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gotdablouseQuote
georgelicksQuote
tiffanybluQuote
tiffanybluQuote
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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James Kirk
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]
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JMoisica
Can we talk about how great Ronnie is on this record? He is playing such tasty, Faces-era rock and roll guitar throughout this record. An essential part of the sound.
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georgelicksQuote
gotdablouseQuote
georgelicksQuote
tiffanybluQuote
tiffanybluQuote
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
McCartney released the album in December during Christmas week, the best sales week of the year, plus the physical market and fan base was much healthier 3 years ago than it is now, with each passing year more fans die, sad but true.
Blue & Lonesome opened with 123,000 units in the US in December 2016, it's logical to drop that number after 7 years.
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Idorh
Put everything aside from those heavy conversations and long writing, just enjoy this 3-chord music full of emotion of blues/country/rock/gospel/ballads by these 80-year-old musicians. It's a miracle this brilliant album . Just enjoy.
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NilsHolgersson
I think the songs are doing quite good on Spotify streaming, just look in some Viral hits lists, you will mostly find Sweet Sounds and Angry.
That said, all this will be blown away when 1989 (Taylor's Version) is released this friday ofcourse.
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plusplusjames
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!
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MrBobMartini
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DandelionPowderman
Angry
Very catchy tune. Well-played, well-performed. Nice touch with the extra part in the chorus. Very clever move to take it down in the middle and to make a post-chorus toward the end. 8/10
Get Close:
I like the sound of it as well as the vibe. Keith's phaser contributes a lot to that. It is a little disturbing to hear the melody of Too Far Gone in the first verse. It was better in the second verse, when Mick twisted a little on the melody. Nice sax solo by James King. And the rhythm - it's a blueprint of Slave. I'm fine with that. 7/10
Depending On You:
I can hear from the get-go that this is something special. Nice guitars, extraordinary singing. No doubt about this being a Mick-melody - and a very good one at that! Ronnie's slide themes are as phenomenal as they are simple. Beautifully played! The chorus is delicious. The Stones at their best. 10/10
EDIT: I see Andrew is credited on guitar. He might have played the slide solo.
Bite My Head Off:
How can these 80 year olds make such a racket? This is even punkier that the stuff on Some Girls! Mick is fantastic, same with the rest of the band. Nice touch with the extra chords and harmonies (on the ain't on a leash/chain-parts). Will become a live classic. 10/10
Whole Wide World:
Wow! Melodic, wistful, rocking and mysterious. Fantastic guitars, great singing. I almost got a new wave-vibe of this. Nice touch with the London-accent - it really suited the song. Beautiful verses and chorus. Mick sounds like he's crying when they take it down before the last chorus. Ronnie is on fire. The best Stones-tune I've heard in a long, long time. 10/10
Dreamy Skies:
The Stones and country can (almost) never go wrong. Immediately, I notice a similarity with the «you can't get away from it all»-part in Short And Curlies. However, in a way slower tempo. There are some variations, so it doesn't bother me at all. I've almost forgot it now. Perhaps the best «weaving-song» on the album. Superb slide playing by Ronnie, and really nice open G-playing (without a pick) by Keith. Nice ending bridge. I hope they'll play this one live. 9/10
Mess It Up:
This could have been a single off Wandering Spirit. There is a lot to take in there: The sound, the style, the phrasing, the chorus. IMO, it works nicely. Some of the best choruses ever will glue themselves to your brain, and you just can't let go. Mess It Up is one of those choruses. Very nice playing by Ronnie and Andrew (left channel). I can't hear Keith in here. Good to hear Charlie, who really contributes here. 8/10
Live By The Sword:
The rhythm section is back! They really are one of a kind. Both are unique at what they do, and together they're dynamite. The song is a nice rocker, and Elton John does a very good job. 8/10
Driving Me Too Hard:
Ha! This could have come straight outta Crosseyed Heart. The melody, too. Nice to hear those country-tinged open G-riffs from Keith, as well as beautiful licks. Nice tune, but not among the best here, imo. 7/10
Tell Me Straight:
We've been hearing a lot about Mick's girl problems on this album so far. Here's a piece with some self-reflection - at least it can be interpreted that way («is my future all in the past»). The song is wistful and melancholic musically, and the playing is top notch. Keith is singing better than he has done in a long time. Very nice backup-vocals by Mick. I really like this one. 9/10
Sweet Sounds Of Heaven:
The Stones go soul, and turn it into a gospel-fest. Simply fantastic! Lady Gaga is phenomenal, so is Mick. Nice dynamics. The ending after the «false» stop is a classic. The Stones at their very best. 10/10
Rolling Stone Blues:
This is interesting. The Stones claim that they've never recorded this one, nor played it. We know that this is incorrect, as they did Still A Fool (recorded in 1969, and live in 1995), which is the same song with only a few differences in words a couple of places. The sounds Mick and Keith are creating here is perfect. That guitar is so dirty and respectfully authentic-played that it is almost unfathomable. The way the harp and the guitar are following each other is brilliant. Surprisingly, the only thing that doesn't work 100 percent is Mick's vocals, imo. 8/10
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powerage78
On the other hand, sorry, for me, Mess It Up is a horror ^^...
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SpudQuote
plusplusjames
WHERE HACKNEY DIAMONDS FITS IN THE STONES CANON
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!
here I am reading an interesting and obviously well informed review of the album...an then all that stuff about what if Mick or Keith left ...
What the f%^& is that all that about ?