THE Rolling Stones have teamed up with The Cure’s Robert Smith for their new album Foreign Tongues.
Insiders told The Sun that Friday, I’m In Love singer Robert, 67, had recorded three tracks in secret with Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood in London.
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The Rolling Stones have teamed up with The Cure’s Robert Smith for their new album Foreign TonguesCredit: GettyRobert secretly recorded with The Stones in Metropolis Studios in LondonCredit: Getty
Robert plays guitar and synth, and did backing vocals for three of the tracksThis afternoon, the British music legends released the first single from Foreign Tongues, In The StarsCredit: GettyHackney Diamonds, which was The Stones’ first original studio album in 18 years went straight to the top spotCredit: GettyThe Stones cast rising star Odessa A’Zion in the music vid to accompany their last singleCredit: Getty
“The Stones were really pleased with how the songs came out.
“Paul will appear on the album again too. They’ve had this album wrapped for a while now and The Stones are excited about releasing it to their fans.”
This afternoon, the British music legends released the first single from Foreign Tongues, In The Stars.
Hackney Diamonds, which was The Stones’ first original studio album in 18 years when it was released back in 2023, went straight to the top spot.
And Mick and co have been working hard to make sure there is just as much of a buzz around Foreign Tongues.
They kicked off their campaign by reverting back to being The Cockroaches- a moniker they used for surprise, intimate performances in the Seventies and Eighties – and dropped a track called Rough And Twisted last month.
The Stones released a limited number of vinyl copies of the song, which are so rare they’re now being flogged for over £1000 online.
And they pulled in the big guns for their first music video for the record, by enlisting Hollywood rising star Odessa A’Zion to appear in the production.
By early 1963, the Station Hotel in London had become an epicenter of the burgeoning British blues scene. On a blustery, snowy night that February, the Rolling Stones’ classic early lineup took the stage for one of the first times, dazzling the audience with ferocious renditions of blues standards like Muddy Waters’ “I Want to Be Loved” and Jimmy Reed’s “Bright Lights, Big City.”
Multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones, the band’s founder and leader, synchronized guitars with Keith Richards, who favored a distinctive slashing and stinging style. Drummer Charlie Watts, the group’s newest member, a jazz aficionado and an accomplished percussionist, propelled the music forward with a rock-solid beat.
Anchoring the rhythm section with him was bassist Bill Wyman, who was recruited more for his spare VOX AC30 amp that the guitarists could plug into than for his musical skills. The stoic bassist proved a strong and innovative player. Together, he and Watts would go on to form one of rock’s most decorated rhythm sections.
Ian Stewart’s energetic boogie-woogie piano style rounded out the sound. Months later, manager Andrew Loog Oldham kicked him out of the band for being “ugly,” although Stewart continued to record, tour and serve as the band’s road manager until his death in 1985.
This April 8, 1964, file photo shows the Rolling Stones during a rehearsal. The members, from left, are Brian Jones, guitar; Bill Wyman, bass; Charlie Watts, drums; Mick Jagger, vocals; and Keith Richards, guitar.
(Associated Press)
Fronting the group was Mick Jagger. Channeling the music like a crazed shaman, Jagger shimmied and sashayed, owning the stage like few lead singers have before or since. By the end of the night, the Stones had the crowd in a frenzy. Although only 30 people had made it to the gig because of the treacherous weather conditions, the hotel’s booker had seen enough: He offered the Stones a regular gig.
“The Rolling Stones had caught fire. The music they were playing and the way they played it struck a chord with a young crowd starved for something different, something their own… It was soul-stirring, loud and uncompromising,” writes Bob Spitz in “The Rolling Stones: The Biography,” his magisterial work that charts the 60-year journey of “the greatest rock and roll band in the world.”
