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| Vintage | Dec 4 2006, 09:43 PM |
Angel
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[size=4]Beastie Boys[/size] Hip-hop for college frat boys. That’s the poster quote, but the Beastie Boys were and are much more than that. The Beasties got all types of people involved in rap music, from the college white boys to rock fans (although some might argue these are the same people). However, with one of hip-hop’s best catalogues the Beasties can be enjoyable to everyone, but are definitely an acquired taste.  Beginning as a punk band named the Young Aborigines, the Beasties punk background instantaneously gave them a recognisable sound. The name was changed in 1981 (with Beastie standing for Boys Entering Anarchistic States Towards Internal Excellence) and in 1984 when Ad-Rock joined the group they released their first rap track “Cookie Puss”. This is when Rick Rubin contacted the Beasties and they changed to a rap group. In 1984 a 12-inch “Rock Hard” was released and the group started work on their debut album “Licensed To Ill”. “Licensed To Ill”, released in late 1986, was a success and became the first rap album to reach #1 on the Billboard album chart. Based on the success of the single “Fight For Your Right” the album became Columbia Records fastest selling album ever. It has always been cited that the Beasties punk image helped them sell records to the white population and this, along with infectious singles like “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” helped the album sell 5-million copies. It was the biggest selling rap album of the 1980’s. After the highly successful “Licensed To Ill” tour, the group began work on their second album “Paul’s Boutique”. Favouring the Dust Brothers over Rubin behind the boards, the group began work on “Paul’s Boutique” in 1988. The album is seen, still today as a benchmark in sampling and featured over 100 samples. The lead single “Hey Ladies” wasn’t nearly as popular as the “Licensed To Ill” singles and the album only reached 14th on the Billboard chart despite critical recognition. The album received various awards such as #156 in Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums Ever and #12 in Spin’s 100 Greatest Albums 1985-2005. The album includes tracks such as “B-Boy Bouillabaisse” which is basically 8 songs mashed together and the excellent “Shake Your Rump” which samples 14 songs. The album eventually sold 1 million copies. The group went a different way with the next album choosing to play instruments and cut down on the sampling. “Check Your Head” (1992) featured Mike D on drums, MCA on bass and Keyboard Money Mark on keyboards. The album was released on the Beasties Grand Royal label and went double platinum. The album, which sees the Beasties go back towards their punk roots featured the track “Professor Booty”, a diss track against MC Serch after his track “Gas Face” aimed at the Beasties. The singles “So Whatcha Want” and “Pass The Mic” were not as successful as past efforts with “So Whatcha Want” reaching only #93 on the Billboard 200. The follow up album “Ill Communication” (1994) was more successful commercially, debuting at #1 on the Billboard Top 200. Based on the strength of the hit single “Sabotage” the album would eventually go triple platinum. The album also featured “Get It Together” and “Sure Shot” as singles with both successful in the charts. Based perhaps on the success of “Ill Communication” the Beasties headlined at Lollapalooza in 1994 and gave the royalties from the tracks “Shambala” and “Bodhisattva Vow” to the Milarepa Fund. EP’s and collections such as “Aglio e Olio” a collection of their early punk tracks, “Some Old Bullshit” and “The In Sound From Way Out!” were released between “Ill Communication and the next album. In 1997 the Beasties returned to New York to record their new album “Hello Nasty” (1998). The album, despite a difference in sound to earlier efforts sold 700,000 copies in its first week and won the group two Grammys. The Beasties went on tour in 1998 and released “The Sounds Of Science” their two-disc anthology in 1999. In 2002 the Beastie Boys began building their new studio and in 2003 released the song “In A World Gone Mad” against the Iraqi war. In 2004 the Beasties released their 6th studio album “To The Five Boroughs” (2004) which strictly took it back to New York. The political message was their in-between the Beastie’s excellent production and wacky lyrics (along with some pretty great cover art). Although this album is one of the weaker points in the Beasties excellent catalogue it was still better than most albums in 2004 showing the Beasties have still got it over 20 years after they started out. The greatest hits package “Solid Gold Hits” was released in 2005. Will this be the final chapter in the Beastie’s story? Only time with tell.  Discography. Studio Albums Licensed To Ill (1986) Paul’s Boutique (1989) Check Your Head (1992) Ill Communication (1994) Hello Nasty (1998) To The Five Boroughs (2004) Other Works Pollywog EP (1982) Cooky Puss EP (1983) Rock Hard EP (1984) Some Old Bullshit (1994) Aglio E Olio (1995) The In Sound From Way Out! (1996) The Sounds Of Science (1999) Solid Gold Hits (2005)  Videos Hold It Now Hit It (1986) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7_o-n9QeZo Fight For Your Right (1987) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5LO2VWJaV8 No Sleep Till Brooklyn (1987) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7f0f-mUO6A She's On It (1987) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U1mvolJMvo Shake Your Rump (1989) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POOYH4jCsHo Hey Ladies (1989) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlQCzkKbgVg So Whatcha Want (1992) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuOCyuq91Mk Sabotage (1994) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzTxuDUfzzM Sure Shot (1994) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5GXj1jwb1U Intergalactic (1998) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhEaYZoPBb8 Body Movin' (1998) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcnTxcqcNEE 3 Mc's & A DJ (1999) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rjr3iqfG_3w Ch-Check It Out (2004) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J88eBJnRomE Triple Trouble (2004) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZIlknAjSns Right Right Now Now (2004) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYK6VSWw84s An Open Letter To NYC (2005) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iul3ujcBGwU |
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| Beastie Boys · Artist Encyclopedia | |
7:01 PM Nov 27
