Ill Communication

Highly enjoyable album

Beastie boys are one of my favourite rap groups

"Sabotage was the biggest rock radio hit of the summer of 1994" Aber Licensed To Ill ist noch eine Party weiter vorne.

micket bra!

Probably my favorite Beastie album. The energy and fun they bring is always good but their production is great, even the instrumental tracks shine outright

There’s so much going on. Never all at once- but collectively, this album is doing a lot, and I’d argue doing it well. Several of the songs sound more like jazz than traditional Beastie- but somehow, when they layer their vocal tracks in, it just works. There’s a ton of talent and creativity represented here. It won’t be a regular go-to for me, but I’d listen again. I’ll skip that throat singing song though. Too much. 4.0.

Fun album. Great mix of genres. Not quite as sustained as their other albums, but definitely a solid 4.5 / 5.

Y'all y'all it's a SABOTAGE!

By and far my most listened to Beastie Boys album. While I love Paul's Boutique and Check Your Head, this album takes the boys for a delightfully funky spin. Like all Beastie albums, however, this album errs toward the eclectic, which can be a off putting if you're not expecting it. Album starts on a ripper with Sure Shot. Love the flute track and dusty drum shuffle. All three members give great service. Can't help but bob along whenever this one comes on. Tough Guy is a hardcore punk interlude that pulls the rug right out of the groove that Sure Shot just established. B-Boys Makin' With the Freak Freak is a ridiculous song title, broken out into no less than three beat flips and the same compressed vocals they employed on Check Your Head. The whole thing feels like a trip, especially the bleating goat sample that they segue out of the track and into Bobo On The Corner with. Root Down pulls back out the funky groove rooted around a meaty bassline and dusty drums. No question that Sabotage is the best song on this record, and yet it stands completely out of place. Like I'm so glad they pressed it, but relative to everything before and after it stands alone. As some stranger on the internet once said "I dare anyone to put this on in their car and drive the speed limit." Once that's out of the system its back into the dusty funk of the preceeding segment. This time they pull out Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest fame, who puts in a set of slick guess verses. Feels like they crafted this song around him and it really makes for a great contrast with their crass deliveries. Eugene's Lament is a great atmospheric instrumental track. Love the violin work on it. Flute Loop taps back into the funky flute of Sure Shot, but in a very different way. Much brighter and forward with the piano pairing. Lyrics are completely intelligible due to the compression, but I honestly couldn't care less. This is more about the atmosphere. I love this album, and will admit that it overstays its welcome and could have used some better editorial discretion. For that I give it a slight knock. If I could give partial scores, this would be a 4.75. But I round down. This is IMO the most approachable and straightforward fun Beastie Boys album they put out.

This albums awesome. Starts off so damn hype and mellows out. Sabotage is the only “hit” that I really know well, but it was so eclectic and funky/jazzy too. Get It Together with Q Tip was sick. So much bass too. Was looking around for Angus during Shambala. This flirted with a 5 for me. Really fucking loved it.

First BB album for me. Very impressed. Honestly expected gimmicks, but got meaty songs, sonic wormholes, and what felt like truly exuberant creations from people with a real zeal for musical forms. It held me the whole time, big 'single' type songs, great instrumental meditations, and the odd hardcore punk jam! Quite a feast.

First time listening to a Beastie Boys album and I actually enjoyed it. Some tracks felt like a lot of the same and felt like filler.

My introduction to this aggressive style of rapping and I absolutely loved it. Love the rocky guitars and unique production.

3.5/5

HL: "Sure Shot", "Sabotage", "Get it Together", "The Update/Futterman's Rule/Alright Hear This" Wow, the Beasties going back to their hardcore punk roots is easier on the ears than I expected. It's eclectic like Paul's Boutique, and the forays into Latin funk instrumentals, throat singing and heavy metal don't feel abrupt or messy. It's kind of hard to appreciate individual tracks based on the way they all mix into each other, but as a whole I quite enjoyed it. Strange how the lengthy instrumentals + distorted voices distanced me from the lyrics, though. Hopefully they didn't say anything profound or important past "Sabotage".

Lekkah

Bij dit album vloeien hardcore hip hop, punk rock en funk lekker door elkaar. Genres waar ik all drie wel van kan genieten, maar samenkomend klinkt het bij dit album nog beter. Sure Shot is een krachtige inkomer voor dit album. Die fluit is een geniaal gevonden sample van Howlin' for Judy van Jeremy Steig (wie kent 'm niet). Root Down heeft zo'n heerlijke vette bassline. De featuring van Q-Tip op Get it Together is prima, maar naar mijn oren niks bijzonders (helaas). Heart Attack Man is mijn persoonlijke fave. Song over een dikke vent. Na 1 minuut 20 begint het beste gedeelte. Hier had een heel nummer van gemaakt moeten worden. Het Run-DMC beatje (Sampletje van Sucker M.C's) doet het verdomd goed. Sidenote: Hoor ik de allereeste Deez Nuts in Do it?? Meme-historie is hier wellicht geschreven. Het meme-gehalte ligt ook aardig hoog bij het Mongolische/Buddhistische keelgezang op Shambala en Bodhisattva Vow. Had van mij nie gehoeven. Kortom: positief verrast door dit album. Nooit verder gekomen dan Sure Shot en Sabotage, een (klein) gemis. Highlights: Root Down, Sure Shot, Heart Attack Man Rating: 7/10

Beastie Boys are great. I figured Paul’s Boutique was the “seminal” album. I’m sure I know most of these songs. Well - I didn’t know most of the songs. I love this record. Awesome vibe, very cool to hear a couple of hardcore roots songs. Strong instrumentals. This is actually surprisingly close to a 5.

Some bangers

white jewish boys rapping about buddhism i love america god bless

#3 Beastie Boys - Ill Communication (1994) East Coast Hip Hop Funk, Jazz-Funk, Hardcore Punk, Instrumental Hip Hop, Experimental Hip Hop Not as good as Paul's Boutique... but I can see why someone would think otherwise. This is really different from what I'm familiar with for the Beastie Boys, the trio taking a backseat in the second half to make way for some pretty cool instrumental hip hop tracks. It's cool, but I doubt I'll be returning to it anytime soon. Favourite Track: Get It Together Least Favourite Track: Bobo on the Corner

hell yeah beastie boys

Really nice backing tracks

I really liked the funk and jazz instrumentals more than I thought I would. I even enjoyed the punk songs. It's eclecticism really works in it's favor because it helps to break up the monotony of the Beastie's sound.

I wouldn’t call myself a huge Beastie Boys fan. I’ve heard a handful of their songs and enjoyed some. This is the first time I’ve listened to one of their albums in full. I liked it! 4/5

Sounds like if Rage Against the Machine got sent to Lake Laogai

Has a couple of my favorite Beastie Boys songs, including my all time favorite Get it Together!! That being said, I think it’s slightly too long and I usually skip the instrumental songs when they pop up in my playlist. Therefore I’m leaning four instead of five.

