Rock and roll legend Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones recently spilled the beans about their highly-anticipated album, ‘Hackney Diamonds,’ on Sky News. He also shed light on the late drummer Charlie Watts’ involvement in the upcoming songs.
With the release of their latest track ‘Angry,’ the interviewer couldn’t contain the excitement of fans who were eager to hear the iconic drummer and the return of former bandmate Bill Wyman.
Jagger, setting the record straight, revealed that the drum parts had been recorded by Watts earlier. He explained:
“It’s really a cool idea because, from a previous session, we had Charlie on two tracks that we thought would fit into this album. So nearly all this album was done this year. But we had two tracks from 2019 that Charlie was on we thought would fit in, and then we thought, ‘Okay, well, why don’t we try Bill on this track overdubbing basses we got on the original rhythm section?’”
Jagger went on to share his conversation with Bill Wyman, expressing his curiosity:
“So I found Bill up, and I said, ‘Are you still playing Bill?’ He said, ‘What do you mean I’m still playing? Of course, I’m still playing.’ So we got in to do that.”
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While Jagger appreciates their earlier records, he believes there’s always room for improvement.
The rock legend admitted:
“Well, I said to myself, I said to the others [that] we’ve been recording, we did lots of sessions, but I didn’t think this stuff we did was outstandingly wonderful. It was good, but it wasn’t great; I was like, ‘Was it really great?’ and I said, ‘If we’re gonna do a record here, it has to be great,’ and everyone said, ‘Yes, you’re right.'”
He concluded:
“It has to be, of course, what’s great to one person is not what’s great, you know. But I said, ‘It’s got to be outstanding before you put it out.’ And I think we’re all kind of happy, and we’re all kind of excited about it.”
The Rolling Stones have been tantalizing fans with teasers for ‘Hackney Diamonds’ since the end of August, and the album’s release date has been set.
‘Hackney Diamonds’ is scheduled to drop on October 20 and features drum parts recorded by the late Charlie Watts. This upcoming album marks the band’s first release in 18 years and serves as a poignant tribute to Watts, who won’t be a part of this new musical journey.
For a glimpse into the latest interview and their recent release, ‘Angry,’ check out the video below. Rock on