Quote
RisingStone
Maybe Santa Claus is not coming until Xmas time, after all…

It isn't Christmas until Hans Gruber falls off the Nakatomi Building.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026-03-05 15:01 by Topi.

I hope the new album also has a nice new tongue design

Quote
Topi

Quote
RisingStone
Maybe Santa Claus is not coming until Xmas time, after all…

It isn't Christmas until Hans Gruber falls off the Nakatomi Building.

TV reporter Richard Thornburg is sure to get the scoop of the album release date faster than anybody else and inform us of the world tour!

It’s funny we want the new album and we wanted it yesterday. That’s what happens when you go 18 years without new material. We’re like ravenous dogs. Liked HD a lot but I also think it was a little polished which is expected after 18 years. Hope they take a few more risks on the new one.

Other than "Blue and Lonesome," how many recent Stones albums were released around Christmastime?

Where did this idea come from?

From Steel Wheels on, new albums came out late summer in advance of fall tours of North America. Hackney Diamonds came out in October.

I see no reasons whatsoever to postpone the release of the album. Time is not on their side anymore. I think it would be a good idea to release the album while the remaining core members are still well and healthy.
This album may very well be the last effort from the band. Make sure that all the band members can celebrate that.

Quote
MelBelli

From Steel Wheels on, new albums came out late summer

Voodoo Lounge was released on 11-Jul-1994.

The Xmas idea comes from the release dates of Hackney Diamonds or Blue & Lonesome. If the new studio album wasn't released end of May / early June, then a release end of 2026 sounds more likely (especially without live shows).

Quote
Stoneage
I see no reasons whatsoever to postpone the release of the album. Time is not on their side anymore. I think it would be a good idea to release the album while the remaining core members are still well and healthy.
This album may very well be the last effort from the band. Make sure that all the band members can celebrate that.

I’m sure there’s a very good reason as to why it hasn’t been released yet. I’m just hoping that they put a bit more thought into the design especially for the vinyl, some pics of the boys in the studio for the sleeves and inners would look great

Quote
Davie137

I’m sure there’s a very good reason as to why it hasn’t been released yet.

Because there's no Stones tour in 2026.

Quote
Irix

Quote
MelBelli

From Steel Wheels on, new albums came out late summer

Voodoo Lounge was released on 11-Jul-1994.

The Xmas idea comes from the release dates of Hackney Diamonds or Blue & Lonesome. If the new studio album wasn't released end of May / early June, then a release end of 2026 sounds more likely (especially without live shows).

If you want to split hairs, I will retract the word "late" and we can settle on summer.

And HD came out in October. October is not Christmastime.

Quote
MelBelli

October is not Christmastime.

But you can already buy chocolate Santa Clauses in October. And B&L was released 2-Dec-2016. See here for all previous album release dates: [en.Wikipedia.org] .

Quote
Irix

Quote
MelBelli

October is not Christmastime.

But you can already buy chocolate Santa Clauses in October. And B&L was released 2-Dec-2016. See here for all previous album release dates: [en.Wikipedia.org] .

I noted B&L in my original post. My point stands. Thanks for the info, though.

Quote
MelBelli
Other than "Blue and Lonesome," how many recent Stones albums were released around Christmastime?

Where did this idea come from?

From Steel Wheels on, new albums came out late summer in advance of fall tours of North America. Hackney Diamonds came out in October.

Technically speaking, in a meteorological aspect, STEEL WHEELS came out three days before fall started, so that's right - late summer. In the UK it came out September 11 for some reason.

FLASHPOINT was early April 1991. Edited because I said "1990 tour started just over a month later."

JUMP BACK was late November. That's late fall. That one might've been motivated for X-mas time.

VOODOO LOUNGE came out basically in the middle of summer, July 11.

STRIPPED was mid-November.

BRIDGES came out 29 days into autumn/fall in September.

NO SECURITY was early November.

