McCartney and Wyman Join Rolling Stones for “Hackney Diamonds”
It’s been a tumultuous few years for The Rolling Stones since the passing of drummer Charlie Watts, but they’ve transformed that time into a triumphant new album. Hackney Diamonds is a return to form that marks their first new record of original material in 18 years.
The core of the band – Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood – were joined by a Mount Rushmore of music for the record with appearances by Stevie Wonder, Lady Gaga, Elton John, and more. Regular Stones bassist Darryl Jones, who has been with the band since 1993, was unavailable for the recording sessions. The band improvised with Richards and Wood laying down the low end for the record, but they also had some special help.
First of all, Hackney Diamonds became the first album to features original Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman in 30 years. Most of the drums on the album are performed by new drummer Steve Jordan, but two tracks feature Watts. The band invited Wyman in to perform on one of them, “Live By The Sword.”
“We asked Bill to come into the studio, and he came and did one track – so the original Rolling Stones rhythm section is one one track,” Jagger stated.
The song, which also features Elton John’s signature piano licks, is a throwback to the vintage Stones sound.
The second special guest bassist is Sir Paul McCartney, making the dreams of a Beatles/Rolling Stones collaboration come to fruition. Surprisingly, “Bite My Head Off” is one of the album’s heavier moments. Producer Andrew Watt gifted McCartney a ’64 Höfner bass loaded with a Univox Super Fuzz circuit. McCartney didn’t know about the extra fuzz circuit until Watt had him activate it.
“Suddenly his eyes widened, and he just started ripping on it,” Watt told Guitar Player. “I told him to bring it to the recording session, and he couldn’t stop laughing. I shared the song with Paul the day before, and when we entered the studio with the band, he brought out the bass.
Paul McCartney activated the Super Fuzz switch, and it was complete carnage! I think we recorded just three takes of that song, but almost immediately, Keith and Ronnie were on their feet, and Mick dragged the mic into the middle of the room and the roof left the building.”
Check it out for yourself:
Hackney Diamonds is available now CD, vinyl and as a digital download (iTunes and Amazon MP3).
Hackney Diamonds Track List:
- Angry
- Get Close
- Depending On You
- Bite My Head Off
- Whole Wide World
- Dream Skies
- Mess It Up
- Live By The Sword
- Driving Me Too Hard
- Tell Me Straight
- Sweet Sounds of Heaven
- Rolling Stone Blues
