Undercover (Rolling Stones album)

Due to the recent advancements in recording technology, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were officially joined in the producer's seat by Chris Kimsey, the first outside producer the Stones had used since Jimmy Miller. They began recording at the Pathé Marconi Studios in Paris, France in November 1982. After breaking for the Christmas holidays, they completed the album in New York City the following summer.

The making of Undercover was an arduous process, largely because Jagger and Richards' famous mid-1980s row began during these sessions. Jagger was keenly aware of new styles and wanted to keep The Rolling Stones current and experimental, while Richards was seemingly more focused on the band's rock and blues roots. As a result, there was friction, and the tension between the two key members would increase over the coming years. A compounding factor was the fact that Richards had emerged (to an extent) from his self-destructive lifestyle of the previous decade, and thus sought a more active role in the creative direction of the band, much to the chagrin of Jagger, who had enjoyed nearly a decade in relative control of the band.

The lyrics on Undercover are among Jagger's most macabre, with much grisly imagery to be found in the lead single and top 10 hit "Undercover of the Night", a rare political track about Central America, as well as "Tie You Up (The Pain of Love)" and "Too Much Blood", Jagger's attempt to incorporate contemporary trends in dance music.

Musically, Undercover appears to duel between hard rock, reggae and new wave, reflecting the leadership tug of war between Jagger and Richards at the time. "Pretty Beat Up" is largely a Ronnie Wood composition, and Jagger and Richards were both reportedly reluctant to include it on the album.

"Think I'm Going Mad" was a track first recorded during the Emotional Rescue sessions of 1979 and appeared as the B-side to the "She Was Hot" single. It was not included on the Rarities 1971–2003 collection and was finally released on CD on the Singles 1971–2006 box set compilation.

{{Music ratings

|rev1 = AllMusic

|rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}

|rev2 = Blender

|rev2score = {{Rating|4|5}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20191212111635/http://www.blender.com/guide/back-catalogue/53807/undercover.html]

|rev3 = Christgau's Record Guide

|rev3Score = C+{{cite web|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=rolling+stone|title=Robert Christgau: CG: rolling stone|publisher=robertchristgau.com|access-date=13 March 2006|archive-date=28 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728163319/http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=rolling%20stone|url-status=live}}

|rev5 = MusicHound

|rev5score = {{Rating|2|5}}{{cite book|editor-last1=Graff|editor-first1=Gary|editor-last2=Durchholz|editor-first2=Daniel|title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide|publisher=Visible Ink Press|location=Farmington Hills, MI|year=1999|isbn=1-57859-061-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/952 952]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/952}}

|rev6 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

|rev6score = {{Rating|3|5}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20110412195111/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/the-rolling-stones/albumguide "The Rolling Stones: Album Guide"]. rollingstone.com. Archived version retrieved 15 November 2014.

|rev4 = Tom Hull

|rev4Score = B{{cite web|last=Hull|first=Tom|author-link=Tom Hull (critic)|date=30 June 2018|url=http://tomhull.com/ocston/blog/archives/2647-Streamnotes-June-2018.html|title=Streamnotes (June 2018)|website=tomhull.com|access-date=11 February 2020|archive-date=12 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201012124355/http://tomhull.com/ocston/blog/archives/2647-Streamnotes-June-2018.html|url-status=live}}

}}

Undercover was released in November 1983, reaching No. 3 in the UK and No. 4 in the United States. It was a relative disappointment, however, breaking a streak of eight No. 1 albums (excluding compilations and live albums) in the United States and failing to spawn any huge singles.

Undercover was the fourth consecutive Rolling Stones album to have its art direction handled by Peter Corriston (who had won a Grammy for his work on Tattoo You), with concept origination, photography and illustration by Hubert Kretzschmar. The album's cover artwork was covered with real peel-off stickers on the original vinyl edition, which when removed revealed other patterned geometric shapes.

Contemporary critical reception to the album was mixed. In a review in Rolling Stone, Kurt Loder gave the album 4.5 stars, calling it "rock & roll without apologies".{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/undercover-100134/|title=Undercover|last1=Loder|first1=Kurt|date=1983-11-07|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=2019-08-28|archive-date=28 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190828180955/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/undercover-100134/|url-status=live}} On the other hand, Robert Christgau called it a "murky, overblown, incoherent piece of shit" and labelled it the band's "worst studio album."{{Cite web|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=The+Rolling+Stones|title=Robert Christgau: CG: The Rolling Stones|publisher=robertchristgau.com|access-date=2019-08-28|archive-date=6 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606074023/https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=The+Rolling+Stones|url-status=live}}

Many fans have come to regard the album as among the Stones' weaker releases, a view echoed by Jagger himself in later interviews. While some critics tended to blame the production, a large part of the album was done in a hard-rock style ("She Was Hot", "Too Tough", "All the Way Down" and "It Must Be Hell"), leading many to fault the inconsistent material. Some later reviews have attributed the album's eclecticism and nastiness to the Jagger/Richards feud.

