A delightful Stones album, it is enjoyable from start to finish. That we still get to experience this in 2023. They all have fun with it. I have played it many times. I can't get enough of it. The songs are also getting better and better. People enjoy it instead of putting the album under the microscope. We are living now and not in the past. So, I'm going to put it on again hahaha, life is beautiful.

That's the Hackney Diamonds official cover artwork on Apple Music.

Here's the original link - it's a M3U8 Playlist . You can play it e.g. in VLC-Player or download it with appropriate tools and convert it to MP4-Video or animated GIF.

it's ALWAYS the same posters that try to bring everyone down....enough said in the last few pages of the enthusiasm brought to the project by KR/RW.....perhaps most of the music was born out of Jagger's efforts, but THERE IS NO WAY KR would sign off to a solo Mick effort.....that's just sour grapes of a few. Sorry for them.

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Bjorn
The album is fine. Keith live was not. Why doesn´t he help Ronnie? Where there should be power and attack, he just bend a string - if he even tries at all. Whole Wild World - please join the chorus! Dont just stand there! And so on. Makes me kinda sad. But I guess he will sort it out in time for the tour. Maybe it´s just me. I care too much. Always want to see the best in everyone. Want people to shine.

It's been like this on stage since 2012 so very unlikely to change now...Still, it's great (and unexpected) that he was able to contribute wonderful guitar and bass parts to the album thanks to "hard work" and Watt's help.

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IORR Links : Essential Studio Outtakes CDs : Audio - History of Rarest Outtakes : Audio

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Steen G

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gotdablouse

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Steen G
Isn't this the first album including the voice of CW?

Where are you hearing him ?

Counting in to "Live by the Sword". It became obvious when I had the album in high quality headphones for the first time last night.

BTW "This Record Should Be Played Loud" also applies to HD

I also thought it might be Charlie there originally but I'm not recognizing his voice at all, I'll give it another try.

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IORR Links : Essential Studio Outtakes CDs : Audio - History of Rarest Outtakes : Audio

kind of "review". as many say (from both sides here) it takes time to assess the album in the big picture of a 60 years catalogue, this is the time of first impressions, even if you spin it 100 times in a single day. love or hate.

my first impressions. I enjoy spinning side A as a whole, no deep downs and a big up "Get Close". Also "Get Angry" has grown as good single and is a good start off. That did not happen with first half of A Bigger Bang back in 2005 (almost immediately felt the need of cut some tracks out as fillers or dud - Biggest Mistake, Streets'of love, Let me down slow etc).

First thought: a more compact and cohesive thing. If Andew Watt is the one to be credited for this, well be it.

Stonesy or not, maybe a ware out question: "Get Close" is something I would not excpect to hear from any other band from the past or present (Mick or Keith fatherhood, it does not really matter to me). For me it is up there in between Pretty Beat Up and Slave. I figure myself mixing it in my Stones favs playlist. Now and in the future. Love at first listen.

That Mick is the "force" that pull the band to complete the album is common place by now. Not a minus or a point in favor per se. Just a fact: without Mick we would not have Hackney Diamonds.

Coming to the songs: fair to say that in riffs like those of Bite My Head Off or Whole Wide World Keith is there, at best, to fill the wall (a wall similar to that of Eazy Sleaze or Hold on to your hat) with cracks and holes. Much more rock than roll, and hooks and refrains that bend toward pop. Nothing wrong with that. As someone said up here " as long as you have good songs". And in their way Whole Wide World or Bite My Head Off are good (british wave/punk) pop rock songs. Nice to hear on record, likely to be a lot of fun live (love the commitment of the band with this new material, it's about time to have a new tour with lots of new song, whatever they are or we think of them).

Odd enough for me that love Keith's "thing" (his solo albums, his way to think music as silence you paint on etc etc) I have to say that Get Close apart I find "Keith's" apparent input the weakest. And I have a thought about why is that.

"Driving Me Too Hard" (sold as joint effort) sounds to me like a Keith's song in the root. First, it is not easy to go beyond the Tumbling Dice rip off intro. Then the song goes on like a watered down version of something in between Nothing On Me and Baby break It Down. My theory: the pop treatment did not apply well to this one.