I don't know if I've ever heard such a genre-spanning album before. Respect to the boys.

Classic stuff on here, but I've always thought I could do 3-4 BB songs in a row and that's about it.

Loving all of the sounds on this album. Every track is super unique and the grungy, lo-fi sound is great. The length and the experimentation meant this only really clicked for me after a second listen, but I'm glad I went back in for another go. It could do with a few tracks being trimmed (what 90's album couldn't??), but this is still a brilliant listen overall. P.S. - I could listen to that Q-tip feature on repeat for weeks!

Pretty sick

Solid pick, I feel like it’d grow on me like Check Your Head did over time but as of now it falls short

honestly really good and I liked the little interludes

Of course in any context I'd probably give this album a four. It's the Beastie Boys doin' more of what they do best. Unless you were expecting more samples, I don't know what more you could want. Sure, the runtime could be a problem (peak "CD era" issue), but the way I listen to things it was hardly an issue. It's just, I feel like I was enjoying it more than I normally would this time because after the last two albums this randomizer gave me were so ass boring it was just a relief to hear the Beasties rap and yell over some good-shit beats. I'll take this over drum n' bass any day.

Different from the albums most people know from the Beastie Boys, but it's another killer album from the trio.

iiiiiIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII can't stand it. That's not true, quite enjoy this one.

It’s really almost a perfect album.

Sabotage is still my favorite. 3.5/5

Honestly surprised me, don’t really like the singles from this album or any of their vocals save for the first lines of “fight for your right” but the music on this album is great, songs are short, digestible and don’t overstay their welcome. First genuine surprise.

Cause you can, you won't, and you don't stop.

Nostalgic

it’s amazing how good the instrumental tracks in this album are

In small doses, I completely adore the Beastie Boys.

Virkilega góð plata hjá Beastie Boys. Mjög fjölbreytt og gaman að heyra pönk hjá þeim, byrjuðu sem pönkhljómsveit. Smá tilraunamennska í lokin, sem var líka mjög skemmtilega. Sabotage og Get it together þó skemmtilegustu lögin í þessari hlustun. Hlustaði ekki náið á textana, en mér heyrðist ekki vera neitt mikið af kvenfyrirlitningu.

Well, I must say I was surprised by this one. I was really looking forward to it, and whilst there are some amazing standout tracks, I've got to say I didn't enjoy them all :( To give them credit, they did span quite a few genres!

Esse albúm é uma mistura de estilos, com elementos do rap, rock e punk. Uma mistura que dá muita energia e ecleticidade ao album. A faixa que mais me marcou foi "Sabotage".

Some great 90s rock rap some great 90s rock(?) and some out there interludes etc. 4/5 for the bangers

Ich weiss nid ganz wieso aber ich finds irgendwie mega geil? Die einte songs hend für mich biz was vo rage against the machine. Es paar songs sind aber au wirklich trash (aso in a bad sense)? Idk ich weiss echt nid wie bewerte aber ich bi z. B mit "sure shot" voll am vibe gsi. So 3.8/5?

Honestly ich mag beastie boys wük und find sure shot sooooo en starche ahfang is album. Es isch hässig, schnell, rebellisch. S git par bangers wie sabotage no dinne aber s album isch für min gschmack scho chli z lang.. hetts mer chli chürzer gwünscht.

finds huere guet

Great album with disparate influences that all coincide to make a complete piece. It’s tough to mix hardcore punk, jazz, and rap all together and have it work out, but the Boys pull it off and manage to give everything the same kind of attitude that ties it all together.

Classic. Listen to this a ton of car rides with my parents. Super fun and dynamic.

Excellent stuff-good bridge between older and newer sensibilities.

8.5/10

alsof ik naar een heel fijn radiostation luister. En in bijna elk nummer een hele fijne bas.

Heb een heel ander beeld gekregen van de BB door dit album. Veel muzikaler en gevarieerder dan ik dacht. Mijn favorieten: Root Down en Get it Together.

Mooie plaat in een leuk genre. Zeker voor hun tijd gewaagde combinaties van samples en geluidstechniek die later de standaard zijn gaan vormen (althans in de mainstream). Goed geproduceerd in een tijd dat verder alles veel te gepolijst klonk.

Not bad. I didn't know they were more than rock/rap. They have a little funk to them. Instrumentals? Who'da thunk it?

I like the BB. I like Ill Communication. I expected to give this a 3 but changed my mind when I kept thinking about Sabotage and its excellent video done by Spike Jonze.

Interesting to hear the flute and other instruments i didn't expect in a Beastie Boys album.

* Definitely feel like I've heard Sure Shot before somewhere, especially that repetitive background... I don't know what to describe it as tbh; it's most noticeable in the last 30 seconds or so. * Tough Guy feels like if South Park were a song. * Is the name 'Bobo on the Corner' supposed to make you think of a monkey playing the bongos? Because that's what I imagine. * When I started this project, I didn't think I'd be jamming out more to the Beastie Boys than the likes of Prince and Led Zeppelin but here we are. I've enjoyed, all things considered, just about every song so far. The instrumentals I could do without but that's about it. * Futterman's Rule had the chance to move up the rankings a bit more than the other mainly instrumental numbers but got repetitive after a while. * That flute in Flute Loop is obnoxious. Maybe that's the point? * Interestingly, Beastie Boys is similar to Miles Davis in that all of their music, at least on this album, sound very similar to each other, and I find I could very easily fuse them together if I wasn't paying attention. But whereas Miles Davis' sameness bothered me and made it difficult to rank them, I don't get that same irritation from the Beastie Boys. * The instrumental only numbers really drag the album down. If not for them, I think I'd, rather surprisingly to myself, put it at a 5 star album. But I think it's gonna land in a 4 star spot because of it. * That little intro to Heart Attack Man was super endearing. Started strong but the "step back" section dragged the rest of the song down. -- Album Rankings -- 1. Sure Shot 2. Root Down 3. B-Boys Makin' with the Freak Freak 4. Get It Together 5. Alright Hear This 6. The Scoop 7. Do It 8. Bodhisattva Vow 9. Flute Loop 10. Sabotage 11. Tough Guy 12. Heart Attack Man 13. The Update 14. Transitions 15. Futterman's Rule 16. Sabrosa 17. Bobo on the Corner 18. Ricky's Theme 19. Eugene's Lament 20. Shambala

Little long, but overall it was good!

Awesome album. Enjoyed it

Awesome

Pretty sweet. So much more than a hip hop album.

Interesting album. I agree with a previous reviewer that the sounds are so different that I thought I was listening to a totally different artist halfway through!

