After Keith Richards‘ son Marlon let slip that the Rolling Stones are working on what he believes to be a follow-up to 2023’s Hackney Diamonds, that album’s producer, Andrew Watt, confirms he’s been back in the studio with the band. ”I’ve said it before, but it’s like working for Batman,” Watt tells Rolling Stone. “When the tongue is up in the air, you just go… I can say we did some recording together, but that’s all I can say.”
Marlon Richards revealed in an interview with Record Collector — just published, but conducted in May — that the band were “nearly done” with recording sessions in London, and that he expected the band to tour Europe next year. (A spokesperson for the Stones declined comment). “They gave them a Grammy, so now they’re all hyped up on that,” Marlon reportedly told Record Collector. ‘Oh, yeah – we can do another one like that! We’ve got more like that if you want.’”
By all accounts, the band had numerous songs left over from the Hackney Diamonds sessions. “ It was a prolific time for the band,” Watt told Rolling Stone Music Now earlier this year. “They had amassed, like, 18 years of material. There was so much to go through and choose from initially, and then there were new songs that just came because everyone was rolling and kind of flying.”
The Stones toured U.S. stadiums last year, but reportedly scrapped plans for a European tour this year. Hackney Diamonds, the band’s first album of original material since 2005’s A Bigger Bang, included guest appearances from Paul McCartney, Elton John, Lady Gaga, and Stevie Wonder. It was also their first album since the passing of Charlie Watts, with Steve Jordan on drums in his place (two tracks also included previously recorded performances by Watts).
For Watt, the experience of working with his rock heroes was profound. “I would say that was the most informative process of my life,” the producer told Rolling Stone Music Now. (To hear the whole episode, go to Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or just press play above.) “Deep knowledge. Those guys have been teaching me stuff about the history of music and just stories of how records were made… It’s unbelievable watching Keith fill out the whole sonic picture of what a Rolling Stones song should be, guitar-wise… Watching Mick listen to a vocal and decide he’s singing too well, and instead he’s gonna go in and throw it away more so it just sounds nastier and dirtier. That’s a level of master, you know?”
From Rolling Stone US
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‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
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