CD Odyssey Disc 1654: Beastie Boys

Greetings and welcome back. Let’s get to the music where I’ve been enjoying my second 5-star album in my last three!

Disc 1654 is…Licensed to Ill

Artist: Beastie Boys

Year of Release: 1986

What’s up with the Cover?  The tail of a jet. That jet looks pretty sleek, but when you fold out the cover photo the front of it is smashed into a cliff face, which is decidedly less sleek.

Fun fact (that I learned – in unimaginative fashion – from Wikipedia) the registration number spells “Eat Me” when held in a mirror.

How I Came To Know It: I was aware of this record from the hit single “Fight For Your Right” but it was more of a dull awareness around the edge of my consciousness. After all, this was rap and I was not yet a rap convert back at that time.

Then some time in the mid eighties I was crammed into a tiny Toyota pick up truck with my buddy Tony and his brother, heading to Tony’s bachelor party. The tape deck was belching out the sounds of “Licensed to Ill”. That was it, I was hooked. I bought it the next week, and for many years it was my only Beastie Boys record (like I said, I was a slow learner when it came to rap).

How It Stacks Up: I eventually did figure it out, and now have (or have had) a total of eight Beastie Boys records and this is the last one for review. As such, we now get the long-awaited recap. Here it is:

1. To the 5 Boroughs: 5 stars (reviewed at Disc 997)
2. Paul’s Boutique: 5 stars (reviewed at Disc 1602)
3. Licensed to Ill: 5 stars (reviewed right here)
4. Hello Nasty: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 96)
5. Ill Communication: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 1329)
6. Check Your Head: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 545)
7. The Mix-Up: 2 stars (reviewed at Disc 185)
8. Some Old Bullshit: 2 stars (reviewed at Disc 104)

 Quite a span reflected there, dating all the way back to 2010.

Rating: 5 stars

Ad-Roc, MCA and Mike D were three Brooklyn boys who helped change the face of music. “Licensed to Ill” may only rank third in my overall list, but it was the album that did the deed more than any other.

Listening in the mid-eighties to “Fight For Your Right” I had no idea I was already under the influence of this record’s unique alchemy. I loved the song, which rocked out and featured a bunch of raucous, partying knuckleheads. The idea that this was some form of hip hop was discussed on music channels and in the media, but it didn’t really resonate. How could hip hop possibly rock this hard?

Therein lies the trick this record plays on you. It takes two heretofore disparate styles – hard rock and hip hop – and melds them so completely you can’t see the stitches. It is easy today to see how these genre busting songs could work, but in 1986 this shit was revolutionary.

All that’s well and good, but it wouldn’t mean a thing if the album wasn’t any good. But “Licensed to Ill” is not just good, it is one of the greatest records ever, rock, rap, or other.

The heavy hitter tunes like “Fight For Your Right”, “She’s Crafty” and “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” will have you moshing in your Toyota pickup (or whatever vehicle you’re in). The artfully selected samples give you a taste of that rock and roll lifestyle; the raps adding that urban flair that turns those same riffs on their heads. The Beasties don’t just use great samples, they artfully repurpose them to create a new sound. This is how God intended rappers to sample music. Don’t steal a riff if you aren’t gonna give it a push into something new.

The record also tells great stories. “She’s Crafty” is one of the best tunes, the Beasties taking turns (as is their wont) telling tales about a new girl in the neighbourhood who is getting the better of the locals. The tune isn’t just rock riff sample, it also has the tapping of empty glass for percussion and some old school snare samples for good measure. Here we see the helpful hand of Rick Rubin’s production, taking the brilliance of the Beasties and letting them walk their creativity right off the cliffs of insanity.

In other places the Beasties get playful, with the silly fun of “Girls” and the lascivious fun of “Brass Monkey” which takes the seemingly uninspired rhyme of “Brass Monkey/That Funky Monkey” and turns it into an expression I still use to this day. The raps on this tune are also brilliant, and while fairly straightforward in structure, complex enough to be the harbinger of more complicated forms to come on future records.

It feels like every time I listen to “Licensed to Ill” there is a new song that grabs my attention. This time around it was “Slow and Low” which has the perfect mix of all the sounds that make this record great, and encouragingly encourages us to

“Let it flow,
let yourself to go
Slow and low
That is the tempo.”

