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The Rolling Stones come roaring back with the energetic and fun album Hackney Diamonds. As one critic aptly put, they have done it all and have nothing to prove and at the same time, something to prove. After 2 decades of sold out stadium touring with happy fans and rave reviews, could they go back into the studio and come out with a great new album of original music? The answer is a resounding yes! Defying all odds, with an 80 year old singer Mick Jagger and guitarists Keith Richards, soon to be 80, and Ronnie Wood, 76, they have done the impossible and put out a fantastic record, the first with new material in almost 20 years.
Jagger continues to defy time in all aspects. Sure studio effects help, but he has no business sounding this good at age 80. While all his contemporaries lost a lot of their vocal ability long ago, including Robert Plant, Roger Daltry, Paul McCartney, Elton John, etc., Jagger sounds just as good as he did in his 20s with no loss of vocal range either. Furthermore, as evidenced by the 7 song live performance at the Album Release Party in a NYC club the night before the album came out, he was running, dancing, sprinting, jumping, and prancing all over the stage. Indeed, sitting in the front row, Daniel Craig, AKA James Bond, was shaking his head in disbelief by what he was seeing. Decades ago Richards was removed from “The Next Rock Star To Die List,” and we are resigned to the fact that he will outlive all of us.
It is not just Jagger’s singing and lyrics, of which he said in promotional interviews that he wrote about 80% of the lyrics, the guitar playing by the duo of Richards and Woods is phenomenal. Their playing at all speeds and all over the map, and always sounding so good, seems impossible for guys who surely must have significant arthritis in their hands. Neither ever entered “The Best Guitarist” contest, but decades of perfecting and maintaining their craft makes them world class, and it is clearly evident on this record. Of course the song writing ability of Richards is always what has always separated him from other great guitarists. A few years ago, he put it in perspective when talking about former Stones lead guitarist Mick Taylor. “He is a virtuoso guitar player, but when he quit the band, he found out the hard way, that is all he is”.
The lead-up promotion to the album hyped the famous guests appearing on the album. I would say the famous guests neither added nor detracted from this great album and were essentially superfluous. As new drummer Steve Jordan offhandedly quipped, “They were unnecessary” and I agree. Interestingly, the famous guests were all challenged and put in roles completely unfamiliar to them. Rock/Pop legend McCartney appears on a punk rock song and does something he has never done in his career, a bass solo. Crooning balladeer Elton John is playing piano on a heavy, raunchy hard rock song. Pop star Stef Germanotta (“Lady Gaga”) appears on a Gospel ballad. Stevie Wonder who last joined the Stones more than 50 years ago as the warm-up band for their ’72 tour, comes out of retirement to play piano and organ on the Gospel ballad.
So, just how good is this record? Well, I will not fall into the easy and silly trap of, “This is their best record since xyz…” I will just say it is an awesome record, and while not among their masterpieces (think Let It Bleed, Some Girls, Sticky Fingers, etc.), it is better than their weakest efforts (think Satanic Majesties, their early ‘60s pre Satisfaction cover albums, Dirty Work, etc.), and it compares favorably with their great middle efforts (think Tattoo You, It's Only Rock ‘N Roll, Voodoo Lounge, Black And Blue, etc.).
Absent completely from this album is long time touring bassist Daryl Jones, who has never been an official member of the band “because he is not English.” Fear not, he was right back on stage playing live with them at the Album Release Party. Instead, bass duties on this album were handled by practically a different guy on each song, including Richards, Wood, McCartney, new producer Andy Watt, and the return of original band member Bill Wyman. Wyman, now 86, appears on one song. Only years later did the truth come out as to why he quit the band. After decades of touring the world, oddly and suddenly at age 55, he became terrified of flying on airplanes and had to quit in the early 1990s. While the rest of the band were really pissed off at him for a few years, Wyman says, “We remain close friends, and exchange cards every birthday and at Christmas.” Due to his fear of flying, he had to take the Chunnel train from his home in France to England to remotely record his bass overdub for the song. He of course declined the invite to the Album Release Party.
