Rolling Stones Announce Full ‘Hackney Diamonds’ Track List, Featuring Lady Gaga, Elton John, Stevie Wonder & Paul McCartney
Written by djfrosty on September 14, 2023
The Rolling Stones announced the full track list for their upcoming 12-song Hackney Diamonds album on Thursday (Sept. 14), which will include the previously announced collaboration with Lady Gaga and Stevie Wonder on the song “Sweet Sound of Heaven.”
That track, with vocals from Gaga and keys and piano from Wonder, will be featured alongside “Bite My Head Off,” with bass from Paul McCartney and “Get Close” and “Live By the Sword,” which have piano from Elton John. The collection, the legendary band’s first new studio album or original material in 18 years, is due out on Oct. 20.
Other previously revealed guest spots on the album come from within the Stones’ circle, including two tracks recorded with late drummer Charlie Watts (“Mess It Up,” “Live By the Sword”); the latter also features an assist from former bassist Bill Wyman. The album — which ends with the first-ever original song to include a nod to the band’s name (“Rolling Stone Blues”) — was recorded all around the world, from Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles to Metropolis Studios in London, Sanctuary Studios in Nassau, Bahamas and Electric Lady Studios and The Hit Factory/Germano Studios in New York.
The living trio of original members, singer Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and longtime guitarist Ronnie Wood, announced their first new studio album since 2005’s A Bigger Bang last week during a global live stream from Hackney Empire in East London, where they also debuted the Sydney Sweeney-starring video for first single “Angry.”
Talking about their 24th studio album, their first without Watts, who died in 2021 at age 80, Richards said, “Ever since Charlie’s gone, it’s been different. He’s number four. Of course, he’s missed, incredibly.” Jagger, 80, joked that the nearly two-decade gap between studio efforts was a result of the legendarily hard touring band being “on the road most of the time” between records and, he quipped, “maybe we were a bit too lazy.” Hackney Diamonds was produced by Andrew Watt, who Jagger said “kicked us up the arse,” while describing the mood of the songs as “angry” and “eclectic.”
“We didn’t want to make just any record and put it out,” Jagger said. “Before we went in [the studio], we said we had to make a record that we really love ourselves. We must say that we are quite pleased with it. I’m not saying we are big-headed about it, but we’re pleased with it and we hope that you all like it.”
Check out the Hackney Diamonds track list below:
“Angry”
“Get Close”
“Depending On You”
“Bite My Head off”
“Whole Wide World”
“Dreamy Skies”
“Mess It Up”
“Live By the Sword”
“Driving Me Too Hard”
“Tell Me Straight”
“Sweets Sounds of Heaven”
“Rolling Stone Blues”