Stones

Real Madrid open to selling Aurelien Tchouameni to Manchester United, Arsenal eye John Stones and Ezri Konsa, Chelsea favourites for Kerim Alajbegovic, Yan Diomande back on radar of Premier League clubs and Daizen Maeda set for Ipswich Town move.

La Liga giants Real Madrid are open to selling 26-year-old France defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni to Manchester United. (Sun, external)

AS Roma and France midfielder Manu Kone, 25, and Brighton‘s 22-year-old Cameroon international Carlos Baleba are also being considered by Manchester United as they aim to strengthen their midfield. (Sky Sports), external

Bournemouth‘s 27-year-old United States midfielder Tyler Adams, valued at about £35m, is also an option for Michael Carrick’s side. (Mail, external)

Former Manchester City defender John Stones, 32, and 28-year-old Ezri Konsa of Aston Villa are among Arsenal targets as the Gunners turn to the England duo after an injury to France defender William Saliba, 25. (Sky Sports, external)

Chelsea are favourites to sign Bosnia-Herzegovina attacking midfielder Kerim Alajbegovic, 18, from Bayer Leverkusen, while Xabi Alonso’s side are also in talks with Crystal Palace to sell French centre-back Axel Disasi, 28. (Telegraph – subscription required, external)

Chelsea have also agreed a deal to sign 15-year-old American winger Benji Flowers from Major League Soccer side FC Dallas when he turns 18. (Athletic – subscription required, external)

Arsenal and Manchester City are among the clubs in a race to sign Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig, who previously rejected a £69m bid from Liverpool for the 19-year-old. (Bild – in German, external)

In 1975, 31-year-old Mick Jagger told People magazine that “I’d rather be dead than sing ‘Satisfaction’ at 45.” The Rolling Stones’ frontman is still very much alive, despite having performed that song in concert hundreds of times since then, most recently in 2024 during the band’s “Hackney Diamonds” tour. Jagger was 80 at the time.

“Time waits for no one,” as the Stones once sang, but apparently that doesn’t apply to the “World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band.” To paraphrase the group’s first Top 10 U.S. hit in 1964, time is on their side. Yes, it is.

Consider the fates of the British Invasion superstars who emerged from England alongside the Stones in the 1960s. The Beatles broke up in 1970. The Kinks dissolved in 1996. The original Animals imploded in 1966. The Who called it quits in 1982 but has reunited repeatedly, including for its recent North American farewell tour.

And then there’s the indestructible, indefatigable Rolling Stones. With the partnership of Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards still front and center, the Stones will release their 27th studio album, “Foreign Tongues,” on Friday. Over the decades, they have produced classics such as “Exile on Main St.” and “Some Girls,” mediocrity like “Steel Wheels,” and abominations such as “Dirty Work.” We rank the group’s six-decade studio output from worst to first. All albums are the U.S. editions.

27. ‘Dirty Work’ (1986)

Never has an album cover so captured a band’s mood. “Dirty Work” features a photo of sullen, unsmiling Rolling Stones looking like they’d rather be anywhere else. The music reflects that disinterest. Apart from the cover of “Harlem Shuffle,” nothing here is memorable. It’s no surprise that the Stones nearly broke up during this period.

26. ‘Undercover’ (1983)

The follow-up to the brilliant “Tattoo You” landed with a thud. Although the song “Undercover of the Night” nicely melds a solid guitar riff with trenchant lyrics about political corruption and violence in South America, the rest of the album wilts.

25. ‘Bridges to Babylon’ (1997)

Another in a series of disappointing releases, “Bridges to Babylon” has one great song, “Saint of Me,” and lots of filler.

24. ‘Steel Wheels’ (1989)

Touted as a return to form, this album certainly outshines “Undercover” and “Dirty Work.” But that’s not saying much. With dated production and too many songs that make a good first impression but fail to stick, “Steel Wheels” has gathered moss over the years.

23. ‘Voodoo Lounge’ (1994)

Like its predecessor “Steel Wheels,” this is another attempt to recapture their classic sound. To an extent, the record succeeds. “You Got Me Rocking” sounds like a throwback to something on “Exile on Main St.,” while the ballad “Out of Tears” echoes “Angie.” With the exception of “Love Is Strong,” however, most of the songs here are little more than pleasant exercises in nostalgia.

22. ‘The Rolling Stones: England’s Newest Hitmakers’ (1964)

A solid debut, “England’s Newest Hitmakers” features covers of songs by Willie Dixon, Chuck Berry and Jimmy Reed, firmly grounding the group in its American blues and R&B influences. The sole Jagger/Richards original here, “Tell Me,” only hints at the duo’s future songwriting prowess.

21. ‘Black and Blue’ (1976)

After guitar virtuoso Mick Taylor’s departure from the Stones in late 1974, the band used “Black and Blue” to audition potential replacements. They settled on Ronnie Wood, a former member of the Faces who, ever since then, has engaged in the ancient art of guitar weaving with Keith Richards. Heavy on grooves and jams, this album sometimes feels unfocused and indulgent. The excellent ballads “Memory Motel” and “Fool to Cry” are essential.

20. ‘12X5’ (1964)

A step forward from their debut, “12X5” has the magnificent covers “Time Is on My Side” and “It’s All Over Now.” For those who like their Stones bluesy, early albums like this offer a cornucopia of treasures.

