Reviews (page 10 of 15)
Really solid. Never appreciated it like I did this run through
Beastie Boys are generally fun but I wasn’t expecting the direction this went in with the instrumental tracks. Really pleasant surprise and led to an interesting post-album shuffle
Honestly couldn’t help but think every song sounded the same but I love Sabotage and Flute Loop
Like a cross between rage against the machine and a tribe called quest and the Styleboyz from Popstar
Good, but a lot of filler
Pretty good old school rap
he’s doing what to mashed potatoes!?
Ill Communication is a dynamic, genre-blending album that fuses hip-hop, punk, and funk in a way that feels both playful and revolutionary. Released in 1994, it marked a turning point for the group, solidifying their place as genre innovators. The album is a mix of high-energy beats and experimental production, balancing a chaotic, rebellious spirit with intricate musicianship. Its standout feature is the way the Beastie Boys confidently shift between musical styles, one minute delivering gritty punk, the next leaning into smooth, jazz-infused grooves. The production, helmed by Mario Caldato Jr., captures the rawness of live instrumentation while maintaining the polished feel of a studio album. Across its 20 tracks, Ill Communication showcases the group’s knack for combining diverse elements into something cohesive and entirely their own. The album’s eclectic sound is matched by the Beastie Boys' signature blend of humour and social commentary, making it both fun and thought-provoking. While Ill Communication is rooted in the alternative ‘90s culture, its bold mix of styles has kept it feeling timeless. It’s not just an album, it’s a statement on musical experimentation, proving the Beastie Boys’ refusal to be confined to a single genre. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 10 STAND OUT TRACK - Sure Shot
10/10 This blend of genres is amazing.
One of the absolute best. I think your favorite BB album depends on when you were born. This one is right in the sweet spot for me. I remember seeing the music video for Sabotage in a Hard Rock Cafe on the 6th grade trip to Toronto. I was hooked. This album showcases everything that’s great about the Beasties and with hip hop, including the overlap with punk rock (which often gets overlooked historically). Such an important album and a total blast.
Im on record about how much i love the beastie boys, but jow their output is inconsistent. However i think this is their high water mark. Sure shot and sabotage are god tier and there is a lot less filler than in other albums.
Egyik kedvenc albumom! Zseniális átívelés a stílusok közt.
i was pleasantly surprised to learn that the short tracks people tend to ignore and rate lower over the vocal ones have a chance of being one of two things: 1. an incredibly accurate 70's funk pastiche that doesn't feel porn groovy in the slightest, or; 2. a sorta funny punk song that is over in like a minute. maybe i won't be coming back to heart attack man, but i don't think it was a track meant to be returned to. a stumble, but in no way a fall or penalty. of course, hip hop is the main focus of the album, and songs like "Sure Shot" and "Get It Together" are proof positive it was the right choice. production's incredible, the tradeoffs and lyrics are great (maybe they're not the most serious, but they're very fun turns of phrase), and of course "Sabotage" exists and its presence on the record guarantees i can't hate it. this whole thing feels like the group flexing what they can do, in regards to both their talent and eclecticism. maybe that doesn't work for everyone, but it sure works for me -- they got weird with it and survived! and had a charting rock song from it! boundless respect.
Love it
A great crossover hip-hop album.
not really my style, but it's fun so why not
This is easily their best album. This is where their sound matured. 10 Millones/5
Sure Shot and Sabotage worth another listen
We’ve already pulled Paul’s Boutique, and to me this album gaps that one. PB was interesting and vivacious, but the thoughtfulness and experimentation pays off in spades for Ill Communication; Bodhisattva Vow is a good example of that willingness to experiment yielding a wonderful change in dynamics. No longer is everything shouted loudly and over pronounced. This album feels like watching a former frat boy, now in his late 20’s, start to shed his old ways, reaching for a more meaningful lifestyle
Nice, and great throwback to the '90s Sabotage is a classic to rival all classic songs. The rest, is okay.
I actually liked this record better than Licensed to Ill. And I'm sure I'd have loved it in my teens. But it's not for me, now.
Way more than a hip hop record. So eclectic, still sounds great today
Oh my god it’s a mirage the beastie boys have never been good
3☆/5 09.01.2024
My favorite Beastie Boys album! This was the CD in my car stereo on repeat for 1994. Truly a classic and such a variety of musical styles; so many great tracks. Favorites: Sabotage, Root Down, Sure Shot, Get it Together, Flute Loop, Heart Attack Man, Tough Guy. 4.5⭐️
oh my God that's the funky shit
Well, this is some cool old-school punk. Famous "Sabotage" is on here as well.
Good stuff from later in their career and they hit some different genres in there as well.
Yeah it’s good. Songs are fun, and beats are cool.
I have never been a fan of Beastie Boys but this album delivered. Great musical creativity, originality, and it was very versatile. Super entertaining, great album, I should give some more beastie boys albums a listen
found myself enjoying this album much more than license to ill. the eclectic production really pulled me in, didn’t expect so many instrumental songs but i can’t say i was mad about it. damn good album
this album is like a best friend to me
Banger
Defining album for my part of the generation
Excited about this one! Was as good as expected.
I feel like I need to give this one another spin or two, but my first thought is 3.5/5
Good thing the Beastie Boys weren’t a thing when I was in college because I would have been really fucking annoying about it
Temo che l’infatuazione coi Beastie Boys si sia conclusa. Che peccato
This is a mad masterpiece.
4.5 This started out as a 3 for me but grew as the album went on. I probably like the instrumentals the best. I was worried a whole hour of their voices would grate; but thankfully lots of instrumentals. And quite experimental
i wasn't a big fan of the last beastie boys album we listened to - i thought the novelty wore off very quickly and felt fatigued by their collective yelling - but i actually liked this one! musically diverse and full of surprising choices. i especially liked the instrumentals, which maybe sounds insulting, but it isn't meant to be. i just thought they were an interesting and enjoyable choice :)
pretty good album here, maybe my favorite of the BBs albums I've heard from this list so far. i didn't know anything from this other than sabotage (of course) though flute loop felt familiar so maybe i'd heard that too. i love the samples and genre-bending music that the BBs make but the instrumentals here are second-to-none. in fact, listening to this made me realize that the biggest thing i don't care for when listening to their music is the white boy rap vocals. the boys themselves are simply too beastie for me. favorites: sure shot, sabotage, get it together, futterman's rule, flute loop, ricky's theme
I would say that my opinion of the Beastie Boys was somewhat negative going into this. The extent of my familiarity was some singles, their feature in futurama, and I knew that they were all white. At the beginning I didn't like this. It took a little for the project of the group to make sense to me. I think it was around Sabotage which I immediately recognized from this great youtube video of a guy recreating the skateboarding scene in family guy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=4oS6ooRxZY0&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bing.com%2F&embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bing.com&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY When it got to the song with Q-tip I was pretty impressed. This album explores a wide range of sounds and the boys showcase their versatility and production skills. What impressed me most is the white space on this album. lots of space for the tracks to play on their own without the Beastie boys feeling they need to interject. This project is a space for the group to experiment and try things without it feeling messy. Some of the lofi stuff is really out there and not something that I realized that the beastie boys were interested in. I was pleasantly suprised by this album, I didn't expect the depth and experimentation that we got here.
