Customer Reviews

Licensed To Ill

5 star:		(166)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Way back when Eminem was bully bait during his school years, three Jewish dudes called the Beastie Boys released this impressive debut that made them the first (and, in my opinion, best) white rappers in hip hop. But make no mistake, "License to Ill" is rude, obnoxious, and sometimes offensive by today's PC standards, but if you can take it with a grain of salt, it's also fun to listen to. "The New Style" is undeniably funky and has the Boys in top form. "Paul Revere" is also pretty good with its drum machine played in reverse, and "No Sleep Til Brooklyn" is a fine melange of amped-up guitars and hip hop beats. "Fight For Your Right" was the group's biggest hit, but it pales in comparison to the rest of the album. "License to Ill" was all about drugs, women, and disrespecting any and all figures of authority. However, these guys eventually matured by phasing out of their juvenile lyrics and releasing even better albums, including the now-classic "Paul's Boutique." All in all, a promising debut that's aged well over the years.

It's hard to believe, but sometimes true that what goes around, comes around. I saw the Beasties on stage in London in September 1986 (with Run DMC and LL Cool J) shortly after this album came out (they were last on the bill and played only three songs, including "Slow and Low" and "Fight For Your Right"). The prevailing opinion at the time was that "Licensed To Ill" was one of the most obnoxious releases in the history of music. But what a party! The Beastie Boys seemed like a one-hit wonder when they changed record labels and took three years to release their follow up (Paul's Boutique), plus the fact these white boys were being universally panned by most of the rap community. But the Boys must be having the last laugh, and listening to this album again, it still sounds good. I am amazed at all the kids that weren't even born in '86 are discovering this record, which attests to the band's endurance, although the band owes a lot to Rick Rubin, their producer who meshed the Boys' brashness with great sound samples. As a parent I can say that, based on the feedback I've read here, if you are trying to decide on a music purchase for your teenager, this may do the trick.

I loved this CD when it first came out and still love it today. I have most everything that the Beastie Boys have recorded, and I agree that much of what they did later is superior. For example, Hello Nasty is a much more diverse and impressive work. However, I think that it's a mistake comparing their initial work with their later work. Licensed to Ill was a huge rap breakthrough. Without CD's like Licensed to Ill, rap would not have broken into the mainstream, at least not then. The Beasties personify old school rap and many people were disappointed with their later work and wanted them to record more music like Licensed to Ill.

While the raps and grooves seem a bit simplistic 16 years after its release, it still sounds great. "Fight for Your Right" was and is a classic party theme. I also love "Brass Monkey." What's amazing about this CD is how many of the songs became classics (Fight for your right, Brass Monkey, Paul Revere, Hold it now, Slow & Low). Throw on this CD and just enjoy it.

Sure it was overplayed in the 80's, but if you just listen to it, without all of the baggage from the time it was recorded and played (to death) it is really a great album. Every song grooves, the samples and perfect. It is great to hear them develop their own styles throughout their careers.

In response to Rickey Wright's editorial review (this guy's an editor and didn't see this?)...

The joke, Mr. Wright, is not them crashing their jet into the side of a mountain and surviving, but rather what the image turns into when you unfold the album cover and hold it length-wise with the tail-end up. It's the image of a 'joint' being mashed out (like a cigarette in an ashtray). So I think the genius behind it works, making the obvious - unobvious.

Also, the call letters on the rear of the plane (3MTA3) actually spell 'EAT ME' when viewed in reverse - which is what is usually done when you're smokin' a fatty and 'Jake' is on ya.

As for the album itself - CLASSIC! True Beastie Boy gold!

Perhaps Licensed to Ill was inevitable - a white group blending rock and rap, giving them the first number one album in hip-hop history. But that reading of the album's history gives a short shrift to the Beastie Boys; producer Rick Rubin and his label, Def Jam; and this remarkable record, since mixing metal and hip-hop isn't necessarily an easy thing to do. Just sampling and scratching Sabbath and Zeppelin to hip-hop beats does not make for an automatically good record, though there is a visceral thrill to hearing those muscular riffs put into overdrive with scratching.

But, much of that is due to the producing skills of Rick Rubin, a metalhead who formed Def Jam Records with Russell Simmons and had previously flirted with this sound on Run-D.M.C.'s Raising Hell, not to mention a few singles and one-offs with the Beasties prior to this record. He made rap rock, but to give him lone credit for Licensed to Ill (as some have) is misleading, since that very same combination would not have been as powerful, nor would it have aged so well - aged into a rock classic - if it weren't for the Beastie Boys, who fuel this record through their passion for subcultures, pop culture, jokes, and the intoxicating power of wordplay. At the time, it wasn't immediately apparent that their obnoxious patter was part of a persona (a fate that would later plague Eminem), but the years have clarified that this was a joke - although, listening to the cajoling rhymes, filled with clear parodies and absurdities, it's hard to imagine the offense that some took at the time. Which, naturally, is the credit of not just the music - they don't call it the devil's music for nothing - but the wild imagination of the Beasties, whose rhymes sear into consciousness through their gonzo humor and gleeful delivery.

