2023 studio album by the Rolling Stones

Hackney Diamonds is the twenty-fourth studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 20 October 2023 on Polydor. It is the first album of original material by the Rolling Stones since 2005`s A Bigger Bang and their first since the 2021 death of drummer Charlie Watts, who contributed to some tracks in 2019. Produced by Andrew Watt, it features guest contributions from Elton John, Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, and former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman.

Hackney Diamonds received positive reviews, with some critics considering it the band`s strongest album in decades. It was promoted by the singles "Angry", "Sweet Sounds of Heaven", and "Mess It Up". The album was backed by an extensive marketing campaign that included publicity stunts and merchandise, amongst other promotions.

Hackney Diamonds reached number one in 20 countries, including the UK, Austria, Australia, Greece, Argentina, the Netherlands and Germany. It was the 14th Rolling Stones album to top the UK Albums Chart, in its first week and again on 22 December, making it the first Rolling Stones Christmas number one album. It was certified gold in several countries and certified platinum in Austria, France, and Germany. The Rolling Stones embarked on the Hackney Diamonds Tour in support of the album in 2024.

Recording

"We had a lot of material recorded, but we weren`t very excited with the results. Some of the songs were okay, but they weren`t great. [Guitarist Keith Richards and I] said, `We`re going to work harder and we`re going to set a deadline.` And that`s when the magic started to happen. We recorded the whole thing in three or four weeks. We wanted to make the record fast and keep ourselves excited the whole time. And I think we achieved our goal."

—Vocalist Mick Jagger on recording Hackney Diamonds[2]

The Rolling Stones last released a studio album in 2016 with the blues covers album Blue & Lonesome,[3] which began with new material recorded with Don Was but stalled.[4] Some mitigating factors identified by guitarist Keith Richards include vocalist Mick Jagger`s lack of enthusiasm for making new music and Richards being forced to adapt his playing style due to arthritis.[5] The band`s last album of original material was A Bigger Bang in 2005; however, they continued to release occasional tracks, such as "Doom and Gloom" and "One More Shot" for the compilation GRRR! in 2012 and the 2020 single "Living in a Ghost Town". For years, they toured, but when they met up as a group, it was only to rehearse for future performances, not record.[6] The group again recorded sessions for a new album starting in 2020, but these were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] Studio work in 2021 yielded several completed songs as well,[8] but the band lost momentum and focus in the studio. Jagger was frustrated with the slow process of recording and proposed to Richards after their touring ended in August 2022 that they would choose 14 February 2023 as a due date for their new album.[9] Richards credits drummer Charlie Watts`s 2021 death as the impetus to become more serious about finishing an album`s worth of material.[10]

In mid-2022, Paul McCartney suggested to guitarist Ronnie Wood[11] the band look to Andrew Watt to continue their album[12] and Jagger agreed, appreciating Watt`s approach to producing new music from long-time acts.[13] The band invited Watt to see them perform in Electric Lady Studios in late 2022 and he took over recording at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles by November of that year.[11] Further recordings in late 2022 and early 2023 with Watt included McCartney playing bass guitar on two new Stones songs.[14][15] Altogether, principal recording was about four weeks, followed by two weeks of overdubs, and Jagger`s vocals recorded separately,[16] only after the guitar work was finished.[11] In June 2023, former bassist Bill Wyman announced that he had recorded with the band for the first time in 30 years[1][7] based on a recommendation by Watt,[11] and additional recordings with Elton John are included on the release.[17] The album includes 2019 sessions that have the last studio work by Watts and the band`s first studio work with drummer Steve Jordan.[18] Final recording for the album began in December 2022, with 23 total tracks finished in January 2023 and mixing done in late February or early March.[19][16] At the end, the band had enough material for a follow-up album, which vocalist Mick Jagger estimated was 75% done by the time that Hackney Diamonds was released.[20] The recording process included multiple studios across the world[21] and was captured by a documentary crew[22] for the television special The Stones: Still Rolling.[23]

News reports have indicated that the album`s name is London slang for the shattered glass left behind after burglars have smashed a window to break in, Hackney being an inner-city area of London historically associated with a high crime rate.[24][25] Richards stated it refers to broken glass left over in the morning after "a good Saturday night that went bad".[26]

Long-time Stones bass guitarist Darryl Jones was reported to have worked on these sessions, but does not appear on the final album,[27] making Hackney Diamonds the first album since 1994`s Voodoo Lounge not to feature any recorded contributions from him.

