Start me up!
Teasing the world with cryptic social media posts and their iconic logo being eerily projected at landmarks in cities such as New York, London, and Paris – on September 4th, The Rolling Stones officially announced they’ll be releasing a full-length studio album of new original music on October 20th.
It will be their first album of brand new songs in 18 years.
18 years!
The album will be titled: Hackney Diamonds – which is old East London Slang for broken glass, historically somewhat of a commonplace in the urban, rough and tumble neighborhood as explained by Richards at the press conference.
And if there are any doubts of how good it may be, The Times chief rock and pop critic Will Hodgkinson received early access to the album’s recordings and called it “unquestionably the Stones’ best album since Some Girls (1978)” which featured all-time classics like “Miss You” and “Beast of Burden”.
And if that review isn’t exciting enough – the band will be having some very special friends joining them, by the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, and Lady Gaga. The cherry on top, however, is the announcement that beloved Stones’ drummer of 58 years Charlie Watts will be featured on two of the tracks, recorded prior to his death in 2021 after battling with cancer.
With current Stones drummer and longtime Keith Richards collaborator Steve Jordan taking the throne for Watts, Richards made it known at the album announcement press conference on September 6th that “Of course he’s (Watts) missed incredibly. But thanks to Charlie we have Steve Jordan, who was his recommendation if anything should happen to him.”
An even bigger surprise, the band’s original bassist Bill Wyman played on one track, his first time recording with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood in over 30 years.
The lead single on the album, an instant-classic titled “Angry”, was premiered at the presser hosted by Jimmy Fallon in London, paired with it’s music video featuring rising-star American actress Sydney Sweeney riding in a red Mercedes convertible throughout Los Angeles, passing by billboards donning imagery of the ever-iconic band throughout all eras of their career.
The tune itself has an anthemic quality, featuring all of what makes the Stones the great – punchy electric guitar riffs by Richards, Jagger’s signature swagger-drenched vocals, and a scorching blues-tinged solo by Ronnie Wood – all signs of what’s to come on the album.
And in full-circle fashion – the final track on Hackney Diamonds is said to be a cover of Chicago blues legend Muddy Waters’ “Rollin’ Stone” – the tune that inspired the band’s name, which has not been covered by them in their entire 61-year history.
October 20th. The Rolling Stones. Hackney Diamonds. Save The Date.