This album is a lot more refined than Paul’s Boutique which is good in an easier to listen to sense. The best songs on here are the ones with crisp or unique samples - Sure Shot, Root Down, Sabatoge, Sabrosa my fave of the instrumentals) etc. I don’t think there are any particularly hidden gems on here. The rapping hasn’t really evolved; in fact I think it may be more basic to introduce more melody to the songs. One of my favorite parts of this album is MCA playing bass. Some of the lines are so slick and using a standup bass is next level. Making your own sample is great work in general, for all the tracks where the instruments are original. I think that’s what makes this album a move forward in many respects. In general the beastie boys were in their own space between genres and I think this album was the first sign that they’d keep doing that for a while. I would rate this a 5 but I got sick of a few tracks that went on too long, and the punk tracks were not great, so 4 it is. I really loved the instrumentals (even the throat singing one), they weren’t long enough!
🖤🖤🖤😘🥰🔥🤘🏻
Quite good, but very disjointed. The hardcore tracks suck, but the jammier rockier songs fuck 😎. Also too long doe 🤷. Sabotage is a classic tho. 🤘 4/5
How many god damn beastie boys albums are they gonna put on this list
has sabotage on it
One of my favorite Beastie albums! Surprisingly I don’t own this one so I will definitely have to revisit.
Still excellent - hadn’t heard this in a while and it holds up surprisingly well.
I listened to this album, a whole lot when it came out and love it every time I hear it.
Fav: Sabotage Least Fav: Eugene’s Lament
Check Your Head was the more ground-breaking album.
About twize as large as an album should be. This might have been influencial, but SHOULD it have been? I'm not sure.
Isn't as good as their other one.
蘸豆！爽！
Thoughts before listening: One of the best albums from one of my favorite bands. This one doesn't get the praise like Paul's Boutique, and I personally prefer Check Your Head, but ultimately this was the Beastie Boys album that first introduced me to the band. "Sabotage" was a monster song for me and as whole this was a monster album in the 90s. Review: I love the varying styles that the Beastie Boys employ. Sure they are a hip hop group, but there's also punk rock, alternative, and jazz songs on this album. The Beastie Boys had a lot of swagger that really translated through their songs, and I have always loved how playful they are, with each member taking on a distinct voice and personality that they carry through all their albums. There are so many parts of these songs that have stuck in my head for 30 years now that I regularly reference as an adult....in fact I can still to this day recite all of "Get it Together", including changing my voice to match whoever is rapping each line, even Q-Tip's parts. Best songs here are "Sure Shot", "B-Boys Makin With the Freak Freak", "Root Down", "Sabotage", and "Get it Together". 5-stars
Pretty much the culmination of an incredible four album run.
Gear: DCA ÆON 2 Noire Artwork: 📻😎🚗 Mix: 🧨🔊💎 Musik: 🤘🧷📢🥸🎶🔥🌶️ Wertung: 🥸🥸🥸🥸(🥸)/5
They're not great rappers and their voices are annoying, but this album is outstanding
I've always loved the hits, but I'd never put on a full Beastie Boys record until getting Paul's Boutique not so long ago. I was floored. It was such an easy 5 stars. I listened to Ill Communication for the first time a few weeks ago, but I was more than happy to listen again today. Another easy 5. As I did with PB, I found a video on YouTube with clips of each sample used followed by how they were used in each song. Now I know that the dog you hear on the first track is saying "I love you" and, as a dog person, I am charmed. This album features Tibetan monks, jazzy flutes, noisy guitar, groovy bass riffs, haunting violins, and so much more while being a cohesive body of work. I dig the length of the album. It held my attention for every second, keeping me surprised with each new element woven in so seamlessly. Also, I love the Q-Tip feat. His voice is so hypnotic.
A surprisingly musically diverse album that still remains coherent. There's a lot of distortion on some of the vocals, but it's still very distinctively Beastie Boys. There's hip hop, jazz, world music influences as well as rap-rock before nu-metal came along and made that a dirty word. There's still a few bits of frat boy humour, but the whole thing is a lot more mature than Fight For Your Right era Beasties. I liked this a lot.
This was fine, but I didn't hear anything here that would bring it above 3 stars.
Sabotage has been on my favorites list for a while, but I haven't listened to the whole album. I'd give it a 3.5, but I'll round it up to a 4.
Slept on by way too many
Whomever wrote the book this is drawing from has a real thing for Brooklyn. This is the *third* Beasties album that I've pulled so far. Not that I'm complaining. It's good shit. The boys play a lot of their own instruments on these tracks -- so it's got a more organic sound than the sample-heavy first few. They still flow like few others. They really found their sound here. Unexpected bangers: Bodhisattva Vow, Flute Loop, Get It Together
Took me a few listens to get my head around it. This is much more than just a rap album
Some solid tracks, some that sounded more like filler. I expected some more energy but overall it was solid. A 3.5 but not a 4 for me.
brabo
Just all sounds the same…I do like Sabotage though.
Good example of something I never would have listened to without this, maybe this isn’t a futile task after all
Did you ever eat a bag of party mix? This album is the musical equivalent. Random pieces that don't seem to go together but as a whole are amazing.
4.5/5. I watched a pretty funny tik tok today with Sabotage in the background so this is fate. I’m just so impressed that three white middle class kids from New York had such a big impact on hip hop while maintaining their punk DIY aesthetic. The music video for Sabotage is decade defining fun and mayhem.
White people ass hip hop.
