Rose Tattoo (album)
Encyclopedia
Rose Tattoo is the debut self-titled album by Australian hard rock
band Rose Tattoo
released in November 1978 on the Albert Productions
label. It was produced by the famous Vanda & Young
team who have worked with AC/DC
, The Angels
and Stevie Wright. The album was released as Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw (or Rock 'n' Roll Outlaws) in some markets. Eight bonus tracks were added for the 1990 CD edition for Repertoire Records
.
in 1976, they recorded their debut single, "Bad Boy for Love" with Angry Anderson
on lead vocals, Mick Cocks
on rhythm guitar
, Ian Rilen
on bass guitar, Dallas "Digger" Royall on drums
and Peter Wells on slide guitar
during mid-1977. Rilen, the song's writer departed to form punk rock group, X
, prior to its release in October 1977. The single was produced by Vanda & Young
(ex-The Easybeats
, AC/DC's producers) and peaked at No. 19 on the Australian Kent Music Report
Singles Chart. To cover Rilen's departure, Cocks switched to bass guitar , then Chris Turner (ex-Buffalo) was brought in.
Anderson's one-time band mate, bass guitarist Geordie Leach was recruited to replace Turner and record their self-titled debut LP, Rose Tattoo, which reached the top 40 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart in November 1978. The album, produced by Vanda & Young, was released in some markets as Rock N' Roll Outlaw from their second Australian single, "Rock N' Roll Outlaw" which did not reach the top 50. Leach left the band in May 1979 to be replaced in October by guitarist Lobby Loyde
(Purple Hearts
, Wild Cherries
). The band toured the United States, recorded an unreleased album in Los Angeles, and then toured Europe (including UK), but by September Loyde had left and Leach had returned.
Early in 1981, "Rock N' Roll Outlaw" started to chart in Europe, peaking at No. 2 in France, No. 5 in Germany and No. 60 in UK. The line up of Anderson, Cocks, Leach, Royall and Wells toured Europe from April. Three years after their debut the band issued the follow-up album, Assault & Battery
in September, which reached the top 30 in Australia. Both Rock N' Roll Outlaw and Assault & Battery peaked at No. 1 on the UK heavy metal albums chart. Eight bonus tracks were added for the 1990 CD edition for Repertoire Records
.
The song "Nice Boys" was covered by Guns N' Roses
in 1986 on their Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide EP (as a studio recording with overdubbed crowd noise to sound 'live'), and it was later re-released on their 1988 EP G N' R Lies
. In 1987, the song "Rock & Roll Outlaw" was covered by American Glam Metal
band Keel
for the soundtrack of the movie Dudes.
In October 2010, Rose Tattoo (1978) was listed in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums
.
as shown.
1990 Repertoire Records re-release bonus tracks
Production
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Rose Tattoo
Rose Tattoo
Rose Tattoo is an Australian rock and roll band, now led by Angry Anderson, that was formed in Sydney in 1976. Their sound is hard rock mixed with blues rock influences, with songs including "Bad Boy for Love", "Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw", "Nice Boys", "We Can't Be Beaten" and "Scarred for Life"...
released in November 1978 on the Albert Productions
Albert Productions
Albert Productions, a division of music publishing and recording company Albert Music, is one of Australia's longest established independent Australian record label to specialise in rock and roll music. The label was founded in 1964 by Ted Albert, whose family owned and operated the Australian...
label. It was produced by the famous Vanda & Young
Vanda & Young
Vanda & Young are Harry Vanda , and George Young...
team who have worked with AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
, The Angels
The Angels (Australian band)
The Angels are a hard rock band that formed in Adelaide, Australia in 1970. The band later relocated from Adelaide to Sydney and enjoyed huge local success until well into the 1990s. For the purposes of international release, their records were released under the names Angel City and later The...
and Stevie Wright. The album was released as Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw (or Rock 'n' Roll Outlaws) in some markets. Eight bonus tracks were added for the 1990 CD edition for Repertoire Records
Repertoire Records
Repertoire Records is a German record label from Hamburg, Germany, specialising in reissues of classic pop and rock albums originally issued in the 60s and 70s. The chairman is Thomas Neelsen....
.
