The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are reportedly working on a new musical project.
According to Variety, multiple sources confirmed that McCartney has recorded bass parts for a new Rolling Stones album, and that Starr will also feature.
Recording sessions have reportedly taken place in Los Angeles over the last couple of weeks, and fans of both The Beatles and The Rolling Stones are thrilled
“Nobody ever thought it would happen…” Tweeted one , while another said: “Just hearing Paul McCartney play on a Stones album is worth the price of the album.” A third said: “BREAKING Oh boy.”
However, music journalist James Hall has released a counter report in The Telegraph this afternoon. He said on Twitter: “Here’s inside track on @thebeatles/ @RollingStones collaboration. My mole behind the mixing desk tells me that, yes, Macca and Stones have recorded. It’s one track, started as studio jam. No Ringo. Full-on ‘Rolling Beatles’ LP is wide of mark.”
Record labels Virgin Records and Polydor have been contacted for comment.
The new project will be The Rolling Stones’ first album of new songs since 2005’s A Bigger Bang, which went to number two on the UK album charts, and number three on the US Billboard 200. Since then they released Blue & Lonesome in 2016, an album made up only of covers.
Further details about the Stones’ new record, including a release date, are still under wraps.
Speaking about their forthcoming album in 2021, Mick Jagger said: “We have a lot of tracks done, so when the tour’s finished we’ll assess where we are with that and continue.” Keith Richards said that the pandemic slowed things down, saying: “If everything hadn’t gotten closed down, we might’ve finished the damn thing.”
He added that drummer Charlie Watts, who died in August 2021, had recorded some tracks before he died. “Let me put it this way,” Richards said. “You haven’t heard the last of Charlie Watts.”
In a recent Q&A on his website, McCartney said: “I’ve been recording with a couple of people, so I’m looking forward to doing even more.”
The new album is reportedly being produced by Andrew Watt, who won a Grammy for producer of the Year (Non-Classical) in 2021.
Watt has already worked with the biggest names in music, including Avicii, Justin Bieber, Post Malone, Cardi B, Lana Del Rey, Ozzy Osbourne, Miley Cyrus, Ed Sheeran, Iggy Pop, Elton John and Britney Spears.
This isn’t the first time that Watt and McCartney have worked together. In the website Q&A McCartney also said: “I’ve started working with this producer called Andrew Watt, and he’s very interesting — we’ve had some fun.”
The Rolling Stones and The Beatles’ most famous collaboration track was the 1963 Lennon–McCartney-penned song I Wanna Be Your Man, which The Stones then recorded and released as a single.
The song, which was released the same year as The Beatles’ debut album Please Please Me, was reportedly completed in the corner of a club in Richmond.