Promotion and release

Paul Smith on the Rolling Stones x Paul Smith promotional campaign

Hackney Diamonds has been promoted with an extensive, worldwide advertising campaign coordinated by Universal Music Enterprises in London.[28] On 17 August 2023, an advertisement appeared in the Hackney Gazette teasing the album, referencing several Rolling Stones song titles and displaying their tongue logo.[17] On 22 August, social media profiles posted new artwork by Paulina Almira, and Universal Music Group debuted a website to promote the release, on which a countdown appeared and solicited questions for the band.[29][30][31][32] The group posted links to the site on their social media accounts on 29 August and showed photos of their lip logo projected on various monuments around the world.[33] These projections continued to 2 September,[34] when the band previewed a short snippet of "Angry" on the website dontgetangrywithme.com, which experienced instability and frequent errors that some interpreted as being intentional.[35]

On 4 September, the album was officially announced, as were the plans for a livestream with television host Jimmy Fallon[36] where more information would be revealed and the lead single would be premiered. On 6 September, the livestream was broadcast on the Rolling Stones` official YouTube channel while being filmed at the Hackney Empire Theatre in London. Fallon interviewed the band, who revealed the album`s track list and release date, as well as alluding to various guest musicians, and answered questions sent in from fans. The music video for "Angry" premiered after the interview concluded, which features actress Sydney Sweeney being driven through Los Angeles in a red convertible, with the band members singing to her from large billboards along the way.[37]

"Sweet Sounds of Heaven" was teased by the band via an Instagram post on 25 September 2023, which played a short snippet of the track and revealed its release date;[38] the single was released three days later.[39] In early October, a fashion line designed by Paul Smith was announced that would promote the album,[40] and retail stores in London and Tokyo opened to sell Rolling Stones merchandise ahead of the album.[41] The single "Mess It Up" also came out in October.[42]

Shortly after the newspaper advertisement implying the album release, 12 songs were registered to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers under the names of Jagger–Richards, with three tracks co-written by Andrew Watt.[43][33] The final track listing was released on 6 September and included "Rolling Stone Blues", a Muddy Waters song that gave their band their name; they had never covered it previously on a release[44] and this was the sole recording for this album recorded to tape.[16] It was also one of the songs that Jagger and Richards bonded over when connecting as youths,[45] when Richards spotted Jagger carrying a copy of The Best of Muddy Waters on a train.[26]

The limited edition vinyl LP cover art has a mass of eyeballs and tongues, and a retailer-exclusive edition has the cracked diamond heart surrounded by red limbs.[46] Additional covers are made for every Major League Baseball team, featuring the tongue and lips logo in each team`s colors[47] and a limited edition by KidSuper featuring the lips logo with red fingerprints around it.[48] The day before the album release, FC Barcelona announced a football kit designed to promote it.[49]

As the release date drew near, the band began rehearsing for a supporting tour,[50] and raised the possibility of virtual reality avatars for future performances.[51] While no tour dates were announced by the time of the album release, the band played a seven-song set on 19 October 2023 at the 650-capacity Racket (fka Highline Ballroom) in New York City with Lady Gaga as they made promotional television appearances.[52][53] The Rolling Stones are due to tour in support of the album in 2024.[54]

On 15 December 2023, The Rolling Stones released via Polydor an expanded live edition of Hackney Diamonds. The limited edition 2CD version includes the standard album on CD 1 paired with Live at Racket, NYC on CD 2 which features the seven tracks the band performed at the launch event on 19 October 2023 at the Racket in New York, including debut live performances of "Angry", "Bite My Head Off", "Whole Wide World" and "Sweet Sounds of Heaven" (the latter song with Lady Gaga). Also included is a 24-page booklet with photos from the performance by Kevin Mazur.[55]

Critical reception

Editors at AnyDecentMusic? aggregated the scores from 20 outlets and rated Hackney Diamonds 7.7 out of 10.[56] According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Hackney Diamonds received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 from 25 critic scores.[57] Several critics described it as the best Rolling Stones album in decades.[68][69][70][71]

