The Rolling Stones are reportedly collaborating with The Beatles legends Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, for a project which is yet to be announced. Paul McCartney has reportedly recorded bass parts for a yet-to-be announced upcoming Rolling Stones album, whereas Ringo Starr’s involvement is still unknown. This will be the two bands first collaboration since the 60’s. Sources have come forward to confirm the news, according to Variety.
The Rolling Stones releasing new material will follow their previous album release, Blue and Lonesome, which was released 7 years ago in 2016. The upcoming Stones album will be their 31st studio album and the first since the death of their drummer, Charlie Watts. It has not yet been confirmed if Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will collaborate with the band on the same tracks, or if their recorded material will even be released with the album. There has been no announcements of an expected release date and no statements from members of The Rolling Stones confirming a new album or a collaboration with the surviving member of The Beatles.
Recording sessions have reportedly been taking place recently, in Los Angeles, with the 32-year-old American music guru, Andrew Watt, being said to be producing the album. The 2021 Producer of the Year Grammy award winner, Andrew Watt, has worked with pop stars and rock stars throughout the music industry, such as Ozzy Osbourne, Pearl Jam, Elton John, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Iggy Pop and Dua Lipa. On January 11 2023, the guitarist for The Rolling Stones, Keith Richards, confirmed that there will be some new music being released at some point in the near future in a video uploaded to his Instagram . ‘’There’s some new music on its way and hopefully we’ll get to see you.’’ Stones haven’t toured since 2017, on their European and North American ‘The No Filter Tour.’
It is extremely likely that the Stone’s next album will include tracks which were recorded with the group’s legendary drummer, Charlie Watts, who passed away at the age of 80 in the summer of 2021. In a Los Angeles Times interview, Keith Richards was quoted saying ‘’You haven’t heard the last of Charlie Watts.’’ Watts was the drummer for the band for 60 years and reportedly only ever missed one concert throughout those six decades.
The collaboration of The Rolling Stones and the surviving members of The Beatles comes as a surprise to many fans, as throughout their phenomenal music careers, the two bands haven’t always seen eye-to-eye and faced a fiery feud during their successful careers. John Lennon was once quoted in a 1970 Rolling Stone interview, which was about the release of his solo debut album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, stating that Mick Jagger was ‘’a joke.’’ Although there has been phases of rivalry, the bands have also shared moments of appreciation, such as Mick Jagger inducting The Beatles into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. The Stones and Beatles have been known to briefly work together even with their differences, as they teamed up in 1967 for a cameo, as the Beatles performed backing vocals for the single, ”We Love You.” Variety have said they have reached out to reps for McCartney, Starr, Watt and The Rolling Stones for a comment on the reports of a collaboration.
