Tag Archives: beastie boys

#1315: Beastie Boys – Super Disco Breakin’

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On 4th May 2012, Adam Yauch, known to you and me as “MCA”, passed away after succumbing to parotid cancer. It didn’t come out of the blue. He had revealed that he found a cancerous lump in 2009, but then there was hope that all would be okay. Everyone wanted it to be. I know I did. So it was sad and definitely a shock when I saw the headline on Ceefax, of all things, that he died. Before then, I hadn’t listened through a full Beastie Boys album. So one of the first things I did to commemorate the man who was MCA, was listen to Hello Nasty. I then uploaded the album, in sections, to YouTube. Just felt like the right thing to do. Why Hello Nasty? Well, I think I had ‘Intergalactic’ as a song by itself in my iTunes library, and I knew ‘Body Movin” and ‘Three MC’s and One DJ’ from seeing their videos on the TV. All three are on the LP. So I thought, “Might as well listen to the whole set.”

‘Super Disco Breakin” is the first song on Hello Nasty. To get things off to a grand opening, there’s what I think is a nod to the Beatles’‘Back in the U.S.S.R.’ nod, with the first sound the listener hears being one of an airplane taking off. The instrumental hook, a synth or sample – I’m not sure, gets going amidst some random record scratches. In the background, MCA utters the words, “Yeah… Get down,” before the kick drum starts thumping and Ad-Rock properly gets things rolling with the great first line, “Well, it’s 50 cups of coffee and you know it’s on”, accompanied by Mike D and MCA on certain words for added effect. When Hello Nasty was released in July 1998, it had been four years of waiting for a new studio Beastie Boys album. And I think the only way to think of ‘Super Disco Breakin” is as the introduction to this new offering to show that they were back. Almost half a decade as passed since their last LP, the three members were solidly in their 30s (well, Ad-Rock was 31), but they still had their infectious energy, their interplay, the respectively distinct vocals… the things we know and love the Beastie Boys for.

And those aspects are all showcased in the two short minutes of the song’s duration. The trio are completing each other’s lines within the first few moments, going back and forth between words, while a hectic, bustling beat carries on in the background. The way the lyrics bounce from one rapper to the next, panning around the stereo setup in the process, you never know which way to look or where things are going to end up. But what counts is the immense sense of fun you can tell the trio are having just by performing. In addition, there are little vocal samples and splices added in to fill in the emptier spaces which are very cool. One notable example is the split-second Run-D.M.C. vocal from that group’s tune ‘Sucker MC’s’. After the second and final iteration of the chorus, more samples enter the mix shouting out the city of Manhattan – one from a Kool Moe Dee and Busy Bee tape, and another unconfirmed. It’s just cool the way the word ‘Manhattan’ is blurred and mixed in with the record scratches. Someone asks “What’s up?” at the song’s very end, a straight cut to silence occurs. A great statement to start an album off with.

#868: Beastie Boys – The Move

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Some time in 2018, I went through the discography of Beastie Boys through Spotify while at work. It was the type of place where no one really looked at what you were doing, pretty much as long as you showed up. But I did it. One album each day, though I think I skipped The Mix-Up. All I can say is when it comes to a Beastie Boys album, you never know what you can get because the three members (MCA, Ad-Rock and Mike D) decided quite soon that they would make anything they wanted when making a record. Hard rock, dub, slow acoustic jams, those were always on there. But what they excelled at was hip-hop and their raps, bouncing off each others words with excitement and enthusiasm.

Their 1998 album Hello Nasty starts off too strongly. First comes ‘Super Disco Breakin” which’ll get its own post way later, and then the second punch arrives with ‘The Move’. The title phrase isn’t mentioned in the lyrics, or in any verse rhymed by a member, but I’d like to think it’s called as such because this track doesn’t stick to one beat. For a good chunk, it’s straight boom-bap, then a harpsichord comes in for a brief moment, the boom-bap starts again, then the beat changes into one led by this double bass groove, followed by a lengthy period where the last few words uttered by the three echo into the distance that unexpectedly turns into an interlude of ‘El Rey y Yo’ by Los Angeles Negros. You can’t say it’s not entertaining. All in three and a half minutes.

Overall, the track is yet another braggadocious offering by the trio. The Beastie Boys were back, it had been four years since their last album at that point, and they’re just as good as ever. There was never any need to doubt them. Some one-liners that always stick to me when listening: “I’m intercontinental when I eat French toast”, “Dogs love me ’cause I’m crazy sniffable”, and I particularly like the delivery on “‘Cause I’m that fool that broke the kEeEy”. Always brings a smile. There’s also a small part where the three exchange syllables in one line, which I never even properly realized until I saw a YouTuber’s reaction to this the other day. Good, good track. Fair to say that it’s overlooked in the Beasties catalogue? I would say yes.

My iPod #174: Beastie Boys – Ch-Check It Out

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“To the 5 Boroughs” was the Beastie Boys’ long awaited release after a six year wait from 1998’s “Hello Nasty”. “Ch-Check It Out” was the first single to be released from it, and is probably the song that introduced me to the group.

There is nothing better than three old guys who could rap very well and act silly in their video when you are nine years old, and I watched it over and over again on the Windows Media Player. After a few more listens, and a look at its lyrics I was able to memorise the whole song. Something I can, just about, still do to this very day.

Very sad that we may never hear new material by the group due to the passing of “MCA” Adam Yauch, and if there unexpectedly is it definitely wouldn’t be the same.

My iPod #37: Beastie Boys – And Me

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2012 was a sad year for all Beastie Boys fans. Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch passed away with salivary gland cancer, since then the hip-hop trio have gone on hiatus but it is hard to imagine that Ad-Rock and Mike D could perform under the ‘Beastie Boys’ moniker without that trademark low and raspy vocal.

I liked Beastie Boys, but I had never listened to any of their albums. It sounds bad that I only decided to after MCA’s death, and as I type I do feel quite shitty for not listening to one earlier.

Upon release the album received mostly positive reviews. The majority of them mentioning how the trio were branching out with their sound, gaining influence from an eclectic range of genres and successfully stepping forward in progress from previous releases. This is understandable, compare this album with their debut ‘Licensed to Ill’ for example.

‘And Me’ was one of the songs that caught my attention upon my first listen. To my knowledge, it was the first time that Beastie Boys had ever had such a calm and mellow vibe in a song. No one raps, it’s just Ad-Rock (though I am not sure) singing accompanied by synthesizers and a steady drum beat. I had never heard something like that by them before.

Sure the song is a bit repetitive, the melody is the same for every verse. Maybe it’s because they’re better at rapping, but I don’t know. It’s a very under rated song, so listen to it and see what you think about it.

Until next time.

Jamie.