19. ‘Blue & Lonesome’ (2016)

Recorded in just three days, this album of blues covers sizzles. The Stones sound absolutely committed, with Jagger’s harmonica and vocals particularly strong.

18. ‘The Rolling Stones, Now!’ (1965)

On the band’s third U.S. album, the Stones rock harder and softer. Their version of Willie Dixon’s “Little Red Rooster” is a slow burn. The ballad “Heart of Stone,” one of their best early originals, made the Billboard Top 20.

17. ‘Foreign Tongues’ (2026)

The Stones have rarely sounded looser or more alive. Produced again by the classic-rocker whisperer Andrew Watt (Paul McCartney, Elton John, Pearl Jam), the band delivers a clutch of strong songs. In a just world, the single “In the Stars” would be a hit. “Back in Your Life,” fueled by some of Wood’s most sensitive and impassioned playing, is a stunner. At 14 songs and 62 minutes, the album would have benefited from trimming three or four of the more generic tunes. Still, it’s amazing that Jagger and Richards, both 82, and Wood, 79, have made such a fresh and vital record. Sometimes you can get what you want.

16. ‘A Bigger Bang’ (2005)

For the band’s first album of originals in eight years, the Stones remind you what makes them great. The first of their three late-career triumphs, “A Bigger Bang” brings attitude, funk, dirty rockers and dreamy ballads. The blazing “Rough Justice” and the slinky, sexy “Rain Fall Down” are topflight.

15. ‘Hackney Diamonds’ (2023)

Eighteen years passed between the release of “A Bigger Bang” and this album. It was worth the wait. “Hackney Diamonds” is another strong effort, with the banger “Angry” sounding urgent and, well, genuinely angry. The gospel-tinged “Sweet Sounds of Heaven,” featuring Lady Gaga, finds her and Jagger trading vocals and pushing each other to the stratosphere. It’s the best song the group has made since “Tattoo You’s” “Waiting on A Friend” and “Start Me Up” in 1981. The absence of late drummer Charlie Watts is felt, but Jagger and Richards prove that old geezers can still rock.

14. ‘Out of Our Heads’ (1965)

A very strong outing that includes originals “The Last Time,” “Play With Fire” and “Satisfaction,” one of the best rock songs ever written.

13. ‘It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll’ (1974)

Keith Richards’ deepening heroin problem meant Jagger had to carry more of the load himself. On this album, he acquits himself admirably. The anthemic title track positively swaggers. The poignant “Time Waits for No One” features one of Taylor’s most beautiful solos, a fitting coda to the end of his five-year career with the Stones. A fine album with several good songs and a couple great ones.

12. ‘December’s Children (And Everybody’s)’ (1965)

A hodgepodge of live cuts, outtakes, British LP tracks and singles, this album shows the Stones rapidly gaining confidence and playing with equal parts finesse and fire. Any album with “Get Off of My Cloud” and “As Tears Go By” is worth the price of admission.

11. ‘Their Satanic Majesties Request’ (1967)

Released months after “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” this occasionally ill-advised foray into psychedelia pales in comparison to the Beatles’ masterpiece. That doesn’t mean it’s bad. In fact, the Stones never sounded as adventurous or experimental. When it works, as it does on “She’s a Rainbow” and “2000 Light Years From Home,” candy-colored bliss follows.

10. ‘Emotional Rescue’ (1980)

An underrated gem often overshadowed by its predecessor, “Some Girls,” and its successor, “Tattoo You,” “Emotional Rescue” finds the Stones in fine form at the dawn of a new decade. The rhythm section of bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Watts locks in, while Richards and Wood converse with their guitars as only they can. Jagger sounds energized on the rockers “Let Me Go” and “She’s So Cold” and sexy on the incredibly funky “Dance (Pt. 1).”

9. ‘Goats Head Soup’ (1973)

Considered a big letdown after the magisterial “Exile on Main St.,” this album has received a well-deserved critical reappraisal and aged like a fine wine. It’s not the Stones at their peak, but close enough. “Angie” is absolutely gorgeous, while “Star Star” captures the Stones at their most profane.

8. ‘Tattoo You’ (1981)

Needing new material for their 1981 tour, the Stones cobbled together “Tattoo You” from leftovers and half-finished songs dating back to “Goats Head Soup.” Jagger penned new lyrics, recorded new vocals, and presto — the band made its last classic. “Start Me Up,” the band’s best rocker since “Brown Sugar,” propelled the album to multiplatinum sales and shook stadiums around the world. It still does.

7. ‘Aftermath’ (1966)

The first Stones album composed entirely by Jagger and Richards, “Aftermath” represents a quantum leap forward or two. Brian Jones, before drugs and paranoia dimmed his creative spark, made some of his greatest contributions, elevating “Paint It Black” with his sitar and adding the indelible marimba riff to “Under My Thumb.” The Stones had finally lived up to all the hype.

6. ‘Between the Buttons’ (1967)

The American version kicks off with the one-two-three punch of “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” “Yesterday’s Papers” and “Ruby Tuesday” and doesn’t let up. Arguably the band’s poppiest album, it sounds like groovy Swinging London set to music.