Background
Rose Tattoo formed in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in 1976, they recorded their debut single, "Bad Boy for Love" with Angry Anderson
Angry Anderson
Gary Stephen "Angry" Anderson AM is an Australian rock singer, television presenter/reporter, actor and conservative political activist. He is best known as the vocalist with the hard rock band Rose Tattoo since 1976 but he is also recognised for his acting roles and his charity work...
on lead vocals, Mick Cocks
Mick Cocks
Michael Thomas "Mick" Cocks was an Australian musician, most noted for his guitar work with Rose Tattoo. His original sound and style heavily influenced Guns N' Roses, who recorded a cover of the Rose Tattoo song ‘Nice Boys’. He was also a member of Heaven, Doomfoxx, Pete Wells Heart Attack and...
on rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, Ian Rilen
Ian Rilen
Ian William Rilen was an Australian musician, he was bass guitarist and songwriter with Rock N' Roll band Rose Tattoo and led punk rock group X also providing lead guitar, rhythm guitar and vocals...
on bass guitar, Dallas "Digger" Royall on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
and Peter Wells on slide guitar
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
during mid-1977. Rilen, the song's writer departed to form punk rock group, X
X (Australian band)
X is an Australian punk rock band, formed in Sydney in 1977 and led by the late Ian Rilen. The band has split and reformed several times.Although X has had several members, its sound has been defined by two distinctive elements: Rilen's basslines and Steve Lucas's guitar...
, prior to its release in October 1977. The single was produced by Vanda & Young
Vanda & Young
Vanda & Young are Harry Vanda , and George Young...
(ex-The Easybeats
The Easybeats
The Easybeats were an Australian rock and roll band. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and broke up at the end of 1969. They are regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s, and were the first Australian rock and roll act to score an international pop hit with their 1966 single...
, AC/DC's producers) and peaked at No. 19 on the Australian Kent Music Report
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
Singles Chart. To cover Rilen's departure, Cocks switched to bass guitar , then Chris Turner (ex-Buffalo) was brought in.
Anderson's one-time band mate, bass guitarist Geordie Leach was recruited to replace Turner and record their self-titled debut LP, Rose Tattoo, which reached the top 40 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart in November 1978. The album, produced by Vanda & Young, was released in some markets as Rock N' Roll Outlaw from their second Australian single, "Rock N' Roll Outlaw" which did not reach the top 50. Leach left the band in May 1979 to be replaced in October by guitarist Lobby Loyde
Lobby Loyde
Lobby Loyde , also known as John Barrie Lyde or Barry Lyde, was an Australian rock music guitarist, songwriter and producer....
(Purple Hearts
Purple Hearts (Australian band)
The Purple Hearts were an Australian rock group, formed in Brisbane in 1964. The band consisted of lead vocalist Mick Hadley, lead guitarist Barry Lyde , rhythm guitarist Fred Pickard, bassist Bob Dames, and drummers Adrian 'Red' Redmond and Tony Cahill .It is notable that Brisbane, traditionally...
, Wild Cherries
Wild Cherries
The Wild Cherries was an Australian rock group, which started in late 1964 playing R&B and became "the most relentlessly experimental psychedelic band on the Melbourne discotheque / dance scene" according to commentator, Glenn A...
). The band toured the United States, recorded an unreleased album in Los Angeles, and then toured Europe (including UK), but by September Loyde had left and Leach had returned.
Early in 1981, "Rock N' Roll Outlaw" started to chart in Europe, peaking at No. 2 in France, No. 5 in Germany and No. 60 in UK. The line up of Anderson, Cocks, Leach, Royall and Wells toured Europe from April. Three years after their debut the band issued the follow-up album, Assault & Battery
Assault & Battery (Rose Tattoo album)
Assault & Battery is the second album by Australian hard rock band Rose Tattoo. It was the first sort of full-length release in three years after three years non stop on the road.-Track listing:# "Out of This Place"...
in September, which reached the top 30 in Australia. Both Rock N' Roll Outlaw and Assault & Battery peaked at No. 1 on the UK heavy metal albums chart. Eight bonus tracks were added for the 1990 CD edition for Repertoire Records
Repertoire Records
Repertoire Records is a German record label from Hamburg, Germany, specialising in reissues of classic pop and rock albums originally issued in the 60s and 70s. The chairman is Thomas Neelsen....
.
The song "Nice Boys" was covered by Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
in 1986 on their Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide EP (as a studio recording with overdubbed crowd noise to sound 'live'), and it was later re-released on their 1988 EP G N' R Lies
G N' R Lies
-Personnel:*W. Axl Rose - lead vocals, whistle on "Patience"*Izzy Stradlin - rhythm guitar, rhythm acoustic guitar on tracks 5-8, backing vocals*Slash - lead guitar, lead acoustic guitar on tracks 5-8...
. In 1987, the song "Rock & Roll Outlaw" was covered by American Glam Metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
band Keel
Keel (band)
Keel is an American heavy metal band founded in 1984 in Los Angeles, California. They were known for their rock anthem "The Right to Rock." The band was active until 1989, with a brief reunion in 1998. Keel reunited in 2008 and is currently touring for their 25th anniversary.-History:Keel was...
for the soundtrack of the movie Dudes.
