Photo Credit: Courtesy Interscope Geffen A&M Records
The Rolling Stones partner with Major League Baseball to release limited edition team-customized vinyl pressings of their new album, ‘Hackney Diamonds.’
Major League Baseball has teamed up with The Rolling Stones to release a limited edition vinyl collection of the band’s upcoming album, Hackney Diamonds, dropping on October 20. Available exclusively on The Stones’ website, the collectors’ item features custom art for each of the 30 MLB Clubs in pocket jackets containing a single disc baseball-white vinyl.
The connection between the two might not be obvious to the uninitiated, but The Rolling Stones have had a long history with MLB. During the band’s Steel Wheels Tour in 1989, the Stones played half of their North American dates at homes (or previous homes) to Major League Baseball teams. In 1997, their Bridges to Babylon Tour saw the band play at Dodger Stadium, while their A Bigger Bang Tour in 2005 started off with two shows at Boston’s Fenway Park.
Hackney Diamonds is The Rolling Stones’ first studio album of brand-new material since 2005. Earlier this month, the band launched a globally livestreamed event from Hackney Empire in East London to promote the upcoming release. The premiere of the music video for “Angry” immediately followed the livestream, which has enjoyed over 15 million views.
The 12-track album includes two songs featuring the late drummer Charlie Watts: “Mess It Up” and “Live By the Sword.” Additionally, “Live By the Sword” features former Stones bassist Bill Wyman and piano from Elton John, who also plays on “Get Close.” “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” includes vocals from Lady Gaga with piano from Stevie Wonder, and Paul McCartney’s bass can be heard in “Bite My Head Off.”
Although The Stones hadn’t released an album of new material since 2005, the band has continued to smash records with a series of global sell-out tours. Their 2016 release, Blue & Lonesome, featured their versions of many of the blues tracks that helped shape their sound. Last year, they delighted European audiences on their 60th-anniversary Sixty Tour.
