Start Me Up....or don’t get me started

There have so far been AOR, bubblegum pop, and soundtracks...I’ve had my views on all of them but I don’t think any views have been especially controversial. Perhaps that is about to change.

96 The Rolling Stones - Tattoo You - Streaming on Spotify

The Rolling Stones - Tattoo You, Spotify Album

The Rolling Stones - Tattoo You, iTunes Album UK

The Rolling Stones - Tattoo You, iTunes Album USA

The Stones, of course, are legendary...from ‘62 onwards they were are the very forefront of the “British Invasion”. The Who brought the rock, Yardbirds brought the blues, the Hollies brought the harmonies and the Beatles brought the innovation. The Stones brought....???and there we have it! I was not a teenager in the 60’s, all these bands came before my time and I can only make a retrospective evaluation...I was not there to enjoy the hysteria and Mick’s swagger. I have never been able to figure out exactly what the Stones brought to the party.

Now don’t get me wrong I like the Stones and they have some truly brilliant highlights. Paint it Black, Gimmie Shelter, Wild Horses, Satisfaction, Sympathy for the Devil, Angie, Brown Sugar....you can go on and on with killer hits, but I can just never pinpoint anything distinctive or innovative for them to have such iconic status....perhaps other than Mick’s voice and swagger. In my attempts to see all my favourite living legends play live, the Stones never even get a look in. I’d love to hear your thoughts.....make a counter-argument, tell me why they are so great.

All that said, I’m not ignorant to their work. I’m at least familiar with most of their albums, especially those that came out in the 80’s. I can, therefore, at least put this one in context and share my thoughts.

The geek in me has to admit to loving “Start Me Up”....the song used to launch Microsoft’s Windows 95 (and making the stones a crap ton of money in the process). To my mind, this is still the standout track in this funny old compilation and I use that word deliberately as all the songs are recordings of outtakes from the 10 years that preceded the album’s release. I have to say that as a casual listener you would not guess. Most of the songs still have identifiable blues rock roots.

Hang Fire rattles along nicely, Slave is blues’y, Little T&A gives Richards chance to pretend he can sing 😉, Black Limousine is unadulterated blues. Waiting on a Friend is a great closer with some superb sax work. Re-listening a few times before I wrote this was certainly no hardship but outside of that first killer track I was never excited. I’d love if there could be just a little more something distinctive .... just like the rest of the stones career....Ho Hum.

More later.....