Spitz, the author of strong biographies on the Beatles and Led Zeppelin, as well as Ronald Reagan and Julia Child, captures the drama, trauma and betrayals that have kept the Stones in the public’s consciousness for more than six decades. It’s all here: The Stones’ evolution from a blues cover band to artistic rival of the Beatles; the musical peaks — “Aftermath,” “Let It Bleed” and “Exile on Main Street” as well as misfires like “Dirty Work”; Keith’s descent into a debilitating heroin addiction that nearly destroyed him and the band; the death of the ‘60s at the ill-fated Altamont free concert; Marianne Faithfull, Anita Pallenberg, Bianca Jagger, Jerry Hall and other lovers, partners and muses; the breakups, makeups and crackups; and perhaps most important, the unbreakable bond between Jagger and Richards at the center of it all.
Although Spitz unearths little new information, he excels at presenting the Stones in glorious Technicolor. Spitz homes in on the telling details and anecdotes that give the band’s story a deep richness and poignancy.
Take “Satisfaction,” the Stones’ 1965 classic and first U.S. chart topper. The oft-told story is that Richards woke up in the middle of the night, grabbed the guitar that was next to his bed, and recorded the iconic riff and the phrase “I can’t get no … satisfaction” on a cassette recorder in his Clearwater, Fla., hotel room before falling back asleep. But as Spitz notes, the song initially went nowhere in the studio. That is until Stewart purchased a fuzz box for Richards a few days later, which gave the tune a raunchier sound that perfectly matched Jagger’s lyrics of frustration and alienation. A classic was born.
Piercing the Stones mythology
Spitz’s deep reporting often pierces the mythology surrounding the band. Contrary to the popular belief of many fans, for instance, Jones bears much of the responsibility for the rift with his bandmates and his tragic demise.
The most musically adventurous member of the group — he plays sitar on “Paint It Black” and dulcimer on “Lady Jane” — Jones wasn’t a songwriter. That stoked his jealousies and insecurities, along with frontman Jagger stealing the spotlight from him. A monster of a man, Jones impregnated multiple teenage girls and physically and emotionally abused several women, including Pallenberg. Perhaps that’s why she left him for Richards. Over time, Jones made fewer contributions in the studio and onstage, becoming a catatonic drug casualty. The Stones fired Jones in June 1969 but would have been justified doing so a couple years earlier. He drowned in his pool less than a month later.
Author Bob Spitz
(Elena Seibert)
Similarly, Stones lore has long romanticized the making of “Exile on Main Street” in the stifling, dingy basement of Richards’ rented Villa Nellcôte in the South of France, where the Stones had decamped to avoid British taxes. In this telling, Richards, deep in the throes of heroin addiction, somehow managed to come up with one indelible riff after another built around his signature open G tuning — taught to him by Ry Cooder — leading the band to create one of the best albums in rock history. That’s not entirely accurate, according to Spitz.
Yes, Richards came up with the licks for “Rocks Off,” “Happy” and “Tumbling Dice.” But it’s equally true that a strung-out Richards missed myriad recording sessions, invited dealers, hangers-on and other distractions to Nellcôte, and repeatedly failed to turn up to write with Jagger. Far from completing the album in the druggy haze of a French basement, the band spent six months on overdubs at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, where Jagger contributed many of his vocals.
Beatles vs. Stones
One of the more interesting themes Spitz develops is the symbiotic relationship between the Beatles and Stones, with the Fab Four mostly overshadowing them — until they didn’t.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote “I Wanna Be Your Man” and gave it to the Stones, whose 1963 rendition, with Jones on slide guitar, became the group’s first UK Top 20 hit. The Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership inspired Jagger and Richards to begin penning their own songs. In early 1964, the Beatles came to the U.S. for the first time, making television history with their appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and playing Carnegie Hall. A few months later, the Stones kicked off their inaugural American tour at the Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino. In 1967, the Beatles released “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” a psychedelic masterpiece. The Stones responded with “Their Satanic Majesties Request,” a psychedelic mess.
The Rolling Stones: The Biography cover
As the Beatles began to splinter, Spitz writes, the Stones sharpened their focus. The band released “Beggars Banquet” in late 1968 and “Let It Bleed” the following year, albums every bit as innovative and visionary as “The White Album” and “Abbey Road.” For the first time, the two groups stood as equals.
