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The Rolling Stones Start Foreign Tongues Era With Conan O’Brien in Brooklyn
The Rolling Stones held a Foreign Tongues launch at The Weylin in Williamsburg with Conan O’Brien. They discussed guest appearances by Paul McCartney, Robert Smith and others, previewed tracks and shared studio anecdotes. The album is due July 10.
The Rolling Stones launched the Foreign Tongues era at The Weylin, a 1875 former bank in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, hours after confirming the album’s July 10 release on Capitol Records.
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood joined Conan O’Brien onstage for a conversation about the 14-track LP. Guests on the record include Paul McCartney, Robert Smith, Steve Winwood and Chad Smith. Longtime collaborators Darryl Jones, Matt Clifford and Steve Jordan appear on the project. Drummer Charlie Watts is heard via one of his final sessions.
O’Brien opened the event by saying, “This is the gig of a lifetime,” before a vintage vault door swung open and the three musicians walked onstage.
The talk mixed anecdotes and recording details. Jagger described first hearing Robert Smith in the studio: “I turned up one day to do my vocals in London and there’s this bloke standing there with his back to me with a long gown on. When he turned round he was covered in lipstick. We’d never met before and I said, ‘You are Robert Smith of The Cure!’ And he said, ‘Yeah!'”
Wood recounted Paul McCartney’s participation as a matter of personal pride. “He says, ‘Now I can say I’ve played with the Rolling Stones. Wow!'”
There were quieter technical moments. Richards at times spoke away from the microphone and O’Brien reached between their chairs to place the mic to Richards’ lips. Richards also called out producer Andrew Watt, who was seated in the front row, over the room’s echo: “Andrew, this is the worst echo chamber I’ve ever heard!”
O’Brien pressed Jagger on vocal continuity. After the host said Jagger sounded similar to his 1968 recordings, Jagger replied, “Well, I was taking a lot of drugs in ’68.” O’Brien added, “This is an invention, by the way,” and Jagger responded, “Not another one!”
The Stones previously previewed the LP. In mid-April they issued the track “Rough and Twisted” on vinyl under the pseudonym The Cockroaches. The lead single “In the Stars” arrived on streaming services May 5.
There is no announcement about a follow-up tour. The band’s prior album, Hackney Diamonds (2023), reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on Top Album Sales. The Stones staged an 18-date summer 2024 tour that earned $235 million, according to Billboard Boxscore. Hackney Diamonds’ release also launched with a New York event: the band played The Racket in Manhattan in October 2023 with guest Lady Gaga.
Foreign Tongues is scheduled for release July 10 on Capitol Records.