I'VE HEARD OF THE BEASTIE BOYS PREVIOUSLY, BUT NEVER HAVE. I LISTENED TO THEM BEFORE. I WAS EXPECTING SOME KIND OF SCREECHING ROCK VOCALS, WHICH I DON'T NORMALLY GO FOR. INSTEAD, I GET THIS RATHER COOL AND FUNKY JAZZ SOUND. I LOVE IT. MY ONLY COMPLAINT IS THAT ON Spotify only a handful of the tunes on this album/CD were actually available. What's up with that?.

Never to the beastie boys before and I didn't realize they were such slammin' guitarists, drummers, and bassists. Sabotage is the obvious stand out but I also really enjoyed Sabrosa. I'm not sure stuff like the flute loop in Sure Shot really worked for me - it was just a lot. But the keyboard samples and live keyboards were all really fun. Never gonna be my easiest listen but I understand this album and the beastie boys a lot more than before.

Took the original sound if the band, keeps the gleeful hedonism, but softens the rough edges with polish and attention to musical detail.

It's fun! So many fun sounds going on. And vaguely familiar because I was a kid during this time haha

Ik had me voorbereid op een uur lang geschreeuw maar ik vond die instrumentale tussenstukjes echt heel chill. Gewoon lekker albumpie

Really fun and surprisingly varied.

This album was pretty solid. Sabotage, Sure Shot and Get it Together were my favorite songs. I was surprised to see how versatile they were with all the trippy instrumentals in between complete banger tracks. I think this album’s one hindrance is its length. I think the album would have felt a lot less tedious if it was shorter. Though they were versatile, they were not versatile enough to make this album an hour!

Hadn't listened to much Beastie Boys in the past, wasn't sure I would like it. The harder rap/rock songs not really my jam, but the mix of instrumental tracks and some of the more melodic stuff I really enjoyed

Good.

Top Song: Sabotage Buy Vinyl?: Maybe Songs Added To Playlist: 2 Notes: Very solid album, love the mix of lyric heavy and instrumental heavy songs.

I was struggling to decide to wether give it 4 or 5 stars, but I decided on 4 this album was great and had nice interesting sounds maybe if it bad a better voice projection I'd give a 5, Songs I enjoyed were, Get it together and root down

This might just be my favorite album by the Beasties. It's so funky! A little too long, as seems to always be the case with hip-hop and electronic music, but alas. Still wonderful though, and creative as all hell. They're really pulling influences from every corner of the musical world. Certain tracks are a little forgettable, but besides that and the length, this one nearly got 5 stars.

4.5

I love the Beasties, but normally gave the most attention to Paul's Boutique (masterpiece) and Hello Nasty (I remember buying it and playing it to death as a kid). Ill Communication and the Root Down EP are like a perfect mid-career pair, which contain all the elements of the Beasties in microcosm: catchy raps, funk instrumentals, bursts of hardcore punk. The Q-Tip feature is great. I don't dislike the kind of new age Buddhist chant stuff, but I'm not sure it belongs tacked on the end of this album. In fact, the album is slightly too long and gets a bit flabby on the second half. It's still bloody great though. 4*

Although I knew the hits from this album, I never got to listen to it at the time. Being forced to do so is great fun. Shambala is a great track with the voices.

Known Before: Standouts: 7.0

ура реп

The energetic flows and catchy rhythms of the core tacks contrast nicely against textured and funky instrumental cuts. Beastie Boys have one foot in the roots of their past and the other in the future. Raw and loud. Fresh and innovative.

Crazy I’ve had nearly 800 albums generated and this is my first Beastie Boys This has two of the absolute top songs of the 90s on here in Sabotage and Sure Shot. The rest of it, there isn’t really a song that doesn’t work. However this like most Beastie albums goes on for so long. At a certain point listening it’s just background noise and I go in and out paying attention. Would have benefitted so much from being 40-45 mins long.

This was a sad follow up to Check Your Head, which in my opinion is their best album followed by Paul’s Boutique. There are a few standout tracks here but most of them are instrumentals which can also be found on other releases. For example, Heart Attack Man is on Some Old Bullshit, Eugene’s Lament, Shambala and Ricky's Theme is on The In Sound From Way Out, tho that was released after Ill Communication. (The repackaging here is bold and annoying). Futterman's Rule, to some extent is the combination of both the old punk bits and Bossa Nova inspired stuff like Ricky's. But the ‘rapping’ if you call it that is pretty terrible. The best things that the BBoys do are instrumentals and make fun of themselves. Spike Jonze's video for Sabotage was the mainstream saving grace for this Ill Communication. Before theatrical releases of Starsky & Hutch, Anchor Man, Charlie's Angels, and all the other spoof-y movies, it was novel to parody vintage TV and the video was a hit on MTV. But that video represented a flash in time. What’s truly novel about Ill Communication are the lines by MCA on the first track of this album, Sureshot. "I want to say a little something that's long overdue The disrespect to women has got to be through To all the mothers and the sisters and the wives and friends I want to offer my love and respect to the end" This attitude, flew in direct contrast to the lyrics contained on License To Ill and unlike fun music videos like Sabotage. The shift provided the band staying power and longevity regardless of what they sounded like. So, Ill Communication was the turning point, they released Hello Nasty, 5 Boroughs and others, made more funny music videos (Intergalactic, anyone?) and called out bad behavior aimed at Woodstock 99 on the MTV VMA’s. I don’t think they truly redeemed themselves for License to Ill, but they did represent self-awareness and positive change. I like the BB, I’m not a super fan of this album, but I respect what they started with it. https://katefustich.medium.com/the-beastie-boys-feminist-evolution-34d371071663

30 years ago I never would have said I liked the Beastie Boys. I guess I didn’t then. I do now though.

Like the more chiller stuff and sabotage. They might wanna consider not singing through a megaphone. - 7/10

Album was alright.. I like it but don’t know if I’d listen much on my own

The shout rapping is pretty corny when it’s not executed well, which happens a few times on the album, but overall the energy in this is great and the production is outstanding which made it a lot of fun to hear. 7/10

At first I was surprised to learn that the members of the Beastie Boys had roots in the hardcore scene, but Ill Communication makes that fact more than believable. They seem to switch back and forth between the classic Beastie Boys flow I'm used to, only to change it up to the full-band, with guitars and drums. Had a great time listening through! Fav tracks: Sabatoge, Flute Loop (lol), and Sure Shot

Pretty great! I haven't listened to the Beastie Boys all that much, so this was a welcome surprise. Some really inventive and unique songs here at the crossroads between hip hop, hardcore, and jazz. A little long in the tooth, but also an undeniable and critical album in the development of hip hop. Loved the Q-Tip feature as well! Fave tracks: Sure Shot, Root Down, Sabatoge, Get it Together

🤘🏼

I only know of the Beastie Boys from their hits, but I loved the clear influences of funk and jazz on this album.

Lekker divers, niet alle nummers goed, maar wel een paar lekkere knallers. Vet album als geheel.