Maybe my greatest disappointment is Keith solo spot. I like Mick harmonizing on this but Tell Me Straight sounds, to my ears,like an unfinished effort. Something from the great mould of Thru and Thru without its full breath and development. Also, something that is not up the level of the warms ballads Keith has grown up to craft so well and with which he filled Crosseyed Heart (Illusion, Robbed Blind, Just a Gift). Don't misunderstand me: I like the song. I just had greater expectations on that.

On side one, the only moment of "meh" for me is toward the end of Dreamy Skies when Mick?Keith?Watt? add an unnecessary variation to spice a beautiful little country song that has vibes of Faraway Eyes.

This is a very prominent thing on Hackney in my opinion: multiple hooks, refrains, bridges variations. Someone called some of them "posh".

Some work good imo like in "Depending On You". A very well crafted pop ballad, adorable real strings, backing vocals and organ included. Too pop? Maybe for my taste. But a really good song. I'd love to hear that in the ballad slot live.

Same thing for the extra variation on Whole Wide World and, in the end, also on Angry where there's an enjoiable balance between the first fm pop rock half and the second half, more soulful and loose (two faces of our beloved Stones sewn together).

Sweet Sounds of Heaven is so strong that is untainted by that "phoned in" central bridge. I like that on Live by The Sword instead. I like all in Live by the Sword, exspecially Elton John's barroom piano. That song is really what can be said "quintessence" Stones. Not a stellar song, per se, but really enjoiable. A better version of Sparks with Fly so to speak.

Where all this cut and sew turn dreadful for me is on Mess it up. This really makes me think of what could happen if a machine learning device would be prompted to output a "Stones dance tune". Skip.

From bottom to top. At the upteenth spin, Sweet Sounds of Heaven sounds rousing and good and exhilarating as the first, and the glimpse at the Racket live version confirms the impression that this is a song to keep. Will they dare to close their live set with this next year? I hope so!



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2023-10-22 15:20 by maumau.

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Idorh
A delightful Stones album, it is enjoyable from start to finish. That we still get to experience this in 2023. They all have fun with it. I have played it many times. I can't get enough of it. The songs are also getting better and better. People enjoy it instead of putting the album under the microscope. We are living now and not in the past. So, I'm going to put it on again hahaha, life is beautiful.

Agree 100%

"No Anchovies, Please"

Did Mick write "Angry" to Keith?

Did Keith write "Tell Me Straight" to Mick?

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RobertJohnson

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keefriffhards

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RobertJohnson
Okay, we have the long-awaited solo album of Mick Jagger. Amazingly, Ronnie and Keith were allowed to play on it. And Keith even has a solo song. It's also the best thing on this album along with Rolling Stones Blues. The remarkable thing is that Mick's other solo albums were much better. When I heard about the name dropping list I was already skeptical. Who needs Lady Gaga on a Rolling Stones album? Except the marketing people ... The mostly positive professional reviews are incomprehensible to me. Many journalists probably don't even know what this band can and could do. My hope is that now Keith and Ronnie will also make solo albums. They are certainly better ... And, guys, stand in a studio and record Blue & And Lonesome II.

Ok let's have a discussion about this album because although most love it something happened during the making of this album that no one seems brave enough to mention other than you Robert.
It's probably their last album and some of us are allowed to be disappointed with the outcome, the men who made Crosseyed Heart clearly didn't have much input on HD other than to play on it. The new Stones album is actually a Mick Jagger/ Andrew Watt solo album with Keith playing on it.
I understand that is great for most iorrians, but what happened to the album they shelved and why has Keith apparently just given up his half of being a Glimmer Twin other than to sprinkle some fairy dust ?

This is really an interesting question. Maybe there's an agreement for the future: "Okay, Mick, we'll support you in your thing, but then we'll do something else sensible that has musical value!" That's the optimistic reading. But maybe the psychodynamics in the band have shifted in such a way that only Mick has something to say. That is the pessimistic reading.

I doubt there's an agreement for the future, more likely Mick is the driving force and Keith's happy to go along for the ride.
Keith said to a reporter recently, and i thought defensively, "well I've done it all man, I've done everything " it was an unprovoked statement and apologetic in nature, sometimes a minute glimpse is most revealing.
Stand me as corrected if I'm wrong but i haven't heard Keith actually say the album is great or that he's proud of it, he has been guarded when pressed on the subject, doesn't call these tracks his babies, he's usually more emotional about the creative side of his contributions.
As you suggested i hope Ronnie and Keith make solo albums, Mick too, and I agree with you, this album is no where near as good as Wandering Spirit.
Had Wandering Spirit been Mick's first solo album there would have been no more Rolling Stones and Keith might have become an artist in his own right like Dylan or Van Morrison, i always say be careful what you wish for.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023-10-22 15:38 by keefriffhards.

