Put this in perspective:

A.1979's Emotional Rescue was pretty much made up of Some Girls outtakes

B.1981's excellent Tattoo You was in reality an odds and sods release made up of half forgotten gems recorded throughout the 70's, rescued from the vaults and polished up.

C.1982's Still Life was the ragged glory live album documenting the 81-82 tour which was probably the most hyped rock extravaganza in history and re-positioned the Stones as arguably the most loved band in the world

D.In '85 Mick would go solo with She's The Boss

E.1986 brought arguably the lamest album in the Stones cannon, Dirty Work

So that leaves us to consider Undercover, the first batch of newly written tracks since 1978's Some Girls (although Too Tough had been hanging around in the vaults since the mid `70's). This was also the first studio release since the universally praised glory of Tattoo You and the '81 tour. Interestingly, the band did not go out of their way to replicate the classic rock sound of Tattoo You but instead tried to re-invent themselves for the 80's, exploring some new and "Modern' sounds. Thankfully, it was a little too early in the Miami Vice decade for the "Modern" production techniques of the era to doom this record to sounding embarrassingly dated (see She's The Boss and Dirty Work for examples of this kind of unfortunate excess). Some of the highlights:

1.Undercover of the Night: Title track, first single and centerpiece. Definitely the sound of the Stones re-inventing themselves for the 80's. Phased guitars, jungle rhythms and vaguely politically-themed lyrics suggesting the Central American bloodshed dominating the headlines at the time. This song is very catchy, quite rocking, not embarrassing or dated and earns the band points for trying something new and not just phoning in their performance. The band has been known to pull this one out for live performances over the years and is a welcome addition to their concerts.

2.She Was Hot: Fun, lusty rocker that is good without being great. A little overproduced, this song would have benefited from a more raw production style. This one screams for inclusion in their live set, where it would potentially come into its own as a barn burner ala Respectable or Rip This Joint.

3.Wanna Hold You: A decent rocker but not one of Keith's greatest songs; not bad either. I'd like to see Keith trot this one out for their next tour.

4.Too Much Blood: The most `80's song here but in a good way. This is really a Mick song (the bizarre violence story lyrics recorded when he was drunk) with a guitar tech playing the main riff. Definitely intended for the dance floor, this track works and is considered by some Stones freaks as the best song on the record. Surprisingly, this still sounds fresh and not dated although it certainly is of its era.

5.Pretty Beat Up: This has become my favorite track on the album. Don't believe the Jagger / Richards / Wood credits, this is a Ronnie song that those greedy bastids tacked their names onto. A totally cool 80's dance funk groover that manages to swing and rock at the same time, put this song on loud at your next blowout and watch your guests go nuts. Ronnie has been known to play this live in his solo sets and this is another one that just begs to be played live by the Stones. This is one of the great unappreciated Stones songs, ripe for rediscovery.

6.Too Tough: This simple rocker has got classic status in its blood but never quite gels. It reminds me of Silver Train, a good song that you just know has greatness in it but never quite arrives. As a side note, a great Portland, OR bar band of the 80's and early 90's, The Batz, used to include this in their set and really made it come to life.

Nothing really wrong with the rest of the tracks on this album but I think of them as second tier in comparison to the former. As a matter of fact, if these last ones had been saved for Dirty Work, they would have been the highlights of that lackluster record.

7. Tie You Up (the pain of love): A grinding, riffing groove-rocker. Okay.

8. Feel On Baby: Another groover with a whiff of the jungle

9. All The Way Down: The most Tattoo You-feeling track on the album. A generic rocker in the vein of Neighbors

10. It Must Be Hell: A mid-tempo riff rocker, nothing to get too excited about.

It's a testament to what the Rolling Stones have accomplished in the past 35 years when an album of this quality can only achieve 3 or 4 stars when compared their best. However, if you've been turned off by reviews that dismiss it as merely an "80's Stones album that should be avoided", please reconsider. If it doesn't match up to late 60's, early 70's Stones albums, then so be it. Not much does. You want some basic hard rocking music? Buy this album.

The trilogy, "Beggars", "Bleed", and "Sticky" are albums that you play from start to finish because to do otherwise would be somehow sacrilegious. Put on Undercover and hit "Random" and turn up the volume. I defy you to listen and not move your hips or drum the air at some point. This is more a collection of random high-quality tunes versus a coherent album. You will hear a lot of music faintly reminiscent of "Exile on Main St." on this cd... but like the album packaging, it's got that 80's glossy feel to it. If they missed the mark it's because the sound is too clean, too polished. While the lyrics are dark, they don't completely pull you in because they are served up in a very slick manner. The glossy production causes Mick to come off sounding downright mean, versus simply nasty and a little vulnerable, like we're used to. But we must stop comparisons with the Stones' best. These tunes simply rock! Worried that it will be uninspired and bland? Hardly!!!

Buy this album and play it on Random and play it LOUD. You'll think you've just bought a "new" Stones cd, even though this one is rapidly approaching 20 years old. After a few listens you'll wonder why you don't hear more of these songs played on the radio or by the band in concert. The only reason is because of what they've produced elsewhere. This cd is a dark, forgotten joy that just never gets the credit it deserves.

