A concert destined to enter history: for the first time ever, the Rolling Stones perform the Havana, Cuba. From this unprecedented event it starts “The Rolling Stones: Havana Moon”, the documentary directed by Paul Dugdale broadcast on Sky Arte starting from 12 July, on the occasion of the 63rd anniversary of the official debut of the band on the stage of the Marquee Club in London.
That first performance on the Caribbean island was not only a musical event, but a moment full of symbolic meanings. In Cuba, in fact, very few international artists were able to perform publicly, and the presence of the Stones represented a real exception.
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood brought their unmistakable rock to the Cuban capital, conquering an extraordinary audience: over a million spectators gathered to celebrate a scale of immortal classics, from “Jumpin 'Jack Flash” to “(I Can't Get no) Satisfaction”, up to “Gimme Shelter”.
The Dugdale documentary – already the author of the live shots of artists such as Adele and Coldplay – returns the energy and magic of that memorable evening, alternating the images of the concert at the overwhelming enthusiasm of the crowd and the direct testimonies of the protagonists, between emotion and awareness of having lived a historical moment.
Meanwhile, the overseas voices follow one another: the Rolling Stones would be working on a new album, two years after the publication of “Hackney Diamonds”. But that's not all: in spite of age, Mick Jagger and his companions would already be thinking about a possible tour.
According to what reported by the British newspaper The Sun, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Steve Jordan would have started to record the successor of “Hackney Diamonds” last April. Currently, the English band would have already completed thirteen songs at the Metropolis Studios in London.
A source close to the group revealed to the Sun: “Initially it was thought to bring the great US tour this summer also to the United Kingdom and in Europe, but the promoters have not been able to find the suitable dates. So the Stones decided to return to the studio to focus on the new album. It is a huge surprise for the fans, who will have no way to see them live this year”. Andrew Watt is new to the production, already working on three songs of “Hackney Diamonds”, now again involved in the project.
At the moment, no official confirmation has arrived from the band or on the release of the new album or on any plans for the tour. What is certain, however, is that even before the release of “Hackney Diamonds”, in 2023, Mick Jagger declared at the New York Times not to consider that record as the last of their career, indeed, he said that much of the material for a future work was already ready. An idea also shared by Keith Richards, who in the same year – interviewed by Siriusxm – declared: “There is still a lot of suspended stuff. There will always be another album, until we collapse … this is what we do. To carry out the Rolling Stones to the end”.
Rolling Stones remain one of the longest -lived rock bands on the planet. And someone – without nameing: John Lydon – he claims that they would now do well to retire. Still, Jagger and his companions continue strictly to behave as Rockstar, in spite of the venerable age. To pay homage to their sidereal career was recently the GQ magazine, who released a ranking of those who consider the ten best albums published by Mick Jagger and his companions during their ultrasessantenance career.
Here is the top ten of the British magazine (here the complete service).
10. Blue & Lonesome (2016)
9. Goats Head Soup (1973)
8. Out of Our Heads (1965)
7. Tattoo You (1981)
6. Aftermath (1966)
5. Some girls (1978)
4. Let it Bleed (1969)
3. Beggars Banquet (1968)
2. Exile on main street (1972)
1. Sticky Fingers (1971)
“Hackney Diamonds” (2023) is the first studio album of the Stones containing unpublished from the time of “A Bigger Bang” (2005), but in all this time ours have never really been with their hands, between global tours and the publication of the excellent Blues cover record “Blue and Lonesome” (2016), which also fruned them a Grammy Award. The work is also the first published following the disappearance of the historic drummer Charlie Watts, who appears within two songs, “Mess It Up” and “Live by the Sword”.
Mindful of the success of “Blue and Lonesome”, inside “Hackney Diamonds” the rolling stones opted for a push on the points of greatest strength that contributed to making them famous, with a focus on blues-rock songs, up to those with pop veins, ballads and orchestral soul, between more or less successful experiments. And if it were an effective career closure, how would it seem to transpire from the lyrics and the end of the disc, basically what could ever be asked for more?
In 2024, Wyman released his ninth solo album, “Drive My Car”, nine years after the previous “Back to Basics” of 2015.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