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gotdablouse

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Steen G

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gotdablouse

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Steen G
Isn't this the first album including the voice of CW?

Where are you hearing him ?

Counting in to "Live by the Sword". It became obvious when I had the album in high quality headphones for the first time last night.

BTW "This Record Should Be Played Loud" also applies to HD

I also thought it might be Charlie there originally but I'm not recognizing his voice at all, I'll give it another try.

So I tried multiple times and just can't hear Charlie there, it's a deeper voice IMHO and without much, if any, of a British accent. Would still bank on Don Was?

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IORR Links : Essential Studio Outtakes CDs : Audio - History of Rarest Outtakes : Audio

As I have posted before life changes. We are not 16 years old listening with our friends. It rocks, it rolls. A lot of commercial songs but I’m fine with that and Mess it Up with a video could be the big hit. It’s catchy, contemporary. sweet sounds is so damn epic every thing on it is blown out of the water. They are back sounding healthy and great Who could as for more? Dreamy Skies is currently my favorite. I personally feel blessed to have it. Just enjoy it for what it is

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mailexile67
@Georgelicks

Does "HD" a good chance to reach #1 in UK charts?Could it sells 2.5 millions worldwide in your opinion?

Wondering the same. Blink and Drake have higher streams. But how much of the UK chart is based on pure sales is the question?

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tiffanyblu

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mailexile67
@Georgelicks

Does "HD" a good chance to reach #1 in UK charts?Could it sells 2.5 millions worldwide in your opinion?

Wondering the same. Blink and Drake have higher streams. But how much of the UK chart is based on pure sales is the question?

Stones are actually doing quite good on Apple music (streams, especially compared to blink) on an international level, and a bit better than blink on Spotify. But Blink are having more streams on the two large ones: US and UK.

I had a tough time finding the album. I went to 2 record shops and they were sold out the first hour they told me.

Target didn't have it either. I finally found the album at Best Buy but they did not have the CD.

Haven't had the time to listen to every song on the album but the ones I have listened to, with one exception (the lady Gaga one), have had typical latter day Jagger lyrics which you can sum up like this:
Jagger's girlfriends, wives and lovers do not treat him right. He deserves more. Didn't he once write "Lucky in Love"? By listening to the lyrics you wouldn't believe him...

* Whole Wide World is also an exception. Has good lyrics. Reflective and sympathetic.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023-10-22 18:00 by Stoneage.

One thing that still confuses me was the Jagger quote about Mess it up being released as the third single before the album. Was that incorrect or did plan change? Remix coming maybe?

Do you really really really really wanna hear the truth ? This record is great. I have played it 10 times now and it just gets better and better. A late career classic. I hope they stick with Watt as producer, he did a fantastic job.

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tiffanyblu

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tiffanyblu

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mailexile67
@Georgelicks

Does "HD" a good chance to reach #1 in UK charts?Could it sells 2.5 millions worldwide in your opinion?

Wondering the same. Blink and Drake have higher streams. But how much of the UK chart is based on pure sales is the question?

Stones are actually doing quite good on Apple music (streams, especially compared to blink) on an international level, and a bit better than blink on Spotify. But Blink are having more streams on the two large ones: US and UK.

The album will hit #1 in the UK with huge sales, it sold over 10k during pre-sale on Amazon alone, we can expect at least 4-5 times that number in total, the streams aren't good but the sales are strong and that's enough.
We'll see it tomorrow during the week.

The problem is the US market, it is too much based on streaming and the Stones' streaming numbers are non-existent which shows that the fan base in the US is much older than anywhere else in the world, it is what it is, and we have to resign ourselves to the fact that the Stones will not be able to have that #1 that they have been looking for since 1981, but the album is also guaranteed the Top 4 which is not bad at all for an artist with 60 years of chart activity releasing new music, 90% of his contemporaries have been dead for a long time.

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tiffanyblu
One thing that still confuses me was the Jagger quote about Mess it up being released as the third single before the album. Was that incorrect or did plan change? Remix coming maybe?

