The Rolling Stones haven’t hung up their microphone and are back with a new album, their first original composition since 2005. The newspaper offers you seven things you should know Hackney Diamonds.
Sexy music video
The Stones were looking to make a big impact with their very first single, “Angry,” which was released a few weeks ago. They hired actress Sydney Sweeney (The White Lotus, Euphoria) to rock sexily in the back of a convertible on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles while montages showed us old animated billboards featuring Stones archives. The clip, directed by François Rousselet, has more than 19 million views on YouTube.
Big names
Being the Stones, the Stones called on their friends to officially celebrate this great comeback. The album’s 12 songs include collaborations with former Stones bassist Bill Wyman, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney and Elton John. But the most notable participation is undoubtedly that of Lady Gaga in Sweet Sounds of Heaven. The pop star abandons his usual style to showcase his full vocal prowess in this already praised duet with Jagger.
Charlie Watts present posthumously
Despite leaving us in August 2021, drummer Charlie Watts can be found on two Hackney Diamonds tracks. In fact, the Stones managed to recover recordings of him from 2019. In an interview, Keith Richards said that he misses his friend very much. “It’s been different since Charlie left. He was number four. Of course we miss him.” Drummer Steve Jordan replaces Watts on the remaining tracks on the album. When he was sick, Watts told the rest of the group that he wanted Jordan to fill in for him until he got better. “It would have been much more difficult without Charlie’s blessing,” Richards said.
It’s not meant to sound “retro”.
The Stones hired director Andrew Watt for their first album in 18 years. They recorded in various studios in Los Angeles, London, New York and even the Bahamas. In an interview with Media-Q, Mick Jagger said he didn’t want the new songs to sound “retro”. “I told Andy I wanted it to be a Rolling Stones album, but it had to sound like it was recorded this year. We don’t want it to sound like 40 years have passed, and of course that’s not the case. It sounds like today.”
An interview with Fallon
On September 6th, The Rolling Stones organized a big event at the Hackney Empire in London. They were interviewed by Jimmy Fallon at an event that was broadcast live around the world. During the interview, Jagger said that the band wouldn’t have released the album if the musicians didn’t really like it. “We didn’t want to just record and release any record. Before we started working, we said to ourselves: Let’s make an album that we love ourselves. Some people may like it, others may not. But we love it and we hope you will too.”
Colorful bag
To illustrate their new album, the Stones asked digital animator Paulina Almira to take care of the cover. As well as being available on streaming platforms, Hackney Diamonds will also be released on limited edition vinyl.
Decency
Enthusiastic reviews
A few days before the official release, international media began publishing reviews of Hackney Diamonds. As of this writing, review aggregator Metacritic has compiled six media reviews, for an overall rating of 87%. British magazine The Telegraph gave it a full five stars and said it was the Stones’ best album since their 1970s glory days. Rolling Stone magazine gave it 4 stars and described it as a “lively and unifying” album.