Their breakthrough came with the 1986 album 'Licensed to Ill', which was the first rap album to top the Billboard charts. The album featured the iconic hit "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)"
The Boys were also involved in
social and political causes, using their platform to raise awareness for
issues like Tibetan independence and climate change.
My introduction to the Beastie Boys, was when I bought 'Paul's Boutique' for my eldest daughter, who was 14 when this album was released. We were shopping for books and music, and she told me, "This album is a way cool!" I looked at the record, and said to her, "This has an offensive lyrics sticker on it.", her face dropped, and then I said, "Cool!".
[Parenting tip: Choose your battles wisely.- Ed]
No one knew what to make of it in 1989 (my daughter notwithstanding), and it tanked sales wise. Kmart stores banned the album from their stores, and in other retail outlets, the "offensive lyrics" sticker didn't help either. Now it’s seen for what it is: a blueprint for experimental hip-hop, a "crate-digger’s" codex if you will, and one of the most inventive records ever made. Maybe the best way to indicate its greatness and vitality is to reference Miles Davis' admiration of the album, he's quoted as saying it's one of his favorite records of all time; he listened to it constantly and never got tired of it.
The Beastie Boys seem to just be screwing around in the studio on this album. But really they made one of the best masterpieces of hip hop. Even removed from its historical importance, this album is a great one because of its incomparable listenability in any situation: it's a party record; it's a deep-listening, headphones-on-and-eyes-closed experience; it's ambient background music; and it's great for a road trip--all in one.
This is also an album for the "I like all music, except for hip hop" crowd. Don't get me started on people who say "I like all music, except for (insert genre/sub-genre here)".
For the freeload, what album(s) did you think you weren't going to like, but were surprised by how good it was?
Sorry, Babs, I must part company with you on this one. I find most hip-hop callow and shallow and its celebration of violence, and thuggishness, feuds among stars, and obsession with material goods, juvenile. It's true there are acts who have produced perceptive commentaries on our culture both serious and comedic, but musically, almost all of it leaves me cold. The manufactured beats with their rigid time, the cheesy effects, the belligerence, and the ultimate crime of sampling great music to little effect, are my leading beefs with hip-hop and rap. Clearly there are exceptions. I admire Questlove's approach and his appreciation of the legacy music he builds on. De La Soul had some cool grooves and brought an oddball suburban vibe to the genre with lyrics I still find pretty funny. I'll give the Beasties another listen in the name of open mindedness, and if my position changes, I'll report back.
ReplyDeleteI hope your recuperation is going well and your throat's doing better.
"I like all music, except for (insert genre/sub-genre here)".
ReplyDeleteAu contraire. I dislike most genres but there are too many exceptions in every genre which are brilliant.
It took me twenty years to get to like Don McLean. Also I did not like William Onyeabor, recently I started to enjoy it.
The Beastie Boys were one of my favorites on Speed Trials, and I disliked License to Ill. When Paul's Boutique came out I did not bother. Someone told me it was quite different, and indeed. I loved them eversince.
After Selected Ambient Works 1 I thought number 2 can't be good, it became one of my dearest beloved vinyls
On the freeload question, I've often been disappointed with the release of previously unreleased music—some of it deserved to remain unreleased. A big exception was the CD release of the Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall in the 2000s. Far from being dregs, the record is among my favorites for both artists.
ReplyDeleteIf you haven't read Gabriel Solis' excellent book on Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall. Here's a .pdf.
Deletehttps://workupload.com/file/hmtaMB9gydD
I didn't know about the book. Thanks Babs! Send.
DeleteI bought "Hold It Now Hit It" as a single, and loved License To Ill. I kept an eye (well, an ear) on rap but didn't buy a lot. Here in the Future I filled in what I'd missed in the 80s and early 90s with Kool Moe D, Run DMC, Public Enemy, NWA, Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, Erik B & Rakim, A Tribe Called Quest, Del the Funky Homo Sapien... all fabulous. This century... diminishing returns. Only a few like DJ Khaled, The Roots... even mildly interest me. I keep trying with Kanye West but I just don't hear it; I don't get it. The culture recedes from me as I approach my 70s.
ReplyDeleteOh...one more thing: I do not think "sucker mc's" are that big of a problem.
DeleteI didn't think I was going to like George Michael's "Faith", but it remains one of my so-called guilty pleasures all these years later. I still don't appreciate most hip-hop, and am always suspicious of white boys, call it the Vanilla Ice effect. That said, I dug the 8 Mile movie, and can listen to some of Mr. Mathers, some of the Beasties, but still prefer Public Enemy (they are, IMO, more authentic)...
