Tattoo Tecnique

AC/DC were not the only Australia-based rock band that specialized in boogie-based hard rock and tales of hard living – as evidenced by the underrated Rose Tattoo. While Rose Tattoo enjoyed success in their homeland and in Europe, the group – fronted by a chrome-domed chap named Angry Anderson – barely managed to cause a blip on the rock & roll radar stateside…

The Mint Tattoo was born as an offshoot of the legendary 60's proto punk acid band Blue Cheer. Bruce Stevens and Ralph (Burns) Kellogg had played together in Blue Cheer on band's self titled album in 1969, but after that one album, Stevens left the band to pursue other interests. Kellogg stayed on with Blue Cheer until the demise of the band in 1971, but during his tenure with Blue Cheer he reunited with Stevens along with drummer Gregg Thomas to form the band Mint Tattoo. Produced by James William Guercio (Chicago) and engineered by Phil Ramone in New York, the Mint Tattoo is a mixture of blues styled original songs, a cover of classic a blues numbers and some rather uninspired, typical for the era hard rock tunes…

Southern Stars' is the fourth album by Australian hard rock band Rose Tattoo. Southern Stars , with a slick production by Vanda & Young, had the band moving in a more AOR style, but retaining their famous Rock/boogie style. The album was essentially made with Angry Anderson and Geordie Leach on bass guitar, and new members Greg Jordon (slide/lead guitar), John Meyer (guitar) and Scott Johnston (drums)…

Outside of their native Australia, Rose Tattoo aren't as well known as their countrymen AC/DC – and they haven't been together quite as long. AC/DC were formed in 1973, while Rose Tattoo's original lineup got started in 1976. But folks who really know hard rock inside and out will tell you that Rose Tattoo are a hard rock institution…

Ever wonder what Led Zeppelin might have sounded like had they added a couple members of AC/DC and a couple members of Lynyrd Skynyrd to their lineup? The answer might lie in this album. Indeed, Rose Tattoo's gritty, bluesy rock & roll certainly does feel a lot like a Southern rock take on Zep with some Australian influence thrown in…

Re-issue of the Australian rock legends Rose Tattoo's debut LP in its original UK album sleeve. Includes the UK Top 75 single "Rock N Roll Outlaw" and the Aussie Top 10 "Bad Boy For Love" plus the original version of "Nice Boys" which was later covered by Guns N Roses. Lyrics to all the songs and liner notes by Kerrang!'s Derek Oliver are a feature of the artwork for this essential album.