Keith Richards has said that John Lennon and George Harrison would have fitted into The  Rolling Stones in a new interview.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Richards opened up about The Beatles and the rivalry between the band’s fans in the sixties.

Richards explained: “I don’t think John Lennon would have had much problem fitting into the Stones, or George, if you can imagine that sort of thing happening.”

He continued: “We were the same generation, and we all loved the same music. When we first heard The Beatles, we were relieved that there was some other band in England on the same track that we were on. And within a few months, that track was the main track.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Richards opened up about Paul McCartney appearing on their upcoming new album, ‘Hackney Diamonds’.

Speaking about McCartney’s appearance on album track ‘Bite My Head Off’ playing bass, Richards said: “Paul happened to be in town…And we couldn’t keep him away, bless his heart.

“And hey, if you can get one of the Beatles on your track, you know, you do it.”

He added: “Paul’s a very amiable cat to play with; we’ve been great friends forever.”

[embedded content]

The band recently discussed the upcoming release – which will be their 24th LP – in a new discussion with The Tonight Show host, Jimmy Fallon, and showcased the live premiere of the lead single ‘Angry’.

At that, Jagger said of the album: “I don’t want to be big-headed but we wouldn’t have put this album out if we hadn’t really liked it. We said we had to make a record we really love ourselves. We are quite pleased with it, we are not big-headed about it, but we hope you all like it.”

He also confirmed the new record has 12 tracks with two featuring late drummer Charlie Watts, and the band began working on the new songs at the end of 2022, with the aim of getting the album wrapped up by mid-2023.

“It is fun, it is where a band can come together, playing live is the other Holy Grail, but to record is where the guys can come together and pass around ideas without any interference. It’s a great place for a band to work it all out,” Richards, who fronts the track ‘Tell Me Straight’, added.

‘Hackney Diamonds’ was recorded in various locations including Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles, London’s Metropolis Studios, Sanctuary Studios in the Bahamas, Electric Lady Studios and The Hit Factory/Germano Studios, in New York.

The Stones’ last album was a blues covers LP, ‘Blue & Lonesome‘ (2016).