Some random songs mixed in, but the hits (Sabotage, Sure Shot) carry the album

Dank

This is my second favourite Beastie Boys album. A real staple of the early to mid 90s way of life. I met them in the Boiler Room of a Big Day Out shortly after this album, I can assure you that I wasn't as cool as them...

Fascinating. I know their obvious 'Fight for your rights' song from a while back, which is a stonker. I had expected the signature BB, slightly odd, white chap rapping thing - which is there, but there's so much more. Some great samples and edits and some great chilled out jazzy tunes. Even some rocky punky thing in 'Tough Guy'. I'd be inclined to say this is a bizarre and very good album. A real mix of influences and some great attitude and straight up tunes.

I've never actually listened to this record. I've of course heard sabotage and love it. Turns out the whole record is really good. Strong 4.

It’s a fun album! The production just jumps out here. So much funk and groove. Love the bass lines on this. Sabrosa has a great one. Get it together with qtip is great and the opener sure shot has amazing drums. I love the instrumentals on here and the couple rock oriented tracks as well. The only thing I’m not cool with is the vocals, the tone is a bit weird and not sitting right with me and it also feels like it’s processed with some tool because of which it’s very difficult to understand the lyrics. But the production and energy on this is just undeniable. I’d give it a strong 3 to a light 4.

Not my normal thing but I’d listen again.

I expected to be bored by nearly an hour of Beastie Boys but there was a lot of variety in the backup music. I particularly enjoyed the songs with hardcore percussion and structure. And all the flutes. Impossible for me to separate Sabotage from the Spike Jonze video for it, and in fact I watched the video immediately after I finished the album.

It's got Sabotage. What else is there to know?

- Sure Shot

A fun album that kind of drags in the back half due to an almost total vibe change. I dig those tracks when I’m in the mood for them, but they’re definitely not on the same level as the first half of the album.

i was expecting to find this a little bit naff and not really for me but wowee i'm having such a good time listening to it right now. i can imagine my older sister loving this, it's a perfect listen while i'm getting ready to go out for the night. there are definitely some songs i like less (alright hear this, the scoop) but overall there is a super fun energy to the album that i'm really into. really love how many instrumental pieces there were too! i wasn't wowed by them all but i always love hearing bands experimenting with music in that way and i wasn't expecting that at all from this album so that was really exciting to me.

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. This album is probably the best proof that hip hop & punk could go hand in hand. Could’ve benefited by removing a few of the tracks though

its good but i just dont careeeeeee im sorry i wrote that but damn, the qtip prodcution was fire. fuck i want to cringe at it but its good

I didn't think I would enjoy it but fair play took me by surprise. Some pretty cool, sometimes comedic moments. Some interesting twists here and there and some cracking samples. They made the album for me.

Я послушал его трижды, чтобы сформировать мнение Альбом удивительно разнообразный: местами банальный и понятный, местами сложный и неожиданный

Ахахах, ребята нашли пилюлю Slayer'a, которую принёс Рик Рубин и забыл?)) Но это по началу было. Дальше прям феерия какая-то началась. На Futterman's Rule я вообще выпал... а что, у нас теперь не хип-хопчик в приоритете, лириксы забыли дописать? Фанк и джазик пошли откуда-то вдруг... это что, эксперименты? Вокал в перегрузе - интересно, но довольно своеобразно. Не всегда хорошо воспринимается. P.S. Бля буду, обожаю флейту в рэпе

все бисти в одной пластинке, охуенно

If you look back two albums, I called Beastie Boys. Beastie Boys are a timeless act who are instantly recognizable in the rap rock and hip hop scenes. "Illinoise" was a complete bait and an utter disappointment. "Ill Communication" is a strong album which has produced hits including Sure Shot and Sabotage. While the vocalists experimented with different styles, the creative and rhythmic musical interludes (Sabrosa, Flute Loop, Ricky's Theme, Shambala, and Transitions) were surprisingly elegant.

Good, but also long

My second Beastie Boys album of this journey after License to Ill and I liked this one better. It felt put together better than their first album.

Musicality: 4 - some lovely music as well as being very original Production & Sound: 5 - very clean Artistic Expression: 4 - I wouldn't call it emotional but it has a lot of creativity Performance: 4 - Very talented guys Engagement & Enjoyment: 3 - the high points are great, not sure about some of it though Overall I liked it a lot, very unique and some very catchy parts

Very good. Some good tracks on it.

Sabotage brings it up a point alone

Classic.

Dope. BROOKLYN

Overordnet virkelig imponeret med deres range! Sabotage er selvfølgelig fed og hel RATM agtig, men så Ger it Together lyder næsten som Tribe. Så er der meget instrumentalt på anden halvdel af pladen og endda strubesang til sidst. Meget dødvægt på pladen, men giver alligevel 4 i anerkendelse af hvor alsidige de er og hvor meget jeg har undervurderet dem

What can I say but being totally overwhelmed how supergood this great, groovy, juicy filet piece conserved. It is so tight. So tight right tight. End tracks seem a bit b-sidey. 3.9

Great OG music. Starts off Fab, gets a little tired about 3/4 in, but representative of the Boys. I did not latch onto them when they first came out (thought gimmick) but I became a fan later on.

This one brings back memories from childhood. I love this album. Surprised by the hardcore punk influence still noticeable in some of the tracks.

Great album. For some reason I always wished I could be a fan of the Beastie Boys but they never clicked for me. I think this finally did it.

A classic for my generation

Probably a top 100 album for me. Mostly nonsense lyrically, but this album may have set the standard for what I think of as skater hip-hop funk. Some incredible tracks here, like "Sabrosa"---listen to this doing anything and gain +2 mello charisma. I give "Ill Communication" a strong 3.75, and a shoutout to my old Bazooka Tubes.

This was great! Some of the instrumentation on some of the songs are way more experimental and different than I would have assumed off the bat. I only knew Sabotage off this record and man does it hit when it finally makes an appearance. Songs like Eugene's Lament, Shambala, and Bodhisattva Vow are wild and I would have never been able to guess they came off a Beastie Boys record. Very cool, glad I listened.

Worth 5 stars just for sabotage. Some fantastic beats and bars, vintage beastie boys. But, like all beasties work, it just goes on for far toooooo long

I love this album and have had it since I was about 13. Perfectly encapsulates beastie boys for me. Good mix of hip hop, punk, jazzy jams and even some Tibetan monks. I like the distorted mics and the way the three rap together so tightly - the distortion works as sonic glue (but occasionally makes the vocals unclear). Great album from start to finish.

I just don't like it as much as everyone else seems to. 3.5/5

8/10 - Much more breadth than I was expecting

Beastie Boys, Communication is great!

What a great album.

