Rose Tattoo - The Albums 1981 - 1984

Australia's Rose Tattoo formed in 1976 and were led by vocalist Angry Anderson along with the distinctive slide guitar work of Peter Wells.  Between 1978 and 1984 they released four albums (Wells left after album three) with a sound that notably drew from elements of pub rock, punk, metal and blues.  Now, thanks to Lemon Records, those first four albums, along with a handful of bonus tracks, have been compiled on the four-disc box set The Albums 1981-1984.

The band set the bar high with their eponymous debut (also titled Rock ‘N’ Roll Outlaw in some areas), an album that explodes with bluesy Australian pub rock delivered with a raw and ragged, hard rocking punk energy highlighted by Wells’ aforementioned slide guitar.  The album opens with the perfect introduction to the band - the ragged and full of swagger “Rock ‘N’ Roll Outlaw” followed by “Nice Boys,” which was made even more famous when Guns ‘N’ Roses covered it.  While GnR definitely did the song justice, just take a listen to this version, a raw, punk-paced rock and roll anthem that takes it to another level.  Shifting gears a little, “The Butcher And Fast Eddy” is a slower, gritty storytelling tune reminiscent of Thin Lizzy that tells the real-life story of a gang war that led to the death of one gang's leader, followed by “One of The Boys, a bluesy boogie woogie track not so unlike George Thorogood.  “Remedy” is up next and is a blue-tinged rocker with no-frills punk energy, similar in style to later tracks “T.V.” and “Tramp.”  With guitar riffs taken almost directly from AC/DC’s “She’s Got Balls” (the album was produced by the team of Vanda and Young, who notably also worked with AC/DC), “Bad Boy For Love” is more of a midtempo blues rock track with some great slide guitar.  The slide work is again very notable on “Stuck On You,” a captivating, soulful, semi-acoustic cut that is the only slow song.  At almost six minutes, the album closes in fine fashion with “Astra Wally” is a super fast rocker with some absolute killer guitar work and an extremely infectious groove.  Also included on disc one is the bonus track “Snow Queen” another solid hard rock tune.

For their sophomore release, Assault & Battery, the band stuck pretty close to what had made the debut successful, with songs like “Let It Go,” “Assault & Battery,” “Sidewalk Sally” and the radio-friendly “Rock & Roll Is King” sticking to the straight-ahead rock, while “All The Lessons,” “Magnum Maid,” “Manzil Madness” and the raw, crunching “Suicide City” having more of the in-your-face punk element.  The AC/DC influence also shows up from time to time, most notably on “Out Of Place” and album highlight “Chinese Dunkirk,” a slower bluesy track that sounds like a cross between AC/DC and ZZ Top.  Although not quite as good as the debut, this album is another outstanding release.  Six more bonus tracks can be found on disc two starting with the swagger filled straight-up punk of “I Had You First.”  Followed by a 7” version of “Rock ‘N’ Roll Is King” are four live cuts.  The sound quality is just so-so, but they definitely show the power of the band playing live.  

While album number three, Scarred For Life, ended up being their most successful album in Australia, it also found them largely bailing on their aggressive raw punk element and instead shifting towards a more mainstream, radio friendly sound.  Throughout the album there is an emphasis on rock anthems with songs like “It’s Gonna Work Itself Out,” “Sydney Girls,” “We Can’t Be Beaten,” a bluesy rocker with a big anthemic chorus, and “Branded,” an extremely catchy track that’s on the poppy side, but one where they really make that work.  They also throw in a little Southern Rock influence here on tracks like “Juice On The Loose” and “Who’s Got The Cash.”  They tap into Led Zeppelin on the barnstorming “Revenge” and show the AC/DC connection again on tunes like the title track and “Texas,” the latter of which also adds a little ZZ Top flavored boogie.  As for the punk, they haven’t completely abandoned that as can be heard on “Dead Set.”  Although not quite as good as their first two releases, there is plenty to like on album number three.  There are three more bonus tracks on this disc, including the single version of “Branded,” the honky tonk country rock of “Fightin’ Sons” (this one would have been a nice addition to the album) and the rocking anthem “All Hell Broke Loose.”  

When album number four, Southern Stars, came along, the band had gone through a pretty big overhaul with Anderson and bassist Geordie Leach not only the remaining original members, but also the only members left from the Scarred For Life lineup.  That album also saw them shifting even further in more of a generic AOR direction. Unfortunately, a lot of these songs ended up being pretty lackluster with nothing to really set them apart.  They also venture into reggae on “The Pirate Song,” and “No Secrets” is an attempt at a rock ballad, but neither of these really work well.  Having said that, there are a few that are worth the listen.  These include the radio friendly “I Wish,” which has some really strong guitar, “Saturday’s Rage,” with its high-energy drive and “Death Or Glory”.  A couple of the songs, the gritty rocker “You’ve Been Told” and the hard driving, boogie woogie rocker “The Radio Said Rock ‘N’ Roll Is Dead,” take you back to the earlier “old school Rose Tattoo” days.  There are two more bonus tracks on disc four along with a single version of “Freedom’s Flame."  They are both a couple of solid straight-ahead rockers, “Never Too Loud” and “Wild One,” that are ironically stronger than most of the album cuts.  Rounded out with an informative CD booklet detailing the band’s history The Albums 1981-1984 is a nice box set that gives some much deserved attention to a band that although not overlooked, one that deserved more attention and accolades than they got.  

(Lemon Records)