For devoted Rolling Stones fans, the long-awaited moment has arrived: the legendary rock band is making a comeback with “Hackney Diamonds,” their first original studio album since 2005’s “A Bigger Bang.”
The album is scheduled for a global debut on Wednesday, accompanied by an exclusive YouTube livestream event. During this event, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood will join Jimmy Fallon on stage in the London borough of Hackney, a neighborhood that is said to be “at the heart of” the new album, according to the band’s official press release. The discussion will revolve around the new music and the fresh era that lies ahead.
The announcement follows an extensive teaser campaign and a sneak preview of the song “Don’t Get Angry With Me.” Ironically, this promotion caused some frustration as the website offering a snippet of the song frequently crashed. However, YouTube is expected to handle the high demand without issue.
In a conversation with Rolling Stone last year, Keith Richards revealed that the forthcoming project would include the final recordings of the band’s longtime drummer, Charlie Watts, who passed away in 2021. Steve Jordan, who filled in for Watts during live performances, was involved in other aspects of the album. Before this, the Rolling Stones surprised fans with the release of “Living in a Ghost Town” in April 2020, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mick Jagger later explained that the pandemic had disrupted progress on completing a full album.
There are also speculations that “Hackney Diamonds” may include a guest appearance by Paul McCartney, although reports suggesting that Ringo Starr participated in recording sessions remain unconfirmed.
Despite Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood being in their late 70s and Mick Jagger celebrating his 80th birthday in July, the Rolling Stones showed no signs of slowing down. They toured Europe last summer to commemorate their 60th anniversary, and with a new album on the horizon, they appear poised to hit the road once again next year to support their latest release, all while continuing to perform their classic hits.