5. ‘Some Girls’ (1978)

After the lackluster “Black and Blue” and the mixed critical reception of “It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll” and “Goats Head Soup,” some wondered if the Stones had lost their musical magic. They needn’t have worried. The band, hungry to prove the doubters wrong, made one of its strongest albums. With Wood now fully integrated into the group , punky, guitar-centric rockers like “Respectable,” “When the Whip Comes Down” and “Shattered” snarl. Jagger, entranced by the sounds coming out of New York’s discos at the time, contributed the No. 1 “Miss You.” Add “Beast of Burden” and the countryish “Far Away Eyes” to the mix and you have the ingredients for a stunning comeback.

4. ‘Beggars Banquet’ (1968)

The start of one of the strongest four-album runs in rock history, “Beggars Banquet” is a near-perfect listen from beginning to end. New producer Jimmy Miller helps strip the band down to its rawest, raunchiest essence on songs like “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Stray Cat Blues,” and “Street Fighting Man.” For the first time, the Stones had released an album on par with some of the Beatles’ best work. Indispensable.

3. ‘Sticky Fingers’ (1971)

Unbreakable love (“Wild Horses”); heartbreak (“I’ve Got the Blues”); slavery, interracial sex and heroin (“Brown Sugar”); addiction (“Sister Morphine”) — “Sticky Fingers” has it all, along with some of the most powerful music in the Stones’ catalog. If a Martian came to Earth and wanted to know what made the Stones special, a listen to “Sticky Fingers” would make it abundantly clear.

2. ‘Let It Bleed’ (1969)

By the end of the ’60s, the dream had faded. Vietnam, inner-city riots, and the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. had cast a pall over the Day-Glo optimism of the Love Generation. The Rolling Stones were there to chronicle the impending hangover. “Gimme Shelter” reflected the growing dread of the times. It’s among the darkest, grittiest and most transcendent songs ever recorded, with Jagger singing about rape and murder over Richards’ shimmering guitar. In the powerhouse “Midnight Rambler,” Jagger takes on the persona of a killer, even name-checking the Boston Strangler. Dark stuff. Yet the superb “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” replete with a gospel choir, the country stylings of “Let It Bleed” and “Love in Vain,” sung by Jagger with utter conviction, give the album incredible diversity and depth.

1. ‘Exile on Main St.’ (1972)

And then there was one. Recorded largely in the steamy, sweltering basement of Richards’ rented French villa, Nellecôte, “Exile” reeks of filth, decadence and decay. With Jagger’s vocals often buried deep in the muddy and murky mix, the album initially sounds like a druggy demo. But listen again. And again. Slowly, it reveals itself as quintessential Stones, a potent admixture of styles, sounds and soul. Richards tosses off one indelible riff after another, making “Rocks Off,” “Happy,” “Tumbling Dice” and “All Down the Line” rock and roll perfection. You like your Stones with a dash of Americana? “Sweet Virginia” might be the band’s best country rocker. Blues? Try “Ventilator Blues.” Gospel? “Shine a Light,” accented with Billy Preston’s piano and organ, transports listeners to a higher place. Other Stones records contain more classics and better production, but none holds together as well as a whole or comes as close to the sublime as this one.

Marc Ballon, a former Times, Forbes and Inc. Magazine reporter, teaches an advanced writing class at USC. He lives in Fullerton.

Marc Guehi has won his fitness race and is expected to start England’s World Cup quarter-final against Norway alongside a recalled John Stones in central defence.

Manchester City defender Guehi suffered a minor hamstring strain in the win over Mexico and has missed training sessions this week.

But he is set to be cleared to continue in the heart of England’s defence.

He is expected to be playing alongside Stones in defence, who is set to be recalled into the starting XI for the first time since the opening game against Croatia.

Ezri Konsa is set to be moved from centre-back to right-back.

Declan Rice is fit to start despite a sickness bug that has hampered his involvement in the preparations for the game while Noni Madueke is expected to play ahead of Bukayo Saka in another change to the XI.

Stones, 32, has been a substitute in all the subsequent matches since Croatia. However, he played a key role against Mexico, coming on for Saka on 57 minutes following Jarell Quansah’s red card.

Expected England team: Pickford, Konsa, Guehi, Stones, O’Reilly, Anderson, Rice, Madueke, Gordon, Bellingham, Kane.

More to follow

Here’s a terrible-seeming idea: The Rolling Stones should get started on their next album.

Like, now.

After taking nearly two decades to release 2023’s “Hackney Diamonds” — the band’s first set of original material since “A Bigger Bang” in 2005 — the Stones are back this week with a follow-up, “Foreign Tongues,” that took them less than 36 months to get out.

And it’s the better record in every way.

In the old days, of course, two and a half years was all they needed to make “Beggars Banquet,” “Let It Bleed” and “Sticky Fingers.” So let’s not get too carried away by the fact Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood are working as fast as they are in their late 70s and early 80s.

Yet to listen to the brisk and sportive “Foreign Tongues” is to hear a band clearly going on instinct rather than overthinking the music à la any number of veteran acts in legacy-maintenance mode. I don’t know if the result is the Stones’ best since 1978’s “Some Girls,” but it’s definitely the funniest, which is actually the more impressive achievement.