Not what I was expecting. Appreciate them experimenting

"Ill Communication" is the fourth studio blbum by American hip hop group the Beastie Boys. The album was varied with elements of hip hop, punk, jazz and funk and continued their move away from sampling towards live instruments. There is a decent amount of sampling though. There were various contributors including Q-Tip and Biz Markie. The album debuted at #1 in the US and hit #10 in the UK. A sample of "Howlin' for Judy" by Jeremy Stieg opens and drives the melody of "Sure Shot." Scratching, rapping. They're strutting their rapping prowess. Hard not to like a song that mentions Lee Dorsey, Mario, Kojack and Rod Carew. Another great use of sampling which drives the song is "Root Down ( And Get It)" in "Root Down." The bass. The beat. The groove. Everyone on the mic. Being yourself and doing your thing. I remember distinctly seeing the video for "Sabotage" the first time and saying who is this. The Beastie Boys? No way! Yep. That guitar open with the drums. The bass kicks in. Crazy and great scratching. A hilarious video. It's about a fictitious producer sabotaging them. Alright, a great song. Another great song on this album is the next one "Get It Together." It features Q-Tip on the mic with all of the Beasties. The music is on the downlow and smooth. "Ma Bell I got the Ill communication." "Do It" features Biz Markie. It has a groovy guitar. Again, everyone on the mic. They've got the stuff. " I've got the Attractions like Elvis Costello." The last two songs highlight some of the variety in this album. "Bodhisattva Vow" has distorted vocals and echoes. There's scratching. It has a Middle Eastern sound and expounds on beliefs in Buddhism. "Transitions" has a funky, soulful guitar. Very 70's sounding. It's also one of the four instrumentals on this album. This album does have a lot of variety from hip hop to punk to jazz to funk. There's experimentation with distorted vocals and the instrumentation. I got a pyschedelic vibe at times. A lot of the songs had more of a downtempo. No surprise since they drew inspiration from 70's jazz and soul...hence, some of the sampling. I think this all worked very well and I'd put this near the top of their catalogue.

76/100

Definitely something I appreciate more having worked through this project. Also, when I was younger and this first came out, I didn’t really get past the singles. Now, I appreciate the influences and how subtle a lot of this is. Solid album that’s not what you’d expect from early Beastie Boys albums.

Still great, with a few of my favorite B Boys tracks.

this is so swaos me when i'm an 80s hiphop band the samples and instrumentals are good the trio have great chemistry flows are dated, but in a fun way :3 Probably my favorite Beastie Boys album just from the unique instrumentals.

Stick my d*ck in the mashed potatoes

heard all these classics. new shit thx

Many bangers. A bit too noisy at times.

So off the wall and unpredictable but really just an absolute party to listen to. Much of the jazz and Indian influences are pulled off really well. My biggest complaint is the overuse of distortion on the Boys’ voices makes it nearly impossible to understand the lyrics sometimes. 8/10

Love

This album covers a ton of ground. Great listen but almost hard to tell it's one band. Really enjoyed it

Hip hop, punk,funk and jazz. It's fitting that a drive-in dinner speaker is featured on the cover with all of the distortion on the vocals. 70s Nostalgia. Sabotage driving force to it. Sure Shot - sweet flute sample. Root Down sticks in my brain Sabrosa and the other instrumentals are sonic adventures that massage the brain.

Classic Beastie Boys - Sabotage is the standout.

very good, i've heard it before.

Love it. Right time, right place.

Need to do a beastie boy deep dive to really see how I rank them all. Easy listen. Rating: 4.2

delicious album but i do have to take a point off bc futterman's rule reminded me of my starbucks manager who unfortunately had that last name. i of course am saying that in jest but also am i? the flute loop got my body movin (reference LOL).

idk about ill communication i feel like they communicated pretty well 🤷🏻‍♂️

Even though I'm a huge fan of Paul's Boutique, I went into the album with kinda middling expectations, but man, I actually really fucking enjoyed this. What other hip hop record has two punk songs and a beat with throat singing in it. Extremely fun album.

It's fascinating, the music from the Beastie Boys. Their flow, the way they sing, combined with the choices in the beats and the music, make them special. Nonetheless, I liked more the instrumental and musical decisions, more than the lyrics, so in that sense, I probably would like more their earlier albums.

This was not my thing at the time, although I can get into some of these songs and I certainly heard enough of "Sabotage" back in the 90s. But the jazziness of this album comes as such a surprise - an interesting, fun surprise. These guys had chops. This will never be one of my personal favorite albums, but it is absolutely deserving of its place on the list and was an important and interesting album. 4/5

Mostly for Sabotage

Really appreciate their style. Standouts: Sabotage, Sure Shot, Others: Tough Guy, B-Boys Makin’ With the Freak Freak, Ricky’s Theme, Heartattack Man, Shsmbala, Bodhisvatta Vow

" If this gon be that kind of party I'm gonna stick my dick in the mashed potatoes" - the funk is unreal and the production quality and sounds are insane - Sabotage is an iconic song - love the couple punk bangers

Awesome early rap/rock

Album 168 of 1001 Beastie Boys - Ill Communication Rating : 3 / 5 Favorite Track : There seemed to be a bit more to this than I've grown use to on most of the hip-hop offerings. Nice mixture of hip hop, jazz, punk & funk. Still not really my preferred genre but it has its moments. I like that they tried to do a bit more than their regular schtick.

Still my favourite beastie boys album, so much variation and some great instrumentals and sabotage is an all time classic

Check Your Head will always be my favorite, but this is a damn close second!

good album

I've probably listened to Sabotage 10,000 times while I was growing up. Still rips. 3.5/5

Arguably their most authentic stab at hip-hop. The boys show their talent for fast, mayhem-ic flows and well-produced tracks. While the tape-effect for the vocals may be slightly overused the music still exposes their raw talent. They were not just a novelist rap group, they effected real change in the scene and brought NYC flows to a new level!

Some great instrumentals on this album that changed my mind about the Beastie Boys being mostly a pack of screaming kids.

I love that they returned briefly to their hardcore roots for Tough Guy. Other than that it’s what BB deliver: great beats, good rhymes, interesting and unexpected samples.

Classic

I like it and i don't like it. Hugely influential obviously and some of the beats are great. I really don't like their vocal style and towards the end i find it meanders a bit having had so many big tracks to begin with.

Overall I really enjoyed this albums grungy and raw sound, but there are definitely a handful of songs that I could do without. They weren't bad. It's just they didn't grab my attention, like some of the other tracks did. There were also some pretty interesting instrumental tracks on here.

i actually liked this album way more than Licensed to Ill. the instrumental tracks were a surprise but i enjoyed them more than i would have expected to

I wasn't very happy when I saw another Beastie Boys album. I didn't particularly enjoy Paul's Boutique and it is considered their best album so I was really surprised to enjoy Ill Communication as much as I did. I think it's because there's less whiny screamy raps (reminiscent of Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute "Electric City") and more interesting musical stuff going on in the background. As a drummer, I particularly enjoyed this part of the album as they went more and more into jazz playing some creative rhythms on the drum set. I also enjoyed the album as a whole and I think it's thanks to the great sequencing - the jazzy songs are intertwined with hip hop and/or hardcore punky tracks. As a non-native English speaker I didn't really pay attention to the lyrics but I really enjoyed the instrumental part of the album. Lastly, Sabotage really rules. It's easily one of the top songs of the 90s.