Sure Shot 3.7 Tough Guy 3 B-Boys Makin' with the Freak Freak 3.1 Bobo on the Corner 3.1 Root Down 3.4 Sabatage 4.3 Get It Together 3.3 Sabrosa 3.6 The Update 3.4 Futterman's Rule 3.5 Alright Hear This 3.2 Eugene's Lament 3.4 Flute Loop 3.1 Do It 3.1 Ricky's Theme 3.5 Heart Attack Man 3.3 The Scoop 3.5 Shambala 3.4 Bodhisattva Vow 3.4 Transitions 3.3 Score: 3.38
Great sounds and a lot of versatility shown. I enjoyed the different styles and sounds, but from an album cohesion standpoint it was slightly disordered.
The Boys have their adolescent swagger in tact, but have added some really impressive musical sensibilities. Their instrumental tracks are more than just a beat! I have a whole new respect for them.
Who knew there were this many genres?
As loved and respected as the Beastie Boys are, they still maybe feel underrated. This album is incredible!!!! At 20 tracks, even I was thinking “hmm that’s a lot of Beastie Boys at once,” but honestly, there’s probably only seven or eight “traditional” Beastie Boys tracks. The rest is made up of experimental, instrumental tracks, which sound amazing and are an early indicator of where they’d end up in their career. They also throw some classic punk rock in there as well, and have a couple delightful features (Q Tip and BB goes down SO smooth). No complaints! This was a treat to listen to!
What a musical masterpiece. Really loved this one.
Perfect album. Not a bad song, in fact all just really good songs. Tough guy and heart attack man are both balls out rippers too.
Good album, but I still feel like I could take 5 songs off this album and put them in a playlist and be happy.
Albumi #1, 28.07.2024 Vanha tuttu albumi arpoutui ensimmäiseksi albumiksi. Hieno avaus.
Damn near a five just for that fuzz bass break into WhoooaaaaOOOOAAAAH on sabotage, arguably the only rap rock song that ever needed to exist. Cue some of the nutjobs on here whining about how a rap group from brooklyn, named the Beastie Boys,"yells too much." Jesus. Hits like Rod Carew. Interesting music, violin, tibetan chants, but not as fun or as cool as Paul's Boutique.
Niet echt de vibes
This the Beastie Boys best album. It could be a 5 if they got rid of all the B sides and saved them for a reissued box set. But it doesn’t get any better than “Sabotage” and “Get it together” back to back.
I was prepared for the aggressive white boy rap MC work done by the Beastie Boys, but I was not prepared for the beats, funk, grooves, and instrumentals on this album. I was always curious how the Beastie Boys fit into the Hip Hop story, or what the Hip Hop community thinks of them. Q-tips appearance on “Get it Together” answers that question. I enjoyed this way more than I expected to.
The album is 20 tracks long. It contains a handful of bangers, a couple songs that are just punk noise and a more-than-comfortable amount of pretentious instrumental tracks. I do enjoy the Beastie Boys in small serving sizes… they were driving me nuts by the end of the album! (maybe they were daring the listener to finish the album?!?) High 2 (saved from a 1 by that handful of bangers)
maybe i'll come back to this album later and regret this rating but for now i just don't get it
This album is filled with many good tracks, including some fours into other musical styles however, the album feels over stuffed, and some of those explorations are not as fruitful or interesting.
3/5 - I like if for the nostalgia, but too much of the same for me when listening to the full album. I love the songs individually.
Die Beats sind schon sehr beeindruckend und ikonisch
Pretty cool, tho I involuntarily started going for a run when sabotage came on.
More punk rock energy than you might expect from a Beastie Boys album. Good but not my favorite of theirs
Objectively good, but not my thing (fantastic if you like 90s rap). A few quite good songs on there though.
Not my cuppa tea But some nice instrumental songs
Solid classic
Interesting beat choices/instrumental stuff are the only thing holding the vocals and lyrics from leaping headfirst into a 1 star rating. Barely 2/5
Great musicians, great producers, great rappers and overall just a super fun group. Some absolutely classics on here and some solid instrumentals sprinkled throughout. Super eclectic.
You couldn't have turned on MTV for more than 5 minutes in 1994 before you were bombarded by the video "Sabotage," which was EVERYWHERE and seemed to air at least twice an hour for 18 hours a day during the summer of 1994. My graduating year from high school was inundated with the sounds of this as well as Soundgarden's "Blackhole Sun," Aerosmith's "Crazy," Beck's "Loser," Collective Soul's "Shine," and Warren G's "Regulate," among many many others. It's difficult to remove the nostalgia from music, and while I never dedicated much time to listen to the Beastie Boys when this was first released, this album was pretty incredible.
Just a great album through and through. I love the beasties playing their own instruments and there are just masterful sound drops throughout. It also hits my nostalgia card since I had this on repeat for a long time in the 90's
First listen Saved 10/20 Top track: Sabotage
You know I never really got the beastie boys. Then I listened to this album and I get them now. Great album, my infant enjoyed it. 4/5 stars
Мои мальчики
Just not my cup of tea
3.5
Good vibes, fun. Some odd songs that weren't quite my jam.
buh. I have nothing with the Beastie Boys.
19/07 Degelijk album. Niet hun beste, maar toch zeker hun tweede beste. Sabotage was, is en blijft een banger. Zeker een 3-4 nummers hierop die in m'n playlist vliegen. De rest is niet slecht, maar nu ook niet super, wat dus bij Licensed to III wel het geval is, maar die zal ik wel nog tegenkomen. 3.6*
no
3.5 pretty good liked the variety wish there was more energy throughout like sabotage
little repetitive, but they were so ahead of the times.
Life's too short.
