Rolling Stones – Hackney Diamonds

It was 18 years since we got some new music from The Rolling Stones – A Bigger Bang (2005). Their new album is only their fifth, sixth if you count the blues covers album Blue & Lonesome (2016), since then and while the Stones almost never releases a weak record – Under Cover (1983) and Dirty Work (1986) are both pretty close to that – the last album that could be considered a classic was 1981’s Tattoo You. As a huge fan of the band for over 40 years, I always look forward to a new release but the circumstances around this release are a bit different. Firstly, one can wonder how much drive and passion for new music a bunch of soon to be 80-year olds can have. Secondly, a most importantly, this is the first album without drummer Charlie Watts who passed away in 2021. Charlie was a huge part of the band’s sound and is to me irreplaceable. The news that he had recorded parts to at least some of the songs felt like at least a small relief. So I wasn’t really sure what to expect of a new Stones release in 2023.

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