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    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Music»Music by Decade»1970s Music
    1970s Music 1980s Music Music R 3 Mins Read

    Rose Tattoo

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    Australian hard rockers Rose Tattoo made their live debut on New Years Eve 1976. In 1977 they recorded their debut single for Alberts with producers Vanda and Young.

    Bad Boy For Love was released in October – by which stage Ian Rilen had left the band to form the infamous Australian punk outfit X.

    The single peaked at #13 nationally (and #10 in Sydney) setting the Tatts up as a solid rock drawcard, competing with the likes of Cold Chisel, Dragon, The Angels and Kevin Borich Express on the (at the time) lucrative Oz pub circuit.

    The group’s self-titled debut album was finished in November 1978 and remains one of the classic Australian rock albums. Heavy on the slide guitar, heavy on the aggression and heavy on the attitude, the album was brimming with street anthems like Rock ‘n’ Roll Outlaw, One Of The Boys and The Butcher And Fast Eddy.

    Rose Tattoo changed line-up several times in the coming years despite signing international record deals with Rock ‘n’ Roll Outlaw reaching #5 in Germany and #2 in France.

    Unfortunately, in the UK the Tatts were viewed as a punk band but still managed to sell out two gigs at the Marquee Club and appear at the Reading Festival. Most of 1981 was spent touring Europe and the UK.

    rosetattoo_044

    The band’s fourth single, Rock and Roll Is King, and their second album, Assault And Battery, reached #1 on the UK’s heavy metal chart. The band’s third album produced three singles, including the mighty We Can’t Be Beaten. The Tatts did not slow down, embarking on a three month US tour supporting Aerosmith and ZZ Top.

    1984 brought the fourth Tatts album, Southern Stars, and more line-up changes. The new line-up’s first single was a cracking version of Steppenwolf‘s biker anthem Born To Be Wild.

    In 1985, Angry Anderson moved into movies and starred as Ironbar Bassey in Mad Max III – Beyond Thunderdome alongside Tina Turner and Mel Gibson.

    The final Rose Tattoo album started out as an Anderson solo album and was a more polished recording. It produced four singles including the ballad Suddenly which was played during the wedding of Charlene Mitchell (Kylie Minogue) and Scott Robinson (Jason Donovan) in the popular soap opera Neighbours. The single reached #1 on the Australian charts in August 1987.

    By the end of 1987, Rose Tattoo had broken up. When Guns N’ Roses toured Australia in 1993 they insisted that Rose Tattoo re-form and act as their support act for two gigs. Accordingly, the line-up of Anderson, Wells, Cocks, Leach and drummer Paul DeMarco (replacing the late Dallas Royal) re-formed.

    Angry Anderson nurtured a successful TV career, becoming the housewives and grandmother’s friend on the Australian Mid-Day Show.

    Pete Wells passed away on 27 March 2006.

    Gary ‘Angry’ Anderson
    Vocals
    Tony Lake
    Vocals
    Peter Wells
    Guitar, vocals
    Mick Cocks
    Guitar
    Geordie Leach
    Bass
    Rob Riley
    Guitar
    Dallas ‘Digger’ Royal
    Drums
    rosetatto_033Ian Rilen
    Bass
    Lobby Lloyd
    Bass
    John Meyer
    Guitar
    Greg Jordan
    Guitar
    Tim Gaze
    Guitar
    Leigh Johnston
    Guitar
    Andy Cichon
    Bass
    Jake Landt
    Bass
    Michael Vandersluys
    Drums
    Robert Bowron
    Drums
    Scott Johnson
    Drums
    Paul DeMarco
    Drums
    Rick Mellick
    Keyboards

    Video

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