Undercover was originally released November 8, 1983, it went to #1 in the UK and #4 in the US. This was the 35th album released in the UK and the 31st released in the US. It was the 10th album to go to #1 in the UK. There had been 11 #1 albums in the US. All in all, this was the Stones *16th* #1 album!

The album includes the single hits Undercover Of The Night and She Was Hot, as well as the US only singles Too Much Blood and Too Tough. 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 band essentially broke up and would not enter a studio for a year and a half after finishing the June 1983 sessions for Undercover in Nassau....this came close to being the last Stones album
.....Too Much Blood is about a true story of a student at the Sorbonne who killed and ate his girlfriend, oh, and there are 2 other versions of Too Much Blood (version 2 is the Dance version, version 3 is the Dub version.) Both were released only on the US 12" single
.....there are also 2 other versions of Undercover Of The Night (version 2 was released only on the UK 12" single while version 3 was released only on the US 12" single
.....Pretty Beat Up is a Ronnie Wood song that was derided by the band so much that the tapes of the early takes are still labeled "dog s___", but it made it onto the album

There were only 2 sessions for Undercover, one in Paris in late 1982 and the other in Nassau in early summer 1983. Final mixing was done at The Hit Factory in New York.
Nov 11 - Dec 16, 1982 at Pathe Marconi/EMI Studios in Paris
.....She Was Hot
.....Wanna Hold You
.....Too Much Blood (version 1 - album cut)
.....All The Way Down
.....Too Tough
.....It Must Be Hell
.....Tie You Up (Pain Of Love)
May - Jun, 1983 at Compass Point Studios, Nassau
.....Undercover Of The Night (version 1 - album cut)
.....Tie You Up (Pain Of Love)
.....Feel On Baby (version 1)
.....Pretty Beat Up
.....Wanna Hold You
.....She Was Hot

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, with some of the notes from Davis' "Old Gods Almost Dead."

Undercover is the best Stones album since the 1967-72 Golden Era Stones....PERIOD....Musically eclectic, Undercover is an ambitious album full of new material (unlike Tattoo You and Emotional Rescue which were mostly outtakes from earlier albums) and is an incredible mix of hard rock, new wave pop, afro-cuban percussion, reggae, dub, and soul. It perfectly blends the raw Stones sound with 80's production. There is not a single filler here and even today the title track "Undercover" and "Too much Blood" sound fresh and sharp and display NO element of sounding dated like a lot of eighties music. Ronnie Wood's only decent output with the Stones is reflected in Too Tough and She Was Hot with some driving leads which continue on All The Way Down. The lyrics to all the songs are graphic, nasty, bloody and sound like vintage 60's era Stones. The song writing is also funny and self deprecating ("I was married yesterday to a teeneage bride"....pokes fun at Bill Wyman's marriage to 18 year old Mandy Smith while "Still I play the fool and strut" has Mick self parodying as usual). It Must be Hell boasts of a stunning opening riff by Keith (modern day version of Soul Survivor from EOMS). This riff was later copied/stolen by Michael Jackson on Black or White. Wanna Hold You is a rare Keith Richards tune, at his melodic best and his vocals have never been better. Pretty Beat Up is a funky Ronnie Wood garage song fused to a suprising groove while Tie you Up (Pain of Love)and Feel on Baby evoke the kind of violence, sexual craving and longing that has made the Stones a fascinating act for 40 years.

In retrospect, this album is stunningly well produced. Everything from the cover design to the lyrics showcase carnage, relentless bloodletting and kinky sex. The sound is "tight", the arrangements are compact and the song order makes the album cohesive and a violent theme stares at you in your face. Stones' albums have sorely been lacking in each of these qualities since Exile and the Jimmy Miller days). UNDERCOVER is the last album where the ROLLLING STONES sound threatening ......like the STONES of Altamont - unforced but dangerous, sleazy, gritty, ragged and natural.

See Wandering Spirit's review below for a crisp summary of what's so great about this Stones album, surely one of the most overlooked, least recognized discs the band made in the Ronnie Wood era.

I remember when Some Girls' "Miss You" came floating out of the radio in the summer of 1978, and it was magical. And the off-speed metal groove of Start Me Up in August of '81 was brilliant. But no less powerful was the early winter of '83 when "Undercover of the Night"'s weird machine gun rattle announced that the Stones were back saying things that struck home about this world we live in ("the race militia have got itchy fingers...once-proud fathers act so huuuumble" and "our tv leader tries to preach, the words of Christ he tries to teach" are book ends to this record).

Seems to me this is late Stones at their most insightful and funniest about these strange days we live in, awash in too much blood, too much sex, too few good relationships. And unlike other Stones records of the 80s (Emotional Rescue, Dirty Work, and yes, Tattoo You (I won't even mention that one from '89)) this one hangs together as a coherent listening experience, that is, an album.

No, it's not Beggar's Banquet or Exile on Main St. But Ronnie Wood's influence freshens the old fellows up more than since Black and Blue's "Hey Negrita" (which, incidentally, is Woody's best contribution to the Stones collection, bar none) with "Pretty Beat Up" and "Feel on Baby." Keith's "Wanna Hold You" I've always found to be pretty ho-hum, though you have to chuckle when he has the nerve to sing a line like "I know you find it funny...that I got no money"

Years ago, I put Undercover on one side of a cassette, with REM's Document on the other. That's the best of the '80s. Give Undercover another listen.