LONDON (Reuters) – The Rolling Stones topped the British music charts on Friday, securing their 14th UK No. 1 album with new record “Hackney Diamonds”.
Rockers Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, who released the record last week, outsold the rest of the top 5 of the Official Albums Chart, the Official Charts Company said in a statement. The band, which formed in 1962, join The Beatles, Robbie Williams and Bruce Springsteen as acts with the most studio albums – 11 – to reach No. 1 on the UK’s Official Albums Chart, it added.
“Hackney Diamonds”, the Stones’ first album of original material since 2005 and the first recording since drummer Charlie Watts died in 2021, also topped the Official Vinyl Albums Chart.
The album also topped charts in Australia and Germany.
Critically-acclaimed “Hackney Diamonds”, a title that refers to broken glass after a robbery, features collaborations with Paul McCartney, Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Lady Gaga. Former Stones bass player Bill Wyman joins the rhythm section along with drummer Steve Jordan.
Lead singer Jagger, 80, and guitarists Richards, 79, and Wood, 76, recorded the 12-track album in London, New York, Los Angeles and Nassau. Watts features on two songs.
Elsewhere on the UK Official Albums chart, U.S. pop-punk group Blink-182 came in second with their ninth album “One More Time…” which features the return of guirtarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge, who left the band in 2015.
Musician Kenya Grace once again topped the Official Singles Chart, with her song “Strangers” spending a third week at No. 1.
(Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by David Gregorio)
