Rose Tattoo – The Albums 1981–1984 (Cherry Red / Lemon Records)
Revisiting The Tats – Raw, Raucous, and Reborn on 4CD
There are some bands that instantly take you back.
For me, Rose Tattoo — or The Tats, as we called them back in the day — are one of those bands. That first album? It was practically welded to my turntable.
Now Cherry Red’s Lemon Records imprint has released The Albums 1981–1984, a 4CD box set bringing together a crucial era of the band’s career:
- Rock ‘n’ Roll Outlaws
- Assault & Battery
- Scarred for Life
- Southern Stars
Mastered by James Bragg and presented in replica sleeves with an excellent booklet essay by Dave Ling (September 2025).
The Band: Bikers, Blues, and Bare-Knuckle Rock ’n’ Roll
Formed in Sydney in the mid-1970s, Rose Tattoo were always a little more dangerous, a little more streetwise, and a little more real than many of their contemporaries.
The classic early-80s line-up featured:
- Angry Anderson – vocals
- Peter Wells – slide guitar
- Mick Cocks – guitar
- Geordie Leach – bass
- Dallas “Digger” Royall – drums
Their sound? Think the grit of AC/DC, but dragged through a biker bar at closing time. Sludgy, swampy slide guitar. Boogie rhythms. Pub rock aggression. And front and centre — Angry Anderson, whose name wasn’t just an image. He sounded angry.
Tragically, all of those early members apart from Angry have since passed away. These were musicians who lived hard and played harder. That context adds emotional weight to this box set — it’s not just a reissue, it’s a document of a band that burned brightly.
CD 1: Rock ‘n’ Roll Outlaws (1981)
Although often associated with 1980 (and originally recorded in the late ’70s), this album sits at the heart of the set.
This was a revelation when I first heard it.
We were deep into AC/DC at the time, but Rock ‘n’ Roll Outlaws felt even more primal. The slide guitar from Peter Wells gave it that filthy, blues-drenched swagger. Tracks like:
- “Rock ’n’ Roll Outlaw”
- “Nice Boys”
- “Bad Boy for Love”
- “Butcher and Fast Eddie”
…were delivered with genuine menace.
“Nice boys don’t play rock ’n’ roll…”
We probably were nice boys — but we sang that line like we meant every word.
This album is still the crown jewel. It’s raw, observational, full of street poetry and attitude. And it still sounds fantastic here.
Every home should have this album.
CD 2: Assault & Battery (1982) – The Surprise
This is where things got interesting for me.
Back in the day, I didn’t connect with Assault & Battery. I remember the press — Gary Bushell championed them heavily — but for some reason it didn’t land the same way the debut did.
Listening now?
It’s strong. Very strong.
The difference, I believe, is the mastering. My original vinyl copy has always sounded thin and slightly underpowered. Here, the remaster gives the album real weight and presence. The guitars bite. The rhythm section feels muscular. There’s a renewed sense of menace that perhaps wasn’t fully realised on earlier pressings.
Sometimes it’s not the songs — it’s how they’re presented.
CD 3: Scarred for Life (1983) – Not Diminishing at All
This was the album I skipped at the time. I remember it getting decent reviews, but by then I’d drifted away.
Listening now, it’s not some dramatic drop-off. In fact, it sits very comfortably alongside its predecessor. The production is a little more polished, yes — but the core Rose Tattoo DNA is intact.
Again, the remastering really helps here. There’s clarity without losing grit. It feels like an album that was misunderstood in its time.
CD 4: Southern Stars (1984) – The Controversial One
This was the one my friends warned me about.
“Don’t bother, Phil…”
So I didn’t.
Until now.
And you know what? It absolutely rocks when you press play.
The band hadn’t forgotten how to write hard rock. The slide guitars are still there. The drive is still there. What does change — and this is key — is the treatment of Angry Anderson’s vocal.
There’s noticeably more reverb. It’s more polished, more produced. And that polish slightly blunts the raw snarl that defined earlier records.
Musically? Strong.
Vocally? Slightly over-treated.
But nowhere near the disaster reputation suggested.
The Sound: James Bragg’s Mastering
The mastering throughout this box set is impressive.
There’s punch. There’s dynamic weight. There’s clarity. But crucially — it hasn’t been squashed to death. These albums breathe while still sounding powerful.
For a set retailing around the £24–£25 mark, you’re getting four properly presented albums with strong remastering and an excellent booklet.
The Legacy
Rose Tattoo were never polite. Never fashionable. Never media darlings in the way some bands were.
But they were authentic.
Angry Anderson remains the sole surviving member of that classic era — and even he has faced significant health struggles. When you listen to this set, you’re hearing musicians who truly lived the music they played.
You can view Rose Tattoo’s career as starting at the top of the mountain and gradually descending. But that’s too simplistic.
There’s so much to enjoy across these four albums — especially if, like me, you stopped listening after the debut.
This box set allowed me to rediscover a band I thought I already knew.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Outlaws remains the cream of the crop — but the real joy here is reassessing Assault & Battery, Scarred for Life, and even Southern Stars with fresh ears.
ORDER YOUR COPY OF THE ROSE TATTOO BOX SET HERE
Phil Aston | Now Spinning Magazine
