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Yes, Hackney Diamonds of The Rolling Stones is my #1 album of 2023. As unexpected as it is welcome. The album proved to be everything I wasn't even hoping for anymore, because I genuinely thought they no longer had it in them. That was the initial surprise.
For some time I was contemplating to write a second review of the album, as I found over the weeks since its release I have not done justice to the album in my first review. It is even better than I thought it to be in October - early November when I returned from Japan with a Japanese copy in my suitcase.
I know this has been said many times before, but one of the most amazing things of the pop year 2023 is that it brought new songs from The Rolling Stones and one from The Beatles. Both bands delivered a new classic to their repertoire, that is already undeniable. Even in their 80s the bands are still relevant and will remain forever so, I suppose. Long past their mortal lives, their musical lives will remain with future generations. Now and then, we miss you.
Back to Hackney Diamonds. This review is a track by track review, in which I will try to explain why the track is so good or surprising, leading me to the conclusion that Hackney Diamonds is up there with the best Stones records, for me 'Beggar's Banquet', 'Let It Bleed', 'Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out', 'Exile On Main Street', Black And Blue' and 'Tattoo You', followed closely by 'Sticky Fingers', 'Goat's Head Soup' and 'Some Girls'. The newest in that list is from 1981 and we are now in 2023. Hence the unexpected and the welcome.
The lead single received a spot in the singles section of this blog in the early fall. I liked it immediately but still felt it to be a bit of a 'Start Me Up' rip off. The starting riff certainly can lead a person that way. Over the weeks and playing the song more and more, I changed my mind. The Stones do not have an extra 60 years in them, unfortunately, otherwise, 'Start Me Up' could be shelved, as the band has the ideal new show opener forever. Angry has at least as much power as its title suggests. The energy is all over the song. The surprise lies in the melodic prowess the song also has. This is not just this huge riff that powers the song, it is the power of the chorus as well. What it also on display, is the great form of the guitarists. The Stonesism, cool little guitar parts that bounce off one another, are all over the place. Don't forget the little drums-bass parts as well, to show how good the band uses dynamics. And then that huger than huge riff ending it all. The days of big hits are long over for the band, but in an alternative universe this is one of the biggest.
Get Close
New drummer Steve Jordan gets the opening shots on Get Close, stressing the big drums that are behind the band now. The chugging rhythm is the divining sound of the song. Again, the guitars draw a lot of attention to themselves. They sound so tremendously alive and varied. The Stones riff itself is clear cut, but there's a lot happening around that riff. Jagger draws a lot of attention on himself, showing that he is tremendously fit for his age. Compare him to Dylan or the latter day Leonard Cohen and even Paul McCartney's voice in the 2020s and there simply isn't a comparison. He rises high above them all, as if age is just a number. I know, it will all end somewhere within a few years, but in the meantime Jagger's singing, here and on the whole album, is like defying gravity. Get Close is not the best song on Hackney Diamonds but is an important part of that energy boost the album is.
Depending On You
The last of the three songs where producer Andrew Watt receives writing credits, something totally outrageous in the Stones realm in all these decades. Depending On You is the first ballad on the album, with a country flavour. The warm sounds of the Hammond makes the song glow, the strings do the rest. In the meantime there's a lot going on. The song starts at a low level, with an acoustic guitar, the Hammond and an electric lick here and there. Slowly but surely the sound grows bigger and bigger. By the time of the second verse, there's a full band, but nothing extra yet. A slide guitar enters, the Hammond grows its sound to a warmer, more prominent glow. Ronnie Wood shows his proficiency on the slide and pedal steel guitars. The backing vocals come in and there come in the strings and a grand piano. The song is sent off with a grand finale, making it a great Stones ballad.
Bite My Head Off
Enough of the sweet stuff. Here's the dirty rocker in the 'Respectable' and 'Star Star' category. However, the chorus is one of stellar quality. Making Bite My Head Off one of the best sleazy rockers the Stones ever wrote. It all starts with the enormous energy the song provides. The deep, dark, ugly riffing starts the song. Underneath it all is an even more dirty bass. And the player, is an ex-Beatle, who probably played the dirtiest bass part in his career. The sound is totally distorted, making it a very prominent part of the song and putting all the attention to the bass part. A Beatle starring in a Stones song?! Who would ever have predicted that? Fact is that Paul McCartney shines in the song and makes the song shine no little in the process. Bite My Head Off is rock and roll as the Stones have meant it to be. It is one of the songs that make Hackney Diamonds such a special album. And then, again that chorus. Man, I simply love it. It combines dirty rock with a fantastic melody and that makes Bite My Head Off one of the best Rolling Stones rockers ever.
Whole Wide World
Whole Wide World is the kind of song that the Stones albums of the past decades are filled with. From 'Mixed Emotions' to whatever on 'A Bigger Bang'. And once again that chorus starts and I was baffled. Why is this chorus so good?, making the second verse so much better instantly as well? Did Watt press Jagger and Richards harder to come up with a better melody? "Guys, this song can do better!?" Whatever the answer is, fact is that this song is better than most released since 'Tattoo You'. The same goes for the guitar work. Just listen to the two solos. They are really, really, good. Full of life, urgency, with Steve Jordan really pushing the band forward. There are so many little guitar melodies around the main riff, deep, high, in the middle, a sheer multitude of guitar overdubs. Somewhere hidden in it all, is a Hammond organ filling the small parts that were not filled with guitars. "The party's over", Jagger sings. His band doesn't agree, their fans do not agree. Both soar on.
Dreamy Skies
The 'Faraway Eyes' or better 'No Expectations' of Hackney Diamonds. Of course, we have heard it all before. In 2023 The Stones can still come up with a country blues song that is good to listen to. Dreamy Skies is not the top of this album. It is decent and well played. The slide guitars and acoustic licks make the song very authentic in sound. As a part of the whole album, it's more than okay. As a separate song, The Stones did this better in the past.
