Tag: rose tattoo

Rose Tattoo had been banging round the bars of Australia for three years before the release of this, their first album, and just like AC/DC before them it was released through Albert Productions – even produced by Vanda and Young. The DNA is there for sure, but these guys seemed a lot more hardcore. This is real they mean-business-shit-kicking-rock-n-roll.

The opening track is a full barroom rock experience – complete with some mean slide playing from Pete Wells. Things explode with Nice Boys – boy, does this track fly along at a serious pace – it’s one of the band’s best ever tracks. The Butcher And Fast Eddie is a slowed down bruiser of a tune. One Of The Boys is a dirty Friday night sing-a-long boogie anthem. Remedy closes out Side 1, and this is AC/DC on crack. Great stuff!

Bad Boy For Love was the track that was played the most on the radio that I can remember, and is yet another hard man tune. TV follows and is super sped up boogie with LOTS of attitude. Is that a love song I hear? Stuck On You sure sounds like one to me. Tramp follows and is a cross between punk and mean rock n roll with a great simple riff. The album closes out with Astra Wally and is my favourite track on the album – a real mega dirty boogied up beast of a tune.

This album is fun with a capital F. It does want it says on the tin, and everyone should own one of these to shake the cobwebs off once in a while.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

Australia seems to hold the copyright to shit kicking barroom rock and roll bands like this. AC/DC seemed to unlock the door for all of them. The difference here is that Rose Tattoo looked the part of the barroom brawlers they sing about. Another comparison with the DC guys is that this album is produced by Vanda and Young, as were DC’s early albums.

This is hard rocking blues from the streets of Melbourne, and they played it like they lived it, so much so that 7 former members have died. The songs are all very similar in format – it’s just varying speeds of the beat that differentiate the tunes. All The Lessons, Assault & Battery, Magnum Maid and Manzil Madness are personal favourites,, as these songs kick hard. That’s when it works the best for me – when Pete Wells’ slide is smoking. As a little side note, singer Angry Anderson was more famous in Britain for singing a wedding ballad that charted and was part of the soap opera Neighbours.

Anyway it’s not a bad record and it does exactly what it says on the tin.

7/10 from The Grooveman.