24th August 2023 Listened during the day, pub and then more pub with Johnny. Beasties graduate to include a bit of bossanova jazz to their sound.

I love the shift to their poker hardcore punk style

Great start but the 2nd half is heavy on instrumentals and it loses it's momentum.

This is the second Beastie Boys album I’ve gotten, and although I prefer Paul’s Boutique, this is still a really solid album.

I didn’t think I was gonna like this but I enjoyed most of it and didn’t get bored or annoyed lol. The samples and vibes are really cool.

This was cool.

Oh shiiiiiiit this is at least a 4!star album. My favorite from the Beastie Boys front to back.

One of my favorite Beastie boys albums for sure.

Love their unique sounding voices.

I was not very impressed at all by the Beastie Boys’ first release “Licensed to Ill”, but this album was really refined, varied, fresh, and fun.

hip hop beats with flow. the boys from NYC bring it once again. samples ahoy, hardcore elements. plenty of collaborations on this one, but the tracks that shine are the best ones with only the beasties. quality album with minimal filler. highlights: “sure shot”, “root down”, “sabotage”, “alright hear this”.

Not my favorite (or second favorite or third favorite) Beasties album but a great one nonetheless.

This time background and flow hit me different than other hip-hop albums. Songs are more varying than on "Licensed To Ill". Sometimes album may be a bit too inconsistent. I guess rapping tie it together instead of making monotonous.

Good album with some classic hits

bra

4.5

Fantastic album, trails off a bit at the end. Little bit tighter track list and it's a 5.

While I love the Beastie Boys, I'm still not convinced that I love their albums as a whole. Can't deny the greatness, though.

Before this, I wasn’t a fan of rap or hip-hop at all. Then I listened to ‘Sabotage’. Gave the whole album a listen, and I’ll probably check out the rest of the discography eventually. Not a big fan of the instrumental songs, though. Favorite track: Sabotage

So many legit bangers in the first half of this one. I'm not a huge fan of the Beastie Boys, but this record really does show how talented they are. I just wish the back half was less filler than the first. Even so, some of the punk tracks back there were really good.

very hype good for working out, songs flow nicely together

Really good.

Enjoyed

Definitely a more refined sound than the other BB record on this list. Really enjoyed it, more jazz / funk than the other, with a few punky number’s scattered about. Will return. Favourite was Futterman’s Rule.

Much more interesting than licensed to ill, the beats are better, the punk songs are great and sabotage is the best beasties song. That said, there are a lot of tracks without any rapping that makes it feel like they were thrown in to pad the runtime. Would have preferred it to be trimmed down or have a few more obvious bangers. 3.5

Enjoyed that. Think moreso than license to ill. This was more rocky, which I think is when they are best. Think it was less silly too It did go on a bit though and some of the tracks on the second half of the album weren't the most exciting, but actually pretty good to listen to while working. Highlights are: Sure shot Sabotage, which is fantastic Get it together

Los beastie combinan las diferentes influencias, letras e introspecciones que se traen en otras entregas de la agrupación. Lo que sucede es que es un disco, extremadamente largo, extenso, cansa, llega una punto que las canciones dentro de el son entretenidas, pero hasta ahí. Está perfecto que sea así y qeu lo muestren como un catalogo de cultura, pero la idea de el album se desvanece cancion cada tanto en el disco completo, demasiada data, pero buena 7/10.

They have made an amazing contribution to music by helping to bring rock and rap together into the mainstream.

Fun listen, the jazz transitions were a welcome surprise!

Beastie Boys do jazz-rock!? Plus the best music video ever. Could be 5.

Wow, so many genres and styles. Hadn't realised that Prodigy's 'Funky Shit' sampled the Beastie Boys' 'Root Down'. Have found them a bit misogynist and tiresome from listening to podcasts about them, but definitely enjoying the rock/funk/jazz here.

Honestly crazy how this album seamlessly flips between rock, punk, jazz, and funk influences. Sequencing is great. Every other song delivers fantastic instrumentals followed by catchy, distorted bangers. but the album overstays its welcome just a little bit. Loved Q-Tips performance. Favorite song: Root Down, Get It Together

I don't think I'm much of a Beastie Boy. Favorite Tracks: Sabotage, Get It Together, Flute Loop 4/5

I liked this one much better than the last Beastie Boys album assigned. Was digging “Bodhisattva Vow.”

Great hip-hop album. The aggression is so prominent which I loved - my only criticism is how the vocals sometimes sounded distorted.

'Sabotage' is an absolute classic. Also liked 'Sure Shot', 'Get It Together'. Second part of the album was a bit weaker with too much instrumentals, but overall really liked it. 4/5

The first 3 or 4 tracks are unrepresentative here - shouty and rocky BB's, but after that it gets much more varied and interesting. Funk, easy listening, jazz, soul - almost everything is in the stew. A rap group who became a group where rap was incidental.

Love this as well.

The Beastie Boys are sort of their own genre. Or every genre. Yeah, I'm in the mood for some rap, punk, fusion, hip-hop, sampled, funky, avant guard, rock n roll, electronica, groovy, jazz grunge tunes today. And somehow these little rat punks pulled that off.

A quality effort with one of their best songs 'sabotage'. Doesnt hit the heady heights of Pauls boutique or check your head. At thi point they're out of ideas. Still a great tour de force of their loud energetoc in yer face style.

Would listen to some again

Even better than I remembered

This Beastie Boys album, as opposed to the first, was not really on my radar when it came out. I had been quite fond of the naughty boy rap of that first one. This one feels like it's from a much more mature group, and I wasn't sure at first if that was a good thing. What I found (after the initial dislike of the feeling of being yelled at this morning) was that this was a really interesting album, full of all sorts of musical influences. I need to come back to this one some time.

I didn’t love License to Ill and wasn’t looking forward to this. I was surprised that I didn’t recognize any of the songs (although maybe Sabotage was vaguely familiar?). This has a much more interesting musical sound than I was expecting. Funky guitar, organ, and other interesting instrumentation made this pretty cool to listen to. The rapping is pretty great too although I didn’t study the lyrics to closely.

Some great, some good, some filler. Like the difference between the sample lead funky hip hop and the mad punk stuff.

The Beastie Boys seems to be able to blend hip-hop, punk, jazz, and rock seamlessly all on one album. Samples are great. Lyrics are great. Production is great. Energy is great. Whole album becomes a little slow at the end, but I very much enjoyed all of it. 4/5

Had me smiling

There is some fantastic production on this, the beats and sampling are so good. The first half has some great songs but the approach to hip-hop and hardcore both sound quite dated and like a hangover from the late 80s compared to the 1994 landscape for both genres. However the album’s ability to traverse these genres, and the instrumental eclecticism of the second half are massive highlights.