“Wake up in the morning and you wanna make me puke,” Jagger sneers in the punky “Hit Me in the Head” — exactly the kind of lyric you’d hope to hear from a band whose only possible reason for still being in the game is to have a gas-gas-gas.

Like “Hackney Diamonds” — and, for that matter, like Paul McCartney’s “The Boys of Dungeon Lane” (to name one recent overthinking-veteran LP) — “Foreign Tongues” was produced by 35-year-old Andrew Watt, who’s made a career of helping boomer icons put a little shine on their late-in-life efforts. And he’s helped the Stones convene an appealingly motley crew of collaborators here, including McCartney (who plays bass on “Covered in You”), the Cure’s Robert Smith (who contributes guitar to “Divine Intervention”), Steve Winwood (who plays piano and organ throughout the album) and Bruno Mars (who’s credited with, uh, cowbell in “Never Wanna Lose You”).

You also get a welcome appearance from the late Charlie Watts in a hard-thwacking performance recorded before his death in 2021. (Steve Jordan otherwise keeps time.)

But none of the stunt casting feels like the point of the album, which instead simply doles out a dozen tunes in the Stones’ various idioms — the bluesy stomp, the country-ish lope, the sleazy disco jam — plus a couple of covers in just over an hour. It’s frisky and lighthearted, even when Jagger is lamenting what he sees as the sorry state of his beloved America in “Ringing Hollow” and when Richards is croaking about love having put him on his knees in “Some of Us.”

And when they go goblin mode, they really lean in: “Mr. Charm” is a demented soul-rock rave-up about how boring money is — OK, Mick — in which Jagger drops a diss of the “mad mogul Mr. Musk” into a verse laying out the delights of staying home and doing anagrams.

In “Divine Intervention,” Jagger offers a colorful travelogue of trips through New York and Los Angeles — “I kept moving on to Silver Lake / To play guitar with a brand new friend of mine” — while Richards and Wood get their guitars slip-sliding all over the place. “Jealous Lover” is gorgeously trashy: a horny little strut that sounds like “Dirty Mind”-era Prince doing “Waiting on a Friend.” (Legitimately loony Mick vocal here.)

For God knows what reason, the Stones offer up a faithful rendition of Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good” with Jagger on harmonica. And the album ends with a very ragged take on Chuck Berry’s “Beautiful Delilah,” obviously meant to remind you of how the two lifers at the core of the Stones came together more than half a century ago.

The memory is ancient; the thrill, somehow, is alive.

“HE just has that youthful energy,” says Ronnie Wood of his Rolling Stones bandmate Mick Jagger.

It’s not a term often used to describe someone in their Eighties but, in this case, entirely accurate.

Anyone who’s seen the consummate frontman in recent times will know he still has the voice, the moves — and the swagger.

Nearly four years Mick’s junior and, at 79, the “baby” of the band, Ronnie could still be forgiven for thinking, “I want some of whatever he’s on.”

But, as the Stones release their high-octane LP Foreign Tongues, Ronnie can also claim to have some of that “youthful energy”.

“I’m the same as Mick,” he tells me. “I’m a Gemini, I’m pulling in all directions — and I’m just loving it.”

serving glam

Lily James wows in a polka dot dress with busty Hannah Waddingham at Wimbledon

J-LO CUT

Jennifer Lopez rocks sheer dress as she attends PFW with rarely-seen sister

By that, he means his ongoing endeavours with the Stones, his work as a highly skilled portrait artist and the not-so-small matter of his first solo tour in years, beginning next week in Austria on a bill with Van Morrison.

Not to mention being husband to wife Sally and dad to their ten-year-old twin daughters Gracie Jane and Alice Rose.

Ronnie continues: “I just love to be inspired and putting my ideas into action — whether it’s on a canvas or through my guitar or harmonica or whatever I’m playing.

“And I even try my hand at singing every now and again!”

Right now, says Ronnie, “I’m in my art studio preparing an exhibition and I’m getting rehearsals together with my band.

“I even had a little rehearsal with Mick because we’re keeping our hands in, keeping our chops together. So, it’s all go.”

The main purpose of our chat is, of course, all things Stones but you’ll hear more about his extra-curricular activities later.

I discover that Ronnie has a wonderfully old-school approach to tech — none of that new-fangled Zoom stuff for him — so he calls me on the dog and bone.

Which means that I have to go half way up a steep hill on the Cornish coast, not far from Land’s End, in an attempt to get decent signal.

Thankfully, the guitar legend comes through loud and clear — and full of enthusiasm.

First, he explains why the Stones have another new studio album of original material in the bag so soon after 2023’s Hackney Diamonds.

(If you remember, the previous one, A Bigger Bang, came out in 2005.)

He replies that American producer Andrew Watt “hadn’t finished with us and we hadn’t finished with him”.

“We just sparked the fire that was already cooking with Hackney Diamonds.”

Ronnie is quick to praise the 35-year-old producer with bleach-blond hair who has worked with Paul McCartney, Ozzy Osbourne, Lady Gaga and Post Malone.

“We’re on to a good one there,” he says. “The Stones haven’t had someone with so much input since Jimmy Miller.”

Praise indeed because Miller produced a stellar run of consecutive albums — Beggar’s Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile On Main St and Goat’s Head Soup — between 1968 and 1973.

Ronnie adds: “Andrew’s a big fan of ours and he knows what he’s talking about. He can play different instruments and knows my guitar playing better than I do.”

