July 18, 2012 17:46

Keith Richards: 'I can't remember Rolling Stones songs'

Guitarist admits he sometimes forgets how to play the band's back catalogue

Photo Gallery: The Rolling Stones
Photo: PA

Keith Richards has admitted he sometimes forgets how to play The Rolling Stones songs.

The guitarist said that sometimes during the first few bars of a song he forgets how to play the entire track, but that he has become so accustomed to playing the songs, he remembers it automatically.

'When you kick off a song you say, 'I can't remember how the middle bit goes', but the fingers remember even if you don't," he told Absolute Radio.

He added: "I don't practice as much as I should, probably. But now that we're putting the act together again I'm getting the chops back together."

Last week (July 14), Mick Jagger confirmed that The Rolling Stones will play together this autumn. The legendary band celebrated the 50th anniversary of their first ever gig earlier this month (July 12), and have been surrounded by rumours that they are preparing to play together once more to mark the half-centenary landmark.

Speaking at The Rolling Stones: 50 photography exhibition at London's Somerset House, Jagger said: "You will definitely be seeing us all together soon. It's been great fun being back together and there are a lot of memories in here. I can't believe it's been 50 years. We've been hanging out together, seeing quite a bit of each other and we want to do some gigs."

To read more about The Rolling Stones' 50th anniversary, pick up this week's issue of NME, which includes a celebration of the band's amazing career. It is on newsstands today (July 18) or available digitally.

The world's greatest music magazine is now available as a digital edition! For exclusive content you won't find on NME.COM, download here on your iPad/iPhone and here on your Kindle Fire or Nook.

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