It’s been thirteen years since Rose Tattoo last released a studio album, so it seems fitting that with such a star-studded line-up now performing alongside Angry Anderson, this incarnation of the band should get something down in the recording studio that manages to capture the magic that has been pleasuring audiences, not just here in Australia but also in Europe & the UK over the last couple of years. It’s hard to believe that Rose Tattoo’s 1978 self-titled debut album, which was also titled ‘Rock n Roll Outlaw’ in some countries, would leave the imprint it has and so the band managed to spend some of 2019 locked away in a Sydney studio to re-record that debut album and the results are quite stunning. Added to the track listing of firm favourites are three previously unreleased songs that were only ever demoed back in the day, which give fans something new to hear.
For die-hard Tatts lovers who loved the original the immediate difference is that the tracks have been shuffled around from the original with the album opening with ‘One of the Boys’ followed by the first of the previously unreleased tracks, ‘Sweet Love’. ‘Tramp’ still feels like the rocker is has always been and even though Angry’s voice has an ‘older’ feel to it, it certainly hasn’t lost any of it’s ferocity & rock n’ roll passion. ‘Snow Queen’ is a fine example of Dai Pritchard’s slide guitar contributions to the Pete Wells sound that was created in those never-to-be-forgotten days in the studios as Alberts Productions. ‘Rock n Roll Outlaw’ still has the punch & fire of the original with the added bonus of the wonderful Bob Spencer on guitar and at nearly seven minutes long, it is nearer to the live version that is played now at their shows.
One of my favourite Rose Tattoo tracks has always been ‘The Butcher & Fast Eddie’ and once again Anderson manages to pull you into the story of the early gang life on the Melbourne streets as Pritchard once again shows the importance of slide guitar in the Tatts DNA and is also another track that clocks the seven minute mark. ‘Remedy’ & ‘TV’ have you punching the air with their fast pace and power, helped along by a rhythm section comprising of the one of Australia’s busiest drummers Jackie ‘Genghis’ Barnes and former AC/DC bassist Mark Evans. The late night ballad ‘Stuck on You’ takes the pace off things enough to allow us to draw breath before the slide-filled ‘Astra Wally’ leads us into a couple of marathon tracks in the form of the exceptional ‘Bad Boy for Love’ & ‘Nice Boys’. The album closer is another previously unreleased track, the blusey ‘Rosetta’, which was written by Anderson & former bass player Ian Rilen back in 1975.
“For me, that’s critically important, cosmically important, because this album is all about history, heritage, honour and respect. Just as significant is the forging, the embracing, and the official signing on if you like, to that history by THIS band and having them make their own reverent mark,” says Angry Anderson. At just over an hour long this is pure rock n’ roll as it should be played and equally, heard. If Rose Tattoo are a band you haven’t yet seen live then catch them while you can.
A large part of Australian rock n’ roll royalty, they have captured the essence of why they have been around for over forty years and if any of you haven’t got a single Rose Tattoo album in your collection then look no further than ‘Outlaws’… and then work backwards to where it all began, back in 1978.
‘Outlaws’ is released on March 3 and is distributed by Punktured Media.