I gladly did so, absorbed for the thousandth time in the brilliance of this record that showed the world you could hit hard and still be funky as hell. Mosh, breakdance, or do both at once, as the spirit moves you.

Best tracks: All tracks

CD Odyssey Disc 1602: Beastie Boys

It's the second straight review this week from the eighties! Do I love the eighties? When it comes to music, I like all the decades. Picking one just shows narrowness of thinking - something that almost prevented me from getting to know this next record.

Disc 1602 is…Paul’s Boutique

Artist: The Beastie Boys

Year of Release: 1989

What’s up with the Cover?  The titular clothing store (note – not a real place). This looks like the kind of place I would buy a pack of gum, but I doubt I’d find a shirt I liked.

On an unrelated note, I’ve always found it fascinating how a store can put its goods out on the sidewalk, knowing that 99.9% of people who walk by will not snatch, grab or shoplift anything. It just goes to prove that line from Rush’ “Second Nature”, “Folks are basically decent/Conventional wisdom would say.”

It’s true, and don’t let a few awful people make you forget all the decent ones.

How I Came To Know It: I was not into the Beastie Boys in 1989. Sure I thought “License to Ill” was solid, but it was mostly the hard rock samples and “Fight for Your Right to Party” that led me there. I was not a rap fan.

So this one came to me much later after I corrected the error of my ways and was digging through the Beastie Boys catalogue. I want to say late nineties, but the exact date is lost in the mists of time.

How It Stacks Up: I have (or had) eight Beastie Boys records. Of those, I put “Paul’s Boutique” in at #2, just narrowly behind “To the 5 Burroughs”.

Ratings: 5 stars

When I first heard “Hey Ladies,” the first single off Paul’s Boutique, I thought, “what nonsense is this?” Of course it was 1989 and I had a lot of growing up to do, musically speaking.

When I finally got over my anti-rap bias and started exploring the Beastie Boys, I bought a used copy of “Paul’s Boutique” and hoped for the best. But those first few listens were a bit too much. Samples were flying fast, and rhymes even faster, and the album was stretching itself in a dozen directions at once. I felt like the sonic equivalent of the victim of Track Four’s “Egg Man” getting egged at such a furious pace I could only duck, yolk-stained forearms showing like defensive wounds. I declared the album “OK, with a few good tracks.” Once again, I had a lot of growing up to do.

Like any great record, over the following years and decades “Paul’s Boutique” has gotten better on every listen. My gateway drug was “Shake Your Rump” with its mix of furious rock-style delivery, funk samples and that deep bass drop that gets right down into…well, into your rump.

From here it was a natural step to forgive “Hey, Ladies” and forgive myself for so seriously misjudging how exceptional a song this is. That opening drum beat and guitar sample is absolutely sick, and that’s before the boys even come in with their singular style, trading off line for line and never missing a cue. Plus, more cowbell in the best possible way.

Other bands making rap in 1989 have also won my heart, and my collection is now festooned with albums from that year by Big Daddy Kane, EPMD, Gang Starr, LL Cool J and many others. These bands all feature serious (and equally good) MC talent, but none of them are doing what the Beastie Boys are up to on “Paul’s Boutique”. The sheer volume of samples and styles is at first bewildering, and then intoxicating. At every listen there is something new to dig down to, some new easter egg of a sample to get hit with. The way to listen to “Paul’s Boutique” is to revel in that egging.

And as has been said often, this record would not be possible three years later, after 1991’s Grand Upright Music, Ltd. v. Warner Bros. Records, Inc., put an end to sampling for free. Because samples now cost a lot of money, hip hop artists are more likely to sample way less and when they do grab an entire hook, rather than five snippets of sound that are combined into something new like you’ll find on “Paul’s Boutique”.

I get the importance of copyright protection, but there were some serious unintended consequences to musical creativity.

But back in the golden age, when you could sample to your heart’s content, few bands did it with the artful eye of the Beasties. Outside of Public Enemy, they have no peers. The artistic freedom could’ve led a lesser band astray, but the Beasties capered and gamboled their way through an unfenced playground of options. The result is sheer unbridled brilliance.