Undercover was the last Rolling Stones album distributed in North America via Rolling Stones Records' original distribution deal with Warner Music Group's Atlantic Records subsidiary. The album would be reissued in 1986 by CBS/Sony Music following the Stones' signing to that label. Undercover was subsequently remastered and reissued by Virgin Records in 1994, and again in 2009 by Universal Music. It was released on SHM-SACD in 2012 by Universal Music Japan.

Original cassettes and later CD reissues (post-EMI) of this album contain a different edit of "Wanna Hold You" from what appeared on the original vinyl release. The original cassette release includes the verse "You sure look good to me, so what's it gonna be, it's up to you to choose, I'll make you an offer you can't refuse". This version runs 3:50.

{{Tracklist

| all_writing = Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, except "Pretty Beat Up", written by Jagger, Richards and Ronnie Wood

| headline = Side one

| title1 = Undercover of the Night

| length1 = 4:31

| title2 = She Was Hot

| length2 = 4:40

| title3 = Tie You Up (The Pain of Love)

| length3 = 4:16

| title4 = Wanna Hold You

| length4 = 3:52

| title5 = Feel on Baby

| length5 = 5:03

}}

{{Tracklist

| headline = Side two

| title1 = Too Much Blood

| length1 = 6:14

| title2 = Pretty Beat Up

| length2 = 4:03

| title3 = Too Tough

| length3 = 3:52

| title4 = All the Way Down

| length4 = 3:12

| title5 = It Must Be Hell

| length5 = 5:03

}}

Adapted from Undercover liner notes.{{cite AV media notes |title=Undercover |others= The Rolling Stones |year=1983 |type=CD booklet |publisher=Rolling Stones Records |id=90120-1}}

The Rolling Stones

• Mick Jagger – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica
• Keith Richards – rhythm and lead guitar, backing vocals; lead vocals on "Wanna Hold You"; bass guitar on "Pretty Beat Up"
• Ronnie Wood – rhythm and lead guitar, backing vocals; bass guitar on "Tie You Up" and "Wanna Hold You"
• Bill Wyman – bass guitar, percussion; Yamaha piano on "Pretty Beat Up"
• Charlie Watts – drums

Additional personnel

• Chuck Leavell – keyboards
• Ian Stewart – piano on "She Was Hot" and "Pretty Beat Up", percussion
• David Sanborn – saxophone
• CHOPS – horns
• Sly Dunbar – percussion
• Moustapha Cissé – percussion
• Ibrahima Coundoul – percussion
• Martin Ditcham – percussion
• Jim Barber – additional guitar on "Too Much Blood"

Technical

• Hubert Kretzschmar – cover art photographer and illustrator
• Peter Corriston – cover art designer
• Bob Clearmountain – mixing engineer

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for Undercover}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Japan|award=Gold|certref={{cite web|url=https://www.popsike.com/ROLLING-STONES-Japanese-Gold-Disc-Award-RIAABPI/3865525382.html|access-date=12 March 2023|title=Rolling Stones Japanese Gold Disc for Undercover}}|relyear=1983|certyear=1984}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|type=album|artist=The Rolling Stones|title=Undercover|relyear=1983|award=Gold|certref={{cite book|url=http://www.mediafire.com/view/x263f6daopkswo8|title=Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979–1990|year=2005|publisher=Iberautor Promociones Culturales|language=es|isbn=8480486392|access-date=21 April 2014|archive-date=28 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928101528/http://www.mediafire.com/view/x263f6daopkswo8|url-status=live}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|relyear=1983|region=Sweden|artist=Rolling Stones|title=Undercover|certyear=1984|award=Gold|certref={{cite web |url=https://auctionet.com/en/events/553-lilla-kvaliten-mars-2023/180-rolling-stones-rolling-stones-gold-record-for-over-50-000-sold-records-and-cassettes-undercover-emi-svenska-ab|date=5 November 2023|title= Rolling Stones, Gold record, for over 50,000 sold records and cassettes, "Undercover", EMI Svenska AB}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|artist=The Rolling Stones|title=Undercover|relyear=1983|certyear=1983|award=Gold|id=7889-44-2}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|artist=The Rolling Stones|title=Undercover|relyear=1983|award=Platinum}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Yugoslavia|nocert=true|certref={{cite web|url=https://imgur.com/2e3ZvSO|title=Yugoslavia Top Album sellers|publisher=Yugopapir|via=Imgur|access-date= 10 July 2024}}|salesamount=41,069|salesref=}}

{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Discogs master|type=album|54355|name=Undercover}}

{{The Rolling Stones}}

{{The Rolling Stones albums}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1983 albums

Category:Albums produced by Chris Kimsey

Category:Albums produced by the Glimmer Twins

Category:Rolling Stones Records albums

Category:The Rolling Stones albums

Category:Virgin Records albums

Category:Disco albums by English artists

Category:Albums with cover art by Peter Corriston