Here are the songs:
Angry – The lead single is a great opener with catchy lyrics, great beat and guitars. It is compared to Start Me Up, but not quite that good, but solid. Hip and up and coming producer Andy Watt, a lifelong Stones fan who wore a different Stones concert shirt to every recording session, co-wrote this and the next 2 songs with the Glimmer Twins Jagger and Richards.
Get Close – This is a mid-tempo rock song with a chorus that grabs you. It sort of reminds me of the Ramones ‘70s minor hit “I Want You Around.” All the critics are raving about this song, but I don’t think it is among the best on this record.
Depending On You – A love-lost ballad that sounds great, but not at the level of their greatest ballads, that comes later in this album.
Bite My Head Off – Here is where the album really takes off with 5 classics in a row! This is a Punk rock song with acid lyrics, great riff, and going at full speed. McCartney does a deliberately distorted base solo. It has the punk attitude of the late ‘70s but with musicians who can really play the instruments, making it a classic. Of course, some punks would say that takes away from a song. LOL! Jagger hasn’t “hung out” with Richards since he slinked out of the muggy, decadent basement in the French Riviera in ’72 with the Exile On Main Street master tapes and headed to a Los Angeles studio to finish that album. However, the elder Richards has become buddies with McCarthy who ventures over to Keith’s place for a cold one every day, when both are wintering in the Turks & Caicos Islands. McCartney recommended Andy Watts to the producer of this record.
Whole Wide World – One of the best songs on the album and so good, it was one of the only 3 new songs debuted at the Album Release Party along with the 2 singles. It is a hard rocker about a down and outer, with the whole wide world against him attitude, wandering through the gloomy Post Modern streets of London and through “the smell of sex and gasoline.” Jagger is at his best here with the exaggerated cockney accent. Richards has yet another new awesome intro guitar riff, and he never seems to run out of them.
Dreamy Skies – A soulful country song about escaping the rat race, the Social Media “pictures,” the devices “no connections,” and the cell phones and getting out in nature under dreamy skies. It ranks as one of the best ever Stones country songs along with Far Away Eyes and The Worst.
Mess It Up – This is a rousing upbeat dance number with a Bee Gees like chorus that hooks you in. This and the next song features original drummer Charlie Watts shortly before he died.
Live By The Sword – What would be Rolling Stones record since Beggar’s Banquet’s Prodigal Son, that doesn’t have a Biblical reference, with this one referring to the warning in the Gospel of Matthew? This heavy, hard hitting, dark rock song is one of the best on the album, don’t listen to the critics. Like all heavy songs, it takes a couple of listenings before you really appreciate it. With both Wyman and Watts, you got 4 of the 5 original members on this number. I wonder if Richards and Elton John were in the recording studio at the same time for this after they traded nasty barbs in the British Press a few years back with Richards: “Why are you obsessed with dead English women?” and John: “You look like a monkey (man?).”
Driving Me Too Hard – Another mid-tempo troubled relationship song that works well, but not as good as the previous 5 songs. Again, the critics liked this a lot more than I did.
Tell Me Straight – The obligatory Richards ballad that he has routinely done in the latter part of his career. Like its predecessor Biggest Mistake, it falls well short of his classic ballads such as “You Got The Silver,” “The Worst,” “Slipping Away,” and “Thief In The Night.”
Sweet Sounds of Heaven – The second single is the best song on the album by far. It is unlike anything they have ever done in that it is their first Gospel style ballad. It is a powerful moving song that compares favorably to their greatest ballads such as Tears Go By, Wild Horses, Angie, Beast Of Burden and Waiting On A Friend. It slowly builds to an amazing crescendo. Jagger’s singing, the guitars, and Jordan’s drums are magnificent. Stef Germanotta (“Lady Gaga”) provides the chorus. Some critics foolishly compare it to Gimme Shelter, two completely different types of songs in every possible way, and the only thing they have in common is a female chorus. Of course, both are all time classics in their own right, but in completely different genres. This album version of the song is 2 minutes longer than the single with a false ending and another fantastic final ending.
