The Rolling Stones unveiled their new album, “Hackney Diamonds,” in a livestream interview with Jimmy Fallon on their YouTube channel from Hackney, London. This album, their first in 18 years since “A Bigger Bang” (2005), marks a poignant moment as the band’s first release without drummer Charlie Watts, who passed away in 2021.
The album’s announcement, with clever nods to the band’s legacy, came through a disguised advertisement in the Hackney Gazette on August 23. The livestream was eagerly anticipated, drawing a passionate fan following and, as expected, the band made a stylishly delayed entrance, reaffirming their enduring passion for music after nearly six decades in the industry.
Jimmy Fallon: What does Hackney Diamonds mean?
K. Richards: “We were flinging ideas around for titles, like ‘Smash and Grab’ and somewhere between that – we can up with Hackney Diamonds – and also, we’re a London band and we thought …”
J. Fallon: How long did it take to make the album?
R. Wood: “It was pretty quick. We gathered ideas all together before Christmas last year and made a go of it, didn’t we?”
J. Fallon: It’s been 18-years since your last album …
M. Jagger: We’ve been very lazy.” (laughter) We’ve been on the road most of the time, maybe we were a bit lazy and suddenly, we said, let’s make a record and put a deadline, let’s make it Christmas and we’re gonna finish it by Valentine’s Day, went went into studio in December and we cut 23 tracks very quickly, finished them in January and mixed them in February.”
J. Fallon: Was the studio different without Charlie? Tell me about that.
K. Richards: “Charlie’s gone and it’s different, he’s the number 4 [of the band[. Of course he’s missed. but thanks to Charlie, we had Steve Jordan who was Charlie’s recommendation and he picked Steve – way way back. He’s been a friend and he was a natural progression. It would have been a lot harder without Charlie’s blessing.”
M. Jagger: 12 tracks on album, most are with Steve and 2 are tracks from 2019 with Charlie. Bill (Wyman) came in and did one track so we had the original Rolling Stones in there for one track.
J. Fallon: The first song is called “Angry.” Is angry a theme? Is every song about anger?” Jagger: “Well, yes, we thought every song should be about anger and disgust.” Fallon: “So every track is named angry?” Jagger: “No, not every track is named angry, that is stupid. It’s an original idea.” Richards: “No one can be angry that long.” Fallon: “Meet my in-laws.”
M. Jagger: “We decided to not make every track angry, but to have love songs, ballads, country, eclectic, a mixture.”
Hackney Diamonds Track List:
Angry
Get Close
Bite My Head Off
Depending On You
Whole Wide World
Dreamy Skies
Mess It Up
Live By the Sword
Driving Me Too Hard
Tell Me Straight
Sweet Sounds of Heaven
Unbelievable
Rolling Stones Blues
“Hackney Diamonds” is available on all music streaming platforms and in stores October 20th.
