The Rolling Stones reveal Charlie Watts' final wish which made new work 'easier'

07 September 2023 , 08:34

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The Rolling Stones reveal Charlie Watts' final wish which made new work 'easier'

The Rolling Stones have announced their first studio album of original music since 2005 and a tribute to their late drummer Charlie Watts.

The upcoming LP, titled "Hackney Diamonds", set for release on October 20, marks their first collection of original songs in nearly two decades and the first since the passing of Watts in August 2021.

At a star-studded launch event at the Hackney Empire in East London, hosted by US talk show sensation Jimmy Fallon, guitarist Keith Richards shared his sentiments about the loss of Watts, saying: "Ever since Charlie is gone it's different, he's number four." He added, "He's missing, of course, he's missed incredibly, but thanks to Charlie we have Steve Jordan [the drummer] who was his recommendation if anything should happen to him."

The Rolling Stones are releasing their first studio album in almost two decades (Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/Shutterstock)

Richards further expressed gratitude for Jordan's presence, stating, "He's been a friend of ours so he was a natural progression, it would have been a lot harder without Charlie's blessing." Charlie's cause of death was never publicised but his bandmate Keith Richards revealed in March 2022 that Watts had been battling throat cancer since 2004.

It was known that he had undergone surgery for an unspecified issue with some reports stating a heart procedure was the reason. Just three weeks prior to his death, he announced he would be pulling out of the Stones' upcoming US tour.

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Frontman Sir Mick Jagger revealed that the new album consists of 12 tracks, most featuring Jordan, with two tracks recorded in 2019 with Watts. Fans can also look forward to hearing from original band member Wyman, who served as the bassist for the band from 1962 to 1993, as he features on one of the tracks.

Charlie died aged 80 on August 24, 2021 (Victoria Will/Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

In a thrilling revelation for fans, Wyman, an integral part of the band's original line-up, has contributed to their first 19 albums. Sir Mick spilled the beans, saying: "We asked Bill to come in and do one track so we have the original line-up on one track."

The band's last album with fresh material was 2005's 'A Bigger Bang'. Their most recent studio album, 'Blue & Lonesome', released in 2016, was a collection of blues covers. Richards shed light on the title of the new LP, revealing: "We were flinging ideas around for titles and went from Hit And Run to Smash And Grab and we came up with Hackney Diamonds, which is variations of them both and we are a London band."

The Stones explained it was Charlie's wish for Steve Jordan (pictured) to replace him in the band (Getty Images)

When quizzed about the 18-year gap since the last album of original songs, Sir Mick humorously suggested they had been occupied with "other things", but confessed: "Maybe we were a bit too lazy, so we said let's put a deadline. We had this chat and said let's make this record at Christmas and finish it by Valentine's Day."

The band unveiled 'Angry', the first single from the album, and premiered its video featuring US actress Sydney Sweeney, renowned for her roles in 'Euphoria' and 'The White Lotus'.

The release of this new music had been cleverly hinted at online and through an intriguing advertisement in the Hackney Gazette. The ad, seemingly for a fictional glass repair business, piqued the curiosity of fans and readers alike. Adding to the mystery, the advert included a website and a phone number. Upon dialling the number, callers were greeted with an automated message that said: "Welcome to Hackney Diamonds, specialists in glass repair: Don't get angry, get it fixed. Opening early September, Mare Street, E8. Register for a call at hackneydiamonds.com. Come on then."

* This article was crafted with the help of an AI tool, which speeds up The Mirror's editorial research. An editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected]

Daniel Bird