Pulled by tongues: The Rolling Stones are Back with New material

It seems that until recently, discussions raged about the return of The Rolling Stones, who suddenly released the Hackney Diamonds record when no one expected it from them (especially after the death of Charlie Watts in 2021). And now the legendary rockers have a new playlist ready. Moreover, it's the 25th anniversary in the band's discography! It's nothing short of a miracle: two of the three remaining band members are 82, and one is 79. And not only do they not reduce activity, but, on the contrary, they increase it. Let's remind you that nine years passed between the release of the 22nd and 23rd albums, seven years passed between the 23rd and 24th, and now it took them less than three years.

Friends and comrades

But what is even more fascinating is that there is no fatigue or scribbling in Foreign Tongues. And if at Hackney Diamonds we explained this by the fact that the musicians had been saving up material for a long time and finally gave everything away at once, then the drive and melodic richness of the new record can only be attributed to phenomenal creative longevity. Of course, the vitality of the Rolling Stones, their passion for the stage and music have long been the talk of the town, wherever it was not mocked (kindly, of course, just to avoid falling into pathos). But concerts where you can play old hits are one thing, and creating new songs is another. As it turns out, rolling stones can give young people a head start here too.

At first glance at the track list and the list of invited artists, it may seem that we are facing a national hodgepodge, and the rolling stones are trying to leave due to the collective contribution of colleagues from different generations. Here you can find Robert Smith from The Cure, Bruno Mars, and even Paul McCartney (yes, the Rolling Stones and the main of the remaining Beatles have not been competing for a long time, but are friends and help each other). And among the songs there is the Amy Winehouse hit You Know I'm No Good and the 1958 rock'n'roll, composed by Chuck Berry.

But this impression is deceptive. And if one of the most striking numbers at Hackney Diamonds was indeed a duet (with Lady Gaga), then Jagger draws out Foreign Tongues entirely by himself, while the contribution of all the above guest stars is mostly instrumental and, rather, symbolic. Actually, do you recognize McCartney's bass guitar in Covered in You? Hardly. Pay attention to Bruno Mars' cowbell in Never Wanna Lose You? Only if you keep your eyes open and first Google what it is (a percussion instrument in the form of a bell without a tongue).

Mad Tycoon Musk

The story of the covers is even more interesting. Amy Winehouse's soul song from her great album Back To Black, released 20 years ago, is transformed by the rolling stones into a loose blues rock with Jagger's aggressive vocals and Keith Richards' harsh, raw solo. Well, the retro gem of Beautiful Delilah is a nostalgic look back to their youth - the musicians play even more traditionally than Chuck Berry himself, bringing to the fore the strumming of acoustic guitars accompanied by light "manual" percussion. It turns out almost country. And only Mick's charismatic rock delivery reminds us that these are the British The Rolling Stones, and not some folk band from Texas entertaining drunken cowboys in a saloon in the Wild West.

Actually, Jagger jumped over his head in Foreign Tongues. I can't believe you can sing like that in your 80s. It's not enough that the voice literally sparkles with energy, strength, and well-done prowess. So he's also experimenting. In Jealous Lover, he sings almost the entire melody in falsetto. Mr. Charm alternates between ironic declamation (the rappers are resting) and stadium-pitched vocals. By the way, there is a barb in this song about Elon Max, whom Jagger calls a mad tycoon. But as soon as Mick turns to ballad numbers, his voice acquires tenderness, penetration and intimacy.

Love and immortality

Ultimately, The Rolling Stones' work was and remains about love. And if Paul McCartney relied on nostalgia for youthful impressions in his recent album, and Deep Purple thought about the future of humanity, Jagger and his comrades still sing about the relationship between a man and a woman, as they did 30, 40 and 50 years ago. And, most importantly, you still believe them. You believe that they can get carried away, fall in love, get disappointed and dream. That's exactly who you can say "young at heart."

And last but not least, their songs seem so convincing due to their undiminished melodic gift. There are simply no passing numbers here, and after listening to it, a number of motives get stuck in my head. It seems all the more strange that some of this material was recorded years earlier and initially postponed by the band. But thanks to this resourcefulness, we got a "time machine": in Hit Me in the Head, Charlie Watts plays drums, who died in 2021. And how can you not think about symbolism? Jagger, Richards and Wood are giving themselves eternal youth with the new album, and immortality to Watts.