Quotes are nothing but inspiration for the uninspired
Quotes are nothing but inspiration for the uninspired
Member since:04.10.2005
Reviews:23
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Licensed to Ill was the Beastie Boys first album released in 1986 and was the best selling rap album of the 80s.
Tracklisting:
1. Rhymin & Stealin 2. The New Style 3. She's Crafty 4. Posse In Effect 5. Slow Ride 6. Girls 7. Fight For Your Right 8. No Sleep Till Brooklyn 9. Paul Revere 10. Hold It Now, Hit It 11. Brass Monkey 12. Slow And Low 13. Time To Get Ill
Rhymin & Stealin has got a fantastic rock & roll feel to it with a hip-hop twist. It reminds me a little of Run DMC with it's drumming and electric guitar. It's a good start to the album.
The New Style is an agressive hip-hop track with well timed beats and start/stop scratching.
She's crafty is 80s to the max. Really humerous lyrics about a fan who tries to get it on with one of the boys so she can steal all their stuff. "When I woke up late in the afternoon She had taken all the things from inside his room I found myself naked in the middle of the floor She had taken the bed and the chest of drawers"
Posse in Effect has a similar feel to She's Crafty in its sound. Electric drums and the same beat. It seems a bit of a rip off, the only difference is the lyrics which are quite fun again.
Slow Ride takes the album in a different direction. With a slightly caribean theme, hard-hitting lyrics and a happy sax. It's quite an uplifting track.
Girls. This is the funniest track the Beasties have ever written to date. As the title states it's about girls, girls, girls. The only instrument playing is a funky little xylaphone. Lyrics - genious if not a little on the boarder e.g "Girls - to do the dishes Girls - to clean up my room Girls - to do the laundry Girls - and in the bathroom Girls, that's all I really want is girls Two at a time I want girls With new wave hairdos I want girls I ought to whip out my girls, girls, girls, girls, girls! "
Fight for you Right! Oh yes! This is the track that took the Beasties to the commercial charts and also the first single released from this album. Apparently the Beasties don't even like this song themselves and haven't even performed it since 1987! I agree it's not one of my favorites but without this track they wouldn't have broken into the mainstream.
No Sleep till Brooklyn has some good drumming and guitar, quite Rock orientated.
Paul Revere is lyric oritentated with little percussion or instrumental input. It tells a quirky story about the lads in the Wild West. Pretty funny if not a little long.
Hold it now, Hit it is a quality track with some good samples. The rapping is starting to sound the same as the previous tracks and it's getting a little tired.
Brass Monkey is awesome. Taking a turn for the good, Brass Monkey that funky Monkey really brings the album up. There's a bar where I live called Brass Monkey and it always reminds me of this track. But yet again, the beat is the same as previous tracks.
Slow and Low is beat riddled with good guitar riffs and powerful lyrics.
Time to Get Ill brings the album to a close. It has some good scratching, that damn beat is back again with added whistles. A few good samples though and fast rapping.
Overall the album is good but not great. For the Beasties first album is awesome and I can imagine back in the mid 80s why it was the smash hit it was. It's a little dated now and alot of the tracks sound the same. Pauls Boutique which was released in 1988 is still topical and fresh today and it's a shame this album couldn't do the same. I'd still reccomend it to fans of the Beasties but if you're just curious I'd probably stay steer clear and try Check Your Head or Hello Nasty instead.
Thanks for Reading!
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The joke of Licensed to Ill's cover--that the Beasties could crash their jet into the side ... more
of a mountain and keep on tickin'--serves as a good metaphor for a career that even some of their 1986 admirers thought might be over after the one-time-only sho...
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Aug 27th, 2007
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