FIVE TOOL PLAYAS

Studio Beasties during bong break.

Every once in a while I go back to the Beastie Boys. Why? Because they are one of the last bands that really seemed like they were full on music fans, not of a particular genre, but of the good stuff of all genres. They borrowed or stole in the form of samples licks, riffs, effects, riddims and tempos of all sorts of types of music and they rapped over pre-recorded mixes at times, and they played their own music as a three piece unit. They kept you guessing. They didn't look to what other people were doing, they just did their stuff. They didn't give a shit about what you or I were expecting. They more than proved themselves worthy, growing LP after LP, after their 1986 debut Licensed to Ill, itself a groundbreaking mix of guitar riffage and rhymes (thanks in no small part to producer Rick Rubins).

I haven't heard all of their stuff, but I followed them sporadically for decades and I have heard a shitload. I can't say that I've ever heard anything that wasn't worth hearing, and that includes music from all of the different eras. Here's four taken at random, I don't think I've posted before. I didn't even bother to try to remember when these were recorded or even look it up. It doesn't matter.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~ 

Listen:
Beastie Boys - Now Get Busy mp3 at Internet Archive
Beastie Boys - Electric Worm mp3 at Tumblr
Beastie Boys - Sure Shot mp3 at Le Mellotron
Beastie Boys - OK mp3 at Tumblr
Video:
Beastie Boys - Sabotage (live) at YouTube From Letterman 1994. Phew.