I think they have bigger plans for the song, it didn't have a lyric video released last Friday and it's the only song on the album with the potential to reach a wider audience, maybe a video with someone famous or even a remix with someone hip from the moment that put them BIG in the streaming market.

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georgelicks

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tiffanyblu
One thing that still confuses me was the Jagger quote about Mess it up being released as the third single before the album. Was that incorrect or did plan change? Remix coming maybe?

I think they have bigger plans for the song, it didn't have a lyric video released last Friday and it's the only song on the album with the potential to reach a wider audience, maybe a video with someone famous or even a remix with someone hip from the moment that put them BIG in the streaming market.

My thoughts exactly. Lets see!

Do we have a thread on the HD docu?

JumpingKentFlash

[youtu.be]

This is not their last record and sure as hell isn’t a Mick “solo” record. It’a a great record that sounds like what it is, a truly great Rolling Stones album. I wake up in the morning and put it on. In three days I’ve played it a couple of dozen times more than any Stones album released since Tattoo You.

Pass out the geritol to the wanckers



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023-10-22 19:43 by Woz.

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RollingStoner
I think the Pitchfork review takes the crown for being the most out of touch, uninformed review. Here is a link to the garbage review from an overly pretentious publication:

Pitchfork HD Review

The bit about Keith who used to be the accountant is rather crazy, and the rest is rather over the top, but I don't think it's completely out of touch either. He makes some valid points, if you tone down a bit the aggresion.

Agree, the problem with that Pitchfork review is that the tone is so aggressive that the piece ceases to be a review, points good or arguable get blurred away

not very pro in my opinion when the ego takes over like that



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023-10-22 20:09 by maumau.

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georgelicks

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tiffanyblu

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tiffanyblu

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mailexile67
@Georgelicks

Does "HD" a good chance to reach #1 in UK charts?Could it sells 2.5 millions worldwide in your opinion?

Wondering the same. Blink and Drake have higher streams. But how much of the UK chart is based on pure sales is the question?

Stones are actually doing quite good on Apple music (streams, especially compared to blink) on an international level, and a bit better than blink on Spotify. But Blink are having more streams on the two large ones: US and UK.

The album will hit #1 in the UK with huge sales, it sold over 10k during pre-sale on Amazon alone, we can expect at least 4-5 times that number in total, the streams aren't good but the sales are strong and that's enough.
We'll see it tomorrow during the week.

The problem is the US market, it is too much based on streaming and the Stones' streaming numbers are non-existent which shows that the fan base in the US is much older than anywhere else in the world, it is what it is, and we have to resign ourselves to the fact that the Stones will not be able to have that #1 that they have been looking for since 1981, but the album is also guaranteed the Top 4 which is not bad at all for an artist with 60 years of chart activity releasing new music, 90% of his contemporaries have been dead for a long time.

McCartney 3 went Top 2 in the US with 107000 w/104000 physical, they should do better in terms of numbers, no? The ranking depends on the competition of course

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IORR Links : Essential Studio Outtakes CDs : Audio - History of Rarest Outtakes : Audio

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matxil

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RollingStoner
I think the Pitchfork review takes the crown for being the most out of touch, uninformed review. Here is a link to the garbage review from an overly pretentious publication:

Pitchfork HD Review

The bit about Keith who used to be the accountant is rather crazy, and the rest is rather over the top, but I don't think it's completely out of touch either. He makes some valid points, if you tone down a bit the aggresion.

Yeah, maybe the dude a bit overplays his point, but it was refreshing to read such a critical account (there are so many of those "best since this or that" reviews). I don't agree with it, but I think that sort of angle to see the album is valid, indeed. I very well - and probably too well - understand it.

- Doxa

According to Hits Daily Double, HD is heading towards a #4 debut in the United States with sales in the range of 75-85k sales. The album will chart higher in other countries that don’t rely so heavily on streaming. It hurts that the Stones fanbase is much older and generally don’t stream. It also hurts the band that major retailers like Best Buy don’t even carry cd’s anymore (the marketplace is very different from when Macca released McCartney 3 only a couple years back)and very little physical media in general these days.


[m.hitsdailydouble.com]

WHERE HACKNEY DIAMONDS FITS IN THE STONES CANON

The band’s last studio album, A Bigger Bang, released in 2005, struck me as a competently made rock and roll record. In terms of my comment made in the Giant’s stadium parking lot, “every part of my life, there’s been a stones album that’s been a soundtrack,” that album was no exception. I knew exactly who in my life was “Oh No, Not You Again,” exactly who was gonna “Let Me Down Real Slow,” and how to get out of “The Biggest Mistake,” (which, ultimately, I was unable to avoid, but I got what I needed).

