Rumors that the Rolling Stones are secretly recording their next album in the backwoods of Connecticut are finally dead. In reality, the ageless rockers have recently started recording the follow-up to "Voodoo Lounge" in a Los Angeles studio with executive producer Don Was and producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.
After Babyface works on two or three tracks, the Dust Brothers (Beck's "Odelay," the Beastie Boys' "Paul's Boutique") will take over behind the mixing board. Mixer/producer Danny Saber (who has remixed tracks for U2 and Garbage), and Was are also expected to produce a few songs each.
"We're going to start doing three songs and see where it goes from there," says John King, one-half of the Dust Brothers. "That's the way it started with the Beastie Boys and that's the way it started with Beck."
Mick Jagger originally approached the Dust Brothers two months ago about producing songs for the album, telling the duo they would be perfect for tracks with "heavier beats."
"[Jagger] said he wanted to use some different producers for some different songs on the album," explains King. "I'm sure it's also the smartest thing to do in terms of what producer fits the style of the song they're working on."
The Stones arrive at an unnamed Los Angeles studio every afternoon and immediately begin writing and recording rough demos, according to a source present at the sessions. Babyface has been in and out of the studio, and rumor has it that Eric Clapton, who worked with the producer on the Grammy Award-winning song "Change the World" will also appear on the album. It is not known whether bassist Darryl Jones, who stood in for the departed Bill Wyman on "Voodoo Lounge" and the subsequent tour, will play on the album.
"No matter what you do, it's still the Rolling Stones and you can't change that," says the source.