FORTY LICKS was September 30, one full month into fall.

LIVE LICKS was, gee, November.

A BIGGER BANG was five days into fall, September 5.

From 1981 in months 8 and 9 new studio albums came out pre or post tour start.

TATTOO YOU came out in late August, the tour started almost exactly a month later.

STILL LIFE came out first day of summer and hurricane season, the tour started the next day.

SOME GIRLS was June 9, the tour June 10.

MADE IN THE SHADE was released May 31 in the US, the US tour started June 1.

GOATS HEAD SOUP was released August 31, the tour started the next day.


Look at the albums without tours:

TSMR and BEGGARS were December, although we understand BB was delayed.

STICKY FINGERS was April.

IORR was October.

ER was June.

U was November.

DW was March.


While sales are not anything like they used to be habits are similar - so releasing something in late October or November people may still be drawn to it because it's new, not because it's almost Christmas. I've seen X-mas crap in stores before mid-August.

X-mas is only about money. The tree didn't go up until after Thanksgiving.

Music releases - a band or artist may be thrilled that a new song, EP or LP is coming out on all streaming platforms regardless of the time of year because it's out; they make some money but nothing like pre-digital money.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026-03-08 02:33 by GasLightStreet.

Quote
Stoneage
I see no reasons whatsoever to postpone the release of the album. Time is not on their side anymore. I think it would be a good idea to release the album while the remaining core members are still well and healthy.
This album may very well be the last effort from the band. Make sure that all the band members can celebrate that.

I do so much agree about this! Well spoken, Stoneage!

Quote
Stoneage

I see no reasons whatsoever to postpone the release of the album.

More awareness by the general audience, better marketing chances, and less questions about live shows - if the album would be released in late autumn 2026.

Quote
Irix

Quote
Stoneage

I see no reasons whatsoever to postpone the release of the album.

More awareness by the general audience, better marketing chances, and less questions about live shows - if the album would be released in late autumn 2026.

Sure, when we are talking months it's okay. Years - then it's taking a risk. And of course - they can do whatever they want. I'm not their manager...

Quote
Stoneage
I see no reasons whatsoever to postpone the release of the album. Time is not on their side anymore. I think it would be a good idea to release the album while the remaining core members are still well and healthy.
This album may very well be the last effort from the band. Make sure that all the band members can celebrate that.

Spot on.

Not only the wellness of the core members of the band , their fans too!!

Rod

Quote
GasLightStreet

Quote
MelBelli
Other than "Blue and Lonesome," how many recent Stones albums were released around Christmastime?

Where did this idea come from?

From Steel Wheels on, new albums came out late summer in advance of fall tours of North America. Hackney Diamonds came out in October.

Technically speaking, in a meteorological aspect, STEEL WHEELS came out three days before fall started, so that's right - late summer. In the UK it came out September 11 for some reason.

FLASHPOINT was early April. 1990 tour started just over a month later.

Flashpoint was released not in 1990 but a year later, it even has one or two recordings from Europe 1990 on it, I think from Barcelona if I remember it correctly, unless they used a time machine that is not possible.

Edit: I looked it up:

The Rolling Stones' Flashpoint (1991) was recorded live during the 1989–1990 Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour, primarily featuring shows from November 1989 (USA) through July 1990 (Europe). The tracks are not ordered chronologically on the album, but the recording dates range from November 25, 1989, to July 29, 1990.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia
+1
Chronological Order of Recording Dates (Flashpoint Album Tracks):
Nov 25, 1989 (Gator Bowl; Jacksonville, FL): "Miss You," "Rock and a Hard Place," "You Can't Always Get What You Want".
Nov 26, 1989 (Memorial Stadium; Clemson, SC): "Start Me Up," "Can't Be Seen," "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction".
Dec 19, 1989 (Atlantic City Convention Center; Atlantic City, NJ): "Sad Sad Sad," "Little Red Rooster".
Feb 25, 1990 (Tokyo Dome; Tokyo, Japan): "Ruby Tuesday".
Feb 26, 1990 (Tokyo Dome; Tokyo, Japan): "Sympathy for the Devil".
Feb 27, 1990 (Tokyo Dome; Tokyo, Japan): "Jumpin' Jack Flash".
June 13, 1990 (Olympic Stadium; Barcelona, Spain): "Paint It Black".
July 6, 1990 (Wembley Stadium; London, England): "Factory Girl".
July 29, 1990 (Stadio Delle Alpi; Turin, Italy): "Brown Sugar".
Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Note: Studio tracks "Highwire" and "Sex Drive" were recorded separately in early 1991.
Wikipedia



