Beastie Boys: Ill Communication

Beastie Boys: Ill Communication (2009 remastered version)

1994

Capitol/Grand Royal Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing:

Disc 1:   1. Sure Shot  2. Tough Guy  3.B-Boys Makin' with the Freak Freak  4. Bobo on the Corner  5. Root Down  6. Sabotage  7. Get it Together   8. Sabrosa  9. The Update  10. Futterman's Rule  11. Alright Hear This  12. Eugene's Lament  13. Flute Loop  14. Do It  15. Ricky's Theme  16. Heart Attack Man  17. The Scoop  18. Shambala  19. Bodhisattva Vow  20. Transitions

Disc 2;  1.  Root Down (Free Zone Mix)  2. Resolution Time  3. Get It Together (Buck-Wild Remix)  4. Dope Little Song  5. Sure Shot (European B-Boy Mix)  6. Heart Attack Man (Unplugged)  7. "The Vibes  8. Atwater Basketball Association File No. 172-C  9. Heart Attack Man (live)  10. The Maestro (live)  11. Mullet Head  12. Sure Shot (European B-Boy Instrumental)



Ho-boy, am I ever feeling the effects of last night's Friday Night Record Party...I drank a box of Sam Adams Summer Ale...

 ...and this morning I feel like I could drink the entire Atlantic and my mouth would still be dry...On the plus side, I was finally able to find this last night...

....I've been obsessed with finding the Arizona Grapeade after I saw some kid drinking it on the bus and became completely taken with the can...I was so jealous of it...It was so damn purple...I combed every 7-11 and Circle K in the entire city, to no avail...It turns out all I had to do was go into the CVS right next to my house and buy it...I was overjoyed to find out it tastes exactly how I expected it to taste...

Oh yea, I also re-discovered this old Digger song that I 110% forgot about...

Anyway, I invited you here today to check out "Ill Communication" by the Beastie Boys...

For years I listened to this record and like many other people of my generation, I was deeply intrigued by the "Sheeyit..If this is gonna be that kind of a party, I'm gonna stick my dick in the mashed potatoes" sample...

Who was it? What could possibly be the set up for such a landmark punchline. Were we better off not knowing?

Well, eventually. the internet came along and such pressing questions no longer had to keep me awake at night....Turns out it was a comedy record by actor Mantan Moreland, who apparently was almost the Third Stooge at some point...I would have killed to see that happen...Damn you history, for not letting this happen!

Anyway, here it is...Simply click on the video below and hear the rest of the "mashed potatoes" joke...

With that out of the way, we can get down to business...

...the business of eating some bomb-ass ribs...

Okay, with that out the way, let's talk some "Ill Communication..."  I can't help but think of this album as "Check your Head Part 2: Check Again."

 Seemingly, the only Beastie Boys album to sound like the one before it...This may have something to do with the relatively short time span of time between albums (Two years is unheard of in Beastie Boys time). yet, in its own way it also comes off as more concise and confident...Like they were consolidating their strengths., while simultaneously departmentalizing their various styles...The hardcore and jazz doesn't bleed into the rap the same way as before....

The songs largely fall into the following categories:

 Hard Core:  I'm crazy about the band's take on hardcore...Very retro and frizzed out..."Heart Attack Man" and "Tough Guy"  give me flashbacks to Beastie's satellite band  DFL (Dead Fucking Last) who put out some incredible 80's sounding hardcore albums in the 90's...

 Y'know I've always had the theory that "Tough Guy" and "Heart Attack Man' were the same guy...Can anyone back up this theory?

Jazzy Funk Instrumentals: Barring a little more variety in the percussion department, these are all very similar to the ones on "Check Your Head." I've always been a fan of these throwback 70's style instrumentals, and I consider "Ricky's Theme" to be their best one...Oooo, that jazzy electric piano sounds so nice...

Hip hop: The real heart and soul of the album; crackly old school hip hop, with deep grooves and funny lines aplenty (although I think Q-Tip pulls off some of the best lines on the album during his guest appearance on "Get it Together.)...The rap songs are where the group makes some of its biggest strides...These are much cleaner, tighter and catchier than most of the "Check Your Head" hip hop. "Sure Shot" and "Root Down" sounded right at home on radio and MTV...

The only song that don't really fit into any of the above categories is the 70's riff-rocker "Sabotage," which was a smash hit, largely due to its memorable video...This song has always reminded me of "Gratitude."

The 2009 remaster I have also includes a bonus disc, that kind of plays like a miniature version of "Ill Communication." Aside from some remixes (I've never really been a big fan of the whole remix thing), and a fairly pointless audio track of the Beastie Boys playing basketball, there are some cool tracks here. Most notably the murky hip hop track "The Vibes" which features a few of the album's best lyrics:

"Taking care of my functions still smokin, up the shrubbery
I stopped eating chicken 'cause the shit was too rubbery!"

and who can forget the immortal line:

"I like the boomin' grannies in big old panties..."

 There's also the intense hardcore track "Mullethead" which is perhaps one of the most culturally significant hardcore songs ever, since it appears to contain the earliest known use of the term "mullet." 

It's also good to hear the live version of "The Maestro" again. Ad-Rock gives a freakin' intense performance. I can recall hearing this originally on the "Root Down" e.p. and was positively taken with his insane screaming...



The Beastie Boys pulled off another 90's classic and really solidified their place as one of that decade's biggest bands...If you were there, their run of 90's albums and their always creative (and hilarious) videos were era-defining...Let's check out the  video for "Sabotage" if you need a reminder (which I'm sure you don't!)