The Rolling Stones have been diligently working on a new studio album for several years, even before the unfortunate passing of drummer Charlie Watts in 2021. Exciting news surfaced on June 9, 2023, when The Sun newspaper reported that Bill Wyman, the bass guitarist for the band’s first three decades, had flown to Los Angeles to record a track for the upcoming album.
Wyman–who departed from the Stones in 1993–agreed to contribute to the still-untitled album as a heartfelt tribute to Watts, who can also be heard on many of the sessions he participated in before his passing in August 2021. A source revealed to The Sun, “Bill hasn’t seen the band together for years, but always loved Charlie. This record is really a tribute to Charlie, so he couldn’t say no.” Wyman celebrated his 86th birthday on Oct. 24, 2022. However, he is not the only surprise guest expected to appear on the new album.
In a report from Variety on Feb. 21, it was revealed that Paul McCartney had recorded bass parts for the album. The publication initially mentioned that Ringo Starr was also expected to contribute, but a representative for the Rolling Stones clarified the next day that this was not the case. The representative did confirm that McCartney performed on one song. While the Rolling Stones released a new studio album in 2016 titled Blue and Lonesome, which consisted of blues covers, their upcoming, yet-to-be-named album will mark their first release of new material written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards since 2005’s A Bigger Bang.
Variety‘s story stated that the Rolling Stones are collaborating with Grammy Award-winning producer Andrew Watt. Their research highlighted McCartney’s recent involvement with Watt, as the legendary musician expressed on his website, “I’ve been recording with a couple of people, so I’m looking forward to doing even more. I’ve started working with this producer called Andrew Watt, and he’s very interesting — we’ve had some fun. Beyond that, I don’t have anything massive planned… at the moment!”
According to Variety, the Rolling Stones have been recording in Los Angeles throughout the winter and in October 2022, both Jagger and Richards were spotted entering and exiting New York City’s renowned Electric Lady Studios.
In an October 2022 interview with The Sun in the UK, Ronnie Wood confirmed that Watts is featured on some tracks of the forthcoming album, along with drummer Steve Jordan. In 2021, Richards assured the Los Angeles Times, “You haven’t heard the last of Charlie Watts.”
The anticipation for the new Rolling Stones album started back on Oct. 28, 2020, when Jagger shared a clip on his social media platforms that appeared to be from a potential new track. The rock icon posted a 46-second video of himself singing a song identified as “Pride Before a Fall.” Richards confirmed in a Sept. 8, 2020, interview with BBC Radio 2’s The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show that a new Rolling Stones album was indeed in the works. The guitarist affirmed that the band was in the process of laying down studio tracks until the coronavirus pandemic interrupted their progress.
During the early months of the pandemic, when asked if he had been in touch with Jagger, Richards responded, “Yeah, all the time, exchanging ideas. But… I’d rather be looking you in the face, man,” referring to his preferred mode of collaboration.
“Ghost,” the Stones’ first original release since 2012, was recorded “well over a year ago,” indicating at least in 2019, according to Richards. He added, “Then shit hit the fan [and] Mick and I decided that this one really needed to go to work right now.”
As recently as May 23, Jagger tweeted a video of himself strumming a guitar, accompanied by the comment, “I’ve been keeping busy in the studio.” The excitement continues to build as fans eagerly await the forthcoming album from the iconic Rolling Stones.