Paul McCartney Reportedly Collaborating With Ringo Starr on Rolling Stones New Album
It’s the collaboration The Beatles and the Rolling Stones fans have been waiting for. Paul McCartney has reportedly laid down some tracks for the newest Rolling Stones album, the band’s first since 2005’s A Bigger Bang. Also partaking in the recording is Ringo Starr, who is also reportedly slated to play on the album.
Paul McCartney is friendly with the Rolling Stones current producer
Paul McCartney is reportedly friendly with the Rolling Stones’ producer, Andrew Watt. He has worked with Post Malone, Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Elton John, and Ozzy Osbourne, to name a few of his collaborators.
In March 2021, Watt was awarded his first Grammy as producer of the year, non-classical reported the Los Angeles Times. “When you have artists trusting you to help create something that’s going to have their name on it forever, you’ve got to show up,” said Watt of his collaborations with the news outlet.
McCartney mentioned Watt in an interview with St. Vincent in Apr. 2021. He said, “I met the producer, Andrew Watt. Have you heard of Andrew? I just met him. My manager said, ‘you might like to say hello and meet him.’ So I went around for a cup of tea, and we made a track. So that’s, that’s great fun.”
While it is unclear if McCartney’s previous collaboration with Watt led to his reported work on the new Stones album, here’s what we know.
All the details surrounding this reported collaboration
Per Variety, Paul McCartney has laid down some bass tracks for the yet-untitled Rolling Stones project. The outlet cites multiple sources who claim Ringo Starr will also drum on the recording.
This will be the Stones’ first album since Charlie Watts’ death in Aug. 2021. However, some tracks were reportedly recorded before the iconic percussionist’s passing, and he will appear on the album post-mortem.
Producer Andrew Watt is helming the recording project, which is supposedly in its mixing phase, Variety reported. Sessions for the album reportedly took place in LA in recent weeks. It is unclear if either McCartney or Starr would end up on the recording or, perhaps, even the same song at this time.
In Jan. 2023, guitarist Keith Richards posted a message to Instagram telling fans the Stones had prepared new music and “hopefully, we’ll get to see you.” Fans responded with hundreds of comments ranging from excitement for the new tunes to their hopes the latest Rolling Stones album would be more “blues-based.”
Paul McCartney once called The Rolling Stones a ‘blues cover band’
— The Rolling Stones (@RollingStones) February 5, 2023
Paul McCartney shared his thoughts about The Rolling Stones’ music in a 2021 new interview with The New Yorker. He believed the Beatles’ musical reach had a broader scope than the Stones.
“I’m not sure I should say it, but they’re a blues cover band. That’s sort of what the Stones are,” he said. “I think our net was cast a bit wider than theirs.”
Jagger responded to McCartney’s statement at a Rolling Stones concert in Oct. 2021. “There are so many celebrities here tonight,” he told the crowd. “Megan Fox is here. She’s lovely. Leonardo DiCaprio, Lady Gaga, and Kirk Douglas – I misread that one. And Paul McCartney is here; he’s going to help; he’s going to join us in a blues cover later on.”
McCartney later contacted Richards directly to explain that his quote was taken out of context. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Richards said, “Paul and I know each other pretty well, and when I first read it, I said, ‘There’s been a lot of deleting and editing going on here.’ And the next day, I got a message from Paul saying, ‘If you’ve read this s***, it’s all out of context. Believe me, boys.’”
Richards also described McCartney as a “great guy,” adding, “I mean … look at the songs he’s written.”
The friendly rivalry between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones appears to only be on paper, as the band’s members always had a healthy respect for one another’s talents. The Rolling Stones recorded John Lennon and McCartney’s tune “I Wanna Be Your Man” in 1963.
Rolling Stones member Brian Jones contributed to the experimental vibes of “Yellow Submarine” by clinking glasses in rhythm. Lennon and McCartney also lent their backing vocals to the Stones’ 1967 track, “We Love You.”
