The Rolling Stones

Tattoo You

First released1981

Tattoo You was recorded primarily at EMI Studios in Los Angeles during 1972, though sessions also took place at the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio and other locations between 1972 and 1981. The album was produced by the Stones themselves along with engineer Chris Kimsey, who played a crucial role in assembling and mixing tracks that had been recorded across nearly a decade. Rather than recording new material specifically for the album, the Stones and Kimsey compiled songs from their extensive vault of unreleased recordings, making it a retrospective project of previously recorded sessions. The album marked a notable technical achievement in how overdubs and mixing were used to refresh and complete older recordings, allowing the band to release material without undertaking a full new recording session. Tattoo You was released in 1981 and became a commercial success, demonstrating the viability of releasing archival material when properly produced and sequenced.