So what was the catalyst for Foreign Tongues? “We had a few tracks like Covered In You left over,” replies Ronnie.

“But basically we started reworking all these songs that Mick had been kicking around, some with Keith, and some by himself. Mick would come to us, saying, ‘Look, I’ve got this idea — let’s develop it’.

“The Stones are his plaything, so I just let him take the helm and get on with it. It’s great.”

Key to the success of Foreign Tongues, a big beast of an album with 14 tracks spanning 63 minutes, was a gathering in London to bring the project to fruition.

Ronnie explains: “We started working in New York at Electric Lady, then we took it to Henson studio in LA and messed around with it there — but we finished off the whole thing at Metropolis in Chiswick.

“It was a great feeling to be in London, to go down to the studio that was not far [from where I live] with all the boys there.”

Ronnie wallowed in the “great studio atmosphere” and was particularly chuffed to have an old mucker like Steve Winwood on board — “he was so lovely”.

Steve, who plays organ or piano on nine of the Foreign Tongues songs, came to prominence in the early Sixties as a fresh-faced teenager in The Spencer Davis Group.

Stints in Traffic and Blind Faith were followed by his hugely successful solo career with hit Eighties albums including Arc Of A Diver and Back In The High Life.

Ronnie says: “The Americans had Little Stevie Wonder and Britain had Little Stevie Winwood.

“I first met him at The Ship pub on Wardour Street and he’s one of the only musicians from my era who’s younger than me.” (Ronnie was born in 1947 and Steve a year later.)

Back in the day, The Ship was one of Ronnie’s favourite haunts because of its proximity to fabled music venues like The 100 Club and The Marquee.

He says: “I used to meet all the musicians in this packed little pub. Just up the road, I met Rod Stewart for the first time in the Intrepid Fox. He came up to me and went, ‘Hello Face!’ ”

They bonded over their mod-style haircuts, as you do, and soon started playing music together, first in The Jeff Beck Group and then, from 1969, The Faces.

In 1975, Ronnie left The Faces to land the job he’d dreamed of since he was a teenager — to become a member of the most rock and roll band on the planet, the Rolling Stones.

His first album as a full-time member with them was 1978’s Some Girls, a sleazy tour de force featuring some dazzling Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood guitar interplay, most notably on the ballad Beast Of Burden.

Which brings us neatly back to Foreign Tongues because it is drawing comparisons with that classic LP.

Ronnie says: “We like to keep the youthful feel we had in Paris when we were doing Some Girls and Emotional Rescue. There was a lot of energy on Respectable and Summer Romance, all those mad songs . . . and we still have that kind of energy going.

“I call this Foreign Tongues album ‘more solos for me, thanks Mick’ and he loves it.”

So which songs feature Ronnie solos? I venture. “There’s one on Back In Your Life which everyone seems to like,” he answers. “It’s the last one I did and there’s a lot of feeling there.

“I also enjoyed doing solos on Mr Charm, Side Effects, In The Stars and Hit Me On The Head.

“And there are lots of songs I loved to jam on, with me and Keith bouncing off each other.”

Hit Me On The Head is one of the few tracks saved from the Hackney Diamonds sessions, a breathless three-minute blast featuring much-missed drummer Charlie Watts.

Ronnie says: “We’ve got a few Charlie tracks saved and it’s lovely to keep his memory going with these little reminders.”

He adds that Steve Jordan, the powerhouse American drummer who stepped in after Charlie died in 2021 “loved Charlie so much and to pay tribute to him on Hackney Diamonds and Foreign Tongues is so great”.

I ask Ronnie which of the other new tracks he’s fond of.

He says: “I love Rough And Twisted which reminds me of my old Faces days — a modern-day blues.”

And he singles out yearning country song Ringing Hollow, which he and Mick gave a debut live airing to at this week’s album launch party in London.

“That’s a great one,” he says. “It reminds me of the songs inspired by the Stones’ first visits to America like Dead Flowers [also performed at the party], Wild Horses and Sweet Virginia.”

Ronnie’s a big fan of the Let It Bleed track Country Honk, a rustic, fiddle-drenched take on Honky Tonk Women, which he’s promising to play with his solo band at his forthcoming shows.

He says: “I’m a big fan of Merle Haggard and Hank Williams along with Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters — a little mix of country and blues.”

This brings us to the raw and authentic cover of Berry’s Beautiful Delilah, which closes Foreign Tongues, done in the style of Mississippi Fred McDowell.

Just Mick and Keith on 12-string guitars with empathetic drumming from Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith. As with so many musicians of Ronnie’s generation, Berry was a massive influence.

“I used to have a dance in my bedroom when I was a kid,” he recalls. “Then I’d learn the solos just by ear.

“I was so inspired by this mystery man from America. In those days, you never saw a picture of Chuck Berry, Howlin’ Wolf or Jimmy Reed.

“When you did, it was like, ‘Wow!’ Like aliens come to life. Then, when I grew up, I got to hang out with them. It was a dream come true.

“Chuck came up to me once when I was on stage with him and said, ‘Where did you get that riff from?’ And I said, ‘From you!’ He nearly fell over.”

Next, we move on to Ronnie’s solo tour, organised because a gap appeared after the Stones ruled out live dates after Keith announced he was stepping back from touring.

