Andrew Watt reveals Paul McCartney’s reaction to The Rolling Stones collaboration
Hackney Diamonds producer Andrew Watt has revealed Paul McCartney’s reaction to appearing on The Rolling Stones track ‘Bite My Head Off’.
Watt was crucial to The Stones linking up with McCartney, who plays bass on the Hackney Diamonds song. Although the producer had emptied his calendar to work with The Rolling Stones, he couldn’t move his planned studio sessions with the former Beatle, which led to McCartney spending a day in the studio with his former foes.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Watt has reflected on the recording process of the punk-tinged track. The producer recalled: “So Paul comes in, learns the song, everyone’s playing around a little bit, we start going for takes, Paul stands up. All of a sudden, Ron stands up, Keith stands up, Mick drags a mic into the fucking center of the room, and I swear to God, the roof left the fucking building.”
He continued: “I can’t explain what that feels like, but it was the Stones and the Beatles. It wasn’t heavy for them; it was a fucking blast. And the smile on Paul’s face kept getting bigger and bigger. We did three or four takes of that. And Paul hit the switch during his bass solo, and Mick literally goes, ‘Come on, Paul, let’s hear something’ in his Liverpool accent. Like, you can’t make it up. Everyone was on fire. We did another tune because we were having so much fun.”
Although McCartney had lost a day of his scheduled studio time, the collaboration with The Rolling Stones was worth it. Watt explained: “When I was walking Paul out, he literally was like, ‘I just played fucking bass with the Stones — and I’m a fucking Beatle.‘ He literally said those words. These guys were literally like they were 18 again, and you can hear it in the recording. It’s ferocious.”
With Hackney Diamonds, The Rolling Stones broke chart history by becoming the first band to score a new number one album in six different decades. The new LP marks the 14th album by the group to top the charts in the UK, which is only two less than The Beatles, who currently hold the record for the most number ones.
In a three-star review, Far Out wrote of Hackney Diamonds: “It’s impossible not to get a kick out of these elder statesmen of rock and roll putting their best collective foot forward to see what remains of their creativity. You can call Hackney Diamonds whatever you want, but you have to call it a success.”
Listen to ‘Bite My Head Off’ below.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.