<\/p>\n
After Keith Richards<\/a>\u2018 son Marlon let slip that the Rolling Stones<\/a> are working on what he believes to be a follow-up to 2023\u2019s Hackney Diamonds<\/a><\/em>, that album\u2019s producer, Andrew Watt<\/a>, confirms he\u2019s been back in the studio with the band. \u200a\u201dI\u2019ve said it before, but it\u2019s like working for Batman,\u201d Watt tells Rolling Stone<\/em>.\u00a0 \u201cWhen the tongue is up in the air, you just go\u2026 I can say we did some recording together, but that\u2019s all I can say.\u201d<\/p>\n Marlon Richards revealed in an interview with Record Collector<\/em> \u2014 just published, but conducted in May \u2014\u00a0that the band were \u201cnearly done\u201d with recording sessions in London, and that he expected the band to tour Europe next year. (A spokesperson for the Stones declined comment). \u201cThey gave them a Grammy, so now they\u2019re all hyped up on that,\u201d Marlon reportedly <\/a>told Record Collector<\/em>.\u00a0 \u2018Oh, yeah \u2013 we can do another one like that! We\u2019ve got more like that if you want.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n By all accounts, the band had numerous songs left over from the Hackney Diamonds<\/em> sessions. \u201c\u200aIt was a prolific time for the band,\u201d Watt told<\/a> Rolling Stone Music Now<\/em> earlier this year. \u201cThey 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.\u201d<\/p>\n The Stones toured U.S. stadiums last year, but reportedly scrapped<\/a> plans for a European tour this year. Hackney Diamonds, <\/em>the band\u2019s first album of original material since 2005\u2019s A Bigger Bang,<\/em> included guest appearances from Paul McCartney, Elton John, Lady Gaga, and Stevie Wonder.\u00a0 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).<\/p>\n For Watt, the experience of working with his rock heroes was profound. \u201cI would say that was the most informative process of my life,\u201d the producer told Rolling Stone Music Now<\/em>. (To hear the whole episode, go to Apple Podcasts<\/a> or Spotify<\/a>, or just press play above.) \u201cDeep knowledge. Those guys have been teaching me stuff about the history of music and just stories of how records were made\u2026 It\u2019s \u200aunbelievable watching Keith fill out the whole sonic picture of what a Rolling Stones song should be, guitar-wise\u2026 \u200aWatching Mick listen to a vocal and decide he\u2019s singing too well, and instead he\u2019s gonna go in and throw it away more so it just sounds nastier and dirtier. That\u2019s a level of master, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n