Album Review: Rose Tattoo- The Albums (1981-1984)

Aaron ConnAlbum Review, MusicLeave a Comment

Rose Tattoo The Albums

Rose Tattoo The AlbumsCherry Red Records have released a set of albums from one of Australia’s most underrated rock bands: Rose Tattoo. The set, The Albums (1981-84), is a collection featuring the band’s first four studio albums. As per usual, there are some bonus tracks and all four albums have been newly remastered, making this another solid set from the record label.

A Little Bit of History
Formed in 1976, Rose Tattoo have been performing on/off for the last five decades. Of the other hard rock bands from that time period, Rose Tattoo stand out for their use of slide guitar, giving their songs a bluesy edge. Rose Tattoo have been through many line up changes, with singer Angry Anderson being the most consistent member of the band. The band’s original recording line up consisted of:

Angry Anderson- vocals
Mick Cocks- guitar
Peter Wells- slide guitar
Geordie Leach- bass
Dallas “Digger” Royall- drums

While never worldwide famous, the band have a cult following. Guns N Roses would name them as an influence, even cover one of their songs “Nice Boys.”

This set covers the band’s first four albums. Below is a description on each one.

 

Rose Tattoo (1978, 1981 in other places as Rock N Roll Outlaws)
rose tattoo debutThe band’s debut is possibly their strongest. From top to bottom, this album shows Rose Tattoo at their best: blues tinged hard rock with heavy slide guitar us. It’s rough around the edges and delightfully so. It’s easily their strongest effort.

Favorite Songs: Rock N Roll Outlaw, Nice boys, One Of The Boys, Astra Wally
Rating: 7/10

 

Assault and Battery (1981)
rose tattoo assault and batteryThe band’s sophomore effort is, more or less, a continuation of their debut. If anything, the production is more hard rock based than blues based. There’s also a few songs that don’t heavily utilize in slide guitar. It’s not as good as the debut but a solid album nevertheless.

Favorite Songs: Magnum Maid, Sidewalk Sally, Out of This Place, All The Lessons
Rating: 7/10

Scarred for Life (1982)
rose tattoo scarred for lifeWhile a little more polished and commercial, Scarred for Life is another great album. It’s a diverse album, with the band showing other styles in their sound. Had things worked out a little better for them, this could’ve been the band’s Highway To Hell: a more commercial sound while still maintaining the heaviness.

Favorite Songs: Branded, We Can’t Be Beaten, Scarred For Life, Juice on the Loose
Rating: 7/10

 

Southern Stars (1984)
rose tattoo southern starsBy the time of their fourth album, many of the classic line up members had left the band. Angry Anderson and Geordie Leach were the only members left but continued nevertheless. Southern Stars saw the band becoming more mainstream with an AOR sound. While there are a few good songs, this is easily the weakest of the first four albums.

Favorite Songs: I Wish, Southern Stars, The Radio Said Rock N Roll Is Dead, You’ve Been Told
Rating: 5/10

Rose Tattoo would release one more album before breaking up in 1987. The band would reunite in the early 1990s and the late 1990s. Many of the members have passed away over the years, many of them to forms of cancer. Angry Anderson still fronts the band, which has had a revolving door of members.

Conclusion
If you’re looking to get into Rose Tattoo, The Albums will keep you: it has the first four albums plus bonus tracks on each disc. They’ve been newly remastered and they all sound great. Along with this, there’s a nice booklet included filled with pictures and liner notes. Overall, this is a great release.

Overall Rating: 7/10

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