Why the Rolling Stones Ditched Don Was for Andrew Watt on Their Final Album

After three decades and four albums together—from Voodoo Lounge to Blue & Lonesome—the Stones quietly moved on from producer Don Was when it came time to make what could be their last studio record. The shift wasn’t a falling out; they just wanted a completely different energy for what became Hackney Diamonds.

They brought in Andrew Watt, a younger producer known for his work with Post Malone, Eddie Vedder, and Ozzy Osbourne. Watt’s style is more hands-on and urgent—he pushed the band to play live in the room together, stripped back overdubs, and even convinced Bill Wyman to return on bass for a few tracks. That was something Don Was never pushed for.

The result was a leaner, punchier Stones record, with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards reportedly enjoying a more constructive, less friction-filled studio dynamic than in past sessions. Watt’s approach—part producer, part bandleader—gave the Stones a fresh spark without trying to reinvent them. For a band that’s been recording for sixty years, that kind of reset can be the hardest thing to pull off.