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Does this ad in a small local newspaper mean we’re getting a new Rolling Stones album? Most certainly.

I love clever marketing campaigns. The Rolling Stones haven’t released an album of entirely new material in two decades. They’ve yet to release new music since the death of drummer Charlie Watts. Taken together, this creates some interest in any news about what the band might be doing going forward.

Hackney Diamonds is a glass repair outfit in a borough of east London. Its name plays on local slang for shards of broken glass. The Rolling Stones are about to release (apparently) an album called Hackney Diamonds. This ad appeared in a small local paper called The Hackney Gazette.

Note the “est. 1962” at the bottom of the ad, the year the Rolling Stones were formed. Note, too, that the dot over the “i” in “Diamonds” has been altered.

Call the number and you’ll get a pre-recorded message from a man with a Cockney accident who says “Hackney Diamonds, specialists in glass repair. Don’t get angry, get it fixed.”

Go to the website (registered back in April) and you’ll find this. Fun, no? The Stones are hardly the first to create a campaign like this–remember Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus” classified ad back in 1990?—but it’s still kinda cool.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 39671 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

One thought on “Does this ad in a small local newspaper mean we’re getting a new Rolling Stones album? Most certainly.

  • On the Hackney Diamonds website, bottom left
    Copyright “2023 Polydor”

    Reply

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