The one where the Beasties refined the multifaceted formula found for previous LP *Check Your Head*: a joyous, unpredictable mix of organic-sounding old school hip hop bangers, a fistful of punk rock scorchers, and an small avalanche of jazzy instrumentals, with an incredible atmosphere to them. All of this with most of the instrumentation played live, minus some memorable samples and loops here and there (including two flute earworms on two pivotal tracks). The hip hop bangers include "Root Down", "Sure Shot" and "Alright Hear This", with the cream on the rap cake being the extraordinary "Get It Together", featuring the great Q-Tip on an hypnotic minimalistic instrumental that would indeed have felt at home on a A Tribe Called Quest record ; the punk-rock tracks are led by "Sabotage", probably the Beastie Boys' most recognizable hit from that era of their discography (with a hilarious video to boot) ; "Tough Guy" and "Heart Attack Man" hearken back to the trio's hardcore punk beginnings in a fresh and tongue-in-cheek fashion ; and most of the jazz, funk, and funk-rock instrumentals are pitch-perfect, as laid-back as they are sophisticated : melodic, double-bass laden "Ricky's Theme" is my favourite among them, but "Sabrosa", closer "Transitions" and "Futterman's Rule" are exceptional as well (the latter was the opening titles track for a local radio show I was a part of decades ago so I might be biased here, but listening to it again, I can't help thinking that picking that cut for that use was a pretty good choice). Oh, and the Tibetan diphonic chants and traditional temple music used for "Shambala" and "Bodhisattva Vow", conveying the Beasties' interest for Buddhism at the time (and their militancy around the political status of Tibet), also give a very distinct and idiosyncratic mood to the tail end of this awesome record. With *Paul's Boutique*, the Beastie Boys had already released a sort of "Sgt. Pepper" for hip hop at large. But what no one could have predicted in 1989 is that they would accomplish that feat again and again for their subsequent LPs, using live instrumentation that the boys would perform themselves, belying their early reputation of being mere jokesters and a music business hoax once and for all (here helped by Mario Caldato Jr., Money Mark, Eric Bobo or Avery Smith). Plus, when it comes to their rapping skills, MCA, ADRock and Mike D were still at the top of their game, with a lot of memorable one-liners. The result of this combination is an album that's fun and varied, and that feels spontaneous and highly ambitious at the same time. A very rare mix. 5/5 Number of albums left to review: 133 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 374 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 221 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 279
Fantastic rhymes and even better music. Blessed to blast this on my stereo today. Discovered some jams I wasn’t as familiar with.
mid as fuck
I love the Beastie Boys, but this album was very repetitive. It started out really strong, but by halfway through I was ready to be done with it. I’d like to rate this a 2.7. Since I can’t, I’ll just give them the benefit of the doubt and round up to a 3. Sabotage, sure shot, and b-boys makin with the freak freak were my favorites on this one.
Nein, das hat mit Musik nichts zu tun.
Stone cold classic! Will never not be 5 stars. Perfect blend of original 90s hip hop and punk, essential to any collection.
Days after listening to Paul's boutique , this I'd say has better verses , lesser noise and better arrangement . Songs are also a bit longer . But Paul's Boutique was better in samples and the beats used . It is unfair to compare 2 separate records but this just came as an afterthought. Favorite song has to be the Q-Tip's feature .
Pretty good, not as cohesive as Paul's Botique but they were adventurous with it and when it hits it hits
Not a very attentive listen but was nice
Cool stuff. I was not expecting so much jazz.
"Sabotage" is good, but I can't tell you a single thing that happened in this album other than that and the Q-Tip song. Hard to get the Beastie Boys if you never grew up with them, I guess.
At least they stopped saying their names so much. Don’t live the mixing in some parts but also contains some classics.
Love the singles, will come back to this
No. 214/1001 Sure Shot 3/5 Tough Guy 2/5 B-Boys 2/5 Bobo On The Corner 2/5 Root Down 3/5 Sabotage 2/5 Get It Together 3/5 Sabrosa 3/5 The Update 2/5 Futterman's Rule 3/5 Alright Hear This 2/5 Eugene's Lament 2/5 Flute Loop 3/5 Do It 3/5 Ricky'sTheme 3/5 Heart Attack Man 2/5 The Scoop 2/5 Shambala 2/5 Bodhisattva Vow 2/5 Transitions 3/5 Average: 2,45 I get that this was innovative & cutting edge, but I just didn't enjoy that.
Wow! Hip Hop/ Rap is really not my thing but I thoroughly enjoyed this. Sprinkling the instrumental sections between the actual raps is brilliant. Will definitely listen to this again. Apple Music rating system was 4.6/5. I have rounded it up.
After Licensed to Ill, this is my second favorite Beastie album.
Rebel
First time I've ever listened to this whole album, and honestly, I dig it! Sabotage is obviously the high point, but overall I thought it was good.
Cool funky jazz undertones throughout, fused with hip hop, funk, punk, rock, middle eastern tones, and even Tibetan throat chanting. Bold exploration and mixing of genres and varied instrumentation (hip hop rapping over a FLUTE, for chrissakes!) like no other album I've ever heard. Love it all, but favorite tracks (in order in which they appear) are Sure Shot, Sabotage, Sabrosa, Flute Loop, Shambala, and Boddhisattva Vow. Truly remarkable!
I really dig this version of Beastie Boys Gilles with musical experiments. Still too much filler.
You never know what to expect when Beastie Boys arrive - you only know that it’ll be good. There’s simply no denying the greatness of BB’s innovative mix of sampling, raunchy vocals, live punk instrumentation and insane attitude. They start to lose grip of the record around “Eugene’s Lament” but luckily they regain it with “Heart Attack Man” and keep on delivering for the rest of Ill Communication.
Sure Shot, Root Down and Sabotage. Say no more 4/5
When the highlights are the cameos and the instrumentals...
Ugh, this is another one I want to like more than I actually do. The Sabotage video is genius and Sure Shot is great but the rest bores me a bit. Disappointing
One of the best
This album has a few all-timers on it, but struggles to find itself. They seem lost themselves on what they are even trying to do. If they cut half the filler on this album it has a chance to be a 5 star album, but it's so lost in trying to do a little of everything it falls short. Without Sure Shot, Sabotage, and Flute Loop this is a 2 or 3, but these song push it to a 4/5.
1. 4,5 2. 3 3. 3,5 4. 2,5 5. 5. 6. 4,5 7. 4,5 8. 4 9. 3,5 10. 3 11. 4 12. 3 13. 3 14. 4 15. 4 16. 4 17. 4 18. 3,5 19. 4,5 20. 4
More variety than I remembered. All so good
Super fun album once again from the Beastie Boys, with a quite few different flairs to show off their musical range. My only complaint is that the album does drag on a bit, but this is a really great display of a really talented group. Favorite track: Sabotage
This is a fun CD. All the songs are short and they kind of flow into each other, with a very live-album feel. So it sort-of functions like an overgrown suite, similar to Smiley Smile or something like it. That makes it a really easy listen, and feel shorter than the one-hour runtime. That said, it's not earth-shattering. The virtuosity is pretty limited (almost intentionally so on the most well-known track, "Sabotage). They're a rap band, but the best actual rap is done by the guy on "Get It Together", who's probably not in the band (he doesn't appear on any other track). And while the CD functions well as a cohesive whole, there really aren't any highlights or clear peaks. That's OK.
Loved some of the songs but overall found the sampling a bit too much at times.