Rolling Stone Blues – The album ends where it all began 62 years ago at Dartford Train Station in 1961, with childhood friends Jagger and Richards reuniting for the first time and with Jagger carrying this Muddy Waters classic under his arm. Founding member Brian Jones soon named the band after this song. This is stripped down Jagger and Richards alone at their best with Mick’s legendary harmonica and Keith’s famed 5 string guitar singing the original Chicago Blues. Fantastic!
A fitting ending, but as always with the Stones, it never ends. Jagger says this album is only half of the songs they recorded, and with only half of the best ones on it, and the “next album is 75% done,” so we can expect another album in ’24 and yet another sold out stadium tour in ’24, if as Richards says, “We are all still upright by then.”
Overall Grade: A-
Other Stones album ratings
1) Let It Bleed (1969) A+
2) Sticky Fingers (1971) A+
3) Some Girls (1978) A+
4) Exile on Main Street (1972) A+
5) Voodoo Lounge (1994) A
6) Beggar’s Banquet (1968) A
7) Black and Blue (1976) A
8) It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll (1974) A
9) Bridges to Babylon (1997) A-
10) Out of Their Heads (1965) A-
11) Goat’s Head Soup (1973) A-
12) Aftermath (1966) A-
13) Hackney Diamonds B+
14) Tattoo You (1981) B+
15) A Bigger Bang B+ (2005)
16) Between the Buttons (1967) B+
17) Now! (1964) B+
18) Emotional Rescue (1980) B
19) Steel Wheels (1989) B
20) Dirty Work (1986) B-
21) Undercover (1983) B-
22) England’s Newest Hit Makers (1963) B-
23) December’s Children (1965) B-
24) 12 X 5 (1964) B-
25) Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967) C
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THE ROLLING STONES' best album in over 40 years
Reviews of NEW albums by legendary artists frequently say things like "best album since..." or "best book since..." or "best film in this franchise since..." SUCH CLAIMS give a review greater click-bait status. And, even when such claims are made by a truly SINCERE reviewer, the reviewer is not considering that they have simply been caught up in the excitement of hearing something NEW from an artist that has frequently been worth talking about. Eventually, one or two years pass by and the reviewer does not even listen to (or talk about) the well-reviewed album anymore. I'm sure I, myself, have been guilty of that before.Such is NOT the case here. This is The Rolling Stones' best album since at least TATTOO YOU. Now, considering that The Stones have not made ANY TRULY GREAT album since TATTOO YOU (they've made a few that are pretty good), such a ranking could STILL not be a big deal. But I'll go one further and say that this could even be BETTER than TATTOO YOU. That beloved 1981 collection, put together almost completely from various 1970s studio outtakes, is a lot of fun...BUT it still has nothing as moving or emotionally-raw as this new album's SWEET SOUNDS OF HEAVEN. I would argue that SWEET SOUNDS OF HEAVEN can be ranked as one of the Stones' very best songs ever. It has that sincere gospel/blues/Americana feel they captured so well on LET IT BLEED, STICKY FINGERS, EXILE ON MAIN STREET and the other few truly amazing Stones albums. Its chiming organ, perfect female backing vocals (Lady Gaga, but don't let that throw you off if you're not a fan of her music...she's channeling Merry Clayton here), gorgeous gospel chords...all are capped off by one of the most heartfelt & affecting vocal performances of Mick Jagger's whole career. (The song even has a completely improvised, not-planned final two minutes...Mick starts breaking into a falsetto vocal and Lady Gaga plays off of him...it's fantastic.)And the whole album has a feel similar to the sound of this terrific song: these are songs by a band that is completely inspired. Even the stripped-back blues performance of the final song, ROLLING STONE BLUES (Hendrix fans may recognize pieces of this song in Jimi's own blues medley/arrangement, CATFISH BLUES), reminds the listener of the days during which the band's blues excursions were sincere...they sounded like real life. The Rolling Stones playing this album's final track is the band we've longed for all too long...that truly dangerous version of The Rolling Stones.This LP was apparently recorded (for the most part) during just a single month of sessions. And it just feels...good...to live in a world in which The Rolling Stones are still capable of making an album like this one.
