What are everyone's thoughts in regard to the turn-around time for the next album, if indeed there is one? What are the prospects for a switch of labels? Anyone think they were holding themselves back with ABB and have actually been stock-piling material for a release with another label?

It would be great to see the Stones do a follow-up release in under 2 years,
but I couldnt see them releasing an album outside of a tour; they are just too darn greedy these days.

But on the other hand, I'd be willing to wait for a couple of hardrocking albums. If ABB is supposed to be the modern counter-part to Exile, it would be nice if they would follow historical suit with some raw rockers with massive singles. I know, wishful thinking.

the sooner the better....especially after a bigger bang....but it seems almost out of the question in these times

Next to no chance of a new studio album within two years of ABB as they'll be on the road until probably around this time next year (one thing that I dont recall anyone mentioning is that at the time of the opening night in Boston, a lot of the TV and newspaper reports mentioned that the band would be on the road for 18 months..which would mean early 2007 at the latest..find that hard to believe, personally, but maybe theyve heard something we havent!)

anyway, for a new studio album to be out in 2 years theyd need to be working on it by early 2007. Unless they break the habit of a lifetime and release one that theyve worked up on the road thats a non starter

Hit singles are a thing of the past. Artists in their 60's dont appeal or market themselves to the sort of people who buy singles, which is primarily teenagers.

I think if they switch labels, it'll be a short term deal. At their age and with their lack of new output, no one is going to give them a long term dealwith a big advance for studio albums - unless there is some option that if they dont deliver, the label can reissue old stuff that hasnt been made available until now

I cant see that they'll stay with Virgin. I dont think the Stones have ever renewed a record contract since they left Decca. Theyve always looked to make money elsewhere. Virgin have wrung as much out of the back catalogue (the main reason they signed the Stones) and with compilations as theyre going to get. Some of their recent releases have been baffling, if not barrel-scraping. Live Licks was actually released closer to the start of the current tour than it was to the end of the last one and dusting off old compilations like Jump Back smacked of milking a contract thats about to run out. The label has also been sold to EMI since the Stones signed to them. I think both the band and label will think that each other has underperformed commercially over the last few years compared to what could have been expected

and I dont think they were 'holding anything back' on ABB. Thats as strong an album as most people could reasonably have expected from the Stones at this stage in their career. The band arent going to hold back songs as they fully realise that at their age its possible there may never be another one.

Gazza Wrote:
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> I dont think they were 'holding anything back'
> on ABB.

Gazza,

Nice post. I'm wondering less about holding back and more about simply holding. That is, I wonder what else they may have worked on during ABB and didn't move forward. I've no idea what that might be, but it's an interesting possibilty that there's some amount of material in excess of what's been released to-date.

Time is closing in on them fast and in another 12-18 months it will have gained even more ground so maybe there will be a mad rush to have a go at another album as soon as this tour comes to an end....Hope so anyway.





ROCKMAN

Goddamn GAZ! See what I mean? You flat out roll the conversation with succient detail and relevancy that bears a read just about every time. And I'm running a fair level of confidence (based I the fact that I don't know you personally) with regards to your authenticity. Nice post, but don't you think it's possible that the Boys might have a partial (next album) already in the can? Since as you stated, "The band arent going to hold back songs as they fully realise that at their age its possible there may never be another one"??

1: Get a decent record label, Warner, Universal, Capitol... any label except Virgin.

2: They can rest a whole year, September 2006-September 2007.

3: New album recordings, September/December 2007.

4: New album/tour on March 2008.

Didn't Virgin buy the "Rolling Stones Records" catalogue outright? I mean, "Sticky Fingers" through "ABB" will not travel with the band, correct?

Also, isn't it irritating that they didn't display the classic tounge on the "ABB" back cover? Even if the Stones' label is technically gone, it just seems to be bad form...

What do you suppose the Stones are worth without the catalogue? What is their prestige value?

Release an album of material such as the tracks on Emotional Rescue. Don't tour but at least keep their name out there, while working on another album.

A new generation is not going to adapt very well to a group of 65 year old men in 2008. God knows it Rock and Roll as we knew it will even exist to the next generation of kids, much less appeal to them.

#......Go ahead....Bite the Big Apple....Don't mind the Maggots.....Uh Huh...#

There will be a live album, when the Tour ends. I think the live album will be out in 2007

I don't think they hold anything back either. But it would be nice if they made some songs on the road.

JumpingKentFlash

Camper & Crossfire

I would imagine that the band have at least the genesis of many songs from both 2002 and 2004/2005 sessions lying around that they could work on. As they didnt spend that much time in the studio however, I'd be surprised if there are many that are/were close to being finished. Suppsedly, they mixed 18 songs which were on the shortlist for ABB - and released 16 of them. For the "40 Licks" session, they demo'd 26-28 songs and released 4 of the songs that were finished. However,they only recorded for two weeks so I doubt there were any more that were completed. To even get four songs out of a two week session is reasonably fast by their standards

However, its not uncommon for many Stones songs to literally take several years to evolve from an idea into being a finished product.

If they're only going to spend a few weeks recording, then you'll generally find that they'll concentrate primarily on finishing the songs that they do intend releasing as opposed to, say, the Some Girls/Emotional rescue era (and again on Voodoo Lounge) where they spent months in the studio recording more songs than they needed (most of them unfinished) and didnt have a fast approaching deadline to focus their energy on.

You know that old saying "necessity is the mother of invention'

I'd be happy if they'd make like Dylan and bring a respectable
new album out every five years or so, and release their official bootleg
series inbetween. They have lots and lots of stuff in the can going way back, and have shown they can still come up with a hit. So I'd say go for it.

A question: Do the rights to their back catalogue stay with Virgin?!?

