It's easy to forget sometimes that the best and most influential band of the 90s weren't one of your Britpop suspects, not one of the grunge bands either or the millennial tension bands (Radiohead et al) but a trio from New York who started out as a punk band, found global fame as snotty cartoon rappers and then retreated, regrouped and made a run of albums that easily knock the crown off the heads of any of those implied above. From 1989's Paul's Boutique to Check Your Head in '92 and then Ill Communication (1994) and 1998's Hello Nasty, the Beastie Boys were a threeway rap/ punk machine, sampling liberally from their extensive record collections and firing off lyrics that were frequently brilliant, memorable and hilarious.
Their cultural reach was enormous- old school trainers and tracksuit tops, 70s clothes, videos recreating 70s cop shows and sci fi/ disaster movies, the Grand Royale magazine (credited with the first recorded use of the word mullet to describe the haircut that despoiled the 80s and has become mystifyingly popular recently. It also published a wide ranging but very niche series of articles- from Bruce Lee and Lee Scratch Perry to ramen), human rights for the people of Tibet. They headlined Lollapalooza, toured arenas (with Mixmaster Mike and Money Mark on turntables and keys respectively) and could make an arena show feel like a both a gig and an event. They peppered their songs with arcane references and tips of the hat. Sure Shot, one of their finest moments, is built around a flute sample (from Jeremy Steig) and drops the names of Dr. John, Lee Dorsey, the Pelham 123, Kojak, John Woo, Rod Carew, Lee Perry and Vaughn Bode as well as apologising for their younger sexist selves and calling for an end to the disrespect of women. They were colossal, hugely influential and when Adam Yauch (MCA) died from cancer in 2012 it was the end of an era. Mike D and Ad- Rock called it a day, retiring the Beastie Boys name
This is just a sampling of some my favourite Beastie Boys songs, plenty of witty, amped up, danceable hip hop, some stoned funk rock, some wonky reggae and three blasts of punk rock. As the man in Root Down says, 'Oh my god, that's the funky shit!'
Forty Minutes Of The Beastie Boys
- Sure Shot
- Johnny Ryall
- Egg Man
- Super Disco Breakin'
- Root Down
- Something's Got To Give
- Looking Down The Barrell Of A Gun
- Dr Lee, PhD
- Mullethead
- Sabotage
- Time For Livin'
- Intergalactic
I've had similar thoughts, it gets clearer as time passes how much greater they were than most people realize. So many things I love that are interwoved with their run at the wheel of pop culture. Top of my list, the 6 minutes of moving images I have watched more than any others:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImTlxRFfEmI
Great clip Jesse. Looks so long ago doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteThey were truly great- I think their past (first album etc) and their sense of never seeming to take things seriously overshadowed their greatness at the time.
I commented/ said a while ago somewhere that taking things for granted back in the late 80s and early 90s was so easy and it must be at least partly connected to being young, you don't stop and anaylse it, you just soak it up. I think it was in connection with the release of Bjork's Debut and Underworld's dubnobass... , within 6 months of each other (and various other releases, gigs, club nights etc at that time)- you (I) just felt it would always be like that.
Incredibly true Adam, looking back now that run of albums seems inspired. Saw them at Wembley Arena of all places on the Hello Nasty tour - they did it in the round on a revolving stage - and simultaneously made a gig in a converted swimming pool feel like the biggest and hippest event going. Still on my top five gigs of all time
ReplyDeleteSaw them at Manchester Arena on the same tour Ricky, revolving stage and everything. Mcr Arena is often a soulless barn- it wasn't that night.
ReplyDeleteJust excellent. Great mix, cheers.
ReplyDeleteYup excellent stuff. Swc.
ReplyDeleteFabulous stuff. I never really fully appreciated the Beastie Boys until they were no more....I had liked a lot of the music, but I hadn't recognised how many different ways they had taken music and pop culture to new and different levels. They were ridiculously creative.
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