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026-03-07 04:01 by GJV.

Quote
Irix

Quote
Stoneage

I see no reasons whatsoever to postpone the release of the album.

More awareness by the general audience, better marketing chances, and less questions about live shows - if the album would be released in late autumn 2026.

The awareness hype is the same regardless of when for the general audience. The attention span of "the average music consumer" isn't going to have an influence on the success of the album's chart debut, which is something journalists/publications still go on about. If that was true then HACKNEY DIAMONDS would've been number one across relevant charts for three months after 18 years or whatever of not having a new original album out.


Better marketing chances... like the steel case for STEEL WHEELS or 35 types of vinyl? They're not Sabrina Carpenter.

If Mick and Keith aren't willing to do interviews etc pre-release then it doesn't matter when the release is. HD had a lot of hype because of several reasons, partially because of the 'it must be great' attitude that was handed out.

It seems this will just be another Stones album except for their age being a couple years older. Was the 'it must be great' attitude just as present as 2023? Mick could give his usual flippant remark saying "Well, of course, or why bother. I just didn't feel the need to say it."

There are people I know that recently found out the Stones released a new album in 2023. They knew about the tour but not the album.

Quote
DandelionPowderman

Quote
Davie137
Budget was blown on Sydney Sweeneys fee

Mescal was expensive, too

And don't forget Nick Hoult in Mess It Up (Mad Max, X-Men, Superman)

Quote
GasLightStreet

The awareness hype is the same regardless of when for the general audience.

But it seems better in autumn, when people are no longer busy with travel or other outdoor activities. Universal Music re-releases the Beatles' recordings since many years in autumn, towards Xmas. This seems to have an advantage.

Quote
GasLightStreet

Better marketing chances... like the steel case for STEEL WHEELS or 35 types of vinyl?

Better marketing chances due to a longer period and the above described 'awareness' (attention).

Hackney Diamonds had ca. 40 Vinyl versions. And georgelicks already hinted that the 2026 studio album will have again many Vinyl versions, which could explain the Vinyl pressing since end of 2025. And the Vinyl is where Universal Music gets the most money.

Quote
GasLightStreet

If Mick and Keith aren't willing to do interviews etc pre-release then it doesn't matter when the release is.

I see no reason why the world's greatest RnR band wouldn't be willing to participate in some promotional activities & press coverage.

Another advantage of releasing the album in (late) autumn would be that it would not overshadow Ronnie's shows. If the album was announced early April, Ronnie would get a lot of questions about the new album during his tour, fans would ask him to play some new tracks live, and they would also constantly ask him about the next Stones tour. All this could be avoided by releasing the new album after Ronnie's shows.

I had a dream last night. The cover of the new album was a ski resort map with the trails/pistes named after the songs. Just to be clear, I’m am not clairvoyant.

Quote
plusplusjames

The cover of the new album was a ski resort map with the trails/pistes named after the songs.

Hopefully without the terrible luck that Lindsey Vonn had.

Quote
Irix

Quote
plusplusjames

The cover of the new album was a ski resort map with the trails/pistes named after the songs.

Hopefully without the terrible luck that Lindsey Vonn had.

Did your dream happen to divulge any of those song titles?