The problem with A Bigger Bang was that the band really didn’t push the envelope much. They were determined to produce an album of hard rockers, and they did. It was rock and roll sausage making at its best using a little bit of this, a little bit of that, some choice cuts tossed in at times (“Rough Justice”), some Ya-Ya’s seasoning. and lots of filler (but still below maximum FDA standards). I know that I am an unusual fan, asking that the band push out a little more into genres where they appear reluctant to, like jazz or gospel. I always regarded the Charlie Watts/Jim Keltner Project as the second disc and integral part of the Bridges of Babylon release (accompanied by a bright comet in the sky, no less).

What I wanna know is, is Hackney Diamonds more “rock and roll sausage making?” Or is it more “Love of Music,” like Charlie’s solo projects? That is the question.

Don’t get me wrong. I loved A Bigger Bang for its rocky elements. However, I couldn’t deny that, over time, I felt a lot like my friends’ dogs at mealtime (I don’t have a pet myself). You know, that look you get from when you lock eyes with their poochie, as they grab their first bite (salivating like Pavlov’s dog). The glance that says, “Yes, it is dogfood. But I’m a dog. And I’m @#$%& hungry. Leave me alone. And nothing to see here.” Look away, chew, chew, gulp, another huge bite. And repeat.

Yes, it’s only rock and roll and I eat it up too. But I do wish that they would change it up some more.

So what about Hackney Diamonds? After my first few listens, it’s deeply satisfying. What’s interesting about it are the references it makes to the band’s past and possibly future work. They did it not by inserting a forgettable “Continental Drift” like they did with Steel Wheels. Or the marginally more interesting one-off harpsichord number “New Faces” from Voodoo Lounge.

In sum, Hackney Diamonds is the band’s late period London-referential album, as a counterpoint to New York’s Some Girls. Like the latter, it features country tunes as sidebar attractions (I did like the reggae change-up on Bridges). It’s got a rocker lifted straight from the 1970’s club scene in Camden Town. And they come back to London or shards as themes to hold it all together. Unlike the London dadaesque Pistols that just self-destructed in Texas.

To be sure, the band did engage in some rock and roll sausage making again. But I detect much more “Love of Music” in this work than in Bang. By all the references to their past canon. And in one special case, to an under-emphasized genre in their extensive catalogue.

Let’s review, track by track:

I’ll start with “Rolling Stones Blues,” the album closer. This track is the natural bookend for both sides of the band’s career. From the “what’s your band’s name” question over the phone back at Edith Grove in 1962 to Blue & Lonesome in 2016. The perfect track to honor the band’s longevity and roots. Down home style.

Angry is a derivative of Start Me Up. Could’ve been a great summer anthem if they had released it 5 weeks earlier. Did they really need to wait to finish the Sydney Sweeney video? At least we could’ve been rocking to Angry. Why was the band angry with us? We’d been waiting 2 years since the last single?! We needed that melody ringing in our brains in August! Keith’s bass lines!!! Wow! Where are my pills? Where’s my plane ticket to Brazil?! Sydney can drive my car!

Depending on You harkens back to one of my favorite late period ballads, Already Over Me. This song blows me away in terms of the “soundtrack of my life” category. I’m too young for dying and too old to lose. And now she’s giving my loving to somebody new. All the while, accompanied by a haunting Mick Taylor guitar lick played expertly by Ronnie. A testament to his enduring influence on the band.

Get Close is clearly descended from Gold Coast slaves. If it had appeared on the first side of Sticky Fingers, you wouldn’t have batted an eye. I wanna get close to you chorus sticks. Hard.

Whole Wide World recalls the album’s themes of London and broken glass. When your late night friends leave you, it’s only just begun. So let’s raise a glass. After all, Mick and Keith did pass some time in London’s clink. Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel? With reference to the Some Girls era, we are treated to 2 great Jim Carroll Band style solos. I get excited to hear this fine-lined track over and over. The “Love of Music” is strong with this one.

