On This Day in 2023, The Rolling Stones Were at No. 1 With the “Difficult” Album That Was the First of Its Kind in 20 Years

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It would be easy to assume that a band older than most Top 40 artists have been alive (sometimes by two or three times) would grow stale in their later years, but The Rolling Stones proved this assumption wrong in 2023 when they went No. 1 with an album that was the first of its kind for several reasons. The iconic rock band released their 24th studio album, Hackney Diamonds, in late October 2023. By the following week, the album was climbing charts around the world. It hit No. 1 in several countries, including their native U.K., and peaked at No. 3 in the States.

Despite these musicians having been around since the early 1960s, the band experienced numerous firsts while recording Hackney Diamonds. To start, the album was the first complete record of original material The Rolling Stones released since 2005. It was also the first album the band released since the death of their drummer, Charlie Watts, in 2021. Hackney Diamonds was also unique in that it was the first the band ever recorded while in a pandemic lockdown. Indeed, not even rock stars were immune to the limitations COVID-19 placed on recording and performing music.

From its star-studded list of collaborators and influences to the distinctions that separate Hackney Diamonds from the rest of The Stones’ catalogue, the band’s 24th studio album is undoubtedly a product of its time. “We weren’t trying to recreate some retro record or retro sound or even retro playing,” frontman Mick Jagger told Rolling Stone in 2023. “It’s supposed to sound like it’s recorded this year.”

Why This No. 1 Rolling Stones Album Was (And Wasn’t) Difficult

Some difficulties associated with The Rolling Stones’ 24th and No. 1 album, Hackney Diamonds, were largely unavoidable and global. The COVID-19 pandemic slowed down the band’s (and every other artist’s) creative process. And that included the rehearsal schedule for working on the record. Others were more personal to the band, such as Keith Richards having to relearn how to play guitar due to worsening arthritis. Mick Jagger’s general disinterest in writing new music—and then his insistence on fast-tracking the process—also played their parts in making things more arduous.

One of the most notable difficulties around the record was, somewhat ironically, mitigated by the man who indirectly created it. Charlie Watts died in 2021, after the band had already begun working on what would become Hackney Diamonds. Watts was the drummer for The Stones since 1963. Recording an album without him was “difficult,” Richards admitted to NPR. But he added it was “made much, much easier by Mr. Watts himself, who had always recommended Steve Jordan.” Richards obliged Watts’ suggestion, and Jordan was an easy fit into the band.

The album was also a who’s who in the rock music world. Paul McCartney contributed bass guitar and recommended the band employ Andrew Watt as a producer—a decision which helped The Stones stay true to their sound while keeping things fresh. Other notable features include Elton John, Lady Gaga, and Stevie Wonder.

“I think this record is halfway a tribute to Charlie Watts and the Stones’ history, and [half] an attempt at the future and how much there is left,” Richards told Rolling Stone.

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