Voodoo Lounge

Voodoo Lounge, the Rolling Stones' twentieth British and twenty-second American studio album, came out on 11 July 1994. It marked the band's first release under a new deal with Virgin Records and ended a five-year gap since their previous studio album, 1989's Steel Wheels. This album was also the first without original bassist Bill Wyman, who had left the group in early 1991, though the Stones waited two years to make his departure public. Instead of naming a replacement, the band carried on as a four-piece featuring Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood. Darryl Jones stepped in as a hired bassist, taking over Wyman's role in the studio and on tour, while Chuck Leavell handled keyboards. Neither Jones nor Leavell became official band members, but both remained long-term collaborators. Don Was co-produced the album alongside Jagger and Richards.

The album sold well, earning gold or platinum certifications in multiple countries, but it did not produce a top 40 hit in the United States. In the UK, the singles "Love Is Strong" and "You Got Me Rocking" reached numbers 14 and 23, respectively, and "You Got Me Rocking" became a regular fixture on later Stones tours. Voodoo Lounge received generally favorable reviews and won the first Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in 1995.

After releasing solo albums—Keith Richards' *Main Offender* in 1992 and Mick Jagger's *Wandering Spirit* in 1993—both Stones leaders started writing new songs together in April 1993. They chose Don Was as co-producer. In September, the band rehearsed and recorded at Ronnie Wood's house in Ireland, then moved to Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin that November to cut the album. Drummer Charlie Watts suggested Darryl Jones as the regular bassist, though Jones never officially joined the band. Was, known for his retro rock production style, pushed the group toward a more conventional sound meant to capture the classic Rolling Stones feel. Critics and rock-oriented fans appreciated this approach, but Jagger later expressed some frustration with Was's aesthetic in a 1995 interview with *Rolling Stone*. Was responded that he was not against grooves themselves, but wanted grooves with substance, saying he felt the band needed to show they could still play and write better than anyone.