He’ll be performing material from his storied life in music that includes The Jeff Beck Group, The Faces, the Stones and solo work — much of it gathered up in his recent retrospective album Fearless.

Ronnie will sing Seven Days, “the song Bob Dylan gave me, one of the special moments in my musical career.”

He will be reuniting with drummer Andy Newmark and bassist Willie Weeks for the first time in 50 years — “they’re playing as great as ever”.

His jaunts will take to Lucca in Italy, London’s Kentish Town Forum, Zurich, Cologne, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Lisbon. It all starts at an open-air shindig on the Royal Sandringham Estate in Norfolk on August 23, headlined by blues maestro Eric Clapton.

Ronnie adds: “Eric said, ‘Hey Ron, get a band together and come and join me at Sandringham!’

“That’s what spurred me on. I thought, ‘Wow! While I’m at it, I may as well get my favourite girl singers like Imelda May and Chanel Haynes’.”

If Stones and solo work wasn’t enough, Ronnie gives me an update on the mouthwatering prospect of a new Faces album — a further reunion with Rod Stewart after last year’s Glastonbury outing for Stay With Me.

“Rod loves what’s going on with us,” he says. “He has so much respect for the Stones and he’s gone his own Hollywood merry way.

“But we’ve been putting our heads together and rejoining the dots and getting some Faces stuff together again.

“Next year, we’re going to get stuck in and finish these tracks. We’ve got a lot on the hob and we’ll stir them up.”

Lastly, Ronnie reflects on the enduring appeal of both the Rolling Stones and The Beatles more than 60 years after they began their journeys.

Having just released his Andrew Watt-produced solo album The Boys Of Dungeon Lane, Paul McCartney returns on Foreign Tongues song Covered In You, following his bass cameo on Hackney Diamonds track Bite My Head Off.

Ronnie says: “I was just out with Paul recently and he was going, ‘Ron, ain’t it wonderful that we can still give this and keep making people happy. That’s what we do!’

“I said, ‘It’s so great Paul’, and he gave me a hug. He’s such a lovely man.

“We have that spirit going around in the Stones as well. There’s a lot of love there and a lot of respect.”

THE ROLLING STONES – Foreign Tongues

★★★★★

A LITTLE-known band were left totally gobsmacked after a rock legend turned up in the audience at one of their shows.

The Rolling Stones cover band were playing to a small crowd in a bar when the iconic musician revealed himself as a fan, dancing alone in the bar.

The mystery figure was none other than Noughties nu-metal megastar Fred Durst, frontman of Limp Bizkit.

Fellow punters couldn’t believe their eyes and quickly pulled out their phones to capture the surreal moment as the Rollin’ singer rocked out to their set.

Musician Jenny Teator, who was singing on stage shared the clip on TikTok, writing: “This was unexpected. Get it, Fredddd!! We had so much fun at @GRAYSonMAIN.”

The unlikely scene unfolded at Grays on Main, a bustling music venue and dining room in downtown Franklin, Tennessee – the town Fred now calls home.

rock of ages

Can YOU tell who this 90s rock icon is? Fans say he looks like Richard Gere!

doped up

Shaggy 2 Dope fails as he tries to dropkick Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst on stage

The star looked almost unrecognisable with a full white beard, although he still sported the signature baseball cap fans will remember from the band’s heyday.

Other diners appeared oblivious to the famous face in their midst, continuing with their meals unaware they were in the company of rock royalty.

One viewer commented: “The people sitting there eating, completely unbothered that Fred Durst is getting down right beside them, is killllling me!”

Fred and Limp Bizkit were one of the biggest bands of the late Nineties and early Noughties, with hits including Break Stuff, My Way and Rollin’.

Their album Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavoured Water debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold over one million copies in its first week.

The singer was also linked to a string of high-profile romances, including rumoured relationships with pop stars Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and Avril Lavigne. He has been married four times and has two children.

Despite stepping out of the spotlight in recent years, Fred, now 55, continues to record and perform with Limp Bizkit.

Limp Bizkit’s last official UK tour was last year, with the band appearing at the Reading and Leeds festivals.

Besides continuing to tour and perform with the band, Fred has made his mark as a film director with movies like The Education of Charlie Banks and The Longshots.

He also directed the film The Franatic in 2019 which starred John Travolta.

ROCKER Ronnie Wood has got satisfaction on his birthday today – after being surprised with a classic red phone box from his wife.

The Rolling Stones legend was gifted the timeless telephone booth by his honky tonk woman Sally Humphreys to mark his 79th birthday.

The original British Telecom K6 phone box, costing some £5,000, did the moonlight mile as it was delivered to his country estate in Little Gaddesden, Herts.

The fixture means the former hard-partying icon won’t be going off the hook anymore.

Wood married his current wife, theatre producer Sally, 48, in 2012 and welcomed their twin daughters just four years later.

Speaking to Hello! Magazine he said: “Any time I’m with her and the girls, that’s the best for me, nothing tops it.

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“When the twins come into our bed and we’re all snuggled up together, that, for me, is wonderful. My idea of heaven.

“It’s special. The girls are so cuddly and gorgeous. I’m a lucky man.”

A source said Ronnie is celebrating his birthday at his holiday home in Barcelona.

