Sometimes I think that there is no finer sound than that of The Beastie Boys in full flight in the mid- 90s. Take Root Down for example...
A Jimmy Smith bass loop, vinyl crackle and wah wah guitar and then the three Beasties chucking rhymes and lines around, referencing Dick Hyman, Sweetie Pie, The Meters, the Fruit of The Loom guys, Ad Rock's killer line in the verse, 'Everybody know I'm known for dropping science'. Later on they break off for the immortal and ever usable line, 'Oh my God that's the funky shit!' before jumping straight back in with more verses, lines and imagery flashing by like a graffiti covered train- the NY subway system, the Zulu Nation, Kool Moe Dee and Bob Marley are all in there before they finish with a nod to their producer Mario C, 'That's a record, that's a record 'cause of Mario'.
There's so much energy and innovation in those few minutes, the samples and the arrangement, the voices, the dynamics... They had it all. The Beastie Boys were a visual experience as well as an audio one- here's the video.
The mid- 90s come flooding back watching that don't they?
Root Down was released in May 1995 as an EP with various versions of the song and some live songs, including Something's Got To Give On It, a stoned and slow anti- war jam song, the three Beasties on guitar, bass and drums, all loose and funky. This is the studio version as found on 1994's seminal Ill Communication.
1 comment:
'Never let you down with the stereo sound'
Post a Comment