Hackney Diamonds

Geriatric rockers are back

Last week the Rolling Stones latest album dropped through my letterbox — Hackney Diamonds. I’d listened to some of the hype around it, prior to its release, plus the single, Angry, that came out a few weeks ago to light its way forward. I thought is was worth a punt. Having listened to it a couple of times, it feels like they are back on form. The Stones are doing what they do best. That kind of sleazy, blues rock from their classic era. That is, if you can put to one side, a man in his eighties still singing about troubles with his love life and how he’s going make it through without his woman getting all angry with him. I guess they’re not ready for the stomping, inco pad wearing Horlicks Blues. And who can blame them? Jagger still sounds like Jagger. And whatever he is taking, maybe the same monkey glands as Cliff Richard, I want some too.

For me the classic era was around late sixties and early seventies. Fantastic albums like, Let It Bleed, Beggars Banquet, Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main Street. I’ve never been a massive fan but that clutch of albums took some beating and continue to do so. They created some of their best stuff during the relatively short Mick Taylor period, who was the replacement for Brian Jones. Taylor was a virtuosos…