Tim Cumming (The Arts Desk) gave Hackney Diamonds 5 out of 5, for being "a bravura performance benefiting from the level of focus and detail the band".[72] Alan Woodhouse (The Big Issue) wrote that "the impression this record gives is of a strident sense of purpose".[73] Robin Murray (Clash) gave it 7 out of 10, writing that it "presents a group whose virility, ambition, and desire to connect remains undimmed".[74] Ian Fortnam (Classic Rock) rated the album 4.5 out of 5 stars, stating "[the band] haven`t delivered an album this quintessentially Stonesy in 40 years".[75] Neil McCormick (The Daily Telegraph) rated this album 5 out of 5 stars, as "a raucous and dirty modern rock classic".[59] Alexis Petridis (The Guardian) scored Hackney Diamonds 4 out of 5 stars with music that "suggest[s] the presence of someone who knows how to make contemporary hits".[76] Mark Beaumont (The Independent) scored Hackney Diamonds 4 out of 5 stars, opining combination of older pop musician guest stars makes this release have "a sense of career closure".[62]

James McNair (Mojo) gave Hackney Diamonds 4 out of 5, calling it "a self-aware, historically mindful party".[77] John Murphy (musicOMH) called Hackney Diamonds an "astonishingly fresh album" and gave it a 4.5 out of 5.[78] Alex Flood (NME) gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "an absolute barnstormer" that is "very enjoyable".[79] Kitty Empire (The Observer) gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, stating it "is packed with convincing echoes of the band in its pomp".[80] Will Hodgkinson (The Times) called Hackney Diamonds "unquestionably the Stones` best since [1978`s] Some Girls"[44] and gave it 5 out of 5 stars.[67] Dan Cairns (The Sunday Times) drew parallels with many releases in the band`s catalogue, particularly from the 1970s.[81]

Edna Gundersen (AARP: The Magazine) called Hackney Diamonds the best Rolling Stones album since 1981`s Tattoo You, in part due to the guest stars.[82] (The AARP later sponsored the Hackney Diamonds Tour.) Jocelyn Noveck of the Associated Press said that it continued the partying vibes of Stones music.[83] Claire Harvey (The Australian) characterized this as "astoundingly good".[84] Jonah Kreuger (Consequence) considers this "solid, if inessential", but also notes that there is "genuine excitement on a few choice cuts".[85] Alan Light (Esquire) called the album "a startling and unlikely triumph... from a group still stretching the limits of what’s possible in rock n` roll".[86] Daniel Sylvester (Exclaim!) gave this album a 7 out of 10, stating that the band are "better than they need to be".[87]

Jackson Maxwell (Guitar World) praised the interplay between guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, as well as Richards` choice of vintage musical gear for recording.[88] Pat Carty (Hot Press) comparing the work to several of the band`s previous albums, and wrote that "it might be the best [Rolling Stones album] since Keith Richards` Talk Is Cheap".[89] John Meagher (Irish Independent) wrote that the band`s "mojo has been awakened spectacularly" by Watt.[90] Mikeal Wood (Los Angeles Times) called the music "punchier" and catchier than recent releases.[91] Michael Elliott (No Depression) called the star of the album vocalist Mick Jagger, who "sneers, growls, and draws out syllables to make his point".[92]

Editors at Pitchfork rated the album 4.5 out of 10 and Grayson Haver Currin stated that "these titans of industry flail as they try to act their image rather than their age".[65] David Browne (Rolling Stone) called it an album "worthy of multiple listens" and praised Steve Jordan`s drumming.[93] Kenneth Womack (Salon) who called it "pure rock `n` roll" that could serve as an appropriate final album.[94] Jeremy Winograd (Slant Magazine) wrote that the "crisp, booming drums, hooky choruses, and livewire vocals have a radio-ready sheen without feeling forced, or compromising the Stones`s essential traits".[95] Gerrod Harris (Spill Magazine) gave the album 5 out of 5, calling it "a defining moment" for the band.[96] Chris DeVille (Stereogum) called this a good and "genuinely enjoyable" release.[97]

Nick Krewen (Toronto Star) called it "a return to form".[25] Ultimate Classic Rock stated the band "step up for the occasion, delivering their most committed set of songs and performances in years".[98] On the day of release, Steven Hyden of Uproxx compared Hackney Diamonds to several latter-period Stones studio albums, comparing it favorably to Dirty Work (1986), Steel Wheels (1989) and A Bigger Bang (2005).[70] Variety called this the band`s "liveliest work in 40 years", due to Watt.[71] Mark Richardson (The Wall Street Journal) called the album "genuinely fresh" and praised the innovative mixing and sound that separated it from previous Stones albums.[99] Chris Richards (The Washington Post) stated that the Stones have "wisely found a way to be themselves" without excessively updating their sound.[100]

Hackney Diamonds in lists and rankings

Track listing

All songs written by Jagger–Richards, except where noted.