When the Beatles broke up in 1970, the Stones kept rolling. With Jones replaced by virtuoso guitarist Mick Taylor — whose fluid, melodic style served as a tasty foil to Richards — they produced what many consider their finest works, “Sticky Fingers” and “Exile on Main Street.” More impressively, the band, with Taylor’s successor, Ronnie Wood, has continued to dazzle audiences with incendiary live shows, touring as recently as 2024 behind the late-career triumph “Hackney Diamonds.” The Beatles, by contrast, retired from the road in 1966 and devoted their energies to the studio.
Hundreds of books have been written about the Rolling Stones, but few sparkle quite like Spitz’s. For anyone who loves or even likes the Stones, it’s indispensable.
Like most of the band’s biographers, Spitz gives short shrift to the post-“Exile” period after 1972. He curtly dismisses 2005’s strong “A Bigger Bang” and 2016’s “Blue & Lonesome,” a back-to-basics album of blues covers, as “adequate endeavors that signaled a band living on borrowed time.” That critique is both off target and under-developed. Spitz ignores the band’s legendary live album, “Brussels Affair,” recorded in 1973, or why the band waited decades before officially releasing it.
These are small quibbles. Spitz has written a book worthy of its 704-page length; another 50 or so pages covering the later years would have made it even stronger. To quote the Rolling Stones: “I know it’s only rock ‘n roll, but I like it, like it, yes, I do.”
Marc Ballon, a former Times, Forbes and Inc. Magazine reporter, teaches an advanced writing class at USC. He lives in Fullerton.
THE ROLLING STONES continue to champion new talent, this time signing up Marty Supreme actress Odessa A’Zion for their next video.
The wise old rockers previously cast Sydney Sweeney in the vid to accompany 2023 comeback single Angry.
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The Rolling Stones have signed a top actress to star in their brand new music videoCredit: GettyOdessa A’zion has already filmed the scenes in a secret shoot in South LondonCredit: Alamy
Now they are hoping to repeat that success, as I can reveal they have got one of Gen Z’s buzziest names on board.
Odessa filmed the visuals during a hushed-up two-day shoot at Battersea Arts Centre in South London last week.
I’m told loads of extras of all ages and styles were brought in to reflect the Stones over the years.
A music industry insider said: “The video represents the Stones through the ages. There’s a lot going on. They brought in lots of extras to represent subcultures and sonic histories.
They are coming back with their 25th album, believed to be titled Foreign Tongues, which is largely being touted as their final record together.
It is a follow-up to their 2023 album Hackney Diamonds, with the tracks mainly being written and recorded during the same sessions.
Unfortunately for their fans, I’ve been told there are no immediate plans for the band to hit the road again just yet.
But I live in hope the band will rethink that — when they see just how many people snap up this new album when it drops later in the year.
Zara up to finny business
Zara Larsson wore a sequined skirt and tiny bikini to promote a new clothing lineCredit: Desigual
ZARA LARSSON is por-poised for action as she lifts a dummy dolphin over her head.
She dazzled in a sequined skirt split to the waist and a tiny bikini top while fronting Spanish label Desigual’s Life’s A Beach campaign.
Zara has signed a major deal with the clothing brand for a new range inspired by her Y2K look.
Meanwhile, her US tour ends tomorrow in Houston, Texas – then she’ll focus on a deluxe version of her 2025 album Midnight Sun, due out next month.
Zara has remixed tracks with female collaborators. Tyga, Madison Beer and Jade are among stars expected to be involved.
The record originally peaked at No36, but with Zara enjoying a popularity surge, I predict a massive leap up the charts.
Derm’s so Keane on his main man
Dermot Kennedy has revealed an unlikely role model for his music careerCredit: GettyKennedy says he was inspired by football hard man Roy KeaneCredit: Getty
His inspiration during gigs is the memory of Man United hero Keane playing against Juventus in 1999.
Despite being yellow-carded, the captain put in a blistering performance that took them to the Champions League final.
Dermot whose album The Weight Of The Woods became his third No1 last night, said of Roy: “If you ask about the way I sing, it’s purely him.
“He has a thing in his book where, when he was younger trying to get spotted, he would play a match to 100 or 200 people, and he developed the skill of creating the atmosphere in his head.
“I think I have that in music. If I play to ten people, I will rip it because I don’t care how many people are there.”