Overrated east-coast twits with nary a decent nor useful thought between the lot. Smoke this rubbish, and pay the boys their money.
Sabotage
Wow, this was not what I was expecting at all from the Beastie Boys. This was so much more musical and harmonious than anything I've heard from them. Before listening to this album, Sabotage was the most "musical" song I've ever heard from them, and that's probably the _least_ musical track on this album. So much cool and deep stuff in here, from a musical perspective. Some songs didn't even have any rapping! I didn't realize that they even did that. Overall, it was very good, and will probably relisten at some point, but it didn't blow my skirts up enough to relisten immediately. Four solid stars.
Tough guys: very 80s punk This album has a bit of every feeling. Must buy for me.
It’s possible that I haven’t given the Beastie Boys a fair shake, but this was much more sophisticated than I was thinking! Nice mix with different undercurrents of jazz, funk, punk, rock… not sure I would normally spin this all the way through, but once again that’s what I like about this 1001 challenge. Only knew ‘Sabotage’ but coming away with some new appreciation. 4.25/5
While not a bad album, Ill Communication pales in comparison to Licensed to Ill and Paul's Boutique.
Rick Rubin: How many megaphones did you say you need for your new album? Beastie Boys: ALL OF THEM!
Solid album, didn't finish it lol. But I liked the first half that I did. Nothing mind blowing for me though
I can't believe I haven't heard of this before.
This album is brought down in my mind by the several instrumental interludes that feel like they are half of the album. I think that if you remove some of them this album gets a lot stronger.
It's not beasties boy's best album, but man is it some good hip-hop.
dope beats. cant go on a walk today so using it as workout music. does the job
3.5 - they are just fun. Some of this album is a little bit much though
Definitely better than the other BB album. Fave Tracks: Sabotage, Get It Together, The Update, Flute Loop 3.3/5
Was expecting not to like this but it’s bangin
Enjoyed. Love old school hip hop
Fantastic. Not as groundbreaking as Paul's Boutique or as varied and jam packed as Hello Nasty, but this one to me seems to mark the point where the Beastie Boys "matured". Sweet jam band interludes, a couple of punk songs, and Sabotage! What's not to like?
Groan, not for me. The best listen was Get it Together and it was Q Tips part not the actual group. Idk their vocals are just so nasally. Not my vibe
This album is brought down in my mind by the several instrumental interludes that feel like they are half of the album. I think that if you remove some of them this album gets a lot stronger.
Straight-up classic that opened my world to hip hop and hardcore punk at the same time. This is still a pure joy to listen to after all these years. From a style and theme perspective the Boys retain their humour, but they have matured. The misogyny of earlier albums is gone and straightened up in the opening song of the record, and have their first attempts of including Tibetan musical themes. They are facing the impossible task to blend all their influences, and somehow they do it. It's messy, often ridiculous in its scope, noisy and brash and obnoxious. You love it or hate it, but it's hard to remain indifferent. For me, it is one of these records that have shaped my identity and told me I did not always have to choose between what to love and what to do. It showed me you could be several things at once, and still have integrity and soul.
HipHop, Rap, Punk, 1994 -> 1
Cracking album. Sabotage is my all time favourite Beastie Boys tracks.
Hard to stay unbiased here. I was 11yo when I first heard So Watchu Want amd was immediately hooked. Waited two long years for this record and was mind blown at the consistent evolution of this bands music. I appreciated them returning briefly to thier punk roots while simultaneously tapping jazz and soul influences only hinted at on previous efforts. I may get push back but I feel this was they're artistic peak, although I selfishly enjoy Hello Nasty in the same vain.
Sabotage is one of my favorite tracks ever. The rest of this album I just don't get. Feels disconnected from itself.
Although not a fan, the acid jazz portions I found quite good and the style is interesting.
Totalement inconnu. Dans l'ensemble les morceaux sont plutôt variés. Individuellement chaque morceau est par contre souvent très répétitif et parait trééés long. Et je ne suis pas fan de ce type de chant. Quelques bonnes surprises (+1) : Tough Guy, Heart Attack Man : rock/punk dynamique et ... court Sabrosa : instrumental inattendu Futterman's Rule : instrumental Eugene's Lament : violon et ... instrumental Qui m'ont donné envie de continuer l'écoute, mais pas suffisamment pour dépasser 2/5.
10/10 vibes
Sure Shot - 4 Tough Guy - 3.5 B-Boys Makin - 3 Bobo on the Corner - 3 Root Down - 3 Sabotage - 5 Get it Together - 3 Sabrosa - 4 The Update - 3.5 Futtermans' Rule - 3.5 Alright Hear This - 3.5 Eugene's Lament - 3 Flute Loop - 4 Do It - 3.5 Ricky's Theme - 3 Heart Attack Man - 2.5 The Scoop - 3.5 Shambala - 2.5 Bodhisattva Vow - 3 Transitions - 3.5 All over the board. Safely landing in 3 overall.
06/25/24 S Tier—————————5 A Tier—————————4 Sure Shot Alright Here This Flute Loop B Tier—————————3 Sabotage The Update Eugene’s Lament Futterman’s Rule Sabrosa Ricky’s Theme Do It The Scoop C Tier—————————2 Get It Together Shambala Bobo On The Corner Root Down Transitions Heart Attack Man Bodhisattva Vow Tough Guy D Tier—————————1
Ill Communication by The Beastie Boys Tuesday 6/25/24 9:57 S Tier————————— Sabotage A Tier————————— Sure Shot Bobo On The Corner B Tier————————— The Update Root Down Flute Loop Transitions Futterman’s Rule Eugene’s Lament Ricky’s Theme Sabrosa The Scoop Alright Hear This Bodhisattva Shambala Do It Get It Together B Boys C Tier————————— Heart Attack Man Tough Guy
Great, with some musical interludes.
Legendary
Double Great
Flew by and a lot of fun to listen to
I used to think I loved Beastie Boys but I just liked the odd song and this proves it. Sabotage is great! Everything else is okay. Actually Sabrosa fucking rules too.
Quite possibly their best album in terms of live instrumentals. Does it reach the highs of Hello Nasty? No but I think it’s my second fav Beastie Boys album
På den ene side har den nogen af deres største bangers, på den anden side er den for lang og jam agtig mod slutningen
Good time! Altså det er lidt noget rod, men det er sgu fed!
Vanvittigt alsidigt. Sabotage er den beastie boys sang jeg har hørt absolut mest, så blev glad da den kom på! Solid plade, som helt sikkert fortjener genlyt og fordybelse.
