Beastie Boys: Hello Nasty

Beastie Boys: Hello Nasty

1998

Capitol Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Super Disco Breakin'  2. The Move  3. Remote Control  4. Song for the Man  5. Just a Test  6. Body Movin'  7. Intergalactic  8. Sneakin' Out the Hospital  9. Putting Shame in Your Game  10. Flowin' Prose  11. "And Me"  12. Three MC's and One DJ  13. The Grasshopper Unit (Keep Movin')  14. Song for Junior  15. "I Don't Know  16. The Negotiation Limerick File  17. Electrify  18. Picture This  19. Unite  20. Dedication  21. Dr. Lee, PhD  22. Instant Death

"Hello Nasty" is the band's fifth full-length album and possibly their final straight-up masterpiece...It's certainly their longest and most ambitious...I remember this tape being a little overwhelming at first, but patience really rewarded this one....

I originally owned this album on Cassette...

 I was probably the last guy buying tapes in the late 90's, so some of you might not be as familiar with this type of cardboard tape-box design with the flap that opened at the top... They always reminded me of a box of Marlboros...

KMFDM's 1997 album "wingdings." is the only other tape I can think of (off the top of my head)  that utilized the same design, but I'm certain there were others...

Alright, back to "Hello Nasty..." Immediately noticeable is the cleaning up of the sound. There's very little of their recent staticky lo-fi and the the lyrics are actually legible for a change...The hip hop is more of the Early 80's Electro-Funk variety, as evidenced by the monster hit "Intergalactic," which sports an old school robo-rap vibe straight from a Whodini album...

And most significantly, this is the album where they introduce the mighty Mix Master Mike, who was a hell of a find. The coolest moment on the album (musically speaking)  is the introduction on  "Three MC's and One DJ" where Mix Master Mike introduces his "tweak scratch" via a  phone call...   He  basically just cuts the record back and forth while running the signal through a wah pedal..See? That's what I like! Innovation! 

 They also pull off what is probably their biggest coup ever...Snagging legendary Jamaican madman Lee "Scratch" Perry to provide vocals on the chirpy organ dub " Dr. Lee, PhD" (Who is apparently under the impression he is working with the "Beastly Boys" Compare this to Biz Markie's guest spots where he refers to them as the "Beatsie Boys...")




(The cover of Lee Perry's album "Super Ape" is probably one of my favorite album covers of all time...What could possibly top the image of a giant ape uprooting  a tree with one hand and holding a massive joint in the other?  Give yourself a few minutes to soak in the greatness of that album cover...Cos I won't be covering Lee Perry until a few years from now...)

Also notable is the "Negotiation Limerick File" where.the Beastie Boys utilize a limerick rhyming scheme,  over a haunting vocal sample that I can't place...But this is probably my favorite of their hip hop tracks...

There's not much in the way of the 70's funk instrumentals that had become a staple of their last couple albums,  but they do introduce a new style that I can only describe as Tropicalia-tinged alt-pop (remember, Tropicalia was a popular influence in the alternative world around this time), where the Beastie's actually...gasp...sing!  Their singing skills are nowhere near their rapping (or shouting skills) but it gets the point across...I appreciate the effort...It's somewhat reminiscent of Cibo Matto (who's singer "Miho Hatori" makes an appearance on "I Don't Know"

Listening to the lyrics on "Song for the Man" makes you realize how far they've come since "Licensed to Ill." Lyrically and musically...


"What makes you feel...
Like you got the right
To look her up and down..."

Huh? These are the same guys that put out "She's On It?"

That was the beauty of the Beastie Boys...They actually evolved...They started their career sounding like the biggest jerks on planet Earth, but a mere 12 years later and they were putting out some of the most thoughtful music and lyrics out there...

I enjoyed the Beastie boys albums that came after this but they weren't so far-reaching and experimental...Like I said earlier, this feels like the last truly epic Beastie Boys album....

Now let's check out the groups' greatest video, "Body Movin'" This video utilizes the Fatboy Slim remix that's available on the "Sounds of Science" compilation, but we'll get tot that tomorrow...Tonight, we check out "Body Movin." by the Beastie Boys...Enjoy....