Hackney Diamonds” (Standard Jewelcase CD)

The Rolling Stones come roaring back with the energetic and fun album Hackney Diamonds. As one critic aptly put, they have done it all and have nothing to prove and at the same time, something to prove. After 2 decades of sold out stadium touring with happy fans and rave reviews, could they go back into the studio and come out with a great new album of original music? The answer is a resounding yes! Defying all odds, with an 80 year old singer Mick Jagger and guitarists Keith Richards, soon to be 80, and Ronnie Wood, 76, they have done the impossible and put out a fantastic record, the first with new material in almost 20 years. Jagger continues to defy time in all aspects. Sure studio effects help, but he has no business sounding this good at age 80. While all his contemporaries lost a lot of their vocal ability long ago, including Robert Plant, Roger Daltry, Paul McCartney, Elton John, etc., Jagger sounds just as good as he did in his 20s with no loss of vocal range either. Furthermore, as evidenced by the 7 song live performance at the Album Release Party in a NYC club the night before the album came out, he was running, dancing, sprinting, jumping, and prancing all over the stage. Indeed, sitting in the front row, Daniel Craig, AKA James Bond, was shaking his head in disbelief by what he was seeing. Decades ago Richards was removed from “The Next Rock Star To Die List,” and we are resigned to the fact that he will outlive all of us. It is not just Jagger’s singing and lyrics, of which he said in promotional interviews that he wrote about 80% of the lyrics, the guitar playing by the duo of Richards and Woods is phenomenal. Their playing at all speeds and all over the map, and always sounding so good, seems impossible for guys who surely must have significant arthritis in their hands. Neither ever entered “The Best Guitarist” contest, but decades of perfecting and maintaining their craft makes them world class, and it is clearly evident on this record. Of course the song writing ability of Richards is always what has always separated him from other great guitarists. A few years ago, he put it in perspective when talking about former Stones lead guitarist Mick Taylor. “He is a virtuoso guitar player, but when he quit the band, he found out the hard way, that is all he is”. The lead-up promotion to the album hyped the famous guests appearing on the album. I would say the famous guests neither added nor detracted from this great album and were essentially superfluous. As new drummer Steve Jordan offhandedly quipped, “They were unnecessary” and I agree. Interestingly, the famous guests were all challenged and put in roles completely unfamiliar to them. Rock/Pop legend McCartney appears on a punk rock song and does something he has never done in his career, a bass solo. Crooning balladeer Elton John is playing piano on a heavy, raunchy hard rock song. Pop star Stef Germanotta (“Lady Gaga”) appears on a Gospel ballad. Stevie Wonder who last joined the Stones more than 50 years ago as the warm-up band for their ’72 tour, comes out of retirement to play piano and organ on the Gospel ballad. So, just how good is this record? Well, I will not fall into the easy and silly trap of, “This is their best record since xyz…” I will just say it is an awesome record, and while not among their masterpieces (think Let It Bleed, Some Girls, Sticky Fingers, etc.), it is better than their weakest efforts (think Satanic Majesties, their early ‘60s pre Satisfaction cover albums, Dirty Work, etc.), and it compares favorably with their great middle efforts (think Tattoo You, It's Only Rock ‘N Roll, Voodoo Lounge, Black And Blue, etc.). Absent completely from this album is long time touring bassist Daryl Jones, who has never been an official member of the band “because he is not English.” Fear not, he was right back on stage playing live with them at the Album Release Party. Instead, bass duties on this album were handled by practically a different guy on each song, including Richards, Wood, McCartney, new producer Andy Watt, and the return of original band member Bill Wyman. Wyman, now 86, appears on one song. Only years later did the truth come out as to why he quit the band. After decades of touring the world, oddly and suddenly at age 55, he became terrified of flying on airplanes and had to quit in the early 1990s. While the rest of the band were really pissed off at him for a few years, Wyman says, “We remain close friends, and exchange cards every birthday and at Christmas.” Due to his fear of flying, he had to take the Chunnel train from his home in France to England to remotely record his bass overdub for the song. He of course declined the invite to the Album Release Party. Here are the songs: Angry – The lead single is a great opener with catchy lyrics, great beat and guitars. It is compared to Start Me Up, but not quite that good, but solid. Hip and up and coming producer Andy Watt, a lifelong Stones fan who wore a different Stones concert shirt to every recording session, co-wrote this and the next 2 songs with the Glimmer Twins Jagger and Richards. Get Close – This is a mid-tempo rock song with a chorus that grabs you. It sort of reminds me of the Ramones ‘70s minor hit “I Want You Around.” All the critics are raving about this song, but I don’t think it is among the best on this record. Depending On You – A love-lost ballad that sounds great, but not at the level of their greatest ballads, that comes later in this album. Bite My Head