Dermot also shares a love of football with Roy once playing for Dublin’s Crumlin United.
He said: “I’m a far better person when I’m playing football regularly. Whatever feeling everyone thinks I get from music, I get it from football. It’s the one time my mind is clear.”
But Dermot has another reason to be inspired after his wife Aisling Finnegan gave birth to their daughter.
Asked how long they have been together, he told the And The Writer Is . . . podcast: “I would have been eight years old.
“We went to school together. What age did I know? Early twenties, probably.”
Michaela in a flap
Michaela Coel has admitted she found filming a Marvel movie to be outside her comfort zoneCredit: Getty
MICHAELA COEL looks amazing despite her suit falling apart at the seams as she steps out in New York.
The actress, whose outfit had several flappy features, recently admitted she didn’t love appearing in 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, in which she played warrior Aneka.
She said: “I really don’t think I was ready for that world of green screen acting. I don’t know how to do that.”
Maybe she’s struggling with new styles.
Nineties exhibition shines the spotlight on Scary’s catsuit
Mel B’s famous catsuit is set to go on display at a brand new exhibitionCredit: Getty
THE famous leopard-print catsuit Mel B wore when the Spice Girls performed at the Brit Awards in 1997 is going on display.
Former Bizarre editor Dominic MOhan has curated the exhibition, 1996: 30 Years On, and managed to get hold of the catsuit which was worn to perform their debut hit Wannabe.
Mel said: “It was all a crazy Nineties whirlwind but, in my leopard print, I knew I could take on anything. This outfit is sexy, naughty and bold, which pretty much sums me and the Nineties up.”
Also on display will be Emma Bunton’s dress from the same performance, Geri Halliwell’s Union Jack boots and a signed Liam Gallagher‘s tambourine.
It opens on Thursday at the Barbican Music Library in London and runs until September 19.
Dom will be launching his four-part show Cool Britannia on Virgin Radio tomorrow from 6pm.
“Thank you everybody involved for that. It really got me through the last couple of months and I loved it. No notes. Can’t wait for the next season.”
She also had a message for its host: “Maya Jama, I love you.”
Even pop’s busiest acts can’t resist a bit of villa drama.
Masterclass by B-Side Boys as jangling Mars Attacks
THERE aren’t many acts that can pull off five sell- out shows by promising only B sides, album tracks and no hits.
But the Pet Shop Boys did, without breaking a sweat.
I’d happily listen to Neil Tennant sing the back of a crisp packet, but he and Chris Lowe had something more special in store here in Camden, North London.
They whipped out guest Johnny Marr early on, who added some excellent guitar jangling on Up Against it from 1996 and 2003’s I Didn’t Get Where I Am Today.
They might be synthpop’s finest duo, but they can rock out too. With a back catalogue spanning more than 40 years, you can forgive Neil for needing lyrics printed out for the more obscure numbers, and being overjoyed at a stool, joking: “Ooh, I can sit down now, like Westlife.”
They finished by teasing the launch of their upcoming musical, Naked, performing a song from it called I Dream Of A Better Tomorrow.
Everton are monitoring John Stones’ contract situation at Manchester City, Sandro Tonali’s representatives contact Real Madrid, while Barcelona lead the race to sign Bernardo Silva.
England midfielder John Stones is not expected to be offered a new deal by Manchester City, with the 31-year-old’s former club Everton among those monitoring his situation. (Talksport), external
Sandro Tonali’s representatives have made contact with Real Madrid as part of a widening search for the 25-year-old’s next club, while Manchester City are also interested in signing theNewcastle and Italy midfielder. (Teamtalk), external
Barcelona are leading the race to sign 31-year-old Manchester City and Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva on a free transfer this summer. (Sun), external
Arsenal are monitoring 19-year-old Bayer Leverkusen and Cameroon forward Christian Kofane, with the German club wanting up to £60m for a summer transfer. (Florian Plettenberg), external
Barcelona’s £26m option to buy on-loan England forward Marcus Rashford, 28, expired in March, meaning the Spanish club must now negotiate a transfer fee with Manchester United. (Cadena SER – in Spanish), external
