Matt LuceyThe Band to Date
Hackney Diamonds is the latest release of The Rolling Stones. The legendary rock band, who initially formed in 1962, are amongst the most influential and long lived bands in the world. With such ground-breaking albums as Her Satanic Majesties Request, Sticky Fingers and Let It Bleed, this band’s iconic sound defined a large portion of the rock scene during much of the 60s and early 70s. Most bands, would burn out or grow apart due to in-fighting or creative differences. Unlike them, the Rolling Stones have been consistently touring for the duration of their musical careers.
Like most bands that last this long, their sound changed through the decades. The Stones have always been revered for their consistency when it comes to live shows. The group have always been known for putting on energetic and atmospheric live concerts, even now, after a 62 years of existence. This phenomenon has given rise to many gags, such as their common nickname, The Strolling Bones. That being said, 2 years ago, in October 2023, the Rolling Stones released their first original album in years. Hackney Diamonds proved beyond any doubt that the Rolling Bones are still as lively and Rock and Roll as ever.
Lead up to Hackney Diamonds
Fans have always considered the band members as somewhat larger than life. They are. Unfortunately they seems to be as mortal as the rest of us. In August of 2021, The Rolling Stones Drummer and founding member, Charlie Watts passed away. This happened to happen during the recording of their latest album, and the focus of this piece, Hackney Diamonds. Watts was a core aspect of the band’s sound, referred to by Frontman Jagger as the Heartbeat of the band.
The other members of the band are in their 70s and 80s and are still going strong. They concluded their most recent live tour only last year, following the album’s release. I was lucky enough to see the Rolling Stones live in Ireland in 2016 and was blown away by the stage presence they have been able to maintain, putting on a more energetic and involved show than many artists that would be considered “youthful”.
Previous works and a change in The Rolling Stones in comparison to Hackney Diamonds
As mentioned previously, the Rolling Stones never quit. As a band, they have been consistently releasing music for the majority of their run. Throughout the 80s though, there was a notable change in their sound. This was seen as an attempt to keep up with the sound of the time. A slightly more electronic sound, which, while no stretch of the imagination made the band fade into obscurity, was a departure from the style and substance of their work throughout the previous decades. Then, in 2016, the band departed from a stint of releasing a mixture of live shows, remasters and deluxe editions, with the release of a freshly recorded album of blues covers Blue & Lonesome.
This seemed to me to be a return to form, in terms of the style of music the band excels at. Following this, the band began to write and then record for a new album release. What would become Hackney Diamonds was in the recording stage in 2021. It was then that the unfortunate death of Charlie Watts struck the band. Luckily, Watts had already recorded his part for a few of the songs on the albums. This meant that we got to hear him one last time. The other band members also got to hear the completed songs recorded alongside their old friend.
Dreamy Skies – A Softer Call-back
Dreamy Skies sits in the middle of the album. It feels like a call-back to some of the band’s softer pieces, like Wild Horses. With a soft, winding strumming guitar throughout, accompanied nicely with that familiar honky tonk twang of Richards Telecaster, this song is utterly wistful. The lyrics match this energy with the repeating line “I’ve got to get away from it all”. This sounds like the band feeling tired of the 60 odd years of constant work and trying to keep up with the times.
It feels relaxed and peaceful, like a break from the stress and the pressure of being in the fast paced and demanding music industry and fame. The harmonica coming in for a brief solo really cements this as a call-back to the bands earlier work. As I said before, it’s a wistful, almost nostalgic number. It fits in among an album of stylistic call-backs.
Rolling Stone Blues – A Nostalgic Blues Track
Rolling Stone Blues is the final track on the album. It rounds out the album perfectly, with a clear classic blues influence. The majority of the song is played with a simple acoustic blues guitar shuffle in the background while Mick Jagger’s softer blues voice takes the lead. His voice takes on an almost Robert Plant-esque tone as he sings through a slight distortion. It alternates between singing and his accordion. This understated bluesy number is a perfect way to round out the album. As a rock and roll icon, paying tribute to their blues roots will always be appreciated by fans and is clearly a persisting passion of the band.
Sweet Sounds of Heaven – The highlight of the Hackney Diamonds
Sweet Sounds of Heaven was, to me, the highlight of the album. Featuring Lady Gaga, a combination I had never expected to see, worked remarkably well. The steady drums set a perfect understated backdrop for the duelling vocals of Mick Jagger and Lady Gaga. The guitar riff and bass are noticeable and welcomed without taking the spotlight for the first 4 minutes of this whopping 7:22 minute song.
On my first listen, having seen the song length I really hoped for a few minutes towards the end of the song for some instrumental work. I was by no means disappointed, with a combination of keyboard, guitar and bass. These took a more prominent role in the latter half of this piece. This change builds slowly, with the continuation of the duelling vocals, until the song concludes with a perfect, sustained note from Lady Gaga. This song truly stole the show in this album and Lady Gaga really got a chance to show that she understands Rock and Roll.
Hackney Diamonds In Conclusion
This entire album was, to me, a return to form. With classic Stones sounds that would have felt at home in the 60s, the album is a call-back to the bands hay-day and a fitting send off to their friend, Mr. Charlie Watts. While this may not be the Stones final release, if it were, it would be a stellar finale to their long run.