Speaking of punk, let’s turn now to Bite My Head Off. The riff is straight Steve Jones of Pistols’ fame. Definitely London style. Could’ve have appeared on Some Girls if they mentioned trashing Studio 54. And to top it off, there is that great solo by a guest bassist. The very same guy who penned the band’s second single in 1963. In fact, an extremely versatile musician authoring such tracks like “And I Love her,” the children’s anthem “Yellow Submarine” (complete with clunking), as well as “Oo You,” (same clunks, but this time in a completely edgy context). Talk about multiple vintages. “Love of Music” is off the charts!

The Keith track: Tell Me Straight. Memphis soul, the way Keith likes to croon. Why can’t Keith sing on a rocksong anymore?, harlem shuffle asked on October 17th. May I remind you that Keith is the master of the pause in the downstroke? The anticipation and the surprise? The Roctober Vampire doesn’t come when beckoned. He unexpectedly appears in your darkened room when least expected, while you gaze out of your window upon the moonlit lawn, lace curtains undulating gently by your knees. Tell me straight and skip the fake news. Broken glass needs to swept off the floor. A satisfying bridge on a composition where Keith admits the chords intrigued him.

The two country songs:

Dreamy Skies, a relative of Always Suffering, complete with a call-out to Hank Williams. Anybody remember You Win Again from Some Girls? The harmonica solo is pure snazz. This track continues to impress. My kind of Country Stones.

Driving Me Too Hard seems to me to be Mick’s homage to his friend Brad Paisley. Great licks, verve, and energy. Both country tracks display a playfulness dripping with “Love of Music.”

This leaves me with the two Charlie tracks Mess It Up and Live by the Sword. Both songs remind me of Mick’s 1980 solo period, not my favorite, unfortunately. I find these two tracks to be way too much rock and roll with faux pop/dance added to the sausage making. I just don’t like that much sawdust and filler. I have a friend who really likes Primitive Cool and She’s the Boss. He’s welcome to it. Just not my cup of tea. Thank God England Lost and Gotta Get A Grip neither made the cut for Hackney Diamonds nor were they on the uninspired album that was never released years ago. Wanna really want to hear the truth? I can see Charlie smirking behind the drum kit.

Live by the Sword strikes me as the better of the two as it’s more like Neighbors on a swingy ragtime engine. Mick’s call and response with himself is intriguing, I’ll grant you that. I’ll give these two some more listens.

This leaves me to finish with Sweet Sounds of Heaven, a “Love of Music” masterpiece. The genre here is gospel, with its never-ending refrain. The band needs to play more in this vein. Yes, there are hints of Dreams to Remember. But where Dreams was irreverent, Sounds is blissful. Mick’s vocal performance is commanding, Gaga’s respectful and responsive. The two manage the call and response like an inspired session of lovemaking. Towards the end, they switch. The bottom takes the superior position, top is down, ever rising to a crescendo, while Mick plays Rock ‘n Roll Circus master calling out his piano player. “Love of Music?” Absolutely, a perfect ten. The rock and roll sausage machine not even touched.

This brings me to an uncomfortable discussion, one that must be had as we contemplate the late period of the band. The question is, what does the band do if Mick leaves (a question that I cannot ask without some emotional agony). Sweet Sounds of Heaven hints at the answer, one that I have suspected ever since I was dancing next to Lady Gaga on the rail at the First Union Center in Philadelphia in 2013. Gaga is a natural to handle vocals as Mick’s clear understudy. I think she would be instantly popular with the band’s male fans. To my female fan friends, who I am sure will be divided on this question, I would say, cut us dudes some slack. You’ve had your fun. Now it’s our turn to get our Short and Curlies off.

To continue, what if Keith were to leave? This one is easier and hopefully less controversial. I think Ronnie could play Keith’s parts faithfully for the fans. As for the other guitar parts, Mick Taylor would do very nicely, and undeniably has the legacy to boot. And that would be a very nice mix. Even today with all three!

If needed, Ronnie could be replaced by the aforementioned Mick Taylor. The interesting question is who would take over the other guitar. I would nominate a number of guitarists who have played with the band over the years, such as Ry Cooder, Macca (reprise of the tension between “Music Hall” and “Rhythm and Blues?”), Andy Watt, Sheryl Crow, Lenny Kravitz, among many others.

Hackney Diamonds, the band’s London themed album, points to both their past and future. I dig this compendium that thoroughly convinces me that a late period album can truly be more “Love of Music” than “rock and roll sausage.”

Gold rings on ya!