1/20, 5%
Illmaculate vibes scratching all kindsa itches.
I love the Beastie Boys. I have Hello Nasty on CD and I've listened to most of their other albums, but some, including this one, I need to give a deeper listen to. I'm only super familiar with "Sabotage" which is a total classic. In the 90s, the boys started recording as more of a band with live instruments, as opposed to a hip-hop group using samplers, drum machines, etc. So like the follow-up Hello Nasty, this album has a more of a diverse set of influences and sounds, which I enjoy. Light 5
I see what they were going for and this is clearly iconic but it feels very dated and stuck in the late 80s/ early 90s. Not bad, just not timeless like some others on this list.
A perfect blend of punk, hip hop, and funk in NYC during the late 80s
This is an AWESOME album and just what I needed to put some 'pep in my step' this weekend! Listen all y'all, it's a sabotage
Peak Beastie Boys - my favourite album of theirs! I particularly love the instrumental tracks. I bought this album in about '98 and listened to it non-stop for years, and its still on fairly high rotation! Its so good Fave tracks: Flute loop, Get it together, Sure Shot
Not as good as License to Ill, but still pretty decent.
Beastie Boys show here how versatile they can be. Their best album
I love their production. The writing is sort of whatever in my eyes, it isn’t really the point. More of a vibes group. Really fun and high energy when it wants to be, but even the slow tracks have a nice bounce to them.
I used to think "Hello Nasty" was the Beastie's best, but I think "Ill Communication" might actually be a little tiny bit better. While it lacks "Hello Nasty's" blockbuster tunes, it's also more direct and raw while maintaining a similar level of playfulness. "Heart Attack Man" is a bit mean though.
🎧good hip hop
I got my hair cut correct like Anthony Mason….these guys are the best.
perfect
This is the Beasties album that won me over to them. Less schtick and more substance.
I never realized how heavily edited these tracks are. It's not a bad thing: the album plays with reverb and static and other effects, which really adds to the attitude. It's very common for songs to do this in 2024, but having so much fuzz so ahead of the game is respectable.
Good music, a lot more range than you might give them credit for if you only knew the big hits.
I'm not a huge beastie boy fan, but I do like a couple songs, and most of those happen to be on this album, and most of them start with S. I appreciate the hustle they do and am kind of in awe at how they get their product to look like not a lot of effort went into it. If you told me they didn't try very hard and still put this out, that would also be impressive. Favorite track "Sabotage" 3/5
A bit less loud and shouty, I enjoyed this a bit more than the previvous Beastie Boys albums. Still not my favourite, but a bit better.
he like ma bell
Didn’t realize how jazzy beastie boys went. Thoroughly enjoyed it
I dig it. This might be my favorite Beastie Boys album.
Not the beastie boys album to have on such a list. 90s hip hop 4eva I guess
Ah, I knew the cover, not the album. 15 seconds in and I know this 5 stars. Nuf' said. P.S. the cover is enticing: oh those greedy fat fingers holding a speaker, looking at a menu where the $1 green salad is more expensive than any desserts. No wonder every song is explicit. Its time to question, to rise up, beacause the price of freeedon, as Lisa woudl say, is eternal vigilance to whatever may undrmine democracy and Fascism sure will ... and so stick it in the mash.
I think I may have mentioned it before, but Root Down, the last single released off this album, was incredibly significant in my household - I can still remember my kids running amok in the house doing the call & response bit from that track - How ya gonna kick it? Gonna kick it root down - this was when I knew they were onto hip-hop, &, for the two of them there’s been no turning back. It is the highlight of this album, for me, but there is a mile of good music here. They can punk it up, as in Tough Guy & Heart Attack Man. There are a bunch of great instrumentals - the very funky Sabrosa; Futterman’s Rule; the violin-based Eugene’s Lament; Ricky’s Theme & Shambala. All very different to each other. Q-Tip’s guest spot on Get It Together & Biz Markie’s piece on Do It both work well. Although, besides Root Down, the highlight for me is Sabotage, which was the first single off the album & features a great film-clip. A terrific record.
A brief history of my ongoing relationship with the Beastie Boys. I was right in the zone for Licensed To Ill to act as a gateway drug to hip hop. I was a 16 year old suburban white boy in Australia when it burst onto the radio. Licensed to Ill was fronted by white boys and sufficiently rock and roll to be palatable to musically conservative Australia radio and record companies, making this one of the first easily available hit rap album in this part of the world. Within a year, I was devouring pretty much whatever I could lay my hands on (which was not a lot). Paul's Boutique just flopped on release. Triple J played a few tracks, but it was just too strange and funky for the same kind of mainstream appeal. I picked it up on vinyl not long after release from a cut-out bin at Central Station Records, with the 4ft long double gatefold fold out sleeve. And I played it to death. And then in 92, Check Your Head came out. I was living in a grungy share house in Redfern and working in a grungy second-hand record store and playing in a barely competent band, so that album really spoke to where I was at in life. The Beastie Boys were playing their own instruments (which was a big innovation) and increasingly indulging in their hipster alternative posturing. And they are a lot of fun. I saw them touring Check Your Head at Selinas at the Coogee Bay Hotel in 1992, when they were playing their instruments, and they were awesome. When Ill Communication came out, we embraced it lovingly, because it didn't feel like a major departure from the Check Your Head approach, but maybe a bit better, leaning more into being a band. More instrumentals, maybe less hip hop and bit more funky lounge music. Not a radical change (like the previous few albums had been), but still damn great, and we played it a lot. And it had 'Sabotage' on it. 'Sabotage' is one of my all-time favourite songs, heightened by the awesomely bad video clip. No budget, cheesy, but funny and clearly a ton of fun to make, it summed the whole Beastie Boys aesthetic in four minutes. I could watch that video every day of the week. I also love their live appearances on Letterman and at the VMAs, dressed in those terrible suits, playing up a storm. As time goes by, I sometimes wonder whether the Beastie Boys were _really_ hip hop, or whether they were an alternative rock band who happened to rap. 'Sabotage' seals it for me; it's their masterpiece, their signature song, but it's clearly not a hip hop song. Of Ill Communication and Check Your Head, I prefer Check Your Head because of how fresh it was when it was released and how much I associate it is with that special time in my life. But I was talking to Hal, my 19 year old son, who has a different perspective. Pound for pound, Ill Communication is their better album. Check Your Head was a transition from wanting to be a real hip hop group (as they had been on Paul's Boutique) to becoming who they truly are. And they nailed it on Ill Communication. It's funky, it's funny, it's smart and stupid at the same time, it's energetic and laid back when it needs to be, and it knows how to get its groove on. And it has 'Sabotage'. What more could you want? Five stars.