1. "Angry" (Jagger–Richards, Andrew Watt) – 3:46
2. "Get Close" (Jagger–Richards, Watt) – 4:10
3. "Depending On You" (Jagger–Richards, Watt) – 4:03
4. "Bite My Head Off" – 3:31
5. "Whole Wide World" – 3:58
6. "Dreamy Skies" – 4:38
7. "Mess It Up" – 4:03
8. "Live by the Sword" – 3:59
9. "Driving Me Too Hard" – 3:16
10. "Tell Me Straight" – 2:56
11. "Sweet Sounds of Heaven" – 7:22
12. "Rolling Stone Blues" (Muddy Waters) – 2:41

Personnel

Drummer Charlie Watts (centre) with the Rolling Stones in 2018, months before his final studio sessions.

Stevie Wonder guests on piano on the track "Sweet Sounds of Heaven".

Credits adapted from the album`s liner notes.[115]

The Rolling Stones

• Mick Jagger – lead vocals (except "Tell Me Straight"), backing vocals, guitar, percussion, harmonica on "Dreamy Skies" and "Rolling Stone Blues"
• Keith Richards – backing vocals, guitar, bass guitar on "Angry", "Dreamy Skies", "Tell Me Straight", and "Sweet Sounds of Heaven"; lead vocals on "Tell Me Straight"[116]
• Ronnie Wood – backing vocals, guitar, bass guitar on "Driving Me Too Hard"

Additional musicians

• Ron Blake – trumpet on "Get Close" and "Sweet Sounds of Heaven"
• David Campbell – string arrangement
• Matt Clifford – keyboards on "Whole Wide World"; piano on "Angry", "Depending on You", "Bite My Head Off", "Whole Wide World", "Dreamy Skies", "Driving Me Too Hard"; Wurlitzer electric piano on "Get Close"; Rhodes electric piano on "Whole Wide World", "Mess It Up", "Driving Me Too Hard", "Tell Me Straight"; organ on "Driving Me Too Hard"; Hammond B3 organ on "Sweet Sounds of Heaven"[117][44]
• Karlos Edwards – percussion
• Elton John – piano on "Get Close" and "Live by the Sword"[118][119]
• Steve Jordan – drums (all tracks except "Mess It Up", "Live By the Sword" and "Rolling Stone Blues")
• James King – saxophone on "Get Close" and "Sweet Sounds of Heaven".
• Lady Gaga – vocals on "Sweet Sounds of Heaven"[120][44]
• Paul McCartney – bass guitar on "Bite My Head Off"[118]
• Benmont Tench – Hammond organ on "Depending On You" and "Dreamy Skies"
• Andrew Watt – bass guitar on "Get Close", "Depending On You", "Whole Wide World", "Mess It Up", and "Sweet Sounds of Heaven"; guitar on "Depending On You" and "Mess It Up"; percussion on "Angry", "Depending On You", "Whole Wide World", and "Driving Me Too Hard"; keyboards on "Mess It Up"; backing vocals on "Angry", "Get Close", "Depending On You", "Whole Wide World", "Driving Me Too Hard", and "Sweet Sounds of Heaven"; string arrangements[44]
• Charlie Watts – drums on "Mess It Up" and "Live by the Sword"[120][44][121]
• Stevie Wonder – piano, Rhodes electric piano, Moog synthesizer (all on "Sweet Sounds of Heaven")[116][118]
• Bill Wyman – bass guitar on "Live by the Sword"[44]

Production and technical staff

• Paulina Almira – illustration
• Matt Colton – mastering at Metropolis Studios
• Matt Clifford – vocal engineering and recording ("Live By the Sword")[117][44]
• Serban Ghenea – mixing at MixMaster Studios, Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States (except "Rolling Stone Blues")
• Paul Lamalfa – mixing on "Rolling Stone Blues"
• Studio Fury – art direction and design
• Marc VanGool – guitar technician, studio assistance
• Don Was – drum recording and production ("Live by the Sword")[44]
• Andrew Watt – producer,[44] mixing on "Rolling Stone Blues"

Charts

Certifications and sales

Hackney Diamonds was the best-selling album in Germany in 2023.[166][167]

Hackney Diamonds certifications

Release history

Release formats for Hackney Diamonds

See also

• 2023 in British music
• 2023 in rock music
• List of 2023 albums