The Baseballs

rizes such as the EMMA Award, European Border Breakers Award, and two ECHOs. Four more albums have been released to date, on which The Baseballs have devoted themselves to giving popular, modern songs a 50s and 60s rock'n'roll feel, most recently with "Hit Me Baby..." (2016), which again reached top 10 of the album charts in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The Baseballs have always done more than just "cover" songs. They've given existing songs their very own spin, bringing new and surprising elements to the fore. With that in mind, it's hardly surprising that, for their 10th anniversary, the band had a little more up their sleeves than simply releasing a classic best-of album featuring all of their greatest hits on one compilation. So, what else could they do? There was this one idea, it was a little crazy, most likely totally unrealistic, and incredibly tempting. Sam explains: "In 2010, we were in Memphis and did a tour of Sun Studio, where Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, B.B. King and many other legends once played their first hits. We thought to ourselves that it would be great to someday record an album there. But it was just a passing comment; none of us believed it would ever happen." After ten years in the industry, even The Baseballs knew the right people, and so in early May 2017, they boarded a plane to Memphis Tennessee. A little later, they found themselves back at Sun Studio, but this time, rather than getting a tour, they were there to record their best-of album. Those who are familiar with the band will know that Sam, Digger and Basti first came together because of their mutual love of Elvis Presley. So it's only logical that they would thank the "King of Rock'n'Roll" in their very own way on their anniversary. "The idea was to re-record our most successful and popular songs using Elvis' original setup," Digger explains. That meant using guitar, drums, and double bass, but no piano. Some of the pieces had to be completely rearranged. "It was exciting to rewrite songs that we've been playing for 10 years," Digger continues. "Where we used to have a piano, we used an acoustic guitar instead of an electric guitar, or both, to get as close to the original sound as possible." The very special aura of the place also played a key role. "When you're in that tiny recording room, you start thinking about all the great music that has filtered through those walls. It was a very special feeling to then send a little new music into those same walls", says Sam. "Even on the toilet, you sit there respectfully and think about who else might have relieved themselves there! That kind of reverence definitely made its way into the album." And on the topic of reverence, there's hardly a better way of paying tribute to another musician than to cover their song. The Baseballs have perfected this art over the years, and they continue to do so on "The Sun Sessions". In addition to the band's well-known hits, such as "Umbrella", "Bleeding Love" and "...Baby One More Time", the album features four new songs: "Thinking Out Loud" (Ed Sheeran), "Love On The Brain" (Rihanna), "Love Yourself" (Justin Bieber) and "Bad" (Michael Jackson). "Now let's tackle Bieber, we said to ourselves. Many men have dreamed of it," laughs Basti. "Our motto has always been to take songs from big artists and interpret them as we would like to hear them. 'Love Yourself' is a perfect example of that". The same can be said for "Thinking Out Loud" – a song the band found unwieldy at first. "We tried for a long time, until we came up with the idea to completely overhaul the chorus," says Basti. The result is a cover that is further away from the original than any Baseballs song before it. "People will have to hear the whole song before they realise what it is," he says with certainty. "Love On The Brain" was another story entirely. "We didn't have to change very much. It seems like Rihanna discovered the 50s thanks to our 'Umbrella' cover," Digger jokes. The compilation is rounded off with "Bad", which was played live on previous tours and has now been recorded for the first time. The bottom line is an album that brings the sound of The Baseballs closer, presenting it more immediately and authentically than ever before. From the first to the last note, you can hear the passion and joy of a band that has fulfilled a great dream. But the question remains: what will happen come 2027? Not to worry, the band already has some ideas. For example: "We said at the beginning that our goal was to play on all of the stages of the world. So we still have a few more to go," laughs Basti. The Baseballs have made a start during their recent stay in Memphis by spontaneously playing a show in a local club – their first ever in the motherland of rock'n'roll. "We were always a little scared that Americans would be a bit biased and say: oh, so now the Germans want to show us how rock'n'roll is done. But we quickly realised that people really enjoyed our versions."