Beastie Boys!

Cafe Society
1

I’ve been a fan since Cooky Puss and lately it’s been great to see the YouTube music reaction community discover these guys. It’s great fun watching a 20-something life-long hip hop fan sit down and listen to the Beasties for the first time; in a lot of instances it seems like they don’t get any cred because they’re a bunch of white guys who don’t do disses or boasts or anything even remotely gangsta. But when people listen (and watch) they’re blown away by the talent on display and by how awesome the songs (and videos) are.

So what’s your favorite album? Song? Video? Anecdote? What’s the best reaction video you’ve seen? Which movie did you like best? Which compilation album?

Let’s talk Beastie Boys!

What’s your favorite album?

  • Licensed to Ill
  • Paul’s Boutique
  • Check Your Head
  • Ill Communication
  • Hello Nasty
  • To the 5 Boroughs
  • The Mix-Up
  • Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2

0 voters

2

My favorite song is easy:

3

I don’t know their music that well, but I like the songs I know, I respect their genius, and “Sabotage” absolutely kicks. Especially that opening.

4

Aye; I’m a sucker for a good bass intro. :smiley:

5

Gotta go with License to Ill, just because of the point in my life it came out.

6

I voted Ill Communication, though Check Your Head and Paul’s Boutique are crowding it at the podium.

It’s got my favorite song, “Get It Together,” which captures their esprit de corps and silly bravado perfectly. And it’s got Q-Tip, who is just one of the greats and really nails this track. They manage to turn an old-school boast track into a dizzyingly fast and complex — but completely structured — composition. My go-to cheer me up song.

Not too interesting early-90s personal anecdote

I went to elementary school and played in orchestras with the Eugene who plays on “Eugene’s Lament.” He was always the violinist who won out for first chair. Little Russian emigre with a crazy Russian helicopter mom.
Late in high school, probably the winter of 92-93 and after years of not seeing each other, he called me up to do a string trio gig at a church. (I’d switched to viola by then, having recognized my limits.) He picked me up wearing a black trench, smoking, and looking like a vampire mafioso. He was accompanied by a thuggish-looking cellist who was, I think, wearing anti-racist skinhead costume — boots and suspenders and buttondown. (I was a pretty square kid at the time, keep in mind.)
Anyhow, the cellist hadn’t actually confirmed the gig with the cleric at the church, who booked someone else and gave the cellist a dressing-down. So we hung out in the parking lot and they muttered darkly about keying the guy’s car. They took me home and, I’m sure, went out to commit minor hooliganism.
I hope Eugene’s okay. Seemed like he was washing out of the highly competitive elite youth classical musician game.

7

My favorite album on any one day could be Paul’s Boutique, Check Your Head, or Ill Communication. And my favorite song could be one of a few dozen.

But since you asked for one, I have to go with Paul’s Boutique and Shake Your Rump. Funky and danceable.

8

Put me on the Paul’s Boutique bandwagon. Growing up, Licensed to Ill and Ill Communication were my jams, but after MCA died for whatever reason I gravitated towards Paul’s and it’s been my favorite ever since.

Part of it is the masterful use of (uncleared) music samples. You’ll never see another record like it again, since it would cost millions in rights fees to clear the samples. I mean, “Sounds of Science” has samples from at least three different Beatles songs. That alone would cost a mint.

9

Let’s please not allow the thread to drift into a lengthy discussion of this; here’s the straight dope:

10

Ignorance fought in regards to the samples being cleared at greatly reduced rates.

I still stand by my overall point that it’s a record not likely to ever be (legally) duplicated, as that record would cost millions if not tens of millions just in samples rights alone in today’s world and no label is willing to spend that on any single release.

11

Going against the grain and pick Hello Nasty, but that’s almost entirely because of Intergalactic. It is, IMO, their best song.

12

Check Your Head get an honourable mention but it just has to be Ill Communication. Root Down EP also gets in my top list of BB releases.

And just to add: The Beastie Boys are credited with inventing the term mullet as a description of the haircut.

13

It wasn’t always the contents stuck into the mashed potatoes at this kind of party, here are some. Recall that we did it like this, we did it like that, we did it with a wiffleball bat. Later in the song, Mike D aims his jammy at the sky and wastes two kids before the crew makes off with the money and the gold.

Similar sentiments here. However, a lot of their hits after these albums were bangers like Intergalactic & Sabotage. And earlier albums remain classics.

I’ve always liked Pass the Mic from Check You Head. Instrumentals from that album are really good, too.

Anyone who hasn’t seen Awesome; I Fuckin’ Shot That! should seek it soon. Wiki description:

It was created by giving camcorders to 50 audience members of a sold out concert at Madison Square Garden on October 9, 2004. The audience members were instructed to keep the cameras rolling at all times. For a low budget operation, all cameras were returned to the place of purchase for a refund.

When the movie was first announced, me and two friends were super hyped. We got to the theaterplex early on opening night to make sure we could get tickets. Then, (after a few drinks) we went to the particular theater, also early, to make sure we could get seats together. There were two groups of two people in the entire place. When the title screen rolled past, one pair got up and left: wrong theater/movie. So us five had the entire room to ourselves on opening night, lol.

Another story: When I was just starting to explore music on my own as a young teen, I gravitated toward the Beastie Boys (and other punk, hip hop & skater types). Some older boys I was friends with noticed and we had something like the following exchange:

Older boys: So, you’ve gotten into the Beastie Boys, huh?
Me: Oh, golly, yes. They’re just about the greatest thing since corn flakes!
OBs: So would you say you’re into bestiality?
Me (innocently not yet aware of the term): Goodness, yes. Very much so.
OBs: unable to reply, convulsing all over themselves with laughter

I suppose it was pretty funny.

14

“sabotage” and “intergalactic” are top for me.

For those who like rollercoasters I highly recommend choosing “sabotage” as the accompanying track to “rip ride rockit” at Florida Universal Studios, it synchronises so well.

15

Aye but they aren’t gangsta because they’re so obviously cartoonish stories, not claims to what had been actual events.

16

As the OP I have determined that this thread needs more music:

17

License to ill for two reasons.

Fond memories of being a 15yo listening to something cool that wasn’t heavy metal.

My oldest son found my CD in one of my boxes in storage when he was like 10yo. He fell in love with it. And we found something we could bond over. Anytime we were in the car together, that CD would be on full blast.

18

I love the Beastie Boys. Just like others , I can’t decide between “Paul’s Boutique”, “Check Your Head” and “Ill Communication” for my favorite album, they’re all excellent. “Hello Nasty” is only marginally weaker. But I have a clear song favorite, and surprisingly it’s an instrumental, “In 3s” from “Check Your Head”. It’s simply one of the funkiest songs I’ve ever heard, and I love it:

19

While I love Licensed to Ill, for me the choice is between Check Your Head and Ill Communication and this poll, IC won out. :smiley:

20

Paul’s Boutique. Listened to it more than probably any other album out there, and I listened to a lot over and over. As far as favorite song, I’ll go with the last 12 minutes of that album: B-Boy Bouillabaisse. If you ever want to see something hilarious, put that on when I’m around and you’ll see this gray-haired 50-something attempt to spit out the rhymes.