Hackney Diamonds album by The Rolling Stones: review, tracks, facts

Despite their cult status, there hasn't been much about this band in a long time I can't hear anything - well, if we're talking about studio releases. Yeah, in terms of touring rollingsThey have no equal: they have not stopped performing even nowadays, having passed the 60 years mark (since their foundation), and the participants themselves are not 20 years old anymore - in the summer of 2023, for example, Mick Jagger has turned 80! So their busy concert schedule gives The Rolling Stones a standing ovation. And yet: what about the albums?

In 2016, the Rolling Stones unveiled the following to the public "Blue and Lonesome" - an album of covers of old bluesman classics. And that was the end of it: there was a long lull that lasted for a long time. 7 years! But 2023 has decided to please loyal fans. "Hackney Diamonds" - A novelty act that includes not just new tracks, but interesting collaborations...

"No Slow Down": Background and Creation

When asked why it took so long to get new material, Keith Richards replied to the journalist:

"Largely because of Mick, or rather his lack of enthusiasm..."

The band presented their latest album with fresh original material in the distant 2005-м: "A Bigger Bang." did well in the charts, but little did they know that new material would have to wait almost 20 years! Yes, the Rolling Stones released singles from time to time, but the idea of a full album always seemed ghostly... As Richards said about it:

"All these years we were performing a lot and, consequently, rehearsing a lot. As a rule - we met just for that, and the thought of recording seemed attractive, but also frightening... Then there was the pandemic, and it played a cruel trick on us: we lost momentum and concentration in the studio. We had a few finished songs when suddenly Charlie was gone..."

According to the guitarist, it was the most recent sad incident - the loss of a comrade and colleague - that became a incentive to a more serious approach to completing the material for the album.

"Charlie's departure definitely affected all of us, and Mika in particular. I could feel his dissatisfaction with the slow recording process growing. So we just got together and did what we've been planning to do for a long time: we finally finished the album!"

Jagger's feelings are understandable: perhaps the singer feared that the band would just will not have time to complete started at this rate, because, after all, the Rolling Stones have been around a long time. not those young ladsas they were at the beginning of their careers...

"Same old Rolling Stones": track list

The album contains a total of 12 tracks - so different, yet so similar in spirit. They all epitomise what The Rolling Stones have always been. With "Hackney Diamonds", the band didn't go for bold experiments or anything like that: on the contrary, they showed the world that their style is the same as theirs adamant before trends and that they are not going to change themselves in the name of recognising a younger generation. So if you were hoping to open with this Rolling Stones record. from a new angle - we have to disappoint you.

So - the album includes the following songs (not yet available on YouTube):

Angry

Get Close

Depending On You

Bite My Head Off

Whole Wide World

Dreamy Skies

Mess It Up

Live by the Sword

Driving Me Too Hard

Tell Me Straight

Sweet Sounds of Heaven

Rolling Stone Blues

The most interesting tracks include the introductory track "Angry." (aka the first single) with Richards' peerless bass part, and "Bite My Head Off", written and recorded with the help of an old rival and fellow Rolling Stone, Paula McCartney. In general, a great many musicians were involved in the making of "Hackney Diamonds" - including Lady Gaga (vocals on "Sweet Sounds of Heaven") and Elton John (piano on "Get Close" and "Live by the Sword"). In honour of such a grand release, the Rolling Stones even reunited with their ex-bassist Bill Wyman.

The record is also notable for the fact that it includes two songsthat the band had time to record with Charlie WattsWe're talking about "Live By The Sword" and "Mess It Up". In a word - not a release, but a real holiday for old time music lovers! "Stones" gave their best 100%, having a real party with their old (and not so old) friends in the studio.

Witty PR

It was quite witty album PR - with the help of a fake glass repair company called Hackney Diamonds, which appeared in a London newspaper shortly before the release. The advert was full of passphrases and it looked like this:

"Hackney Diamonds are specialists in glass repair. Our company will open in September 2023."

Additional clues referred readers to to the songs of the band:

"Our friendly team promises you satisfaction. When you say 'give me shelter,' we will fix your broken windows."

True fans quickly realised what it was tantalising adverts of the new album! Of course, the release event was far from the noisy image of the band of the 1960s and 70s, but still managed to cheer up and interest the audience, as if to remind them that "the old boys are still in shape, and they still have a sense of humour"!