S A B A T O G E
OK, this was actually pretty good. Their yelling/rapping didn't bother me as much as it had on other albums. Of the three Beastie Boys albums I have been served on here, this is the only one I would willingly listen to again; in fact I quite enjoyed a few of the songs. My favorites were "Sabotage" and "Flute Loop."
Ill Communication lacked the samples that Paul’s Boutique had but it brought more grittiness and even some Gregorian chants in the later stages of the album. Great album, Beastie Boys were pioneers and Ill Communication is an excellent capsule of the 90’s. 4 stars
I've been feeling miserable all day because I undervalued the Grant Lee Buffalo Album yesterday. Should have been four stars. Sorry to everyone involved.
Love the mash potato song.
Ég hef ekki verið mikið fyrir rapp en rokkskotið rapp er samt alveg eitthvað sem ég fíla alveg síðan Quarashi var og hét. Ég fílaði einmitt þessa plötu en mun samt líklegast aldrei setja hana á af sjálfsdáðum. Þetta er ekki eitthvað sem mér dettur í hug að hlusta á nema bara eitt og eitt lag. Samt gott stöff með góðum smellum.
Not my favourite from them but decent.
this is the third beastie boys album in 2weeks. it's still my bfs fav band so I have to like it.
Definitely surprising. I enjoyed how much more instrumental it was than I had anticipated - almost a jazz album. Really enjoyed it.
Brilliant!
Hip hop rock jazz funk. Te hace mover la cabeza. Al final se hace un poco pesado.
They’re best album. It takes elements of all that came before it an adds a maturity of content.
Far and away the best Beastie Boys project I've listened to. The Q-Tip feature was a pleasant surprise. Highlights: Sure Shot, Root Down, Sabotage, Get It Together, The Update, Futterman's Rule, The Scoop
I presume some people must've like this stuff. But I'm not one of them. It's not offensive per se, just has no particular music value. 1/5
Hard to really separate this from Paul’s Boutique, both records slapped and are easy 5s.
idk how to rate this. i liked how many genres there were how many sounds they tried out it was conceptually so sound but i think on a deeper level i just do not gaf about the beastie boys.
I thouht this was pet shop boys and was pretty surprised by the genre lol. Shocking amount of what sounds like jazz flute. I enjoyed the more relaxed interludes
Previously rated: License to Ill (5/5) ************************ First time hearing this one, so I don't have the same nostalgia. It has its moments - Root Down and Sabotage being my favorites. I wish the vocals didn't have that heavy distortion throughout the album though. I'd like to understand some of the lyrics. And why so many instrumentals? Honestly, I did really enjoy a couple of them.
Okay
Boh sì
Solid - a lot more variety than expected.
One of the best
Hyvä meininki levyssä. Aika rokahtava, kaksi ihan suoraa hardcore punkki kappalettakin. Instrumentaaleja myös. Vähän liikaa ehkä. Niin sanottuja "oikeita kappaleita" liian vähän. Parhaat: Sabotage, Root Down, Get It Together
- Was planning on going with 3 stars for the first half of the album, but the second half really won me over. - Not sure how complimented the Beastie Boys would be by this take, but I think the work they do on their backings far outshines their ability as rap artists. And, for this reason, a lot of the experimental/instrumental tracks truly stand out to me. "Sabrosa," "Shambala," "Transitions"...this is where I find myself most impressed. - That being said, "Sabotage" is "Sabotage" for a reason. Banger of a track.
THREE?! THREE FUCKING BEASTIE BOYS ALBUMS NOW?!!! First album I finally fully passed on, did not listen. FUCK THE BEASTIE BOYS.
later on in the beastie boys' discography, they eventually moved from simply guitar chugs and sound machines to smooth funky flipped breaks AND a live band. some of the hip hop beats are paired with fast thrash rock. it's still just as loud, in your face and WICKEDLY awesome.
Too many filler tracks to be more than 3 stars. Some absolute bangers though
Really fun. Sabotage is worth an entire star
90s New York. What a combustion chamber! Hip hop! Punk! Roots! A green salad bowl for a BUCK!
Eclectic, fun, clever and a very interesting album. I'm on the fence about the Beastie's, but you can't deny they made some great records, this is one of them. I can listen to this all day and I can't say that about most of their albums. It all came together with a crazy mix of all their influences and unique styling and it was this album that blew me away and made me realize they actually were seriously talented.
Ein av de bedre tingene 90-tallet hadde å by på
Not my style, but still ok
first time listen of this one, i enjoyed it alot though some of the songs started to sound the same
Who put hip-hop in my punk/funk/jazz/ambient rock album?
I didn’t use to be the biggest fan of The Beastie Boys (I used to skip them on Guitar Hero in my yoof). However, I have to admit I started liking them more when shortly after Rach and I started dating, Sabotage came on in a nightclub and like a hellohound she started howling, “IIII CAN’T STAND IT! I KNOW YOU PLANNED IT!” Since then, their shouty rapping has made me feel a little warmer inside. Anyway, yeah, I really quite enjoyed this album, whereas once upon a time I probably wouldn’t have.
4.25
Good blend of rapping and heavy metal sensibilities.
solid 4, great album, just did not shake me personally
So awful
I had forgotten how cool this album is. Old school hip hop with bits of NYHC, even bossa! Really enjoyed it!
I forgot to REVIEW THIS and what do you KNOW here these BOYS have slightly altered their FLOW but it's not ENOUGH to make me CARE wanted 3 stars? you're still NOT THERE music: hated. (⌐■_■)
There’s now two Beastie Boys albums I at least sorta like. This one not as much as Paul’s Boutique, but still a lot more than I expected.
It's just not my style, have really been trying to like beastie boys. But it just doesnt hit me
Not my genre, but some cool tracks here and there
Daayyyyyyummmn. So amazing. Hip hop, punk, funk, jazz?
