Beastie Boys!

Cafe Society
21

That’s my favorite Beasties song too! I chose Ill Communication because the popularity of “Sabotage” got me to look further into the band, and then I discovered “Get It Together” which led me to discover A Tribe Called Quest, and get deeper into rap & hip-hop as genres. I was never really in to rap at all, and didn’t have any friends into it (still don’t) but my love and appreciation for it started right there.

Hello Nasty is my second favorite, because it was their first album to come out after I was a solid fan. I got the experience of waiting for it and giving it that first listen and being instantly blown away. It’s so mature and so rich but at the same time it has all of the group’s core qualities (as opposed to a departure).

22

If y’all haven’t read the book yet or seen the film, this is one of my favorite Beastie Boys stories:

It encapsulates so much about them: their goofiness, their sincerity, caring about other people, thinking fast and coming up with great ideas, etc.

23

Paul’s Boutique is one of the best albums of all time of any genre.

24

Shake Your Rump is definitely my favorite BB song, but you can’t go wrong with these three either:

Sure Shot

Three MCs and One DJ

She’s Crafty, with my favorite Zeppelin sample from the Lic. to Ill album

ETA: I voted License to Ill as my favorite album, although I’ve got strong feelings for several. This album is the one that has the most songs I like, and it piqued my interest in rap as an 11-year-old white boy from suburban Detroit.

25

Paul’s Boutique is the classic, but Check Your Head is my clear favorite. I’m rather surprised that it’s polling behind Ill Communication. I wonder if this is more a poll of when people got into the Beastie Boys than anything else. I would put Ill Communication as middle-of-the-pack for them. The effortless mix of genres on Check Your Head, the humor, the energy, the little goofy skits/recordings – for me this is the Beastie Boys at their peak.

26

My favorite record? Check Your Head. My favorite song? “Gratitude”, for sure.

It’s got a rulin’ bass line, and it has the most famous use of what I consider to be the holy grail of fuzz pedals on that bass part. I can listen to it several times in a row, even now.

Anytime I get someone who styles themselves as a producer or soundman and says “fuzz has no place on bass” (seriously, it’s come up more than once); I tell them to fuck off, go listen to that song, learn how to mix, and get back to me.