Ignored             Obscured              Restored

The Rolling Stones’ Undercover (1983) album is one that I never listened to very much.  But I dropped the needle on it a few nights ago and was drawn in by the raw energy of the track “Too Much Blood.”

Though credited to the classic Jagger/Richards duo, it was largely written by Mick Jagger and may have been recorded with little to no input from Keith Richards.

The lyrics were inspired by the disturbing true-life story of Issei Sagawa, who murdered and cannibalized Renée Hartevelt in Paris in 1981.  The grisly details are best left to your own research — but suffice it to say, the subject matter is intense.

Jagger has described “Too Much Blood” as an anti-violence song and a critique of the media’s sensational coverage of such horrors.  But it isn’t the lyrics — or his somewhat cringey attempt to rap — that drew me to the song.  What hooked me was the music — the driving rhythm, punchy horn arrangement (featuring the late, great David Sanborn), and the primal, hypnotic percussion by Sly Dunbar.  This track puts the F in funky — it’s all about the groove.

“Too Much Blood” proves that even on one of the Stones’ most insignificant albums, there are still gems waiting to be discovered.

Enjoy… until next week.