Bob Clearmountain's Mix of 'Start Me Up' on 'Tattoo You'

The most famous thing about Bob Clearmountain’s work on Tattoo You is that he took a rejected reggae outtake and turned it into one of the biggest rock anthems ever. “Start Me Up” had been lying around since the Black and Blue sessions in a completely different arrangement. Clearmountain didn’t just polish it—he rebuilt the mix from scratch to make that riff sound like a chainsaw.

To bring out the guitar riff, he ran Keith Richards’ track through a combination of compression and EQ that emphasized the upper mids and gave it a sharp, percussive attack. The riff had always been there, but it got lost in the original reggae feel. Clearmountain stripped away the extra reverb and pushed the guitar forward in the stereo field, making it the main hook instead of just a rhythm part.

The drums got the same treatment. Charlie Watts’ tight snare and kick were already powerful, but Clearmountain used close mics with heavy compression to make them snap. He also added a gated reverb on the snare—