“Hackney Diamonds” is old London slang for “broken glass”, but was used as a pun by Pitchfork, who described the album as “a bunch of hackneyed dudes, polished until the character disappears. It happened.” Said.
Nobody’s pretending that this comes close to the legendary period between 1968 and 1972, which saw the releases ‘Beggar’s Banquet’, ‘Let It Bleed’, ‘Sticky Fingers’ and ‘Exile on Main St’. In quick succession. Nor does it go in any new direction.
Variety wrote, “The group appears to have recognized years ago that with such a well-known discography, attempts at new albums and new styles are almost unnecessary.”
It added, “(But) if there’s a better way to end the Rolling Stones’ 60-plus year recording career, it’s hard to imagine what it might be.”