Hey Gaz. Since you're online, could you please gimme the lowdown on the Stones' contract??? Do they owe Virgin another album or are they done by now??? If they're done, when would you expect them to sign another contract if they even do that???

JumpingKentFlash

I think there is a good chance they make a new album within 3 years time. The reason is very simple. Babylon was a nightmare because they could not agree on anything - how to work and mix it and all of that. Now Keith and Mick say they have agreed life is too short to waste time on different opinions on mixing and recording. We have seen examples of that on the new album. So without these problems, it is only a matter of havig time off. And this tour takes a year, plus Mick needs another year or so for solo stuff movies etc, then they have time for another new Stones album. Then another tour I am pretty sure. New album late 2008 and tour 2008/2009.



Bjornulf

First Keith will have to re-find his love for the Rolling Stones before we can talk about a new album. He needs to get back into songwriting. Maybe he needs some finger surgery or just a shot of rhythm'n'blues. I don't need another Mick Jagger album labelled "Rolling Stones".

The album title ABB seems like a pun in preparation. If it's their last album, they wouldn't have went out with a bang only, but A Bigger Bang.
Yes, it is somewhat likely that there is a live album coming out after this tour. On which label, we'll have to wait and see.
And reportedly there is material left over from the Paris Licks sessions that might end up on some record that is done by mixing and overdubbing a la Tattoo You.
Sure enough, I'd love to hear another new studio album from them. I'd prefer that over another world tour.
And the copyright to their post-Decca recordings is owned by their own Promotone B.V., isn't it? So it is somewhat likely that they'll find a new record label amongst the corporate giants, which are by now down to the number of 4: EMI (they are now at their subsidiary Virgin), Warner (they were at their now shut-down subsidiary Atlantic, when Warner were only their distributors), SonyBMG (in the late 80s they were on Columbia) and Universal. I don't know which of these companies can actually pay the new licenses to the Stones catalogue, since the recording industy reportedly is in such a demise that they spend their money on software companies developing copy-protection programs and on lawyers/lobbyists trying to strengthen copyright even further (instead of using the money to build careers of new artists that are actually talented players and writers instead of casted TV show faces and bodies that are then AutoTuned.)

My prediction:

A live album from this tour in 2007

New studio album in 2008, tour in 2008/09, followed by live album in 2010

New studio album in 2011, farewell 50th anniversary tour in 2011/2012, live album in 2013

Boxed set with 50% hits and 50% unreleased in 2014

Unreleased stuff and repackagings/compilations starting in 2015 and continuing for approximately forever

can't see them getting into the studio again near-term. too much effort, especially for KR - it's not a labor of love anymore, clearly. any new album would likely be based on songs already in the can, IMO.

JumpingKentFlash Wrote:
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> Hey Gaz. Since you're online, could you please
> gimme the lowdown on the Stones' contract??? Do
> they owe Virgin another album or are they done by
> now??? If they're done, when would you expect them
> to sign another contract if they even do that???
>
>
> "Better than suicide"


They're now officially without a record contract. However that doesnt mean there wont be more product from Virgin. The deal was for 3 studio albums. In addition to the repackaging of their back catalogue, Virgin/EMI have released three studio albums, three live albums and two compilations. Technically, I suppose they would have the rights to continuing to issue more live albums or compilations (with the band's approval) until they sign an exclusive deal with another label. So, I guess they could do another live record (God help us)

If they sign another contract - whether its with another label or an extension of the just expired one - that could be done at any time, even before the old one had expired. However, its not really good business sense to jump to a new company that early as by the time the last record on your old label comes out, your existing label might not be as keen to promote it!

As far as I remember, when they signed to CBS in 1983 it was before they released their final album (undercover) on their current label (EMI, if I remember right)

the fact that the band are now out of contract could actually work two ways if they're going to make another record

1) if they sign a new deal with someone, they may make a new album relatively quickly - as no label is going to want to invest money in a band of this advanced age and have to wait for about 5 years for them to release something. Time isnt on their side after all and thats a huge business risk at their age.

2) if theyre not going to release a new record in the near future, they simply may wait a few years until theyre ready to do one and then sign a deal with someone

Basically, the longer they wait to sign a deal the less optmistic I'd be about a new studio album in the forseeable future



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2005-10-05 19:10 by Gazza.

bv Wrote:
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> I think there is a good chance they make a new
> album within 3 years time. The reason is very
> simple. Babylon was a nightmare because they could
> not agree on anything - how to work and mix it and
> all of that. Now Keith and Mick say they have
> agreed life is too short to waste time on
> different opinions on mixing and recording. We
> have seen examples of that on the new album. So
> without these problems, it is only a matter of
> havig time off. And this tour takes a year, plus
> Mick needs another year or so for solo stuff
> movies etc, then they have time for another new
> Stones album. Then another tour I am pretty sure.
> New album late 2008 and tour 2008/2009.
>
>
>
> Bjornulf

New album and tour in 2009? Hell man! I don't even know if my own health will hold up that long and the Stones are in their 60s? God bless 'em!

Gazza Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> However, its not really
> good business sense to jump to a new company that
> early as by the time the last record on your old
> label comes out, your existing label might not be
> as keen to promote it!

But what if the stuff on A BIGGER BANG are the leftovers of the first album for the new record company? There are so many fillers (Let me down slow, She's saw me coming, Sweet Neo Con, Infamy) and mediocre stuff... the longer I think about it I believe the Rolling Stones are not only a great @#$%&' group but also clever businessmen.

Mick actually stores the real fine stuff down in the caves of his French house, more than one uptempo rockers, refined country ballads, crazy funk numbers, hard rocking Keith riffers, -- and they will only release all of it after they have signed the new record contract. Next album's working title will be GANG BANGED BY THE ROLLING STONES