I came to beastie boys on the back of vague recommendations from a mate, not knowing what to expect. Initially, i got licensed to ill, which i enjoyed for what it is, but it was not the stuff i had been recommended. I moved to check your head, and was pleasantly surprised at songs like pass the mic, so what'cha want, live at pjs. Since then, I have been ABSOLUTELY blown away by this album. There is no other album i know of that combines punk-rock, metal, acid jazz, funk, world beats, and hip-hop, in the same album, sometimes even in the same song. And it makes for a great mix.

Not only is this album a great mix of styles, but it is produced crisply, with the vocals mixed down slightly to become an accompaniment to the rest of the instruments, synths blending seamlessly in and out of the music, and the tribal beats laying the foundation for some great songs. The beasties manage to record and mix accordingly for the style of each song style they attempt.

And they attempt a lot. Songs like 'The Update', 'Futterman's Rule' are a psychedelic funk-fest, with tribal world beats as a backbone,synths everywhere and funky guitar licks, i cant help but love them. Songs like 'Sabotage' and 'Heart Attack Man' make for a change of pace, with great punk metal riffs, and fast heavy drum beats. My personal favourite simply for its ingenuity and awesome sound is flute loop; who else but the Beasties could take a folk sounding flute riff, and bring it into the hip-hop world with funky beats, mad scratches and mad lyrics? No one, thats who.

Ultimately, there is something here for a fan of every type of music.I recommend this album to anyone who loves funk, punk, hip-hop, or jazz.

My recommendations are:

The Update,

Futterman's Rule,

Flute Loop,

Sure Shot,

Heart Attack Man,

B-Boys making with the Freak Freak.

Enjoy.

The Beastie boys have changed a lot since License To Ill first came out, by ways of lyrics attitude and musical direction, this is either a good or bad thing for many fans. The change as you know was brought on my Adam Yauch's "Budhisattva vow". The new direction was touched on briefly in parts of Check your Head and was a welcome change because most bands in the 90s seem to want to say something and bring more elements to their music. Another part of their new direction was them picking up their intruments and playing them which happened in Check your Head. On Check your head their sound was more gritty and slightly Lo-fi compared to work such as Pauls Boutique, the rap element was kinda not what was the power behind the album it was the Rock/punk and close attention to intrumentals.THe album was going back to their old punk days, remembering tracks like Egg Raid on Mojo or Riot Fight for short fast punk songs. Ill communication expands on this album, with a more polished sound, excellent recording and mixing. The only thing is that this album lost its gritty feel to it, even songs like Sabotage seem a bit to perfect and only get a gritty appeal when its played live. Another thing to talk about is the mixing of the album which is totally different from the rest of their albums, the Beasties voices are kinda mixed in to the background(in style of L.A rap recordings) a bit and at times really distorted which is one of the best elements to this album, and their lyrics have become more p.c and moving, they rap about the mother earth being disrespected and tibet and becoming enlightened by the buddhas. They have also stopped joking around in their raps and have become more serious. This serious side shines through in their intrumental works on this album , tracks like Sabrosa are excellent to wind down and mellow out to at night, also Ricky's Theme and the very sureal Eugene's Lament (a track probably skip by most fans and very uderrated) its a track that on its own would be silly but fits in well with this album for some reason. Transitions is a great end to this album and is what i think the Boys are doing here is making a big transition from joke white rap group to serious artists. The Boys have growin up, but will sill be in our hearts and culture as being the first white rap to make it big and stay around as long as they did and get to do exactly what they want in their music and push the boundries of hiphop forever.

One of them very cool bands that came out of the woodworks in the mid-'80's that seemed to draw a wider audience with each passing year.This CD sounds like the ultimate cheese album if I've ever heard one.In this case,that a good thing.Thought the disc's single "Sabotage" was pretty happening as well as the scratch groovin' "Sureshot","Tough Guy" and "Alright Hear This".Total of twenty tunes here.Not every track rocks,but certainly ENOUGH of them do.Nice alternative/rap punk effort.

The production of this album is very unique...lo-fi yet ingenious and thoroughly engaging. Great use of the upright bass, despite Yauch's admission that he's a "hack." The CD just oozes with creativity and flavor. It's best to play this on a hot summer day and cruise through a dirty but interesting urban neighborhood like South Street in Philadelphia or Greenwich Village in New York. Excellent transition between tracks too, I love it when albums flow seamlessly from one song to the next. I hate to call this "rap" because that brings to mind people like P. Diddy and Jay-Z. It actually sounds more like an urban jazz-punk-hip-hop fusion than "rap" and is influenced more by "London Calling" than "Raising Hell." Most of the vocals sound like they're coming through a walkie-talkie, which of course was very intentional and works much better than one would think. Here's a track-by-track analysis:

1) Sure Shot -- Perfect opener. Sets the tone extremely well. That flute sample is golden and there is some fabulous interplay between the rappers.

2) Tough Guy -- Great hardcore punk song...will definitely get your adrenaline pumping.

3) Freak Freak -- Crazy effects and nearly inaudible rapping somewhat detract from this one, but it is still a fun listen.

4) Bobo on the Corner -- great percussion instrumental that warms you up for...

5) Root Down -- Gotta love Jimmy Smith's organ...such a tasteful choice for a sample. Songs like these make one realize how uninspired most rappers and producers are with their sampling decisions.

6) Sabotage -- Listen all y'all...if you don't stomp your feet or snap your fingers or do SOMETHING to the notorious THUMP-THUMP, THUMP-THUMP riff, you might just want to check your pulse.

7) Get it Together -- Q-Tip makes a most welcome appearance. Bravo!

8) Sabrosa -- Suddenly the production quality becomes much clearer for this sinfully funky instumental.

9) The Update -- Solo rapping gig by MCA...nice bongos and I don't know what that other clicking sound is...

10) Futterman's Rule -- Ambient instrumental that bludgeons you with a groovy bassline until you submit.

11) Alright Hear This -- "Hip-hop supervision," indeed. AWESOME upright bassline.

12) Eugene's Lament -- Excellent mood piece featuring a violinist that is totally off the hook.

13) Flute Loop -- another good flute sample, but a little too short...1:45???

Okay, it's getting late, but I think you get the picture. Classic CD that is matched only by Paul's Boutique. Never a dull moment and innovative the whole way through. Highly recommended.

I was watching one of my favorite films, "The Taking of Pelham 1, 2, 3" on television the other day, and really enjoying the thumping 70's funk soundtrack, when I swore I heard a riff that reminded me of the Beastie Boys! Sure enough (pun intended), i found the sample on "Sure Shot"!

AND they even homage the piece in their lyrics: "It's The Taking of Pelham 1, 2, 3/ If you wanna go around it, come see me/ You can't, you won't, and you don't stop!" (You have to see the film to get the last line!!).

Pelham came out exactly 20 years prior to the Beastie Boys' release and they breathe new life into some brilliant source music!