MUITO BOM Minhas favs: Get It Together B-Boys Makin' With the Freak Freak Sabotage Sure Shot The Update Bodhisattva Vow

Vraiment très bon, probablement l'album j'ai le plus aimé de BB so far.

this album is so looooong but it's so damn good sure shot is one of my favorite samples/songs in 90s rap the beastie boys did not give a fuck about anything and somehow made some of the best rap music of a really stacked era in a really stacked and talented area

Кайфухи, и рэп, и панк просто высшей пробы

The production and use of instruments over samples makes this album hold up much better than Paul’s Boutique. Sabotage still sounds fresh and just a landmark song for the melding of rap and rock. Overall this could be the best album in their catalogue.

Not really my style, but great album

Could be a copy and paste of so many hip hop album reviews. When it's good, it's great, a good half dozen stone cold classic songs. But I don't need 20 song albums lasting an hour and it would have made a much better 35 minute album. 3.5 stars but I'll play nice.

Frat boys with a good record collection.

Check Your Head/Ill Communication will always be the Beastie Boys' golden age for me. They had found the perfect balance between hip hop, punk and tasty jams while toning down their goofy approach just enough to show they were really serious about their craft. What a talented bunch these guys were. As with all of their albums, this one has its fair share of fillers in the second half, but in their case it doesn't really matter because it stays entertaining and fun all the way through. Their energy is infectious and it's hard to imagine someone completely disliking them.

A true game changer in the 90s hip-hop scene.

Nice hiphop album. great selection of this genre in the book btw

The kings of sampling and energic hip-hop, no doubt about it and this album is another monument to prove it.

4 Love The Beasties - I actually went as MCA as Nathan Wind as Cochese from the Sabotage music video for Halloween this past year. However, right off the bat, I can tell you this isn’t their best album, nor is it even probably Top 3. Still, it’s a really good one through and through. Sure Shot is a great opener, and the transition into Tough Guy is a great reminder of the punk roots of these guys. From there, aside from Sabotage, the album seems to descend into a lot of not as memorable hip hop fluff. But you know what? It’s still a heck of a lot of fun. Admittedly, I don’t think the instrumentals are quite as effective, but they also don’t break up the flow of the album either by any means. So, I really debated my rating on this one. Since there aren’t a ton of individual songs I’ll probably re-visit, especially for a 20 track album, I initially went with a 3.5, but come on, it’s Beasties. Even if there aren’t a ton of standalone moments, I had a blast the whole way through and will likely be listening to the full album again at some point. On a side note, I think this album cements my opinion that the Beastie Boys are basically the blink-182 of hip hop (or I guess blink-182 are the Beastie Boys of pop punk) - Both groups consist of multiple vocalists/songwriters that great at putting out material that’s kind of immature and not overly deep but absolutely tons of fun. If you don’t agree with me, please look no further than “Shit, if this is gonna be that kind of party, I'm gonna stick my dick in the mashed potatoes” on B-Boys Makin’ With the Freak Freak.

4.5

Top 3 Songs: 1 - Get It Together (7) 2 - Sure Shot (1) 3 - Sabotage (6)

Great album, good balance of jams and bangers

way better than i was expecting, i missed this whole rock rap thing bc i wasn’t alive but seems pretty cool

I rather enjoyed this. Stand-out track was Sabrosa. The Beastie Boys sure have cleaned up their act. There's lots of nice samples in here, and lots of great breaks and beats.

A little overlong for me, with a few diversions that didn’t quite hold me. The highlights are incredible though. Probably one to enjoy over time and allow to develop.

Absolutely love them. Not my favorite album of theirs, if I’m honest. But had great fun listening!

Is this the final hardcore release forever and ever? Great album, great music, and a great band.

1-2 Oh My God! So much of this takes me back to Monday and Wednesday nights at the Ritz. Jumping off the stage to Sabotage (that video!), plus Root Down, Get it Together (Q-Tip!) and of course Sure Shot, which I got a second life from when I later discovered all the Blue Note stuff they'd pilfered from to genius effect. Jeremy Steig's Howling For Judy, is just an absolute gem. Such variation. Love the funky jams in the middle like Futterman's Rule. That said, the album does wander considerably far from where we were during the first 9 tracks at that point and doesn't come back for a while. Then it wanders away again. Essentially two different albums smooshed together. We're back red hot with Flute Loop. I'm a sucker for these jazz samples. Also enjoy the throwbacks to their start out as a thrash punk outfit. So, it suffers a fair bit through the classic CD era failure to edit. I'd drop Alright Hear This, The Scoop and a couple others to a B-side personally. Not Ricky's Theme though, that is low key ace. As is Bodhisattva Vow. Not sure you need the whole 3 mins 40 of Shambala as a lead-in to it. Mind you that is very good, but this is the issue with too long albums, you're kind of done with stuff like that by the time it comes around. Overall though, excellent, and aged well.

Shambalaaaa nije moj dir al nije bilo lose slusat

Nnnniiice

Watched too much futurama growing up to not like Beastie Boys. It is good shit. Continuing in trend of rating white boy rap though :/

Classic Beastie Boys material. Not as good as Paul’s Boutique but still an awesome record. nice Q-Tip feature - 4/5.

This is my jam! Few artists are as versatile as Beastie Boys!

this album must be one of the most unique albums on this list. i was excited for my favorite beastie boys song ("sabotage"), but this album is so much more than that. "sabotage" barely begins to cover the diversity and depth the beastie boys included in ill communication. there's their usual punk and rap, but the jazz and funk aspects are a surprising yet delightful change of pace. the few instrumentals are also a fascinating listen. the violin is so eerie in "eugene's lament"! the flute in "flute loop"? unexpected instruments but with great results. the whole album seems oozing with creativity while being lots of fun, which is what the beastie boys do best.

An eclectic mix of grimy jazz atmosphere tracks, dirty funk tracks and an assortment of other styles. Quite cool :)

Bra skiva men behöver dessa vitgossar verkligen 3 skivor på listan?

Solid album, I was a bit skeptikal about that album and the beastie boys overall but I wasn't expecting this. The vibe is quite old school but I really like the overall simple production with boom bap and this squad kicking feeling if that make any sense. I'm really well surprised. Love Flute Loop and Get It Together with Q-tip. THe instrumental tracks are also great. Solid 4.5 /5

Already in my collection. A bit more experimental with different music styles, but still a good listen.

Alright, not the greatest

It’s a sabatoge!!

Love, kende vooral de grote hits maar album is echt veel meer versatile dan ik dacht

I had fun with this one.

Loved the overall sound and music - the vocals for the Beastie Boys are always a little muddled. But based on vibes alone it was a great listen.

I wasn't ready for the diversity of sounds on this album. Of course I've heard the radio hits, but the deeper cuts were more Jazz than Rap. A few times I had to check to make sure I was still listening to the right album. Really enjoyed it.

