The Rolling Stones are merely ten days away from releasing their new album ‘Hackney Diamonds.’ Keith Richards sat down wtih BBC to discuss the new album. When asked if the arthritis in his hands affected his guitar playing, the guitarist said:
“Funnily enough, I’ve no doubt it has, but I don’t have any pain, it’s a sort of benign version. I think if I’ve slowed down a little bit it’s probably due more to age.”
He shared that when he felt like he couldn’t play certain licks like he used to, he quickly found something else to make up for it. Keith added:
“And also, I found that interesting, when I’m like, ‘I can’t quite do that any more,’ the guitar will show me there’s another way of doing it. Some finger will go one space different and a whole new door opens.”
Regarding the new album, ‘Hackney Diamonds’ will be the band’s first album with new material in 18 years. Although there were tracks that they worked on it wasn’t the right fit for a full length album until now.
After the band’s 60th anniversary tour last year, Mick Jagger wanted everyone to get to the studio and buckle down to finish the upcoming record. Richards shared his reaction to Mick’s request by saying:
“He [Mick Jagger] hit me in the right spot. I’ve always wanted to record the band as soon after we get off of the road, because the band is lubricated.”
While everyone waits for the full length album to drop, you can listen to the first single ‘Angry’ below.