THEY are set to release their new album Foreign Tongues in July — and it seems The Rolling Stones could also be heading to foreign shores.

After abandoning plans to hit the road on a UK and European tour this summer, I can reveal that Start Me Up hitmakers Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood are now looking into playing five nights in Buenos Aires, Argentina, next year.

A source told me: “The band are discussing options for a residency.

“They love the thrill of doing a huge stadium tour around the globe, but the physical demands are immense.

“A residency would mean they can still bring their best to the fans, without the toll that comes with travelling.”

This summer would have been the rockers’ first string of live performances since their Hackney Diamonds tour in the States in 2024 — which sold almost one million tickets.

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A US music critic has said that Keith told bandmates Mick and Ronnie he couldn’t commit to their UK and European trek’s planned shows.

The band will release their new 14-track album on July 10 after recording it at Metropolis Studios in Chiswick, West London, over four intense weeks.

It features a cover of the song You Know I’m No Good by Amy Winehouse, who Mick performed with at the Isle of Wight Festival in 2007, four years before she died aged 27.

The track Hit Me In The Head includes old recordings in LA with the late Stones drummer Charlie Watts, who died in 2021, aged 80.

In April, the band released album track Rough And Twisted on vinyl under pseudonym, The Cockroaches.

Earlier this month, at the launch in New York, Mick confirmed the newrecord spans a number of genres, saying: “We have the ability to do ballads, country and dance music.”

He added: “It’s not stuck in one ­particular style.”

I can’t wait to hear it.

FROM 10 TO THE ONE

DECEMBER 10 are the latest Gen-Z heartthrobs ­– but Danny Bretherton is set to break fans’ hearts, as I can reveal he is dating influencer Tallulah Metcalfe.

The singer has even introduced her to his family in Chorley, Lancs.

A source said: “Danny has been spending lots of time with Tallulah. He is very family-orientated so taking her to meet his family was a big deal.”

This month, Tallulah shared a TikTok of her and Danny dancing in the street to his band’s song Infinity (123), captioned: “Look who I bumped into.”

Seems Danny has a new No1.

BIOPIC BOYLE

SUSAN BOYLE is working on a biopic, I have heard.

The film will chart her rise to global fame from her humble beginnings in Scotland to appearing on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009.

It comes as the singer is planning a comeback with new music.

A source confirmed: “Susan is working on a film and is hoping that a streamer will snap it up.”

I wonder who SuBo, above, has in mind to play her?

Raising awareness

ROXY HORNER is turning her hand to documentaries.

The model, who married comic Jack Whitehall last month, is believed to be in talks with a company to make a film about living with Type 1 diabetes, which she was diagnosed with in 2021.

A source said: “Roxy has been amazing at raising awareness of living with the chronic condition.

“She now wants to delve deeper and speak to experts.”

Shakira’s miami mini break

SHAKIRA looked her very zest as she stepped out in a bright orange outfit.

The Colombian singer flaunted her toned legs in a mini dress at Miami Swim Week.

She was attending an event on Thursday for her haircare brand Isima.

We’ll soon be humming Shakira’s track Dai Dai, the official anthem for the 2026 Fifa World Cup that she made with Burna Boy.

KELLY SET FOR MIGHTY COMEBACK

KELLY OSBOURNE is preparing for her first performance since dad Ozzy died last year.

The TV presenter and singer will join headliners Scissor Sisters at Mighty Hoopla festival in South London’s Brockwell Park today.

A source said: “Kelly is excited to get back on stage and doing it with the Scissor Sisters is a huge honour.”

Black Sabbath legend Ozzy passed away last July, with Kelly and her mum Sharon Osbourne honouring him at The Brit Awards.

Kelly and Sharon accepted the Lifetime Achievement gong for Ozzy at Manchester’s Co-Op Live arena in February.

Speaking to Biz on Sunday’s Emily at the ceremony, Kelly said: “A Lifetime Achievement award is such an honour, I couldn’t think of anyone else more deserving.

“It’s bittersweet.”

I am sure Ozzy would be proud of Kelly today.

Heidi hi, Nat & Nic

HALF of All Saints performed as Appleton at the Mighty Hoopla yesterday.

Nicole and Natalie Appleton took to the stage at the festival in Brockwell Park, South East London, in their typical cool girl style of tracksuits.

Nicole said: “Guys, you have to realise it’s been quite a long time that Nat and I have sung as Appleton.

“But we are so emotional that it’s our first festival.”

Nicole, left, and Natalie, right, were joined by their pal and ex-Sugababes member Heidi Range, centre, for a surprise performance.

Gene, Nicole’s son with ex Liam Gallagher, watched from the side of the stage along with Nat’s hubby, Liam Howlett from The Prodigy.

The duo release Ready To Begin next month, and their Appleton EP will be out in September.

Welcome back, ladies.

It’s go for pro with ex

HE failed to find The One on Channel 4’s Celebs Go Dating, but it seems Professor Green is back with his ex Karima McAdams.

I am told the couple who have five-year-old son Slimane, have been taking things slowly after their split in 2024.

Karima shared an Instagram snap of the lad with Pro Green – real name Stephen Manderson – referring to the chart star as her “partner”.

Explaining her little boy had a suspected wrist fracture after falling from a zipwire, she said: “Son is coming back in plaster and partner medium rare.”
Looks like the rapper is back in the game . . . 

