Andrew Watt could hardly contain his enthusiasm when the Rolling Stones invited him to produce their new album, Hackney Diamonds.
“You have this moment where you’re like, ‘Am I even capable of that?'” Watt explained to Billboard, recalling the incredible feeling that came over him when he got the gig. “It’s the greatest honor as a kid with a guitar who grew up idolizing every single thing Keith Richards ever did.”
Watt, understandably, took his dream job very seriously. Though he admitted he was regularly “jumping up and down with excitement” in the studio, he knew the task at hand. “These legends don’t owe anyone anything,” the producer explained, “so the only reason they’re making a new album is for themselves.”
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Watt likened his experience with the Stones to “going to college.” And when it came to recording Mick Jagger’s vocals, the producer learned a very specific lesson: things get serious when the clothes come off.
“[Mick] starts in like, a sweater, a button-down and a T-shirt,” Watt recalled, “and then, two takes in, the sweater comes off. Two takes later, the button-down comes off. All of a sudden, he’s down to a T-shirt, and he’s ripped, and he’s 80, and he’s fucking giving you full-blown Mick Jagger, shaking and sweating as he sings every note.”
That raw energy is what Watt aimed to capture on the album. “Any fan wants to hear the greatest live rock ‘n’ roll band of all time,” he noted, “so to do anything else with them in the studio is just letting everyone down.”
What We Know About ‘Hackney Diamonds’
Hackney Diamonds, the Rolling Stones’ first collection of new original material since 2005’s A Bigger Bang, comes out Oct. 20.
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The album features guest appearances by Paul McCartney, Bill Wyman, Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder and Elton John. Late Stones drummer Charlie Watts is posthumously featured on two of the tracks, with Steve Jordan, who took over behind the kit, handling the rest of the songs.
Two singles from the LP – “Angry” and “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” – have been released thus far.
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Gallery Credit: Allison Rapp