This album was great and unexpected. I went into this not realizing that I was about to listen to a hip-hop jazz album. It was surprisingly easy to listen to.

Great album by the Beastie Boys. Great opening to the album and Sabotage is just great. Watch this clip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ5yKJlhbiA

More sampling, fewer live instruments and very eclectic.

Sabotage!!!!!

"Sure shot" is one of my all-time favorites and still runs near the top of my most-played tracks year after year. The overall album breaks some new ground incorporating live instruments to varying degrees of effect. I didn't like them at first tbh, but I've warmed up to them as years have gone by. What impressed me the most about this album was the (continued) impressive use of digging and sampling to make truly unique and fresh beats.

Exemplary album of the 90's rock/rap genre. Root Down has really shows that their sound extends beyond the heavy and also delves into the funky and soul sounds. Despite this more easy song, the transition into sabotage, which is almost Motorhead like, is executed well. Ricky's Theme is a nice intermission with some room to breath for the listener. Liked the album, but it was way too long to enjoy in one session.

The Beastie Boys at last become Beastie Men. The subject matter is more mature, but the wordplay is still tongue-twisting and the sampling is still expertly layered.

Pretty good loved the instrumentals and some good features solid album I’d give a light 7

Lekker

Vet hor!

Fijn!

oh wow, this was a rollercoaster ride. smooth, funky, punkish, jazzy, beats galore. I had no idea this album was this entertaining. granted, it's on a downward slope towards the second half, but still good enough for me. definitely did not expect groovy instrumental tracks on a rap album: Sabrosa, Ricky's theme and even Flute Loop for the most part. added bonus: so THIS is where the Prodigy got the sample for funky shit :). It caught me completely by surprise in the middle of Root Down this album is a keeper. goes in the collection

I definitely remember when this album came out and my friends owning it and playing it. But listening to it, I only recall Sabotage (a stone cold classic and all the more impressive now that I know they played their own instruments on it) and Sure Shot (a great tune in it's own right). But I realize now this album is not really about Sabotage, which feels like rap rock. It's more about Sure Shot, which feels like jazz fusion overlaid with hip-hop and rap. There are others like the latter with more of a hip-hop edge, like B-Boys (and now I know why a friend stuck his Prince Albert in our potato salad at a party 20 years ago). But this is not a hip-hop album. And if you get that then you can really appreciate it for what it is; an eclectic jazz album. Bobo on the Corner and Root Down feel like jazz percussion. Get it Together and Sabrosa feel like funk and jazz and they both kick serious ass. Q-tip is a great add to the former and the musical stylings in the latter are like vintage Isaac Hayes or Curtis Mayfield (just awesome). The Update and Futterman's Rule are some sort of combination of these four, though a little bit boring. And that's my one gripe with this album. It's a bit uneven. For all the musical chops, innovation, and ambition they display (mad respect) there are a few too many snoozers. On the second half, especially. It starts off great - Alright Hear This and Do It have a cool hip-hop sound while Eugene's Lament (that violin!) and Flute Loop (that flute!) are incredible. But after that it's kind of meh, except maybe for Shambala with it's very interesting and eclectic jazz sounds. Honestly, on first listen I thought it was average. But as I listened to it a few more times I really understood how unique and complex it was, and how talented these guys are. A few of those holes in the album still tugged at me, though I was getting close to a 5.

Really enjoyed this album. First time listening. Beats are incredible and the congas/bongos in a few of the tracks add an entirely different flavor.

"Sabotage" the best, most known song on the album and also really loved "Get It Together". Surprised to hear so many instrumental tracks and I do think the album is a bit too long because of it. 8/10.

A little abrasive at times - certainly by design - but the funk and groove in these beats are undeniable. I'm especially drawn to the excessive live instrumentation used (e.g. fuzz bass, drums/percussion) which makes a *huge* difference in terms of overall groove. Hip-hop/rap might not be my expertise but this just kinda rocks (aside from the throwaway thrash tracks - definitely not my bag) and having known nothing outside of "Sabotage" I was surprised and thrilled with the funk and even the instrumentals. Definite keeper. 8/10 4 stars.

-S Tier- Sure Shot Root Down Sabotage Get It Together Ricky’s Theme The Scoop -A Tier- B-boys Makin’ with the Freak Freak The Update Alright Hear This Flute Loop Do It -B Tier- Sabrosa Futterman’s Rule Eugene’s Lament Heart Attack Man Bodhisattva Vow Transitions -C Tier- Shambala AVG SCORE: 3.9 / 5

The 4 run of albums from Paul's Boutique to Hello Nasty are really good. This one is pleasingly diverse, with crunching, funky pots of treasure. Great stuff.

Un popurrí de hip-hop, jazz, funk... Un 4.

Pretty beastly

Classic

Legendary. Great sound and a perfect mix between hits and experimental tracks. Excellent.

Listened to this a lot. Really enjoyed it.

It was pretty good, not my scene. Real funky at times but very 90’s. 8/10

good

Didn’t really like Licensed to Ill but this one is much better.

Flere sterke låter, men helheten blir litt kjedelig og monoton. Ofte kult sound, da.

Sure Shot and Sabotage are the forever standouts from this album, but I also surprisingly enjoyed Flute Loop and The Scoop. I did not enjoy the Gregorian chanting of Eugene’s lament and shambala, nor the musical stylings of heart attack man or tough guy. I was shocked to find the instrumental bobo on the corner, as I didn’t know beastie boys had ever experimented like that.

I consider myself a Beastie Boys fan so this was an enjoyable listen. Obviously "Sabotage" was a banger, but I found myself really enjoying "Get It Together" and "Sure Shot". Some interesting almost punk rock vibes on some of the other tracks as well. Great album.

Though Paul's Boutique is my all time favourite Beastie Boys album, Ill Communication will always be a favourite. Never afraid to change things up and experiment there's so much great stuff on here.

Well that's a fun album. A lot of nostalgia there. I probably still have that CD kicking around somewhere.

Pretty solid album. I’ve definitely unfairly written off the beastie boys in the past, but this album is pretty good old school hiphop/rock. My only gripe is that the album is a little long for the number of ideas it’s bringing

Likte ikke dette i det hele tatt. Ga meg en følelse av fredag ,og jeg var klar for helgen, men så var det bare torsdag. Veldig skuffende. Ellers, helt topp! Terningkast ja.

It is the perfect blend of hard hitting rock, rap and funk. There is not one single song that felt out of place. The final track draws everything to a close with a smooth jazzy groove

classic

Great energy in this album and Sabotage is an all time get pumped song.

cool

Lots of different sounding songs to bring you back in if you start drifting. 👍

Outside of the single there’s still some really well written, and well crafted songs on this mid-90s Beastie joint. That single is a Goliath in their catalogue though!

Have already been listening to it for years. Great album.