Mick Jagger recently launched the Rolling Stones’ 25th album, saying, “The thing about this record is, the Stones are a rock band that also has the capacity to do ballads, country music or dance music. So we don’t get stuck in one kind of style.” That could be said about a lot of bands, but what the singer probably meant is that the Stones have always been able to do all of that while still sounding completely like themselves. No one else has managed to build their signature, slightly shaky Jenga tower of sound—it often seems like it could fall apart at any moment, but somehow never does.
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The cover art for Foreign Tongues.
They’ve certainly made their share of albums that sounded like they were phoned in, but Foreign Tongues continues the creative comeback that started with 2023’s Hackney Diamonds, which was their first album of original songs in 18 years. Once again, producer and occasional musician Andrew Watt captures the rejuvenated band’s joy of playing together in a room—and, as guitarist Keith Richards recently put it, kicks their asses when needed. Maybe drummer Charlie Watts’ death five years ago has made the founding pair more aware that their band might not last much longer, so they might as well go out with a bang and have fun doing it.
“Rough and Twisted” is certainly a loud, rowdy opening track, nodding to their early love of Chicago blues (“All I drank was Muddy Waters”). Similarly, almost 60 years after Jagger claimed to have been “baaawwnn in a crossfire hurricane” in Jumping Jack Flash, he dives back into blues mythology (“I was standing there when the lightning struck”) for “In the Stars,” a song that both acknowledges his good fortune and fights against fading away: “Do you wanna dance until the roof caves in? / Yeah, and the guitars scream and the choir still sings.”
“Jealous Lover” shifts the mood to a smooth disco number in the style of “Miss You” or “Emotional Rescue,” but Foreign Tongues isn’t nostalgic or a repeat of the past. It’s a thoroughly modern-sounding, sometimes political record that has the band facing the world around them and the time they have left in it. Decades after “Street Fighting Man” and “Gimme Shelter” captured the turmoil of the late 1960s, several songs speak truth to power, especially in the US.
“Lady Liberty don’t look so good when there’s a tear in her gown,” Jagger sings in “Ringing Hollow,” a beautiful honky tonk ballad. In “Covered in You,” he wakes up “sick and tired of all these autocrats / You know, they seem to be breeding like a swarm of dirty rats with their missiles on parade,” while the punkier “Mr Charm” takes aim at “mad mogul Mr Musk” and those whose only goal is making money.
Not that the famously money-savvy Mr Jagger is short of a few pennies himself, obviously, but in fairness, at (gulp) 82, the man sounds more energized and excited than he has in years. He clearly enjoys lines like the terrific “Divine Intervention”‘s “dystopian values are too hot to handle” and “when they try to arrest you, I’ll come to your rescue,” then dusts off his harmonica for a lively romp through Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good.”
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The band’s 1960s contemporary Steve Winwood is an inspired choice on organ, and there are star-studded cameo appearances from Paul McCartney, the Cure’s Robert Smith, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, and, oddly, Bruno Mars on cowbell. Like on Hackney Diamonds, Watts drums from beyond the grave, this time on the fatalistic driving rocker “Hit Me in the Head,” recorded in 2021, and another song about going out with a bang.
The playful noise is balanced by beautifulThere are some truly tender moments. Jagger cues Ronnie Wood for a gut-wrenching guitar solo on “Back in Your Life,” and “human riff” Richards lets us see past his wildman image with a genuinely touching, vulnerable vocal on “Some of Us” (“are on our knees”).
“Foreign Tongues” doesn’t quite match the legendary run of albums that started with 1968’s Beggars Banquet or the later triumph Some Girls, but given their age, it’s remarkable. And paired with Hackney Diamonds, this is easily their best material in decades. Foreign Tongues is released on 10 July.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about The Rolling Stones covering everything from basics to deeper fan knowledge
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 Who are The Rolling Stones
They are a famous English rock band formed in London in 1962 They are known as one of the most influential and longestrunning bands in rock history
2 Who are the main members
The core members are singer Mick Jagger guitarist Keith Richards and drummer Charlie Watts Guitarist Ronnie Wood joined in 1975
3 What is their most famous song
Thats tough but their biggest hit is probably Satisfaction Other huge ones include Paint It Black Sympathy for the Devil and Brown Sugar
4 Why are they called The Rolling Stones
They named themselves after a Muddy Waters song called Rollin Stone The name reflects their deep love of blues music
5 Are they still touring
Yes Even though they are all in their 70s and 80s they still tour They finished a major tour in 2024 and have hinted at more shows
IntermediateLevel Questions
6 What makes them different from The Beatles
The Beatles were more experimental and poporiented The Rolling Stones were grittier bluesier and had a bad boy image The Stones focused more on a raw live sound and a rebellious attitude
7 What is the Glimmer Twins nickname
Thats the nickname for Mick Jagger and Keith Richards the bands primary songwriting duo It was a joke they used on a 1970s album cover
8 Why did Brian Jones leave the band
Brian Jones was a founding member but struggled with drug abuse and felt pushed out by Jagger and Richards He was asked to leave in June 1969 and tragically drowned just a few weeks later
9 What is the Sticky Fingers album famous for
Its famous for two reasons the music and the cover art which featured a real working zipper on a pair of jeans