Ride like the wind at double speed.....

Quote
sf37

Did your dream happen to divulge any of those song titles?

You've probably misunderstood something.

Quote
GJV

Quote
GasLightStreet

Quote
MelBelli
Other than "Blue and Lonesome," how many recent Stones albums were released around Christmastime?

Where did this idea come from?

From Steel Wheels on, new albums came out late summer in advance of fall tours of North America. Hackney Diamonds came out in October.

Technically speaking, in a meteorological aspect, STEEL WHEELS came out three days before fall started, so that's right - late summer. In the UK it came out September 11 for some reason.

FLASHPOINT was early April. 1990 tour started just over a month later.

Flashpoint was released not in 1990 but a year later

Oops! I was looking up so much I got lost I guess.

I edited it. Thanks.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026-03-08 02:34 by GasLightStreet.

Quote
Irix

Quote
GasLightStreet

The awareness hype is the same regardless of when for the general audience.

But it seems better in autumn, when people are no longer busy with travel or other outdoor activities. Universal Music re-releases the Beatles' recordings since many years in autumn, towards Xmas. This seems to have an advantage.

Quote
GasLightStreet

Better marketing chances... like the steel case for STEEL WHEELS or 35 types of vinyl?

Better marketing chances due to a longer period and the above described 'awareness' (attention).

Hackney Diamonds had ca. 40 Vinyl versions. And georgelicks already hinted that the 2026 studio album will have again many Vinyl versions, which could explain the Vinyl pressing since end of 2025. And the Vinyl is where Universal Music gets the most money.

Quote
GasLightStreet

If Mick and Keith aren't willing to do interviews etc pre-release then it doesn't matter when the release is.

I see no reason why the world's greatest RnR band wouldn't be willing to participate in some promotional activities & press coverage.

I've gotten vinyl reissues months after the hype and releases - some were of albums never released on vinyl - and I will continue to do so, most likely, way beyond the awareness.

The vinyl culture is most likely two-fold: one mindset is, "It sounds better", which is hilarious - ok, a CD/download/streaming on vinyl sounds better on vinyl. Most likely because it's not brickwalled so it's actually listenable with volume. I've seen that expressed here. That's the only reason, sonically, to get vinyl of a digital recording.

The other mindset is the mere art of it although the HD vinyl issue borderline appears to mock people that bought it with nothing spectacular about the artwork especially with the cheesy gatefold with the digital graffiti AI looking "artwork".

Quote
sf37

Quote
Irix

Quote
plusplusjames

The cover of the new album was a ski resort map with the trails/pistes named after the songs.

Hopefully without the terrible luck that Lindsey Vonn had.

Did your dream happen to divulge any of those song titles?

Lemme look into my mind’s eye now… I see:

Blood Transfusion
Lausanne Lover
Jiving Jenny Gèneve
Meyrin Hilton
Génépi Jack
Why is This Lake So @#$%& Cold?
Lac Leman Jam
Chateau Chillon Chilling
Avanchet Avalanche
Smoke on the Lift


Let me quote Lou Reed, “never happen…”.

Quote
plusplusjames

Quote
sf37

Quote
Irix

Quote
plusplusjames

The cover of the new album was a ski resort map with the trails/pistes named after the songs.

Hopefully without the terrible luck that Lindsey Vonn had.

Did your dream happen to divulge any of those song titles?

Lemme look into my mind’s eye now… I see:

Blood Transfusion
Lausanne Lover
Jiving Jenny Gèneve
Meyrin Hilton
Génépi Jack
Why is This Lake So @#$%& Cold?
Lac Leman Jam
Chateau Chillon Chilling
Avanchet Avalanche
Smoke on the Lift


Let me quote Lou Reed, “never happen…”.

Sounds like some real winning titles there! Can't wait to get down to the danceable "Why Is This Lake...." LOL!!

Ride like the wind at double speed.....