Best tracks: all tracks

CD Odyssey Disc 1329: Beastie Boys

The end of the year is here and with it – the tradition of making Top 10 lists!

I listened to all or portions of around 150 albums released in 2019. Of the ones that held my attention sufficiently to survive a full listen, I purchased 52. 14 more are still on my ‘to get’ list. Of those 66 ‘shelf-worthy” efforts, here are the ones that tickled my fancy the most in 2019 in ascending order of awesome.

10. The Hu – Gereg

9. Sharon Van Etten – Remind Me Tomorrow

8. Josh Ritter – Fever Breaks

7. J.S. Ondara – Tales of America

6. Jenny Lewis – On the Line

5. Jens Lekman and Annika Norlin – Correspondence

4. Molly Tuttle – When You’re Ready

3. Sleater-Kinney – The Center Won’t Hold

2. Better Oblivion Community Center – Self-Titled

1. Mattiel – Satis Factory

Honourable mention (i.e. on the list if I had done a Top 15): The Pixies – Beneath the Eyrie, Snotty Nose Rez Kids – Trapline, Caamp – By and By, Hayes Carll – What it is, Evan Bartels – Promised Land

Disc 1329 is… Ill Communication

Artist: Beastie Boys

Year of Release: 1994

What’s up with the Cover? I always think this guy looks like Jake from the Blues Brothers. As we know, the Blues Brothers initially felt sufficiently equipped with a full tank of gas, a half pack of cigarettes and sunglasses. However, after a couple hours on the road they got hungry and had to stop at a drive-through for some takeout.

This cover also speaks to the ‘ill communication’ that can occur while trying to record your takeout order through one of those squawk boxes. The Beastie Boys will make the device more useful for rapping than it ever was in procuring Jake and Elwood a cheeseburger.

How I Came to Know It: Like everyone else, I saw the video for the single “Sabotage” and it went from there.

How It Stacks Up:  I have seven Beastie Boys albums. I used to have nine, but a few years ago I parted ways with their two instrumental numbers. Of the seven remaining, “Ill Communication” comes in at #5.

Ratings: 3 stars

“Ill Communication” is an album that is spoiled by its own brilliance. I love portions of the record and other sections make me want to testily skip to the next track.

It is a record of excess. Genius excess but excess all the same. This hasn’t held critics back from lavishing praise on the record, noting its innovation and technical brilliance. I agree the innovation is great, but I’m here to listen to music, not file a patent.

First the good stuff, and there is plenty of it. The Beastie Boys bring not one but three exceptional MCs to the mix. Mike D, MCA, and Ad Rock are all at the height of their powers in 1994, passing the mic back and forth with a jocular enthusiasm. They’re like three best friends jostling one another as they race down to the beach to jump in the lake.

That lake in this case is a swirling mix of R&B, jazz, and samples of various bleeps, blurps and what the kids might call ring tones but what back in day we called “a phone.”

When it works, it is amazing, delivering rap classics like “Sure Shot”, “Root Down” and the rap classic “Sabotage”. All these songs sound as fresh today as they did 25 years ago. Many gave me a strut to my walk as I wandered the city streets with the Beastie Boys all up in my earholes.

Like their previous record (1992’s “Check Your Head”) the Beasties remain enamoured of the squawk box or, if not full squawk, then a lot of distortion on the vocal tracks. Then they throw in killer drum hits, jazz samples and some furious scratching. When it works, it comes out like “Alright Hear This,” a song with a million things going on that against all odds holds itself together.

However, there are also plenty of other songs where I recognize the brilliance of it all, but just wish there was a bit less of one or more components. Maybe less squawk, maybe less phone bleeps, and definitely less jazz.

The Beasties also return to their hardcore roots with songs like “Tough Guy” and “Heart Attack Man” both of which have a raw garage sound that felt out of place on the record.  

The record has twenty tracks, which is at least six and maybe eight too many. Pared down, “Ill Communication” might be worth all the hype it has received over the years. With everything the record is offering there is something for everyone, and it would be easy to just overlook the stuff that’s not for you. I think that’s what a lot of its admirers do. For me, taking the record as a whole, it just needs a final edit to give it more focus.