ReplyDeleteBeastie's wouldn't be my first choice, but fun stuff. I had a highschool gf with many amazing attributes, not least her great joy in, uhm, lessee, borrowing albums for me from record stores (apologies all around) in an enormous purse she carried; no idea how she got away with it. Long lean and lanky with more attitude than any 10 other people I knew and 50 years later we're still friends. Anyway, she liked Jackson Browne and, tbh, played his songs off his first album better than he did, IMAO. How could this be a guy who'd played with Nico? Anyway, she gave me a copy of "For Everyman" I was prepared to hate. Reader, I did not.
ReplyDeleteBabs, your range is amazing. Brooks Robinson in his prime ain't got nothing on you.
Older sister gave me Boz Scaggs, "Silk Degrees" for Christmas when I was in high school. My first impression to the album was this music is not conducive to taking drugs. So I promptly gave it away to a girl I was interested in.
ReplyDeleteMany years later, after I bought my first yacht, I started listening to yacht rock. Now I like it a lot especially for Friday happy hour with the spouse.
Link
ReplyDeletehttps://workupload.com/file/LTU4VmkUUQY
My earliest memory of the Beastie Boys is when they were still a hardcore band. They may have gotten into hip hop as a joke with "Cookie Puss" -- but then again, they did a lot of things as a joke. Ultimately, they were much better as rappers than as hardcore punks.
ReplyDeleteI went to a Sonic Youth show (Firehose opened), and "She's On It" was playing over the PA before SY went onstage. I thought, maybe there was something more to these guys. What really flipped the switch for me was seeing a group of kids walking down the street chanting, "Ali Baba and the forty thieves!" Bought my ticket for the Licensed to Ill tour, and got to see Fishbone open.
Paul's Boutique was miles beyond Licensed To Ill. The Beastie were no longer a caricature of beer-swilling frat boys.
The Dust Brothers production is a demonstration of sampling great music to GREAT effect. The rhymes are both clever and hilarious. The Beasties were living in LA when they made the album, but some of the songs are odes to NYC. THANK YOU, BABS!
Two bands I ended up loving after a bad first impression. One was NRBQ (first song I heard was "Rain At The Drive In", which seemed corny to my young ears). The other was Little Feat. My first exposure was during a summer job at a hotel, where a cover band played "Dixie Chicken" every day -- badly. Fortunately someone made me a mixtape of great Feat songs. I borrowed a friend's tape of "Live At Yankee Stadium" and fell in love with the Q.
DeleteMy first thought is how I changed from 1970 to 1972 (let's say) in my tolerance of anything that sounded "kinda country." In 1970, about all I had heard were TV ads for "Country Hits" packages (and not too many of those ads, either), and the occasional crossover song. Sure, "Gentle On My MInd" was better than a lot of radio hits, but...
ReplyDeleteThen someone on KMET (or maybe KLOS) started playing "Devil In Disguise (Christine's Tune)" and I couldn't deny that grinding lead instrument! (Sneaky Pete's pedal steel, in fact.) I didn't really explore country rock until I went away to college in 1974, but by '72, there were a few things I heard on the radio that were in the same general bag as "Devil..." and I *liked* them.
I've gone through something similar with the works of Mr. Al Green.
D in California
The (various) Moroccan ensembles:
ReplyDeleteThe Master Musicians of Jajouka / Joujouka
At first, it kind of gave me a headache.
At last, I've bought everything I can find...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Master_Musicians_of_Joujouka
Baby Consuelo. Ms Mac had an lp by her, and I saw he name and the lp cover (was sort of a peek a boo pose), and asked her if she was on pyscodelics when she bought that lp. She insisted I listen to it, and damn, its very good and then led me to the magical band that she was in, Novos Baianos.
ReplyDeleteSepultura. Roots. At first I couldn't listen to it. Then I turned the volume switch quite low and oh gosh it started working...
ReplyDeleteOooohhh love the Beasties many thanks Babs! On your query, George Michael's Listen Without Prejudice. Blew my mind and made me realize how great a singer GM was.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI generally loathe normie favourites. So I got a good lesson in karma and not being up myself when I discovered "Tapestry" by Carole King was not lame schlock. However, I continue to regard Americana, and also anything with autotuned vocals, with deep suspicion.
ReplyDeletei loved "you've got to fight ..."
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBShN8qT4lk