There hasn't been a funnier, more infectious record in pop music than this, and it's not because the group is mocking rappers (in all honesty, the truly twisted barbs are hurled at frat boys and lager lads), but because they've already created their own universe and points of reference, where it's as funny to spit out absurdist rhymes and pound out "Fight for Your Right (To Party)" as it is to send up street-corner doo wop with "Girls." Then, there is the overpowering loudness of the record - operating from the axis of where metal, punk, and rap meet, there never has been a record this heavy and nimble, drunk on its own power yet giddy with what they're getting away with. There is a sense of genuine discovery, of creating new music, that remains years later, after countless plays, countless misinterpretations, countless rip-off acts, even countless apologies from the Beasties, who seemed guilty by how intoxicating the sound of it is, how it makes beer-soaked hedonism sound like the apogee of human experience. And maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but in either case, Licensed to Ill reigns tall among the greatest records of its time.

I can remember buying this when it came out, but somehow lost it, and recently repurchased it. These rhymes are that good...Wearing headphones at the mall, I burst into laughter and got many stares when they sang "I got a girlie in a castle, and one in a pagoda, and I got rhymes like Abe Vigoda!" How can you beat this stuff? Very fun, musically sound, well done all around.

No one expected the Beastie Boys to last as long as they have, and that is part of this album's appeal. Who would have thought way back in 1986 that these white boys who practically yelled and screamed over tracks that masterfully blended rock and rap would still be topping the charts nearly 20 years later?

The then-novel concept of rock-rap is courtesy of the genius of producer Rick Rubin. He really knows how to craft a song full of hooks. The beats on this album are so massive they practically burst out of your stereo. Every song has a hook that digs itself into your brain and stays put. The best example of this would be "Paul Revere", an undeniably entertaining and catchy classic.

This wouldn't be much of an album though if it was only a producer who makes it worth listening to. Mike D., Adrock, and MCA have a great chemistry and work very well together. They are so confident and playful it's impossible not to have as good a time as they're having. They even know how to pull off the silliest of rhymes (check out "Girls" for proof).

This is a fantastic album. I just got it last week and I have been listening to it over and over ever since. If you are a fan of good, dumb fun, then I highly recommend this CD. Sure, it may appear to be a lot of screaming and yelling, but why complain when it's done so well? There are so many good songs here, including the big hit "Fight For Your Right" (which has held up very well over the years). I give this album my highest recommendation.

And one of the greatest albums of all time comes from... The Beastie Boys? Yes. This album is still one of my favorites after four years, and it proves several things 1) This is one of the first mixes of rap and rock, 2) White guys from Brooklyn CAN rap, and 3) This is a great party album. It's got some of the Beastie Boys' greatest songs which can be summed in three words: Girls, beer, and partying. They rap about everything from their girlfriends (Girls, She's Crafty) to partying and mischeif (the classic Fight For Your Right and Paul Revere), to booze (Brass Monkey) to themselves (No Sleep Till Brooklyn) to their favorite fast food joints. As I'm reviewing this, I would like to point out that I'm not a hip-hop fan. The Beastie Boys are one of the few groups in this genre I really like. This has some of the greatest songs on it. Girls is one your feminist girlfriend wont like. Fight For Your Right answers one of the biggest mysteries of all time: What's that noise? Brass Monkey and Hold It Now, Hit It will probably top Louie Louie as some of the great frat songs of all time. Paul Revere is a song about what happens when the Beasties get themselves into trouble. The thing is, the Beastie Boys have put out some good stuff lately, but I think it'll be a long time before they (or anyone, even Eminem) can top this. So drink your brass monkey. Come on, you know you want to...

After I first picked this album up 19(!) years ago, I didn't listen to any other album for over a year. Nineteen years and hundreds of albums later, I don't listen to this album much anymore, but I still get a kick out of it when I put it on. The Beasties don't take themselves seriously on this album, and you can't expect a work of art coming out of an act that named itself the Beastie (acronym for: Boys Entering Anarchistic States Toward Internal Excellence) Boys. They're more mature now, but they were a lot more fun back then.

Licensed to Ill kicks off with one its best tracks, "Rhymin and Stealin", which uses a sample of Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks" and then moves on to "The New Style" and "She's Crafty" which uses another Zeppelin sample, this time "The Ocean." It may seem sacreligious to use Zeppelin samples in rap considering P. Diddy's mauling of "Kashmir" a couple of years ago, but it really works well here. A few more tracks later and we're at "Girls." The song is admittedly a bit misogynistic, but the Beasties are posing as frat boys on this album, not feminists. Next up is the immortal party anthem, "Fight for Your Right" which you've probably heard a thousand times unless you've been living in a hole for the last 2 decades. The second half of the album has 4 classics, "No sleep..", "Brass Monkey", "Time to Get Ill", and my personal favorite "Paul Revere." Few rappers could match the Beasties in telling as engagingly ludicrous of a story as "Paul Revere."

Though this album is chock full of great moments with samples of Zeppelin, Mr. Ed, and others, the Beasties' next album, Paul's Boutique, really elevates sampling to new heights. For me, this album is about reminiscing about being an immature, carefree 8-year-old listening to the Beasties all the time. Although hip-hop has advanced by leaps and bounds since, I'm sure people will still like the simple beats and inane lyrics in this album.