Best tracks: Sure Shot, B-Boys Making with the Freak Freak, Root Down, Sabotage, Alright Hear This

CD Odyssey Disc 997: Beastie Boys

Today the earbuds that I use at the gym finally died. They had a pretty good run, particularly considering I’ve put them through the washer twice and the drier once.

On the plus side I broke out an elasticized head band and looked positively ridiculous – like some kind of homeless version of John McEnroe, circa 1980. So that was fun.

Disc 997 is…To the 5 Boroughs

Artist: Beastie Boys

Year of Release: 2004

What’s up with the Cover? A line drawing of New York City, towers still up. The towers were only recently destroyed when this album came out, and seeing them standing majestically on the cover makes me shiver with a mix of sadness and pride.

Causing less pride is the “copy controlled” label, reminding me of one of the worst eras in the protectionist record industry. More on why later.

How I Came To Know It: I was already a Beastie Boys fan when this came out, so I just bought it and hoped for the best.

How It Stacks Up:  I used to have nine Beastie Boys albums. However, when I took this one off the shelf I noticed their two instrumental albums, “The Mix Up” (reviewed back at Disc 185) and “The In Sound From Way Out” (not yet reviewed). I realized that while I admired the musicianship on both records, I didn’t enjoy either enough to justify keeping them. Now I have seven Beastie Boys albums. In related news, don’t hold your breath waiting for a review of “The In Sound From Way Out”.

Of the seven I still have, “To the 5 Boroughs” is my absolute favourite, so #1.

Ratings: 5 stars

On “To the 5 Boroughs” the Beastie Boys prove that everything old can be new again if you it well enough. This album is a master class of traditional rap styles, mixing modern production techniques with old school rap structures.

So much about the rap and hip hop world is about innovation, but on “To the 5 Boroughs” the Beastie Boys take a step into history, laying down basic beats and simple samples, relying on the perfection of those beats, and the absolute brilliance of their vocal abilities, honed over twenty years in the game. Despite the stark and simple approach, this record sounds as fresh today as it did in 2004 when it was released.

As usual, the signature Beastie Boys sound is present, with MCA, Mike D. and Ad-Rock each taking equal turns on the microphone. All three MCs have their own style, but under the careful hand of Mixmaster Mike they blend together seamlessly. On an old school album like this one, that vocal alchemy is brought even more to the fore. There are no tricks or excessive sampling to distract your ear on this record; it is either going to succeed or fail on the strengths of the rhymes and the delivery. The result is not only success; it is one of the best rap albums I’ve ever heard.

The subject matter of the album is also old school, focused around home town pride (New York) mixed liberally with rap songs about how they can rap better than their competitors. In 2004, gangsta rap had pretty much taken over the subject matter, and everyone had to act like a hard core criminal to be taken seriously. The Beasties step fearlessly into that environment with a swagger born in the confidence that - in the rap game - it isn’t the biggest gun, it is the best rhyme that wins.

Quoting these tracks does them a disservice, because to fully appreciate these rhymes you need to hear them spat, not read. Despite this, these songs are so laden with glory it is almost a crime not to quote them. Their love for New York City is on full display throughout, none more so than on the classic “An Open Letter to NYC” reminding the world that despite having two towers down, it is still the greatest city on earth. And amid all the hate that caused those towers to fall, the Beasties message is one of inclusiveness:

“Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten

From the Battery to the top of Manhattan

Asian, Middle East, Kurd and Latin

Black, White, New York you make it happen.”

On “Hey, Fuck You” the Beasties invite their rap opponent to “put a quarter in your ass, ‘cause you played yourself” and then blend their love of New York into a hilarious dis:

“Don’t tell me to wine and dine ya

I’m from New York, you’re from Regina.”

I probably like this line a bit more than I should because I’m Canadian, but whatever.

The album is not packed with samples, but the ones they choose are chosen with care. On “Shazam!” they grab the genie inviting everybody to get down off of Kool and the Gang’s “Open Sesame” and on “It Takes Time to Build” they sample fellow New York rappers EPMD reminding us that ‘you gots to chill.” Good advice on an album that is full of positive messages about acceptance, hope and love without ever losing its edge in the process.

