Composers:
Mick Jagger & Keith Richards
Recording
date: January-February 2019 & November
2022-March 2023
Recording locations: Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles,
USA;
Metropolis
Studios, London, England; Sanctuary Studios, Albany,
Bahamas; & MixStar Studios, Virginia Beach, USA
Producer: Andrew
Watt
Chief engineers:
Paul Lamalfa, Marco
Sonzini &
Krish
Sharma
Mixer: Serban Ghenea
Performed
onstage: 2024
Line-up:
Drums: Charlie Watts
Bass: Andrew Watt
Electric guitars:
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron
Wood & Andrew Watt
Vocals: Mick Jagger
Piano: Matt Clifford
Wurlitzer piano: Matt Clifford
Keyboards: Matt Clifford & Andrew Watt
Percussion:
Mick Jagger & Karlos
Edwards
TrackTalk
We had just started working on those (two)
tracks (with Charlie) a few years ago, before Covid shut
everything down. We left Charlie's tracks as they were and
re-did the vocals and everything else with Andy Watt. As soon as
you hear that snare, you know it's him.
Mess It Up I wrote that – someone
asked me to write a song for – I can’t remember who it was, like a
big DJ wanted a song. And so I wrote that for that. And then Don
Was said to me, No, the Stones should do that. And I
said I don’t think so. And he said Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So that’s how it became a Stones song, ‘cause he said that could
be.
Originally Mess It Up was more
synth-oriented, but Keith wanted more guitars. It's a pop song,
very light-hearted.
I would say to Keith, Come on, you’ve
got to let Mick dance. Eventually Keith went, Oh,
alright then. We agreed to do this one because as soon as
Mick hears it, he’s off.
I grew to like this one, but I always
wonder what Charlie Watts would have made of it. I know Charlie.
He’s not sure about that disco beat, but once he gets into it…
Every time I listen to it I see the wry smile on Charlie’s face.
Keith... used a '55 TV Yellow Gibson
single-cut Les Paul Junior on Angry
and Mess It Up.