Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Came for Shambala, Stayed for the Rest, September 16, 2002
I've never been a Beastie Boys fan. I discovered Shambala while looking for an online copy of the old Three Dog Night tune. Beastie Boys Shambala hooked me, I had to hear more. Ill Communication didn't disappoint. I love the fusion-hop-acid-trip-jazz-rock-whatever-it-is they do. This is not the music to listen to while having an anxiety attack. It is a montage of rapped lyrics, world beats, rock and jazz, fusion, and trip-hop, a veritable assault on standardized categories and linear perceptions. Whatever you decide to call it (yeah, even "That ain't music, it's NOISE!"), the Beastie Boys have executed it well. This music is skillfully created, magically blended, and flawlessly engineered. (If you'd like to discuss this CD or review in more depth, please click on the "about me" link above and drop me an email. Thanks!)
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16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Boys grow up!, November 20, 1999
By A Customer
The Beastie boys have changed a lot since License To Ill first came out, by ways of lyrics attitude and musical direction, this is either a good or bad thing for many fans. The change as you know was brought on my Adam Yauch's "Budhisattva vow". The new direction was touched on briefly in parts of Check your Head and was a welcome change because most bands in the 90s seem to want to say something and bring more elements to their music. Another part of their new direction was them picking up their intruments and playing them which happened in Check your Head. On Check your head their sound was more gritty and slightly Lo-fi compared to work such as Pauls Boutique, the rap element was kinda not what was the power behind the album it was the Rock/punk and close attention to intrumentals.THe album was going back to their old punk days, remembering tracks like Egg Raid on Mojo or Riot Fight for short fast punk songs. Ill communication expands on this album, with a more polished sound, excellent recording and mixing. The only thing is that this album lost its gritty feel to it, even songs like Sabotage seem a bit to perfect and only get a gritty appeal when its played live. Another thing to talk about is the mixing of the album which is totally different from the rest of their albums, the Beasties voices are kinda mixed in to the background(in style of L.A rap recordings) a bit and at times really distorted which is one of the best elements to this album, and their lyrics have become more p.c and moving, they rap about the mother earth being disrespected and tibet and becoming enlightened by the buddhas. They have also stopped joking around in their raps and have become more serious. This serious side shines through in their intrumental works on this album , tracks like Sabrosa are excellent to wind down and mellow out to at night, also Ricky's Theme and the very sureal Eugene's Lament (a track probably skip by most fans and very uderrated) its a track that on its own would be silly but fits in well with this album for some reason. Transitions is a great end to this album and is what i think the Boys are doing here is making a big transition from joke white rap group to serious artists. The Boys have growin up, but will sill be in our hearts and culture as being the first white rap to make it big and stay around as long as they did and get to do exactly what they want in their music and push the boundries of hiphop forever.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The most eclectic album I've heard in years, and the best., November 1, 2005
I came to beastie boys on the back of vague recommendations from a mate, not knowing what to expect. Initially, i got licensed to ill, which i enjoyed for what it is, but it was not the stuff i had been recommended. I moved to check your head, and was pleasantly surprised at songs like pass the mic, so what'cha want, live at pjs. Since then, I have been ABSOLUTELY blown away by this album. There is no other album i know of that combines punk-rock, metal, acid jazz, funk, world beats, and hip-hop, in the same album, sometimes even in the same song. And it makes for a great mix.
Not only is this album a great mix of styles, but it is produced crisply, with the vocals mixed down slightly to become an accompaniment to the rest of the instruments, synths blending seamlessly in and out of the music, and the tribal beats laying the foundation for some great songs. The beasties manage to record and mix accordingly for the style of each song style they attempt.
And they attempt a lot. Songs like 'The Update', 'Futterman's Rule' are a psychedelic funk-fest, with tribal world beats as a backbone,synths everywhere and funky guitar licks, i cant help but love them. Songs like 'Sabotage' and 'Heart Attack Man' make for a change of pace, with great punk metal riffs, and fast heavy drum beats. My personal favourite simply for its ingenuity and awesome sound is flute loop; who else but the Beasties could take a folk sounding flute riff, and bring it into the hip-hop world with funky beats, mad scratches and mad lyrics? No one, thats who.
Ultimately, there is something here for a fan of every type of music.I recommend this album to anyone who loves funk, punk, hip-hop, or jazz.
My recommendations are:
The Update,
Futterman's Rule,
Flute Loop,
Sure Shot,
Heart Attack Man,
B-Boys making with the Freak Freak.
Enjoy.
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