Off – Here is where the album really takes off with 5 classics in a row! This is a Punk rock song with acid lyrics, great riff, and going at full speed. McCartney does a deliberately distorted base solo. It has the punk attitude of the late ‘70s but with musicians who can really play the instruments, making it a classic. Of course, some punks would say that takes away from a song. LOL! Jagger hasn’t “hung out” with Richards since he slinked out of the muggy, decadent basement in the French Riviera in ’72 with the Exile On Main Street master tapes and headed to a Los Angeles studio to finish that album. However, the elder Richards has become buddies with McCarthy who ventures over to Keith’s place for a cold one every day, when both are wintering in the Turks & Caicos Islands. McCartney recommended Andy Watts to the producer of this record. Whole Wide World – One of the best songs on the album and so good, it was one of the only 3 new songs debuted at the Album Release Party along with the 2 singles. It is a hard rocker about a down and outer, with the whole wide world against him attitude, wandering through the gloomy Post Modern streets of London and through “the smell of sex and gasoline.” Jagger is at his best here with the exaggerated cockney accent. Richards has yet another new awesome intro guitar riff, and he never seems to run out of them. Dreamy Skies – A soulful country song about escaping the rat race, the Social Media “pictures,” the devices “no connections,” and the cell phones and getting out in nature under dreamy skies. It ranks as one of the best ever Stones country songs along with Far Away Eyes and The Worst. Mess It Up – This is a rousing upbeat dance number with a Bee Gees like chorus that hooks you in. This and the next song features original drummer Charlie Watts shortly before he died. Live By The Sword – What would be Rolling Stones record since Beggar’s Banquet’s Prodigal Son, that doesn’t have a Biblical reference, with this one referring to the warning in the Gospel of Matthew? This heavy, hard hitting, dark rock song is one of the best on the album, don’t listen to the critics. Like all heavy songs, it takes a couple of listenings before you really appreciate it. With both Wyman and Watts, you got 4 of the 5 original members on this number. I wonder if Richards and Elton John were in the recording studio at the same time for this after they traded nasty barbs in the British Press a few years back with Richards: “Why are you obsessed with dead English women?” and John: “You look like a monkey (man?).” Driving Me Too Hard – Another mid-tempo troubled relationship song that works well, but not as good as the previous 5 songs. Again, the critics liked this a lot more than I did. Tell Me Straight – The obligatory Richards ballad that he has routinely done in the latter part of his career. Like its predecessor Biggest Mistake, it falls well short of his classic ballads such as “You Got The Silver,” “The Worst,” “Slipping Away,” and “Thief In The Night.” Sweet Sounds of Heaven – The second single is the best song on the album by far. It is unlike anything they have ever done in that it is their first Gospel style ballad. It is a powerful moving song that compares favorably to their greatest ballads such as Tears Go By, Wild Horses, Angie, Beast Of Burden and Waiting On A Friend. It slowly builds to an amazing crescendo. Jagger’s singing, the guitars, and Jordan’s drums are magnificent. Stef Germanotta (“Lady Gaga”) provides the chorus. Some critics foolishly compare it to Gimme Shelter, two completely different types of songs in every possible way, and the only thing they have in common is a female chorus. Of course, both are all time classics in their own right, but in completely different genres. This album version of the song is 2 minutes longer than the single with a false ending and another fantastic final ending. Rolling Stone Blues – The album ends where it all began 62 years ago at Dartford Train Station in 1961, with childhood friends Jagger and Richards reuniting for the first time and with Jagger carrying this Muddy Waters classic under his arm. Founding member Brian Jones soon named the band after this song. This is stripped down Jagger and Richards alone at their best with Mick’s legendary harmonica and Keith’s famed 5 string guitar singing the original Chicago Blues. Fantastic! A fitting ending, but as always with the Stones, it never ends. Jagger says this album is only half of the songs they recorded, and with only half of the best ones on it, and the “next album is 75% done,” so we can expect another album in ’24 and yet another sold out stadium tour in ’24, if as Richards says, “We are all still upright by then.” Overall Grade: A- Other Stones album ratings 1) Let It Bleed (1969) A+ 2) Sticky Fingers (1971) A+ 3) Some Girls (1978) A+ 4) Exile on Main Street (1972) A+ 5) Voodoo Lounge (1994) A 6) Beggar’s Banquet (1968) A 7) Black and Blue (1976) A 8) It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll (1974) A 9) Bridges to Babylon (1997) A- 10) Out of Their Heads (1965) A- 11) Goat’s Head Soup (1973) A- 12) Aftermath (1966) A- 13) Hackney Diamonds B+ 14) Tattoo You (1981) B+ 15) A Bigger Bang B+ (2005) 16) Between the Buttons (1967) B+ 17) Now! (1964) B+ 18) Emotional Rescue (1980) B 19) Steel Wheels (1989) B 20) Dirty Work (1986) B- 21) Undercover (1983) B- 22) England’s Newest Hit Makers (1963) B- 23) December’s Children (1965) B- 24) 12 X 5 (1964) B- 25) Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967) C

