Tattoo You, like its predecessor Emotional Rescue, is composed mainly of leftovers, this time from not only the Some Girls sessions but as far back as Exile On Main Street. In fact, former guitarist Mick Taylor, who left the group in 1975, can be found on "Tops" and "Waiting On A Friend." This time around the filler sounds a bit better and captures the Stones as a professional stadium-rock band. Speaking of which, the band supported this album with their first ever stadium tour, a routine which they still largely follow to this day.

The album is divided into two sides, one side rock & roll and one side that consists of ballads. The rock & roll sides contains the classic "Start Me Up," the top 20 hit "Hang Fire," the soul-rock of "Slave," the salacious Keith Richards number "Little T&A," the bluesy "Black Limousine" and the hard-driving "Neighbours." The ballad side is just as strong as the rock & roll side as it showcases Mick Jagger's use of the falsetto he introduced in "Emotional Rescue," especially in the breathy "Heaven," and the Prince-like "Worried About You." While "Tops" and "No Use In Crying" are solid numbers and all, the real gem on the ballad side of the album, if not the entire Stones' 80s catalog, is the poignant "Waiting On A Friend" which features saxophone from jazz great Sonny Rollins.

This album is often regarded as the Stones' last great album, but this is only true if you hold up the subsequent albums to the sound of the rest of the band's catalogue. This album is not the last great Stones' album, just the beginning of an evolution which would continue through the 80s and 90s. On the down side, this would represent the beginning of a decade long feud between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards due to the latter's increasing sobriety and desire for more say in the band's direction.