Undercover is the 17th British and 19th American studio album by English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on November 7, 1983 by Rolling Stones Records. The band would move the label to Columbia Records for its follow-up, 1986’s Dirty Work.
After the band’s preceding studio album Tattoo You (1981) was mostly patched together from a selection of outtakes, Undercover was their first release of all-new recordings in the 1980s. Tensions in the studio were high, as each of the principal songwriters wanted to take the band in a different direction. Vocalist Mick Jagger sought to adapt to modern trends in music, favouring reggae, world beat, and new wave musical textures, while guitarist Keith Richards wanted the band to return to their blues rock roots. As a result, the album is an eclectic collection of songs covering a wide range of styles. Besides the other principal band members, including guitarist Ronnie Wood, bassist Bill Wyman, and drummer Charlie Watts, the album featured many guest musicians. It would be the last album released during the lifetime of Ian Stewart, a former member of the band and frequent contributor on piano.
It would be the first Rolling Stones album in more than a decade to miss reaching No. 1 on the U.S. album charts, peaking at No. 4. Three singles were released from the album, with the highest-charting being top-40 release “Undercover of the Night.”
- “Undercover of the Night” 4:31
- “She Was Hot” 4:40
- “Tie You Up (The Pain of Love)” 4:16
- “Wanna Hold You” 3:52
- “Feel On Baby” 5:03
- “Too Much Blood” 6:14
- “Pretty Beat Up” 4:03
- “Too Tough” 3:52
- “All the Way Down” 3:12
- “It Must Be Hell” 5:03
Mick Jagger – lead and backing vocals, electric guitar, harmonica
Keith Richards – electric guitar, backing vocals; lead vocals on “Wanna Hold You”; bass guitar on “Pretty Beat Up”
Ronnie Wood – electric and slide guitar, backing vocals; bass guitar on “Tie You Up” and “Wanna Hold You”
Bill Wyman – bass guitar, percussion; piano on “Pretty Beat Up”
Charlie Watts – drums
Chuck Leavell – keyboards, organ, piano
Ian Stewart – piano on “She Was Hot” and “Pretty Beat Up”, percussion
David Sanborn – saxophone
CHOPS – horns
Sly Dunbar – percussion
Robbie Shakespeare – bass guitar
Moustapha Cissé – percussion
Ibrahima Coundoul – percussion
Martin Ditcham – percussion
Jim Barber – main electric guitar on “Too Much Blood”
RadioMaxMusic 