It's interesting to note that most of the people who have something negative to say about this album seem to based their complaints upon how old the members of The Rolling Stones are, as if to say, "Don't these people know they're old?" It's been fascinating to watch, because I think it really says a lot about how good this album is that some people are getting tweaked just because it exists. That's revealing. The truth of the matter is, one reviewer summed it up best when he said something to the effect of, "No one expected the Stones do released an album this good at this point in their career" (there's that "old" thing again). For my part, I couldn't care less about the Rolling Stones. They've been a part of the cultural fabric since I was a kid. But I never cared either way. I didn't hate the Stones, but I wasn't their biggest fan, either. But on the radio, "Honky Tonk Woman", "Satisfaction", "Sympathy for the Devil", and later on "Start Me Up" and "Waiting On A Friend" were just radio staples. You were going to hear the Rolling Stones if you turned on your radio. My point is, I didn't go into Hackney Diamonds with any lofty expectations that could be disappointed. I didn't expect it to change my life, but I wasn't predisposed to hate it if it didn't. I bought this album because I was curios. I'd heard "Angry" and thought it was a cool track. And just before the album came out I heard "Sweet Sounds of Heaven" (the one with Lady Gaga), which I thought was really cool. But otherwise I didn't know any tracks and went into the album without any real expectation. But I can say, after a few weeks of listening to Hackney Diamonds on my way to and from work, it's a good album, regardless of whether the "Rolling Stones" name is on it or not. I'd like this album no matter who it was. I have no particular reverence (or hatred of) the Stones. One of my favorite songs of recent memory, "Live By The Sword", is on this album, and that song alone is worth the price of admission. Everything else is just gravy. There's really only one song on the album that didn't do it for me, and that was the Keith Richards sung "Tell Me Straight" (which isn't a bad song, exactly - it's just sort of repetitive hearing Richards end every line with "tell me straight" - but it has it's moments). As with every album, there are great songs and just good songs, but there are no real stinkers on Hackney Diamonds; even "Tell Me Straight", which, I think, is clearly the weakest of the set. That's a remarkable accomplishment for any band, much less a band with members at or near 80 years old. Which just goes to prove that Rock 'N' Roll isn't just for the young, and whatever mojo the Rolling Stones used to have, well, they still got. Is this Exile On Main Street or Sticky Fingers? No. Of course not. How could it be? The Rolling Stones were different people then. That was, after all, 50 years ago. But the thing I like about Hackney Diamonds IS that it doesn't sound like Exile On Main Street or Sticky Fingers. It sounds like what it is; the Rolling Stones in 2023. And I mean that in the best possible way. A lot of folks have been saying Hackney Diamonds is their best album since Tattoo You. Well, I never owned Tattoo You. I never bought it back in 1981 when it was on the charts (yes, I'm that old). You didn't have to. Some of the best known songs on that album were playing constantly on radio (and MTV) at the time. You didn't need to own it. You heard it whether you wanted to or not. lol. Well, because folks have compared Hackney Diamonds to Tattoo You, I finally bought a copy of Tattoo You, to listen to the album one-on-one for the first time in my life. Which I did. And I have to tell you, I like Hackney Diamonds as an album a lot better than I like Tattoo You. A side-by-side comparison of someone who wasn't familiar with either album in its entirety likes Hackney Diamonds better. And while I'm indifferent to "Angry", I think "Live By The Sword" and "Sweet Sounds of Heaven" are right up there with "Start Me Up" and "Hang Fire". In the end, it's all subjective. We like what we like, and we don't like what we don't like. That's just how it works. But if your main objection, as expressed, is the age of the Rolling Stones and you have to load your comments with derision such as calling them "old men" and "white-haired" whatever, maybe your biases are robbing you of a pretty cool experience. If Hackney Diamonds had been made by a bunch of 20-somethings those same people would be throwing breathless declarations of adoration at them. That 20-something band would be hailed as "the new Rolling Stones". lol. If you can't enjoy it because there's an 80-something singer in the band, then you have issues which have nothing to do with this album. This is a good album. That's all you need to know. If you like Rock & Roll, especially if you like "Classic Rock" (which is just Rock, really, let's face it), you'll like this album. But if you can't handle that the Rolling Stones have actually moved on from Exile On Main Street and Sticky Fingers, you can always just go listen to those albums. But don't try to pretend Hackney Diamonds isn't a good album because it doesn't pack the same historic punch of albums which have been in constant rotation on the radio for over 50 years. In my book, I believe 50 years from now Hackney Diamonds will be remember as a classic. Probably by the same 20-somethings who are reflexively showering it with hate today. If you like the Stones at all, you'll like this album. If you don't, well, you won't. But you can't fault the Rolling Stones for sounding like the Rolling Stones, and you shouldn't dismiss this album because it's not 1972 and this isn't Exile On Main Street.

