And what do the Rolling Stones sound like today? As ever. The schlocky ballads (“Depending On You”). The rumbling riff-rock (“Angry,” “Bite My Head Off”). The Jagger songs bordering on pop (“Get Close” and “Whole Wide World”, which sounds like Madness playing with Jagger and Richards – so great). The rustic slide guitar meditation (“Dreamy Skies”). The sprawling, feverish quasi-gospel ecstasy (“Sweet Sounds Of Heaven”).
Blues rock with honyktonk piano (“Live By The Sword”). The disco pastiche (“Mess It Up”). The remorseful love song (“Driving Me Too Hard”). The Keith Richards song (“Tell Me Straight”). And finally: the blues. And it’s called “Rolling Stone Blues” and it comes at the end. Full Circle!
Anyone who has ever seen Lady Gaga’s performance in Newark at “Gimme Shelter” will remember the chills she felt as she circled the stage in a chipmunk suit in heels so high that she towered over Jagger. Gaga happened to be in the studio next door and stopped by. The result is “Sweet Sounds Of Heaven”, the longest and most beautiful song on this, how should we say, brilliant record.
You don’t want a confident Rolling Stones. You want to be carried away. Picked up. And no one pulls it off like Mick Jagger. His voice is fantastic. And it may be that Keith Richards doesn’t always play lead guitar on “Hackney Diamonds”. But the guitars are wonderful.
There are no saxophone solos, hardly any keyboards, no effects at all in the songs. There are guitars. Bass. Drums. And so “Hackney Diamonds” is also the epitaph for Charlie Watts, who actually played the drums on two pieces. The best album since… (insert Rolling Stones record title here).
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