🏆 Best Album of 2023
The Rolling Stones - 'Hackney Diamonds'
In the world of rock there’s no bigger name than The Rolling Stones. Some 60 plus years into their career the British institution, led by living legend Mick Jagger, continues to tour the world and sell out stadiums. Who would have thought that a band formed in the 60s could keep up that level of quality and mass appeal. This isn’t a band who have ever taken a graceful step back from the industry that made them a household name, generations after generations of fans have continued to enjoy the music of the band’s extensive back catalogue. When world tours and countless greatest hits compilations have kept the band’s pension fund topped up nicely, you would forgive them for not writing a new album for some 18 years.
The previous new material came in the form of singles ‘Doom and Gloom’ and ‘One More Shot’, both released in 2012, and snuck into the greatest hits compilation ‘Grrr!’ (2012), which commemorated their 50th anniversary, even that felt like a lifetime ago. Prior to that the last album of new material was 2005’s ‘A Bigger Bang’.
Fast forward to September 2023, the Stones publicity machine, matched only by Gene Simmons and Kiss, announced their forthcoming new album and release of their new single ‘Angry’ with all the pomp and hype of a press conference you would expect. Of course it got a blasting on the speakers as soon as it was released, the Stones are what I grew up on thanks to my mothers love of the band. Now I know my mum is biased when it comes to anything Stones related, but we were both in agreement that this was one excellently produced track, complete with Jagger’s made up pronunciations of words to dig out those extra vowels in the verses. The track is tight, and packs just as much punch as the classics, echos of 1981’s ‘Start Me Up’.
After a couple of teased singles, ’Hackney Diamonds’ was finally released globally on 20th October via Polydor records, it’s the first since the 2021 death of drummer Charlie Watts, the band’s bedrock for more than half a century. This album does feature input from the late sticks man, as well as guest contributions from Elton John, Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, and former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman.
The second single from the album was ‘Sweet Sounds of Heaven’, an uplifting gospel infused duet between Mick Jagger and American singer Lady Gaga, and featuring the legendary Stevie Wonder on the piano. The track is beautifully crafted, a perfect blend of rock and soul in one epic piece of music, and a fine example of how the Stones can call on their list of whose who in the music industry to bolster their already impressive output for an album. By the time the third single ‘Mess It Up’ was released on album release day, 20th October, the world was already fully aware that The Rolling Stones were back with their first new album in 18 years. The marketing of it was huge, including publicity stunts, worldwide fashion retail pop-ups selling merchandise, and cross-promotion with several sports teams donning the famous tongue and lips logo. You would have had to have been living alone on a desert island to have missed it!
Overall the album is a perfect blend of rock, ballads, blues and soulful numbers, I would go as far as to say its my favourite album of theirs in recent times, certainly post 80s, and as far as picking a favourite track I still can’t pick just one track, as each listen through I hear something more than I heard the previous listen. If I had to pick, I’d tell you my current favourite, at time of writing, is the rocking number ‘Live By The Sword’, which features Sir Elton John on the piano, former Stones man Bill Wyman on the bass, and the late great Charlie Watts on the Drums. The album includes sessions from 2019 that have the last studio work by Watts, but the vast majority of the tracks feature the first studio work with new drummer Steve Jordan, who has done a stellar job.
The album was a massive success globally, reaching number one in 20 countries, including the UK, Austria, Australia, Greece, Holland, and Germany. It was the 14th Rolling Stones album to top the UK Albums Chart, in its first week and again on 22nd December. I would say it is fair to assume that regardless of the content, this album was always going to be a success globally, because it’s a Rolling Stones album, they are after all one of the biggest bands on the planet. However this album is so much more than the global brand and commercial success, it’s a masterpiece that they can be proud of, outstanding after such a long wait. No longer can we criticise them for the pension fodder greatest hits compilations, because as it turns out they do still have it in them to produce new material.
Album: Hackney Diamonds
Released: 20th October 2023
Label: Polydor
Website: https://rollingstones.com
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