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Quit hiding undercover on this page! Click on this link to go back to the main Rolling Stones page! Undercover (And You Ought to Stay That Way)
Overall Album Score: 7.3 out of 10 Dude! Seriously! It's as if The Rolling Stones weren't raunchy enough in the eyes of the public and teenaged kids' parents ... they have to go and release this hunk of sick crap with songs about all sorts of weird stuff like mutilation and s&m. I just wanted to get that out of the way first, because I'm sure that would ward off many potential buyers of this album. But if you're some sort of sicko who doesn't care about the albums' subject matter, then Undercover might just be your thing! Well, hold on. The actual musical quality of this album isn't too impressive, either. The return-to-awesome (sort of) that we heard with Tattoo You has quickly ducked its head back in its turtle-shell. This is 80s pop! (Arrrrghhhh!) I generally like 80s pop, but the way The Stones tackle it in Undercover suggest that they were tired and dangerously running out of ideas. Although, neither you nor I can deny that they are still talented songwriters! Really ... Madonna wasn't able to get an album score this high! ... And this is one of The Stones' own pit of despair. Yes ... they've still got a lot of talent, and they're able to pull of all of these songs relatively well. Nevertheless, I just don't like this album. (And, I'm saying that without hardly considering the lyrics.) It might have some well-done numbers on it, and a well-written groove or melody or something ... but this album, as a whole, is vague and unexciting. Oh well. Maybe I'll start listening to Dire Straits now. Overall Album Score: 7.3 out of 10 (The album has its good moments ... but this is really a disappointing offering from The Stones, in the end.) Average Song Score: 7.8 (The Rolling Stones are still good songwriters. This might not be their most inspired work, but at least they seem to know what they're doing most of the time.) Album Tilt: 7.0 (This is really sloppy ... and it's not very much fun to listen to! I'm sorry.) Artist Rating: 7.0 (I was good! I didn't count off more points than I would have for the awful, intentionally shocking lyrics! ... I still counted points off of it because it's too sloppy. The Stones ought to have sat down and re-figured out what it means to be a good rock and roll baaaaaaaaaaaand.) Track Reviews Undercover of the Night 9/10 Well, at least this is one mightly stylin' 80s pop number! The melody is good'n'catchy ... the instrumentation might be synthy, but at least it does have a menacing feel to it! ... I don't know ... I think it's pretty clever for an 80s pop song. Then again, I've heard much, much better ones. She Was Hot 8.5/10 This is pretty good ... although, I think it might just be a teeny bit sloppy. (Obviously, I don't think very strongly about that considering I gave this one an 8.5!) I almost get the good old early 70s Stoney vibe from this, because it's kind of bluesy and there aren't too many synths on here. But, for some reason, I still think this one is too sloppy! Tie You Up (the Pain of Love) 8/10 Hmmm ... yeah ... if you're one who'd get really offensive by nasty, raunchy lyrics, then this is *not* your territory. Putting the lyrics aside, this song is actually based on a really nice groove ... and the music quality of the song is really quite entertaining! But ... holy moly ... if they really needed to write a song about this, why couldn't they have at least have hidden it under some metaphors? That's what any civil person would have done! Stupid uncivil Mick Freaking Jagger! Wanna Hold You 7.5/10 Hmmm ... I sort of like this song ... but I sort of don't like this song. The melody has some nice hooks in it. It really needed some more spirit in it, I suppose. I mean ... this is The Rolling Stones, innit? They were probably the most spirited band in all of rock and roll! Sometimes a sort of lackadaisical quality in songs (especially during the 80s decade) can work. It doesn't hold out well. The problem doesn't really lie in the chorus, even though it repeats about 29430 billion times. Feel On Baby 7/10 I can still find this song entertaining and listenable. (This is five minutes long, though, and it does grow wearisome in its final third.) I can never be too sure if this is a really *good* song. Perhaps I'm comparing it too closely with The Stones' previous work, and I'm o so knowledgeable that they were capable of so much more. Hmm. Blah. (I'm not even going to pay attention to the lyrics anymore. It's just not worth it.) Too Much Blood 8.5/10 SICK!!! (Oh wait ... I said I wasn't going to pay attention to the lyrics anymore. Really. I'm not. I'm not paying attention to this whatsoever.) While NOT paying attention to the lyrics, I can say that this is a pretty fun, dancable, post-disco song. I can't imagine while somebody would really want to dance to this considering the lyrics that I'm not paying attention to are so awful. (But then again, over-drugged disco-dancers probably would dance to somebody pounding on a trash dumpster, as long as it had a good rhythm.) This really isn't a bad song ... it just goes on for a bit too long. Pretty Beat Up 7/10 I'm really getting bored with this album! (As you can see, I genuinely DID stop listening to these lyrics!) It's poppy and stuff, but the melody really isn't that great. And the instrumentation is really just standard fare. Nothing exciting here. Next! Too Tough 8/10 Well, this is alright! The riff is nice'n'crunchy ... the melody is rather catchy ... It sure as heck isn't anything special, but it isn't bad, either. All the Way Down 7/10 This is really sloppy! And the drum machine stinks! ... ... It's really not a bad song ... It's just ... hmmmm ... not that good. (Yikes! Doesn't that chorus just sound embarrassing? The rest of the song is alright ... The Rolling Stones were just being lazy.) It Must Be Hell 7.5/10 Boooooooooooooooooooooooring! ... Okay, the melody is okay ... the riff is passable. It's just not exciting whatsoever! I don't have a very good reason for listening to this! I miss The Rolling Stones!! Undercover your thoughts about this album and then e-mail them to me here! |
