Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill
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Free Music Notes for Licensed to Ill
Free Music Review: Always a classic
Hit: 5 Stars
I finally had to replace my old copy of this. I love it! Beastie Boys' classic album mixes their "new style" lyrics (one-liners as I like to think of them) with all the classic party/dance tracks: No Sleep 'til Brooklyn, Fight for Your Right to Party, and Brass Monkey, not to mention "GIRLS". What fun it is, they obviously had so much fun with this album. Free Music Review: The Beginning of the Beastie Boys' Dynasty
Hit: 5 Stars
License to Ill--
Formerly a punk-rock outfit called the Young & the Useless, New Yorkers Mike D, MCA and King Ad-Rock hooked up with Def Jam founder Rick Rubin in the mid-1980's to create a hip-hop masterpiece. Released in the fall of 1986, License to Ill took both the hip-hop world and mainstream pop culture by storm. Though this was their debut LP, the three MC's traded verses like veterans. Hip-hop rhythm tracks were combined with guitar licks for one of the first rap/rock fusion efforts, sowing seeds for the sub-genre's late 90's resurgence in the likes of Limp Bizkit and Rage Against the Machine.
Lyrically, the Beasties are basically college-age party animals throughout the album, telling wild stories about getting kicked out of White Castle, get-togethers stocked with Budweiser, and related tales of cheerful, hedonistic mayhem. In interviews, band members admitted to having a Schoolly-D fixation at the time, and so there are also some casual gun references here and there. "Slow and Low" covers an unreleased Run-DMC song, with the unforgettable line "White Castle fries only come in one size.." "Rhymin' & Stealin'" is pre-gangster rap pirate fantasy, where the Boys vow to send sucker MC's "to Davy Jones' locker.." "No Sleep `til Brooklyn" has a great guitar contribution by Slayer's Kerry King, as the Boys vow to keep the party going "eight days a week.."; the now-legendary "Paul Revere" is a cowboy fantasy (co-written with Run DMC) where the Beasties play desperadoes on the frontier, set to a reverse-drum track rhythm: "MCA was with it, and he's my ace, so I grab the piano player and I punched him in the face; piano player's out, the music stopped; his boy had beef, and he got dropped.."
The album's signature song was the top-10 pop smash "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right". The rocker is almost out of place amidst all the straightforward hip-hop, but it's just as well that it was the album's closer. The Beasties expanded the cultural diversity of rap as well as expanding its cultural acceptance worldwide.
As of 2007, the LP's 20th anniversary has already passed; a deluxe re-release is in order; it should include any unreleased songs (such as the early "Rock Hard" EP; also, bootleg releases have included rare songs like "Scenario", "I'm Down" and an alternate take of "Fight for Your Right"), as well as a DVD version of the now-rare VHS home video compilation.
Free Music Review: The Joke Is...
Hit: 5 Stars
In response to Rickey Wright's editorial review (this guy's an editor and didn't see this?)...
The joke, Mr. Wright, is not them crashing their jet into the side of a mountain and surviving, but rather what the image turns into when you unfold the album cover and hold it length-wise with the tail-end up. It's the image of a 'joint' being mashed out (like a cigarette in an ashtray). So I think the genius behind it works, making the obvious - unobvious.
Also, the call letters on the rear of the plane (3MTA3) actually spell 'EAT ME' when viewed in reverse - which is what is usually done when you're smokin' a fatty and 'Jake' is on ya.
As for the album itself - CLASSIC! True Beastie Boy gold!
Free Music Review: A near-excellent album
Hit: 4 Stars
Who didn't listen to the Beastie Boys back in the '80's? Their crossover appeal to rap and rock fans made the group one of the biggest hits during that era. The album was indicative of their unique style of rap, along with their penchant for including heavy rock sounds/backgrounds into their music. Although some thought that this album was a bit commercialized, it didn't keep it from becoming one of the most popular releases during that time. "Brass Monkey" is a memorable track that almost every Beastie fan can sing along to, and "Fight For Your Right" almost became an anthem for party-crazed teens in the '80's. "Time To Get Ill" was one of my favorite songs on this album, since it displayed skilled Dj'ing and catchy backdrop beats. Lyrics were also easy to memorize, which always helps when you feel like rappin' along with the track being played in your car. "Hold It Now, Hit It" is still one of the most sampled tracks in today's rap songs, and its catchy beat and rhythm allows for regular play in many listener's stereos. "She's Crafty" and "The New Style" were less-known hits, but still allows for fans to enjoy, as beats and sounds are similar to other hits... but, just different enough to keep the album from being boring. With their unique style and memorable lyrics, who wouldn't want to buy this album for the right price? Free Music Review: Let there be ill
Hit: 5 Stars
I've waited way too long to buy this album. This album is definitely a must-have in my book, not only for pioneering the area of Caucasian rap, but also for the unique style of rap that they brought. As I get older, it makes me sad when I see the generation gap, and "Fight For Your Right" and "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" isn't part of the new generation's collective memory. If I ever have a child, I'm buying the casette tape for this album, sticking it a boombox, putting that boombox on my shoulder, and blasting "Paul Revere" as the child exits the womb. These songs are simply classics, and it's a crime for kids today to not know what they are.