My only gripe is the disc’s copy control technology, which causes a few of the songs to have an annoying skip and (according to the disclaimer on the back on the jewel case “on some equipment, for example car CD players, playback problems may be encountered.” Because, obviously I wouldn’t want to play this awesome album in my car? Argh. The worst thing about this era of copy control was that it was ostensibly aimed at pirates (who then, as now, were stealing tracks electronically online) but the people it actually punished were people like me who were buying the CD.

That’s the only thing I could say about the album that I didn’t like though, and it doesn’t even relate to the music. This is a classic rap album with no wasted space and few if any missteps.

Best tracks: all tracks

CD Odyssey Disc 545: The Beastie Boys

I’m just back from my first workout in over a week and a half.  It went surprisingly well.  A workout is one of those things you never look forward to, but are always glad you went.

Disc 545 is…. Check Your Head

Artist: Beastie Boys

Year of Release: 1992

What’s up with the Cover?  A very hip hop cover, with the boys looking cool n’ urban.  I assume they are waiting for the bus or something. They have instruments with them, which foreshadows their foray into playing some jazzy licks on this record, but more on that later…

How I Came To Know It:  This was just me drilling through the Beastie Boys collection, although I bought this one pretty early.  My friends Casey and Nick both had it and it was often quoted in my circle of friends (more on that later as well) so it was an easy pick.

How It Stacks Up:  I have nine Beastie Boys albums, including their two instrumentals.  “Check Your Head” is good, but hardly their best.  I’ll put it sixth.

Rating:  3 stars

Three albums into their career, “Check Your Head” showed once again that the Beastie Boys weren’t content with simply being a bunch of white kids taking the rap world by storm.  They were intent on experimenting with the style in as many directions as possible.

This makes “Check Your Head” a damned interesting album, and a piece of music history.  It also prevents it from having much focus, detracting from what it is trying to accomplish.

On the rap front, the Boys are in fine form from the outset, with “Jimmy James” a funky masterpiece and “So Whatcha Want” introducing audiences everywhere to the power of the squawk box.  The fact that artists would go on to abuse and misuse the power of the squawk box is not the Beastie Boys fault any more than Pearl Jam can be blamed for Creed.  Nickelback however, can be blamed entirely for Daughtry, and many other auditory atrocities besides.  But I digress…

Back to “So Whatcha Want” a deserving hit song, chock full of down and dirty energy and rhymes that sound like they are being spat onto the mike.  Every one of the Beasties is right in the pocket on their raps on this song and as noted above, the squawk box effect actually makes things better.  The song features rock guitar offset against some grade A scratching.

The Beastie Boys’ sense of humour is also everpresent, and there are a few songs that became heavily quoted among my circle of friends in the day.  “Funky Boss” is only 1:35 long but spitting “funky boss, get off my back!” in a fake (for us) New York accent was always great therapy after a hard day of work.  I’ve been pretty lucky in the boss department, but this song is the anthem for all those out there that aren’t so fortunate. 

The bass sample at the beginning always sounds to me like the beginning of the song on “The People’s Court” and I expect Judge Wapner to enter at any moment.  After his judgment the Beastie Boys would probably tell them to get off their backs, of course.  For years I operated under this sampling assumption and only recently found it was actually from some obscure song.  I think I have the song, but now that I’m writing the review I can’t find the damned thing.  Like a missing pen, I’ll find it as soon as I’m finished and no longer need it.

The other winner is “Professor Booty” which begins with a little dialogue:

Man’s Voice:  “Professor, what’s another word for pirate treasure?”

Professor:  “Why I think it’s…booty!”

Damn that line got used a lot in my feckless youth and it still gets quoted even now.  I’d say it was overused, but I’m not sure that’s possible.  It’s fresh, funny and extraordinarily helpful when working on a crossword puzzle.

Like previous albums, there are a lot of seventies influences, both soul and rock, but the Boys also branch out into jazz-inspired instrumentals.  On these tracks, which are also very groovy, they aren’t sampling, but rather playing their own instruments, showing a whole new side to their talent.  Four of the songs, “Groove Holmes”, “POW”, “In 3s” and “Namaste” would show up four years later on their first entirely instrumental “The In Sound From Way Out.”

It is an interesting experience, but I would have debuted all four tracks on the later record rather than extend “Check Your Head” which is already very bloated at twenty tracks.  The Beastie Boys are exploding with creative talent but “Check Your Head” just has too much filler surrounding all the highlights and listening to it from front to back is a bit of chore, despite its innovation.  Know when to say when, guys.

