one immediately. This song is THE STUFF. 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