Mick and the boys continue bringing their unique sound on this album with familiar sounds and riffs they are known for . Mick’s voice still strong sounding much as it has for all these years . The amazing bass guitar played by Paul McCartney is a treasure and Lady Ga Ga piano and vocals somehow work and fit -in with the Stones sound . The Charlie Watts drumming shines through on the tracks he performs . All in all , a good solid collection of new Rolling Stone music . Many of their past sounds come forward , raw blues and harmonica , a reminder of the “ Flowers “ LP on one time , and just good old Stones music fans will enjoy

Being born in 1972, I don't think I really knew who The Rolling Stones were until 1981, MTV, and the video for "Start Me Up", and I have to say that, even as an eight-year-old, I though Mick Jagger was weird. Think back to that video--low budget, Mick parading around and giving us all those mannerisms and facial expressions, it was different from all the other videos. I wasn't sold. Throughout the 80's I was aware of them but never bought an album. In 1985, I couldn't get away from Mick Jagger what with his solo album, two hit videos on MTV, "Just Another Night" and "Lucky in Love", plus the Jagger/Bowie collaboration, "Dancing in the Streets". Still, I wasn't sold. I mean, The Rolling Stones were my father's band, not mine. I was into New Wave, heavy metal, punk, post-punk, reggae, 2 tone, not.....The Rolling Stones? Yet, there they were. In fact, I was never truly into The Rolling Stones at all. I never bought one album. Until a few years ago when I decided it was time, and so I dove in with "The Rolling Stones in Mono" box set from 2016. Although, prior to that, I did have "Forty Licks" (2002). I also wanted to complete my Stones collection with an easy way to get all their later albums, so I forked it out for "The Rolling Stones Box Set" from 2010 which contained all their albums 1971-2005 remastered. Then I just bought "Blue & Lonesome" by itself and now "Hackney Diamonds". Prior to listening to "Hackney Diamonds" I listened to every Stones album in sequential order--with only the British albums 1964 through 1967's "Between the Buttons". I'll say this: Their best period was 1966's "Aftermath" through 1971's "Sticky Fingers". I feel they were at the peak of their powers during that era. Their earlier stuff was just a bunch of blues covers, which were fine, but nothing that special (same with The Beatles earlier albums), and contrary to popular belief, I did not find the bloated "Exile on Main Street" (1972) to be the grand classic everyone claims it is. Everything after "Sticky Fingers" is up for debate as the band slowly waxed and waned its way into middle age and beyond. That being said, I do want to mention that many people have the habit of comparing an artist's latest work to their greatest work, and ignore other recent work. So, I think 1994's "Voodoo Lounge" and 1997's "Bridges to Babylon" were okay--not great, not bad. 2005's "A Bigger Bang" was a slight improvement over those two albums. I didn't care for "Blue & Lonesome" much--a bunch of obscure blues cover songs? No thank you. So here we are with "Hackney Diamonds". I like it. It's neither here nor there. It's an amalgamation of the band's past accomplishments (right down to the disco bass riff of "Miss You" embedded in "Mess It Up". And yet, it's strangely fresh and out of sync with today's sounds and hits. It's rock and roll. There's wit and humor (I mean, "Bite My Head Off" anyone?) It's the guys just enjoying making music for the fun of it (followed by a 2024 tour shortly). As for the age of the band members, with Mick being 80, I love it. I hate that America has been so obsessed with youth (right on down to the nasty business of Botox--hello my face is frozen and I can't show expressions, but hey isn't my skin not wrinkly?) and plastic surgery. As if youth is all that great. I like that Mick's vocals sound superb at 80 and the band is rocking, too. If there is any country in the world where ageism is alive and well it's in America, and so we need all these older artists to show the younger generations how it's done. Overall, I liked all the songs on the album, but after listening to it over and over for a full week my favorites happen to be "Angry", "Get Close", "Bite My Head Off", "Dreamy Skies", "Mess It Up", "Driving Me Too Hard", and "Rolling Stone Blues". The album is somewhere around 3.5 stars for me. Here's how "Hackney Diamonds" compares with the band's other works: 1964 The Rolling Stones: Three Stars 1965 The Rolling Stones No. 2: Three Stars 1965 Out of Our Heads: Three Stars 1966 Aftermath: Five Stars 1967 Between the Buttons: Five Stars 1967 Their Satanic Majesty's Request: Four Stars 1968 Beggars Banquet: Five Stars 1969 Let It Bleed: Five Stars 1971 Sticky Fingers: Five Stars 1972 Exile on Main Street: Three and a Half Stars 1973 Goats Head Soup: Three Stars 1974 It's Only Rock 'n Roll: Two and a Half Stars 1976 Black and Blue: Two and a Half Stars 1978 Some Girls: Three Stars 1980 Emotional Rescue: Three Stars 1981 Tattoo You: Three and a Half Stars 1983 Undercover: Three Stars 1986 Dirty Work: Three Stars 1989 Steel Wheel: Three Stars 1994 Voodoo Lounge: Three Stars 1997 Bridges to Babylon: Three Stars 2005 A Bigger Bang: Three and a Half Stars 2016 Blue & Lonesome: Two and a Half Stars 2023 Hackney Diamonds: Three and a Half Stars