The Stones go disco in 2023 and with a lot of energy at that. The mono start is a bit weird, but once Jagger says "come on" the band charges right in. Listen to the moment the bass joins. Talking about energy. The Stones did disco before but never with this melodic prowess. Mess It Up is so much better than 'Miss You' where the melody is concerned. The power of the band as a whole comes across once again. The ear for detail comes across once again. The little melodies on the guitars fly around from all sides, while the drums keep it up and the bass is really pumping. Jagger's not afraid to use his falsetto. He's back on the dance floor of Studio 54 it seems and enjoying every minute of it.
Live by the Sword
The Stones pre-1994 are back on Hackney Diamonds. Bill Wyman caught a plane to L.A. at the age of 82 and recorded with his old mates as if nothing had changed. Charlie's behind the drums doing what he's good at. Th difference with the rest of the album is striking though. As someone wrote, having Steve Jordan there has not done the band wrong. Don't get me wrong, the whole world would have wanted Charlie Watts to be the drummer on Hackney Diamonds. Now he cannot, Steve Jordan is the logical replacement. Live By The Sword is another Stones rocker that somehow I think is so much better than I've heard in decades. There's not only this amount of energy, it's the way this song comes alive. The original intro already shows this song was not approached in the fashion the band approached new songs for decades. This is not a standard intro, say 'Tumbling Dice', as this became the mould the band worked from for decades. This is more New Orleans or something I think sounds like that. At the same time Live By The Sword looks back to the psychedelic years in the bridge before it's rock that strikes the clock. The song is filled with sounds and yet the piano comes through in a great way and so Elton John gets a shining role on Hackney Diamonds after all. The shade of Ian Stewart heard that things are alright in The Stones realm.
Driving Me Too Hard
Driving Me Too Hard is an anomaly. Let's face it. Who was supposed to sing this song? If anything this is a Keith Richards song. I know, his turn is coming up, but this is a song in a long list of songs that Mick Jagger usually does not sing. The mid-tempo ballad does have a 'Tumbling Dice' kind of intro, without being a rocker. This is a very decent song with a huge sound. Again sounds and melodies come at me from all directions. Again, there's a band at work that was not satisfied with the first and not with the fourth attempt. Keep trying and come up with an even better melodic fill and that is what they did. Great song.
Tell Me Straight
And here is the Keith ballad of 2023. And once again, it is a great ballad. Keith was told to sing with a clear voice and he possesses one, to my surprise. Tell Me Straight is the only song on Hackney Diamonds that has not received loads of overdubs. This song could almost have been played in the studio live with those present, had Mick Jagger sung the background vocals. Elementary or not, I find I really like Keith Richards' contribution to the new album. It has a sweet authentic sound and is totally sympathetic. The ending is a bit abrupt. I would not have minded the chorus once more. But that is truly my only complaint.
Sweet Sounds of Heaven
Of course, I've already praised Sweet Sounds Of Heaven before the release of Hackney Diamonds. Nothing's stopping me from doing so again. We are all circa two months down the road and more and more I'm convinced this is the best Stones single since, I don't know. In it's sort 'Saint Of Me'. Better, it is on par with the best Stones songs never released on single, like 'Gimme Shelter', 'Let It Bleed', 'You Can't Always Get What You Want', 'Time Waits For No One', Memory Motel', 'Melody'. In that stellar category Sweet Sounds Of Heaven must be placed. The sound, the power, the prowess, the total surrender to the greatness of this song. The band must have known it had gold in its hand when they started working on this song. Not for nothing it gets a big, fat reprise, in which Lady Gaga and Mick Jagger go at it and Stevie Wonder goes at it on the Rhodes piano. I know I've imagined the Lady Gaga part being sung by a real gospel singer, fact is the song is already so good. Is Sweet Sounds Of Heaven the icing on the cake or are the other songs just there to make this shine? I settle for the former. This song ought to have been a worldwide number one song and not just the album. I have not heard anything better in the past months, years even.
Rolling Stone Blues
The song the band was named after, finally gets a The Rolling Stones recording. Well, a Jagger-Richards recording. As it is just the two we are hearing, in a mono recording, as if this was recorded in 1963 instead of 2022 or 23. It is that the band itself in the Jimmy Fallon interview at the launch indicated there is more to come, otherwise this would be a great ending to a great career. The circle would have been round, as this ends with how it all started with rock and roll and rhythm and blues recordings. If anything, Rolling Stone Blues shows, once again, how good this band is in presenting renditions of blues originals. Andrew 'Loog' Oldham was totally right telling Jagger and Richards that there would be no future in rehashing out old blues songs and that they had to start writing their own material. And see where that advice brought the band, right up to 'Sweet Sounds Of Heaven'. It takes nothing away from this song. The two show the love they have for the genre and honour their past (inspirations) with real inspired playing on harmonica and guitar.
Like I started with, I was totally surprised by the quality of Hackney Diamonds and in a way I still am, two months later. Every time I play the album, I'm enjoying it so much, in a way that I've not enjoyed a new Stones album since 'Tattoo You'.
I had been prepared a little for Hackney Diamonds. The re-releases of 'Goat's Head Soup' and 'Tattoo You' came with a second cd with outtakes and other versions. Both I played so many times. The three "singles" preceding 'Goat's Head Soup' I could not hear enough and still play. If anything, the songs showed me that I was still craving for new, good Stones songs and I got them. There's not a lot more I need than a good Stones song. It was time I was reminded of that. 2023 was that year.
Wout de Natris
P.S. Here's the link to the original review:
https://wonomagazine.blogspot.com/2023/11/hackney-diamonds-rolling-stones.html
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