The Rolling Stones’ new album Grrr , features their greatest songs over the past five decades including ‘Gimme Shelter’, ‘(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction’, ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’, ‘Street Fighting Man’, ‘Start Me Up’, ‘Beast of Burden’, ‘Tumbling Dice’, ‘Love Is Strong’.
In an email interview, frontman Mick Jagger talks about the album and the two new songs.
What is the significance of the album title? Any particular reason for the extra R? And can you tell us about the album art?
It’s an extremely apt title signifying it is the compilation of our greatest hits.
We all really loved the idea of gorilla with our standard tongue n lips logo. The artwork is done by Walton Ford.
How was the experience of putting together this album, seeing that it marks 50 years of The Rolling Stones?
It was a great experience. It really gave us a chance to look back on all those years and see where we’ve come. We’ve been on an extremely fortunate journey.
Can you tell us about the two new songs? How was it being back in the studio together after nearly eight years?
The two new songs are great, they’re unmistakable Stones’ songs. It felt great to be back in the studio, it felt the same though, as if nothing had really changed. Sure, it takes some tuning once you start working together again. But kind of two days of hanging around with the guys again, a certain demon energy takes over and you wonder where it’s coming from!
What are your personal favourites from the album?
That’s a really tough question, all of these songs are so special to us. They are what has brought us here today so it would be extremely difficult to pick a favourite.
This is a question I'm sure you all hear often but what is it that drives you as a band? And yes, there have been ups and downs, but what is the secret to your longevity?
There’s no secret, we all really love what we’re doing. Even though members have come and gone we will always be the Rolling Stones. This is something that stays with you forever.
Any plans of performing in India again?
Not at the moment, no. But we’re keen on touring and we may just surprise our fans.
