Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood presented “Hackney Diamonds” (Portal/Toby Melville)
The last album of the Rolling Stones“Hackney Diamonds“, reached the It was the number 1 seller in the UK in its first week After seeing the light of day, it became the band’s fourteenth album to reach the top of the charts.
As reported by Official Charts, responsible for compiling the list, In total, “Hackney Diamonds” has sold 72,200 units since its release on October 20thwhich also catapults it into third place for highest-grossing album of a week this year, behind recent works from Lewis Capaldi and Ed Sheeran.
The Stones’ first new material in 18 years, for the first time without their late drummer Charlie Wattswas received very positive reviews from the trade press and the public seems to be continuing on this path.
The group also gets access to First place in history for artists with the most studio albums to reach No. 1 with elevenassociated with the Beatles, Robbie Williams and Bruce Springsteen.
In the total number of albums, including compilations or live performances, the Rolling Stones’ “Hackney Diamonds” ranks second in the historical rankings with 14 number one albums, tied with Robbie Williams and behind only the Beatles, who 16 are.
The band launched the album in London last month Hackneyin a crowded and media event attended by its three members, Mick Jagger, Keith Richard and Ronnie Woodafter the drummer’s death Charlie Watts two years ago.
And a few days ago they made a surprise appearance at the New York club Racket NYC, where they were also joined Lady Gaga and in which they performed seven of the new songs alongside other incombustible hits from their legendary repertoire.
This is the experienced rock formation’s first project, which includes: Steve Jordan on drums in place of the late Watts, who despite everything contributed to two songs recorded before his death.
It is also the first work produced by the Stones Andrew Wattsa 32-year-old young man who has contributed to the success of other established artists such as Miley Cyrus and is credited with notable musical “revivals” of figures such as Iggy Pop.
“Hackney Diamonds” has a non-negligible list of famous guests, including the eternal ones Paul McCartney, Elton John, former Stone Bill Wyman and Lady Gaga.
According to Rolling Stone magazine, this work is “not just another new album” from the group, but rather a “lively and cohesive album and the first Stones work that you’ll want to listen to more than once before putting it down“.
“Sweet Sounds Of Heaven” – The Rolling Stones featuring Lady Gaga
In a recent interview with the BBC said Keith Richards He hesitated to explain the meaning of the twelve new themes, limiting himself to pointing out: “It’s Mick who writes the lyrics“.
The first single “angry“, which was heard back in early September and talks about how to end a relationship “well”, received rave reviews from the local press, who dubbed it – in the words of The Telegraph – “the”.best single in the group’s four decades“with adjectives like “extravagant” or “challenging”.
The drums recorded by Watts can still be heard on two songs on the album: “Live by the sword(also with Wyman) and “Screw it“, while the bass Paul McCartney can be heard on “Bite Your Head Off,” where Jagger sings, “If I were a dog, I would spend all night howling around your house.“.
The new project includes several ballads – “Dependent on You”, which deals with heartbreak – and arrangements that transport gospel music to “Sweet Sounds of Heaven”, a song about poverty and materialism Stevie Wonder at the piano and the above Lady Gaga.
In “Tell Me Straight” there are slight echoes of late 90s “grunge”, while “Driving Me too Hard” is the creative result of the joint work of Jagger and Richards.
Another song, “Whole Wide World,” looks back on “past moments” and “complicated times”: “The streets I walked through are full of broken glass. And wherever I look, there are memories of the past everywheresays the lyrics, while the “country” melodies in “Dreamy Skies” seem very present.
The new album was preceded by a surprise advertising campaign, which included the projection of the Stones’ recognizable lips and tongue logo on buildings and iconic locations in cities around the world such as New York, London and Paris. It’s the first the group has released since “A Bigger Bang” in 2005.
(With information from EFE)