The Rolling Stones don’t want to sound retro

At the beginning of September, the Rolling Stones announced their new album “Hackney Diamonds” in a large press conference. In light of the upcoming release, Mick Jagger spoke about the new album and the approach to new songs. He also revealed what he said to producer Andrew Watt at the beginning of recording.

“I want it to sound like a Rolling Stones record, but I want it to sound like it was recorded this year,” Jagger recalls Canadian podcast “Q With Tom Power”. “We don’t want it to sound like it did 40 years ago, and of course it doesn’t. It sounds like today – the clarity and loyalty to the music. If you listen to it and compare it to an old Rolling Stones record, it’s very, very different.”

Mick Jagger: “The business is changing a lot”

Nostalgia doesn’t necessarily resonate with “Hackney Diamonds” for Jagger. The past 61 years with the Rolling Stones have shown him that success only comes if you stay up to date. “I’m not saying I slavishly try to be up to date on everything, but you have to understand how things work in today’s world,” he said. “I mean, driving is a different experience than it was in 1960. And the record business, like any business, is changing a lot. It’s never stayed the same.” Streaming is always criticized, says Mick Jagger, “but the interesting thing about it is that people of all generations have access to music from all eras,” said the artist. “Before, if I wanted to buy an old blues record from 1955, it was really difficult. I had to place an order, I had to go to a specialty store, even though I had a lot of money. If I want to buy it now, I can just do that.”

“Hackney Diamonds” will be released on October 20th – after 18 years, an album with the Rolling Stones’ own material will be released. You can already pre-order it as vinyl, in a bundle or as a CD.