This is the last Beasties CD
I purchased, but I'm determined to grab more of them. As a matter of fact, I recently re-purchased this while up in LA for a Geezer show. I had sold my original copy in the "Great Purge".This is a good one, with "Sabotage" being the breakout hit. This record wasn't nearly as iconic for me or my friends, so it was only recently that I appreciated the album for the powerhouse that it is, I guess. They took everything they dabbled with on Check Your Head and upped the ante. Ill Communication might not feel as accessible as Check Your Head, but think of it as their Amnesiac to Kid A. Or don't. I've become a fan of the song "B-Boys Makin' with the Freak Freak".
Maybe because I can't understand the words.
It doesn't have the punch of Check Your Head, but it's a solid follow-up. Radio songs Sabotage, Sure Shot, and Root Down are eternal, but don't forget the often-overlooked instrumentals. How do you go from "We don't play instruments" to "Sabrosa" in just 5 years? Amazing!
ReplyDeleteIndeed, but that's 5-years getting to do nothing but play music and learn some instruments. And actually, the Beastie's started as a punk band, so they knew what was up before, they just went with rap...for some reason? I'd hate to say money, but I can't say "not money". Especially since their first album is just so...dumb.
ReplyDeleteLOL... how did I know you were going to call me on that. I said we don't, not we can't. :) Yes, the B-Boy's punk roots are evident in such nods to the past as this album's "Tough Guy" and "Heart Attack Man". But for most of the 80s, I'll bet the guitar, bass, and drum kit gathered cobwebs while they were off trying to be whatever it was Rick Rubin and Def Jam wanted them to be. Good thing for all of us that they snapped out of it. Although I do have to admit that Licensed to Ill is one of my guilty pleasures. That was my 6th grade getting ready for school music, every morning.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I love "B-Boys Makin' with the Freak Freak" too... for the sole reason that it gave us the funniest part of any Beastie Boys song of all time: The Mashed Potato Sample.
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