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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Hackney Diamonds, by the Rolling Stones

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards

If you thought there was an age limit in rock ’n’ roll, the Rolling Stones are about to prove you wrong. With their 80s around the corner, the band is releasing its first original studio album in 18 years, Hackney Diamonds. And judging from their new single “Angry,” it’s got those same Stones’ tones we all love and missed so much. A 12-track record made in New York City’s Electric Lady Studios, the album holds deeper emotional weight when we consider that the band lost its beloved drummer, Charlie Watts, two years ago: they go on making music in his honor. Watts is also on two songs on the record. To highlight the nostalgia in one of them, Mick Jagger got in touch with the Stones’ original bassist, Bill Wyman, who left the band in 1993, and got the core rhythm section back together for a final go-around—a valuable and touching musical statement. It’s good to see that the band members are still great friends, messing around with each other the same way they did in their youth. While describing the recording process in a recent interview, guitarist Ronnie Wood said, “It’s a bit like a painting,” to which Keith Richards responded, “Most people aren’t Van Gogh, man.” Wood then fired back, “Van Gogh away please!” It’s safe to say, we’re all happy the Rolling Stones haven’t decided to Van Gogh away yet. —Henry McGrath

Photo from “The Rolling Stones 1972: 50th Anniversary Edition,” by Jim Marshall