I had to wait 25 years for a newly released studio album from the Stones. It was worth the wait. Every song on the album is new and awesome although Mick, Keith, Ronnie and I are now old WE are still rockin' it! Perhaps an alternative title of the album might have been "Angry Old White Men" LMAO!!!

Reviews of NEW albums by legendary artists frequently say things like "best album since..." or "best book since..." or "best film in this franchise since..." SUCH CLAIMS give a review greater click-bait status. And, even when such claims are made by a truly SINCERE reviewer, the reviewer is not considering that they have simply been caught up in the excitement of hearing something NEW from an artist that has frequently been worth talking about. Eventually, one or two years pass by and the reviewer does not even listen to (or talk about) the well-reviewed album anymore. I'm sure I, myself, have been guilty of that before. Such is NOT the case here. This is The Rolling Stones' best album since at least TATTOO YOU. Now, considering that The Stones have not made ANY TRULY GREAT album since TATTOO YOU (they've made a few that are pretty good), such a ranking could STILL not be a big deal. But I'll go one further and say that this could even be BETTER than TATTOO YOU. That beloved 1981 collection, put together almost completely from various 1970s studio outtakes, is a lot of fun...BUT it still has nothing as moving or emotionally-raw as this new album's SWEET SOUNDS OF HEAVEN. I would argue that SWEET SOUNDS OF HEAVEN can be ranked as one of the Stones' very best songs ever. It has that sincere gospel/blues/Americana feel they captured so well on LET IT BLEED, STICKY FINGERS, EXILE ON MAIN STREET and the other few truly amazing Stones albums. Its chiming organ, perfect female backing vocals (Lady Gaga, but don't let that throw you off if you're not a fan of her music...she's channeling Merry Clayton here), gorgeous gospel chords...all are capped off by one of the most heartfelt & affecting vocal performances of Mick Jagger's whole career. (The song even has a completely improvised, not-planned final two minutes...Mick starts breaking into a falsetto vocal and Lady Gaga plays off of him...it's fantastic.) And the whole album has a feel similar to the sound of this terrific song: these are songs by a band that is completely inspired. Even the stripped-back blues performance of the final song, ROLLING STONE BLUES (Hendrix fans may recognize pieces of this song in Jimi's own blues medley/arrangement, CATFISH BLUES), reminds the listener of the days during which the band's blues excursions were sincere...they sounded like real life. The Rolling Stones playing this album's final track is the band we've longed for all too long...that truly dangerous version of The Rolling Stones. This LP was apparently recorded (for the most part) during just a single month of sessions. And it just feels...good...to live in a world in which The Rolling Stones are still capable of making an album like this one.

