Tattoo You was originally released August 25, 1981, it went to #1 in both the UK & US. The album includes the single hits Start Me Up, Hang Fire, and Waiting On A Friend. It's also got Keith's ode Little T&A and Ronnie's Black Limousine. Tops and Waiting On A Friend were pulled from the unreleased vaults (they were recorded in Jamaica during the 1972 Goats Head Soup sessions and Tops still had Mick Taylor on guitar). Producer Chris Kimsey collected the best of the unreleased tracks from 1972 through 1979, featured the new hit Start Me Up, and added a new session (that produced Slave, Neighbours, and Heaven). Most people know the music, so in my reviews I try to give you data on the sessions and interesting facts connected with the songs and the album. Here we go:

Interesting notes include:
.....the megahit Start Me Up was recorded during the same sessions that produced Miss You in New York in 1978....the Stones had abandoned the track but Chris Kimsey salvaged the single take, had Mick add new lyrics, and remixed it to create the version on the album
.....the original title of the album was Tattoo....the "You" was added by Mick during last minute rushes
.....Mick did last minute overdubs by himself without involving the rest of the Band, so he was the only person who knew what the new album would sound like before release
.....Sonny Rollins got the inspiration for the sax in Waiting On A Friend by asking Mick to dance for him while he played
.....when Mick Taylor heard the new album he realized he was playing guitar on Tops and had to sue his old band to get his royalties

There were 9 years worth of sessions that contributed to Tattoo You. They started in Jamaica in 1972 finished with mixing at Atlantic in NYC during April - June, 1981.
Nov 25-30, and Dec 6-21, 1972 at Dynamic Sound in Kingston, Jamaica (Goats Head Soup sessions)
.....Tops
.....Waiting On A Friend
Nov 13-24, 1973 and Jan 14-28, 1974 at Musicland in Munich (It's Only Rock `n' Roll sessions)
.....Black Limousine
Dec 7-15, 1974 at Musicland in Munich (Black & Blue sessions)
.....Slave
Jan 23 - Feb 9, 1975 on the Rolling Stones Mobile in Rotterdam (Black & Blue sessions)
.....Worried About You
Mar 15-31, 1978 at Atlantic Sound in New York
.....Start Me Up
Jan 18 - Feb 12, 1979 at Compass Point Studios in Nassau (Emotional Rescue sessions)
.....Little T & A
Jun 10 - Aug 25 & Sep 12 - Oct 19, 1979 at Pathe Marconi/EMI Studios in Paris (Emotional Rescue sessions)
.....Hang Fire
.....Black Limousine
.....No Use In Crying
Nov-Dec, 1979 at Electric Lady in New York
.....Start Me Up (final mix)
Oct 11 - Nov 12, 1980 at Pathe Marconi/EMI Studios in Paris (the only Tattoo You sessions)
.....Slave
.....Neighbours
.....Heaven

This information comes from "It's Only Rock And Roll: The Ultimate Guide To The Rolling Stones" by Karnbach and Bernson and from my own collection.

This is as good as the Stones get in the eighties, and the bad boys really proved that their fire was burning hotter than ever with Tattoo You, a great companion to Some Girls. This album can almost be considered their swan song, because this is their last GREAT studio effort. Ironically, every song on this 1981 album was recorded in the 70s. Start Me Up was reportedly pinned the same day as Miss You in '78. Waiting on a Friend dates back to '73. You really can't go wrong with the first half of the album. Start Me Up rocks out, Hangfire and Little T&A have swagger, Slave grooves, Black Limosine jams, and Neighbors certainly ranks as a punky, contemporary classic. Some fans are skeptical about the second half, but really, it is a thing of rare beauty. Worried About You has a great feel, Tops is catchy, Heaven is enchanting (and euphoric), Ain't No Use In Crying is a terrific ballad, and Waiting On A Friend is considered by many as a masterpiece. Ignore all the overcriticism by the devoted 70s fans. If you like rock and roll, get Tattoo You. You WON'T regret it.