Best tracks:  Jimmy James, Funky Boss, So Whatcha Want, Professor Booty

CD Odyssey Disc 185: Beastie Boys

The last review was a Rush album that didn't really fit the mold. The next disc is a Beastie Boys album that also doesn't really fit the mold.

Disc 185 is...The Mix Up
Artist: Beastie Boys

Year of Release: 2007

What’s Up With The Cover?: Some kind of Beastie Boys version of a Rube Goldberg machine? Among the other questions this cover conjures up - how did they get the seahorse in the watercooler? and Will the Beastie Boys be ground up into sausage? We don't know, and we don't want to know. Just enjoy the artistry of the machine - function is secondary.

How I Came To Know It: I was a Beastie Boys fan when this came out, so I bought it - with full knowledge it was an instrumental album.

How It Stacks Up: I have all nine Beastie Boys albums that I know of. This one is hard to rate against all the others, but I'll say it is 7th or 8th depending on how I'm feeling it stacks up against the other all-instrumental album.

Rating: 2 stars

"The Mix Up" is the Beastie Boys second completely instrumental album - the first being 1996's "The In Sound From Way Out!" Even though this is their second kick at the can, "The Mix Up" is still a brave departure, given the success achieved by the more traditional rap album that preceded it ("To The 5 Burroughs").

This album isn't for everyone - it isn't even for every Beastie Boys fan, but it is an impressive undertaking. The 3 Beasties, known for their furious raps, once again branch out - including playing instruments beyond the usual 'two turntables and a microphone' which is the limit of many rappers' ability.

Mike D plays the drums, Adam Horovitz plays guitar and Adam Yauch plays bass (both horizontal and upright). Are they brilliant players? No, they are not - but they are competent, and they demonstrate their ability to right a catchy groove many times over on this record.

They also show a nice patience to let the songs develop slowly from a simple collection of notes, into a complex groove. Each song lets this happen slowly at a careful pace. The songs feel nicely planned out, and they avoid excessive noodling, with none of the tracks over 4 minutes in length.

For all the obvious talent, and the bravery to do this a second time, this album doesn't grab me emotionally. It is very groovy, but I feel like it would be better suited to background music in an action movie.

So even though this album does not noodle, displays talent and courage, and even keeps itself to a mere 12 tracks, I couldn't go above 2 stars. It might actually be better than that critically, but the Odyssey is about my reaction to the music, and I'm going to say OK, but not great.

Best tracks: Electric Worm.

CD Odyssey Disc 104: Beastie Boys

The soundtrack reign of terror is over! Instead, I rolled some old bullshit. No - seriously - that's what I rolled.

Disc 104 is...Some Old Bullshit
Artist: Beastie Boys

Year of Release: 1994 but the music is from 1982 and 1983.

How I Came To Know It: I had most of the Beastie Boys other albums and knew this was out there. I had half-considered getting it, and I actually think Sheila eventually bought it for me for my birthday one year.

How It Stacks Up: I have all the Beastie Boys albums, while this album is technically a compilation of all their early stuff, and not a true album, I will still rank it - I'll say it is 9th out of 9 albums. That is to say, last.

Rating: 2 stars.

As I noted earlier, "Some Old Bullshit" is just that - a bunch of the Beastie Boys' very early work, when they were a hardcore band, not a hip hop band. All the music on this album is pretty much a hardcore punk sound, with only "Cooky Puss" remotely resembling their later fusion of this sound with hip hop and rap.

I'm not a big fan of hardcore, and so this stuff doesn't really grab me. I am impressed with the visceral energy on this album, and you can see the early seeds of why they'd one day be huge.

This album is also the earliest example of the Beastie Boys' fascination with egging people, later to be brought up on their second LP, "Paul's Boutique." I don't quite know if this egging thing is some urban code for something, or if they actually engaged in egg-throwing battles with their rivals. I just know I wouldn't have invited them to parties.

I like the liner notes, which has a couple of gems, including the publication of an early letter written to them slamming them as "the most feeble band I have ever seen".

