BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
How can you not love The Beastie Boys? They are one of the most innovative and important groups of modern music. While some will give credit to others, I think the Beastie Boys are a HUGE part of making hip hop a household name. Run DMC and the like made it cool and credible, but the Beastie Boys made it “okay” for middle America to accept the trailblazing art form.
Obviously it wasn’t just the fact that they were a group of white kids. They backed their talents and energy up. No one could deny the genuine vibe these guys put off out to the world. They were a couple of jerky teenage kids who were into punk rock and hip hop. They took those interests, their own talents, and a slew of Led Zeppelin samples and cranked out some of the best hip hop, rock, and contemporary music of the modern era.
The music of the Beastie Boys should be studied in schools in the future because of how awesome it is and how it holds the world’s hand and helps it cross the street from lame to fighting for our right to party.
If you can’t tell by my easy-flowing-fan-boy-gush-fest, I think these dudes are the bee’s knees. I remember seeing them as a kid, but never really connected with them until I was in junior high going into high school. This means that the first “new release” of my fandom was “Hello Nasty”. I always liked their radio hits, but it was this point in my life when I found myself listening track to track and taking in the amazing skills and innovative magic of three MCs and one DJ.
That’s just my personal situation. There’s no right or wrong here. Today I’m going to put their albums in order of my liking, least to most. Of the eight LPs that The Beasties released, it’s safe to say that more than half of them are straight up classics. I’d go as far as saying five or six of them. It’s all subjective. You might like a certain side of them that’s different than I do. You might have grown up with them in a different time. You might just like the weird danceable art tracks they started throwing at us in the later years. It’s all up to you. The point here is to celebrate these modern music icons. You can agree or not, that’s fine. I’m just certain we can all agree that we miss MCA and there will never be a group like this again.
IIX. The Mix-Up
(2007) - This was an entirely instrumental album. It’s got some great and interesting music on it, but it’s not the stuff we’ve all been groomed to appreciate. That doesn’t take away from any of its merit. You can listen to it, enjoy the hell out of it and really value its place in your musical lexicon. I just prefer my Beastie Boy music to have vocals. The lyrics and delivery of those lyrics are a huge part of what made this group so amazing. This is purely a passion project. The music translates those ambitions, but it still feels a little incomplete.
VII. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
(2011) - The final release of the group was a hot one. I don’t understand why this doesn’t get more love. It came out in the midst of MCA’s cancer diagnosis and struggles so they had delays and what seemed like a lighter promo push. Despite it not being as flaunted as the older releases, it’s a damn good album. “Too Many Rappers”, “Make Some Noise”, and “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win”. I remember eagerly listening to the leaked track “Lee Majors Come Again” online. I had to have listened to it on a loop for a good three days. I was fully prepared for a Beastie world takeover, but it never happened. In time, I think this album will gain the respect it deserves.
V. To the 5 Boroughs
(2004) - This album is really underrated. The albums that’ll come after on this list are often talked about with A LOT of love. This one seems to go under the radar. The Beasties dropped this album in a weird time. They just didn’t have the same impact or reach, but the tracks and work is just as solid. The two tracks that stood out to me the most was “Right Right Now Now” and the gem of a song that was “Ch-Check It Out”.
VI. Check Your Head
(1992) - I love this album. It’s a bit more aggressive than the stuff The Beastie Boys are most known for. It’s got more swagger and attitude than probably any of their albums because of songs like “Pass the Mic”, “Professor Booty”, “Jimmy Names”, and “So What’cha Want”. I know “Sabotage” and other tracks have to get the bump, but I was always a big fan of the “So What’cha Want” video. I think the directness and creative production made it stand out at the time. Now when I watch it, it’s just as cool.
IV. Hello Nasty
(1998) - I was a dumb high school kid, but was quickly smartened up by picking up this album right around the release date. I was always a fan of their singles, but this was when I was old enough to start really buying my own albums at the store. This was one of the first. I was hooked on the tracks “Intergalactic” and “Body Movin”, but the entire album was engaging. It was a bit funkier and more danceable. It felt more “electronic” than before. It worked for the time. When you look back at the group’s discography this album was the bridge between the older punk roots to the later electronic based beats. This album wasn’t as aggressive or controversial, but it was just as “in your face” as they always have been. Just this time it’s with a much more playful demeanor.
III. Licensed to Ill
(1986) - It’s hard to not automatically say this is the best because it’s the first. Without this album our ears and minds would not have been opened up to the marvel of Beastie. It ended up being the first hip hop LP to hit the top of the Billboard charts and paved the way for many many more to come. This album features “No Sleep Till Brooklyn”, “Brass Monkey”, “Paul Revere”, “Girls”, and this song called “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!).” So basically, it’s volume one of their Greatest Hits collection.
II. Paul's Boutique
(1989) - A lot of the nerdy people will go into detail about why this album is their best. It’s a crazy sophomore album and a great big creative middle finger to what people expected. After such a single and anthem crazy debut, they busted out this layered and ballsy album. “Shadrach” and “Hello Ladies” stand out, but it’s one of those albums that you should put on and just listen to from start to finish. It’s a full on assault. The nerdy people are onto something with this one. It’s not just some kind of hipster/indie “cred” kind of name drop. It’s a landmark masterpiece. Albums don’t happen like this anymore.
I. Ill Communication
(1994) - This is my favorite Beastie Boy album. It’s the groups fourth album and I think they really hit their strides here. This album should be studied in schools, if not just for “Sure Shot” and “Sabotage” alone but there is much more to this spectacular LP. This is right up with Nirvana’s ”Nevermind”, Metallica’s black album, and the other widely-accepted iconic albums of the era. The difference is that as time goes on those albums start to sound dated. ”Ill Communication” is timeless. The lines are classic, the beats are cooler than just about anything ever, and the impact of these tracks hit just as hard today as they did in 1994.
What is YOUR favorite Beastie Boy album?
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