This was the last STONES record that was solid thru and thru. This album represents two sides of the STONES...one is roots rock n' roll and the other is spirited soul. The results are convincing and compelling. Side 1 is the STONES dishing up some raucaus rock n' roll with start me up,hang fire,little t& a,and neighbors. Black limousine is a blistering blues number with some smokin' lead guitar and slave is an all out jam. Side 2 is the STONES setting the mood with some passionate soul.

Tracks like worried bout you,tops,and no use in crying display the STONES natural ability for soul with lyrics that cut like a knife and a groove that is mesmerizing. These songs are also a showcase for the vocal versitility of MICK JAGGER. JAGGER is just as convincing here as he is in rock,blues,and funk. The album closes with the classic waiting on a friend which features some of the most tasteful and stylish sax playing i have ever heard in popular music. What can i say except that this is classic stuff. Pick up a copy for some pure "SATISFACTION".

Can this album really be 20 years old? It still stands up quite well and boasts the lead-in song, "Start me Up," which is arguably in the top five of all the Stones rockers. The opening guitar riff by Keith is nearly as memorable as the riff which begins "Satisfaction." This album also contains one of the Stones greatest ballads, "Waiting on a Friend," a sweet, almost un-Rolling Stone-ish sounding song; wistful, bluesy and sweet, which is a word not usually associated with this group. (The video for this song is also the best-ever Stones video).

As with most Stones albums, there are unfortunately some throw-away filler songs here. Keith even manages to croak out a rare singing stint on "Little T and A," which is the best of the filler songs. This is an exuberant and fun album, certainly not the last Hurrah for the Stones, but their last really fine album.

While not quite up to the mammoth standards of Exile or Sticky Fingers, Tattoo You marks a rather glorious conclusion to the Stones' contribution to rock 'n roll history. It was all downhill after this one, and so the promising return to roots showcased on Tattoo You proved to be, ultimately, a false dawn, but what a dawn it was. The album is not just remarkable for its revival of the muscular rock anthems the band delivered so plentiously in their prime, but also in its occasional but brilliant departure from the Brown Sugar days. "Start Me Up's" instantly familiar riff launches the album into a series of similarly gritty and great rock tunes, particularly the epic "Slave," on which Keith's raunchy guitar explodes melodically for nearly 8 minutes, and a lip-smacking 8 minutes it is. "Limousine" is classic Stones blues, replete with every element of great blues-rock; the shrieking harmonica, rollicking blues guitar licks ala Chuck Berry, Jagger's confident drawl, it's all there, and it's one of the greatest blues songs of the Rolling Stones oeuvre, up there with "Parachute Woman," "Midnight Rambler" or "Love in Vain." A few tracks here--"Hang Fire," "T&A," and especially "Neighbors," foreshadow the uninspired noise the band favored on later 80's records. "T&A," at least, offers some delicious drumming and the tongue-in-cheek vulgarity that characterizes the Jagger/Richards songwriting style, but "Neighbors" is just noise, absent of melody and full of empty rage, and "Hang Fire" is just plain rock filler. The unfortunate part of legend status is that everyone knows when you're underachieving, and the Stones certainly know they can do better than "Neighbors," but, as happens with most artists who end up putting out four decades worth of albums, they just don't have the energy to care. As I mentioned, though, the album is catapulted onto top ten Stones albums lists when it wanes gracefully to its sweet conclusion with ballads such as the ethereal "Heaven," "Aint No Use in Cryin'," and the chart hit, "Waiting on a Friend." Whereas previous (and later) departures from their rock roots were abysmal failures--the disco-tinged "Emotional Rescue" and the Regae disaster, "Black 'N Blue"--these unusually atmospheric, heartfelt and hypnotizing tunes tactfully expanded the Stones' musical vision. "Heaven," in particular, bloated with grace, beauty and authenticity, might be the most successful Stones "experiment" of all. These ballads, along with above-mentioned rock classics, make Tattoo You an essential purchase for even the most casual Rolling Stones fan.