Real Madrid are confident of signing Rodri from Manchester City amid Pep Guardiola’s departure, Bayern Munich plan a shock move for John Stones, while Atletico Madrid want Marc Cucurella.

Pep Guardiola’s impending exit from Manchester City opens the door for 29-year-old Spain midfielder Rodri to join Real Madrid this summer. (Marca – in Spanish), external

Bayern Munich are considering a shock move for England defender John Stones with the 31-year-old set to leave Manchester City at the end of the season. (Mail), external

Atletico Madrid are weighing up moves for Manchester City‘s 31-year-old Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva and Chelsea‘s 27-year-old Spain defender Marc Cucurella. (Sky Sports), external

Inter Miami are closing in on the signing of Manchester United‘s Brazil midfielder Casemiro with the 34-year-old set to leave the club at the end of the season. (Athletic) , external

Liverpool‘s 33-year-old Brazil goalkeeper Alisson wants to join Juventus this summer even if the Serie A side fail to qualify for the Champions League. (Gazzetta – in Italian), external

Barcelona have agreed personal terms with 28-year-old England forward Marcus Rashford as they look to make his loan deal permanent, but are yet to agree a transfer fee with Manchester United. (Sport – in Spanish), external

Liverpool have formally registered their interest in 20-year-old Hoffenheim winger Bazoumana Toure but they face competition from Manchester United, Aston Villa and Newcastle who also admire the Ivorian. (Teamtalk), external

Manchester United are monitoring Borussia Dortmund left-back Julian Ryerson, 28, with the Norway international being lined up as a possible replacement for Noussair Mazraoui. (Sky Sports Germany), external

Manchester United could take advantage of Southampton’s Spygate controversy by moving for 22-year-old Northern Ireland midfielder Shea Charles. (Mirror), external

Liverpool could make a move for 21-year-old Norway winger Antonio Nusa should a deal for his RB Leipzig team-mate Yan Diomande become too difficult. (Football Insider), external

Fenerbahce have emerged as a surprise contender to sign 33-year-old Egypt forward Mohamed Salah from Liverpool this summer. (Caught Offside), external

Chelsea are weighing up a move for Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Edmond Tapsoba, 27, with the Burkina Faso international having previously worked under incoming boss Xabi Alonso. (Teamtalk), external

Borussia Dortmund are unlikely to bring Manchester United‘s 26-year-old England winger Jadon Sancho, who is on loan at Aston Villa, back to the club for a third spell. (Bild – in German), external

THE Beatles and the Rolling Stones both launched their latest albums yesterday – on separate continents. 

It was a case of let’s attend the knights together in honour of British rock royalty, Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Mick Jagger. 

At London’s fabled Abbey Road Studios, where the Fab Four recorded nearly all their songs, Macca held a lunchtime listening party for his latest LP, The Boys Of Dungeon Lane (out May 29). 

Then, in New York City hours later, Sixties chart rivals Jagger and Keith Richards as well as the later arrival to the ranks, Ronnie Wood, were seen strolling out of a Brooklyn theatre at the launch of their album, Foreign Tongues (out July 10). 

In a neat twist, Sir Paul plays bass on new Stones track Covered In You, recorded at the same session as his contribution to Bite My Head Off from 2023’s Hackney Diamonds. 

And BOTH albums were produced by American hotshot producer Andrew Watt, known for work with Ozzy Osbourne and Lady Gaga. 

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Before a select audience of fans and “my lovely son James” in Studio No2, McCartney, 83, introduced all fourteen tracks on his heartfelt 21st studio effort. 

For nearly two hours, he filled the time with fascinating anecdotes, playing select chords on his acoustic guitar and even mouthing some of the lyrics.  

Many songs have nostalgia-filled backstories, including As You Lie There about unrequited love for a girl called Jasmine. 

The “trippy” Mountain Top recalls Glastonbury, where he headlined in 2022, while Down South is about hitchhiking trips to Wales with George Harrison. 

Elsewhere, there’s a first-ever duet with fellow Beatle Ringo Starr on new single Home To Us, also featuring Chrissie Hynde and Sharleen Spiteri. Salesman Saint is a moving tribute to Macca’s parents, Jim and Mary. 

Meanwhile, the Stones also heralded their album with the release of a single, In The Stars, the follow-up to Rough & Twisted, a limited edition vinyl single which appeared under a pseudonym, The Cockroaches. 

Then Oscars host Conan O’Brien hosted a Q&A session with Mick and Keith, both 82, and Ronnie, 78. 

Besides McCartney, other guests on Foreign Tongues (also 14 songs) include The Cure’s Robert Smith on three tracks and Steve Winwood. 

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.

Tonight, The Stones will unveil the details of Foreign Tongues, out July 10, at a party in New York .

Sir Paul McCartney, who played bass on Bite My Head Off from The Stones’ 2023 No1 album Hackney Diamonds, is also on the new record.

A source said: “Robert secretly recorded with The Stones in Metropolis Studios in London.

“He plays guitar and synth, and did backing vocals for three of the tracks.

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END OF AN ERA?

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“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.

This evening, Oscars host Conan O’Brien hosted a Q and A session with Mick and Keith, both 82, and Ronnie, 78, in New York.