PARIS: The Rolling Stones have made a comeback with their first album in eighteen years, “Hackney Diamonds,“ which features megastar cameos from Elton John, Lady Gaga, and even Paul McCartney, their former rival.
The renowned British band is back with their 24th studio album, their first since drummer Charlie Watts passed away in 2021, following a seventh decade of collaboration.
Surprisingly, first time participant McCartney plays bass on the punky song “Bite My Head Off.”
Though John Lennon sang on the Stones’ 1967 song “We Love You,“ the rivalry between the Beatles and the Stones was always more hype than substance back in their 1960s glory.
Stones frontman Mick Jagger, 80, said to France 2 this week, “Paul and I have always been friends.”
Keith Richards told Guitar Player magazine that McCartney’s appearance was somewhat of an accident. “He happened to be passing through,“ Richards remarked.
“Once he was in there, I just said, ‘Come on, you’re in.’” I don’t even think he intended to play bass on a track.
Lady Gaga and Stevie Wonder additionally have a greater influence on “Sweet Sounds of Heaven,“ a bluesy ballad that is reminiscent of classic songs like “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,“ than do McCartney and Elton John.
The majority of reviews have been courteous rather than gushy. “If this is the end, they’re going out with a bang,“ the Guardian wrote, awarding it four stars. The “LA Times” described it as “surprisingly spry, sparked by the deathless riffs.”
Before its release, there was a lot of excitement, with some even claiming that it was their best work since 1978’s “Some Girls.”