I also enjoyed learning the early history of the band as written by Mike D, which reveals that "Beastie" is actually an acronym for "Boys Entering Anarchistic States Towards Internal Excellence" which he thankfully acknowledges "might sound idiotic." Of course, the Beasties are known to outright lie about stuff like this, so I don't take it for gospel, even when it is printed with the record. It certainly sounds idiotic.

Generally, this album sounds like stuff that could just as well have been left in the basement. This changes with "Cooky Puss", which singlehandedly saves the record. I don't fully know what this song is even about, apart from a series of loosely connected prank calls and sexual references. It has a great groove though, and it is damned funny.

At one point, between calls, our singer exclaims (without prior set up or warning):

"These pussy crumbs are making me itch
Maybe I should scratch?"

Then the Boys break out their two turntables and proceed to do just that - and do it well.

And the rest, as they say, is history - or some old bullshit - depending on your perspective.

Best tracks: Cooky Puss (uncensored version only).

CD Odyssey Disc 96: Beastie Boys

Attention all you record makers! Stop. Making. Your. Albums. Too. Long.

With that said...

Disc 96 is...Hello Nasty
Artist: Beastie Boys

Year of Release: 1998

How I Came To Know It: I have known of the Beastie Boys since I saw the video for "Fight For Your Right To Party" in the late eighties, but I didn't buy any of their albums until I heard "License to Ill" in the pick up truck of my friend Tony's brother, Donato, on the night of Tony's bachelor party. "Hello Nasty" came fairly late to my collection - I'd say I bought it around 2004.

How It Stacks Up: I have nine Beastie Boys albums, which I think might be all of them. "Hello Nasty" is about 4th or 5th - so right in the middle.

Rating: 3 stars.

This album is a strange mix of the brilliant and the overly ambitious.

Let's just pick up on the teaser at the top of this entry; this album has 22 tracks on it. That is absolutely uncalled for. I could cut at least five of these songs in my sleep, and give me an hour and I'd find another three or four.

It's a pity, because the 13-14 tracks that would be left would be some of the Beastie Boys' better stuff. When they are on with this album, they are definitely on, with tight samples and the unique blend of rock, funk, disco and hip hop that defines their sound. This album loses a whole star in the ratings simply by having too much filler.

Worse, when looking for a suitable cover photo for this album, I read that there is some special new release coming out and it could have 22 additional songs. Whoa, there! To borrow a song title from "Hello Nasty", that is "Putting Shame In Your Game".

This album came out right after their instrumental groove album, "The In Sound From Way Out" and at least four songs with that album's jazz-funk sound work their way onto this album. Those tracks are pretty good, but I think two would have been enough here.

The hits on the record are "Super Disco Breakin'", "Intergalactic" and "Body Movin'", which have some of the best videos the late nineties have to offer. I particularly like the video for "Body Movin'", which features a swordfight between some 18th century gentleman and a ninja. The fight happens for no reason - not there needs to be a reason why this fight should happen.

I like to think the 18th century gentleman had earlier in the day challenged the ninja to a duel. Naturally, the ninja had demurred, only to don his ninja outfit and try to assassinate the gentleman later that night in his sleep. It may seem unfair, but hey - that's what ninjas do, my friends. Besides, the 18th century guy wakes up in time and a swordfight (and hilarity) ensues.

While the hits are good, my two favourite tracks are "Remote Control" and "Three MCs and One DJ".

"Remote Control" has a great disco back sample which I can...almost...recognize. Very funky, with some good raps.

"Three MCs and One DJ" displays some great raps delivered in the Beastie Boy's trademark unison style, alongside Mixmaster Mike showing off incredible skill. The song actually starts with a 'phone message' to Adam from Mixmaster Mike, where he plays a crazy mix-up of Tweetie Bird called "the Tweetie Scratch." (It has to be heard to be appreciated).

OK - I just did a rare cheat in an attempt to find the sample for "Remote Control" and found out it was released as a single in the UK with the B-side of..."Three MCs and One DJ". Nice! Now that is a 45 worth changing the speed on your record player for. Didn't find the sample, though...

Anyway, this is a solid, if overlong, Beastie Boys album. And it has ninjas and giant robots - or at least the videos do. Good for a listen and even a buy if you like their other stuff.

Best tracks: Super Disco Breakin', The Move, Remote Control, Just a Test, Intergalactic, Three MCs and One DJ