Very solid front to back
This album is great! And then I checked the run time and there was still 20 minutes left and I was stranded on an instrumental. Too long. Tooooooo loooooong.
i went into this project never having listened to the beastie boys in full. this is my third beastie boys album and what i can say across the board is that my favorite part of their music is their production. this record is no exception, and may be my favorite of theirs from that standpoint. the production on this album is superb - it sounds so damn good. tracks like 'futterman's rule' are funky, groovy, and sound live and loose. just really cool stuff. my issue, like other beastie boys albums is that their vocals don't really do it for me at all. i would say at times they are grating and annoying to me. in fact - i think q-tip on 'get it together' is my favorite part of this record. the production is phenomenal, and i can't help but think if someone else was rapping on the entire rest of the record, it would be a slam dunk 5/5 for me. either way, i still enjoyed it well enough.
I don't know to honestly... Beastie Boys manages to make white guy rap cool with some energy, but still quite bland. 'Sabotage' is a really cool song, but had a hard time finding anything else that stood out. Gets pretty monotone after a while, but I've heard worse albums as well.
My favourite song by Beastie Boys "Sabotage" is on this record. This, combined with how much I liked "License to Ill" meant I was looking forward to listening to this record. However, I was a bit dissapointed. It often felt like i was listening to a bunch of instrumental samples. None of the samples stood out as particularly interesting. The vocals range from rock to jazzy to hip hop and were ok but again nothing grabbed me. When "Sabotage" came on I was as hyped as ever. It really is a great song. The rest of the album I can leave behind though.
Not as good as I remember it being from my teens, way overlong and the singles are hugely overplayed now. Should have cut the bad hardcore too
Awesome ground breaking stuff. Also vibes not for every situation
Good!
This album is so much fun. The samples, the instrumentality, the attitude. Peak 90s for me.
This is the best Beastie Boys album. And the Beastie Boys are one of the best bands to come out of the late 80s/early 90s. A rare example of dudes who got too famous too young and still managed to have a respectable career. After putting out one poorly-aged debut album (whose irony is STILL lost on the frat boys who don't realize the Beasties were making fun of them), they cranked out 3, 4, and 5 star albums until the untimely death of MCA. Say what you will about a trio of dorky white kids from privileged NYC upbringings trying to rap, but I think there's a strong argument that they weren't trying to be anything but who they were in the end (again, Licensed to Ill notwithstanding). They pulled it off, and managed to become a fantastic funk band in the meantime. I will never not love the Beastie Boys, and this is their masterpiece. RIP Yauch
Masterpiece
Better than the last Beastie Boys album since half of it is just beats and jams. It’s also got Sabotage which is the best song they have made. 6/10
Dull
I like Beastie Boys but this is eh for me- some hits some misses
Great mid-90’s beastie boys
Some good parts and ideas, but this is all over the place, and lacks cohesion. This is way too long for what feels like throwing things to a wall and see if it sticks.
Bangers upon bangers
6.7 on the Richter Scale
Really quite strange.
Absolutely loved everything on this album
Ja errrg vet, had hier ook nooit een heel album van geluisterd Wel erg veel geschreeuw af en toe maargoed hoort erbij
Beastie boys altijd classic legends, maar ik kan er gewoon net niet naar luisteren
Yoooooooooo Rauw luister hem later wel af, vond hem soms wel iets te intens
they were good
Well ahead of its time. A masterpiece of sorts.
ITS THE BEASTIE BOYS
This was not what I expected. I liked the jazzy instrumental tracks and the overall vibe of the album, but I'm not a fan of shouted distortion-heavy vocals. This is especially the case for rap, where it seems odd to choose a style which makes the lyrics difficult to understand
I love the first two Beastie Boys album, but somehow I missed this one and had sort of written them off on the basis of the material that came later, like Intergalactic. Looks like I'd missed a gem.
Love the Beastie Boys, this album was great Top tracks: Sabotage, Flute Loop
“Oh my God, that’s the funky shit!” 4.25
So today I learned I am not a Beastie Boys mega fan. I like their singles and radio releases but as a whole album...it's not my favorite. I must rate this 2 stars. My child of the 90's card has been revoked and is being returned to the appropriate authorities via snail mail.
There was a lot more punk and other styles represented here than I expected! The first 1/4 of the album almost pushed me away because the vocal distortions were so frustrating, however once they started cycling in instrumental tracks and I could settle in more just to the music, I was hooked. The second half is a 3.5, bits of the first are a 2. I want to come back to this again.
The Beastie Boys are very much hit-and-miss for me. Personally they get some bonus points for their inclusion in "Patriot" which remains one of the best TV shows of all time. That's enough to round this 2.5 up to a 3 for me. I liked a few of the songs on this album, but overall it was more miss than hit and probably deserves a 2.
There is just something in the voices of the boys that pushes me away. Not much of a fan, but they don't deserve 1 star.
Love it
I always generally favored Paul's Boutique up to this point, which is a gold standard album all on its own. But I'm really feeling this one today. You could arguably say either album is their best, but ultimately you're arguing apples to apples (the best freaking apples you've ever had). Ill Communication is the more musically focused and ambitious of the two albums. It's incredibly creative and eclectic, with a mix of more subtly rendered sampling and live instrumentation, to brilliant effect. They also lean in a bit on their punk roots, creating a musical lane for themselves that no one else really occupies. Smart and nuanced and front to back brilliant, no filler. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Sabotage, Sure Shot, Bodhisattva Vow, Flute Loop, Tough Guy, Get It Together, The Scoop, Transitions, Heart Attack Man, The Update, Eugene's Lament, Do It, Root Down, Alright Hear This, B-Boys Makin' with the Freak Freak, Futterman's Rule, Shambala, Sabrosa, Bobo on the Corner, Ricky's Theme
A classic!
Far far far better than License to Ill Still not amazing, it lasts too long, so you enjoy it for a bit, but it keeps going and going. It feels really uncool at times. They just arent my kind of group, the vocals can be cringey. The whole thing can be, but the first half is fairly decent. Lets say low 3 and we can all move on
Never been much of a fan of the Beastie Boys. They feel...messy, the sound is too dirty, too hyperactive for me. I don't know why they have to make their voice sound like they're far away from the mic. I guess I just don't like them. That's fine. For me, they're background music, something I would play in a bar or in a skate shop, just to have something playing to fill the deafening silence. Or maybe something I would play on a long car ride during the summer, because they feel somewhat "beachy"
The samples and styles are eclectic.
Great album of the time
come for sabotage, stay for shambala
Not my cup of tea
Very inspirational and a fun listen. Very solid all the way through. Instrumental moments gave me a jig pace to work with at work today 04-26-24.
This album was WAY better than License to Ill. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.
One of my favorites. I love the mix of instrumentals and hip hop, such a diverse and interesting record.