In October 2010, Rose Tattoo (1978) was listed in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums
100 Best Australian Albums
100 Best Australian Albums is a compendium of rock and pop albums of the past 50 years as compiled by music journalists Toby Creswell, Craig Mathieson and John O'Donnell. The book was published on 25 October 2010 by Hardie Grant Books...
.
Track listing
All tracks written by members of Rose TattooRose Tattoo
Rose Tattoo is an Australian rock and roll band, now led by Angry Anderson, that was formed in Sydney in 1976. Their sound is hard rock mixed with blues rock influences, with songs including "Bad Boy for Love", "Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw", "Nice Boys", "We Can't Be Beaten" and "Scarred for Life"...
as shown.
- "Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw" (Gary AndersonAngry AndersonGary Stephen "Angry" Anderson AM is an Australian rock singer, television presenter/reporter, actor and conservative political activist. He is best known as the vocalist with the hard rock band Rose Tattoo since 1976 but he is also recognised for his acting roles and his charity work...
, Michael CocksMick CocksMichael Thomas "Mick" Cocks was an Australian musician, most noted for his guitar work with Rose Tattoo. His original sound and style heavily influenced Guns N' Roses, who recorded a cover of the Rose Tattoo song ‘Nice Boys’. He was also a member of Heaven, Doomfoxx, Pete Wells Heart Attack and...
, Gordon Leach, Dallas Royall, Peter Wells) – 3:24 - "Nice Boys" (Leach, Anderson, Royall, Wells, Cocks) – 2:55
- "Butcher and Fast Eddy" (Leach, Anderson, Royall, Wells, Cocks) – 6:33
- "One of the Boys" (Leach, Anderson, Royall, Wells, Cocks) – 3:12
- "Remedy" (Leach, Anderson, Cocks, Royall, Wells) – 3:03
- "Bad Boy for Love" (Ian RilenIan RilenIan William Rilen was an Australian musician, he was bass guitarist and songwriter with Rock N' Roll band Rose Tattoo and led punk rock group X also providing lead guitar, rhythm guitar and vocals...
) – 3:08 - "Television" (Anderson, Leach, Royall, Wells, Cocks) – 2:02
- "Stuck on You" (Leach, Royall, Anderson, Wells, Cocks) – 3:58
- "Tramp" (Anderson, Leach, Royall, Wells, Cocks) – 2:40
- "Astra Wally" (Wells, Rilen, Cocks, Anderson, Royall) – 3:58
1990 Repertoire Records re-release bonus tracks
- "Never Too Loud" (Anderson, Leach) – 3:46
- "I Had you First" (Anderson, Wells) – 2:36
- "Fightin' Sons" (Anderson, Wells) – 3:09
- "Snow Queen" (Rilen) – 4:20
- "Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw" (live) (Anderson, Cocks, Leach, Royall, Wells) – 3:33
- "Bad Boy for Love" (live) (Rilen) – 5:39
- "Rock 'n' Roll Is King" (live) (Cocks, Anderson) – 4:26
- "Suicide City" (live) (Anderson, Cocks) – 5:20
Personnel
Rose Tattoo members- Angry AndersonAngry AndersonGary Stephen "Angry" Anderson AM is an Australian rock singer, television presenter/reporter, actor and conservative political activist. He is best known as the vocalist with the hard rock band Rose Tattoo since 1976 but he is also recognised for his acting roles and his charity work...
– lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the... - Peter Wells – slide guitarSlide guitarSlide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Mick CocksMick CocksMichael Thomas "Mick" Cocks was an Australian musician, most noted for his guitar work with Rose Tattoo. His original sound and style heavily influenced Guns N' Roses, who recorded a cover of the Rose Tattoo song ‘Nice Boys’. He was also a member of Heaven, Doomfoxx, Pete Wells Heart Attack and...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - Geordie Leach – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(tracks 1–5, 7–9, 11–13, 15–18) - Ian RilenIan RilenIan William Rilen was an Australian musician, he was bass guitarist and songwriter with Rock N' Roll band Rose Tattoo and led punk rock group X also providing lead guitar, rhythm guitar and vocals...
– bass guitar (tracks 6, 10, 14) - Dallas "Digger" Royall – drumsDrummerA drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Production
- Harry VandaHarry VandaHarry Vanda , is a Dutch-born Australian popular music singer, guitarist, songwriter and record producer.-Career:...
– producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - George Young – producer