Awesome new tunes.

Good Rolling Stones album (aren't they all?). Arrived in perfect condition and arrived VERY QUICKLY!

Love it! As good as anything the Stones have ever done!

Letras con huella. Música reflejando la luz de los diamonds. Álbum muy aceptable y con algunos temazosssss, como la canción con Lady Gaga

Mais um album sensacional dessa banda de rock...muito bem produzido

To nie tylko dobre rzemiosło to przyzwoity kawał muzyki.

I doubt whether more words have ever been written, or spoken, about a new album, not just at the time of its release but also ahead of its appearance. So what can I add that hasn't already been written or said about the Rolling Stones "Hackney Diamonds"? In truth probably nothing [but that's not going to stop me], but is it really as good as everybody has said? Undeniably the answer is yes it is as good, or perhaps even better, because this is simply the Rolling Stones back to their imperious best, nothing more, nothing less, with twelve tracks that mix Stones style sleazy rocking and rolling with their take on country blues; funk, soul, and gospel; even punk; and of course the blues. Lead single and opener "Angry" is a punky rocker that with its bursts of staccato guitar from Richards and Woods has the potential to be a constant in their live set. Second track "Get Close" with Elton John tinkling the ivories and a sumptuous sax break form James King is an archetypical big Stones sleazy rocker that can hold its head-up among their '70's oeuvre as Jagger sings of "wanting to get close to you". Things then calm down with the power-ballad "Depending On You", it's another with potential to become a classic, just listen for that moment when Steve Jordan's kick-drum comes in. Possibly my favourite track, or at least a contender for my favourite, "Bite My Head Off" featuring Paul McCartney riffing on scuzzy bass guitar is another hard rocking punky number that could give the safety-pinned spikey-haired upstarts of the class of '76 a run for their money without breaking into a sweat. "Whole Wide World" that follows keeps up the rocking tempo, another with punky undertones but it's set apart by its sheer quality [and the guitar solo]. And after the rocking, the country blues "Dreamy Skies" calms things down, the Stones have always enjoyed a touch of the hillbilly honky-tonks and this one is up there with the best of them in the "Dead Flowers" mould. "Mess It Up" is a mid-tempo rocker with a touch of funk as Jagger dusts down his falsetto before Elton John returns joining old boys Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman for the straight-ahead snarling rocker "Live by the Sword", it's another that have could have come from the Stones' early seventies catalogue. "Driving Me Too Hard" that follows is a mid-tempo rocker with touches of the Stones '80s template before the beautiful sumptuous stripped-back ballad "Tell Me Straight" has Richards taking-over the vocal duties,,it's not quite up there with "Thief In The Night" but I've always enjoyed these Richards' interludes and this one is no exception, my only complaint is that at less than three minutes it's too short. Penultimate track "Sweet Sounds of Heaven" was the second single released ahead of the album. With Lady Gaga and Stevie Wonder sitting-in this gospel-tinged soul number is nothing short of gob-smacking with its "improvised" coda putting it beyond perfection, even at seven minutes plus it's too short. Changing direction and closing the album is a simple stripped-down cover of Muddy Water's "Rolling Stone Blues" with Jagger showing he's lost none of the touches that made him one of the all-time best blues harmonica players; is this a way of closing the circle that started with a Muddy Waters record on platform two of Dartford railway station sixty-two years ago? And that's it. These "Hackney Diamonds" may have been a long time in coming but they're quintessentially the essence of the Rolling Stones, a mix of styles yes but there's not a duffer amongst them, and as an album it's a near perfect 11 [I could argue that in parts it's perhaps a little overproduced but that's splitting hairs]. You may perhaps quibble with its lack of originality, the Stones have never been scared to borrow from others but with "Hackney Diamonds" they've stuck close to the knitting drawing inspiration from across their years and not repeating past mistakes by being influenced by short-term musical zeitgeists. If this turns out to be the Stones' last studio release [and on the basis of this showing let's hope there's still more to come] then they are going out on a high and with contributions from friends, peers, contemporaries and old boys this is more than just another record, it's a celebration of their incredible longevity and the esteem in which they're held by their peers, disappointingly though 30 year veteran sideman bassist Darry Jones doesn't put in an appearance. 5 stars, probably the best new release this year, certainly the longest awaited return to form.