Don Was and the Rolling Stones: Recording 'Voodoo Lounge' Without Bill Wyman

Don Was was brought in to produce Voodoo Lounge after the band’s previous work with Chris Kimsey and Steve Lillywhite. Was’s background with rootsy, soulful records (Bonnie Raitt, Iggy Pop) made him a good fit for what the Stones wanted: a return to blues-and-R&B foundations after the polished 80s. He pushed them to record live in the studio, often on tape, and kept the sessions loose at Windmill Lane in Dublin — a cold, gray winter that suited the album’s darker mood.

Bill Wyman had left the band after Steel Wheels, so for the first time in 32 years the Stones had to find a new rhythm-section dynamic. Darryl Jones was brought in on bass, but as a session player, not a full member. On tracks like “Love Is Strong,” the groove had to come from Charlie Watts and Jones locking in without Wyman’s signature understated pulse. Keith Richards took over some bass parts too — for “Out of Tears,” the feel is more deliberate, less rolling, because Richards played the part himself. The band adapted by leaning into a heavier, more guitar-driven bottom end, even as Was kept the arrangements spacious. The result was an album that sounded both classic and like a slight shuffle-step into a new lineup.