ROCK HALL INDUCTIONS: THE BEASTIE BOYS

I started writing a post "reviewing" The Beastie Boys' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last week, and planned to finish it either Friday or Saturday.  Obviously, it's a much different post now.

I've heard that Adam Yauch was admitted into the hospital on the same day that the induction took place.  I can only imagine the bittersweet feelings Adam Horovitz and Mike Diamond, and Yauch's parents, must have had, being at the ceremony that night.

I remember predicting that Chuck D would be the guy they'd call to induct The B-Boys and I'm glad I was right. Public Enemy had a long history with the Beasties, and he was so passionate about their importance.  I was glad that LL Cool J was also part of the induction. Chuck and LL deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame themselves, hopefully sooner rather than later.  (Rick Rubin was in the audience as a guest of The Red Hot Chili Peppers: it's interesting that he'd produced the Chilis, the Beasties and Donovan, as well as presenters Chuck, LL, and also Kid Rock who performed.  He should also be in the Hall of Fame soon!)

Chuck's speech was predictably longer.  But he made great points about how they always stuck together as a team, they were a TEAM of MCs, how they defied expectations and carved their own path. LL's speech was good too: besides pointing out that it was the Beasties who played his demo for Rick Rubin, he also noted that they really brought hip-hop to the suburbs.

Mike and Adam kept it pretty short.  I don't know how Adam H. kept it together while reading Yauch's speech for him.

Watching the performance a second time on TV, I liked it a bit better.  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame wisely asked The Roots to perform at that segment (instead of Paul Shaffer's group, the house band for the rest of the night, and for nearly every ceremony). They were joined by the Beasties' longtime DJ Mixmaster Mike.  Black Thought was on the mic, along with Kid Rock and Travie McCoy from the band Gym Class Heroes.  Black Thought was a given, he's one of the best MCs in the game and has been since he started. Kid Rock is obviously influenced by the group.  I would have gone with someone like Q-Tip, Nas or Mos Def for the third spot though. They pretty much stuck to the hip-hop and rock/rap hybrids.  I guess they had limited time, but I thought they should have addressed their instrumental funk prowess (which would be easy for The Roots) and their hardcore punk background (which Mos Def or someone like Henry Rollins could have done). Still, they put together a cool performance and they probably didn't have a lot of time to rehearse it.

If you have a chance to check out this year's Hall of Fame induction ceremony, you should do so, especially if you are a Beastie Boys fan.

GUEST POST: KARA PAIN - "WHY DO THE BEASTIE BOYS DESERVE TO BE IN THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME?"

Kara Pain, or as I call her, K-POW, is a former colleague from my days at SiriusXM. I knew her first as a member of the Liquid Metal team, and although she's a badass metal gal, it turns out that she's a lot more than that. She moved from NY to Seattle, where she's done stand-up comedy, improv, and she's also been heard on the FM airwaves.  If this was the '80s or '90s and she was doing this guest post for a 'zine instead of a blog, I'd advise you to keep this issue, as it would be a collectors item once she "hits it big." A couple of years ago, she was telling me about an debate she had with a well known music critic over The Beastie Boys.  So I asked her to use that as the starting point for her guest post, about why they deserve to be Rock and Roll Hall of Famers.  Take it away, K-POW... 


"Here's a little story, I got to tell..." 

I have a friend who is “in the biz.” I’m not saying this to sound cool; it actually has something to do with this blog post, so chill out.  The reason it’s important is because this friend’s career is based on subjectively judging music, it pays his bills. Anyway, said friend and I were discussing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame one day and I mentioned how funny it was that the Beastie Boys were snubbed in 2011. Well, imagine my surprise when Friend disagrees, vehemently!

As he is a professional music critic, I battled as best I could against his musical knowledge to defend my point (which was a lot like fighting Uma Thurman in Kill Bill). I threw Platinum Record sales and Grammy wins at him, and while I wasn’t brought to slaughter, I was beaten and bruised. I couldn’t quite convince him of why The Beastie Boys deserved to be honored. The discussion has still plagued me, even as the B-Boys were inducted this year. I don’t really have to prove it to him or anyone else, but I just can’t let it go. Why did the idea spark so much passion in me? Why did this band deserve honor for contributing to the landscape of music and culture?

On April 12, 2012 the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame held its annual induction ceremony. You know the deal: 25 years (or more) after the release of their first record artists are eligible to be voted in based on the influence they’ve had on music. It’s kind of the Super Bowl ring of the music industry.  The whole induction thing started in 1983, and the nominating committee and voting body consists of a group of “rock experts” who vote on particular artists and how they were, or are. influencing the music scene. I put said experts into quotations, because come on…I think I’M a rock expert. 

Included among this year inductees are artists my parents listened to, the Small Faces, Freddie King, The Miracles. This year the Hall has also included Guns N Roses, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Beastie Boys. These bands can’t be over the 25 year mark, can they? They can!

The Beastie Boys started out as punk rockers. In 1982 the band released Polly Wog Stew.  A decent thrash punk record that sounded like, well, everything else that was already on the scene. The band, including Michael Diamond on vocals, Adam Yauch on bass, drummer Kate Schellenbauch, and guitarist John Berry (before Adam Horovitz joined) were doing what they thought they should to make it. You’re white, so make Punk Rock Music. After the exit of John and Kate the boys began to play around with the idea of rhyming over beats and samples and the truth of who they were, who they ARE, began to emerge.

In 1984, the Beastie Boys’ current lineup released a quirky fun track honoring an ice cream cake, Carvel’s Cookie Puss.  It was basically a phony phone call over a hip-hop track.  After friend and NYU student Tim Sommer handed over that track to another NYU student, Rick Rubin, who also just happened to be head of Def Jam records, the Boys were ready to emerge. Rick became their DJ and produced their debut album.

By 1988 the Beastie Boys became a mainstay of MTV. Licensed to Ill had already hit Number 1 on the Billboard 100, and was the first rap album to do so. They had managed to sneak into the Top 40 club and throw an all out hip-hop party. They weren’t gonna sleep and they would fight for the right to be there. Okay, I’m over-using lyrics to make my point here, but in the dawning of our multi-media culture, three white boys form Brooklyn were helping to change its face.

As I researched this article I found an underlying thread that seemed to follow the Beastie Boys story. When I YouTubed “Cookie Puss,” I read some of the comments and it surprised me that most of the conversation revolved around the color of the Beastie Boys skin.

I think The Beastie Boys just don’t worry about their skin color. Like many other people, they LOVE Hip-Hop and they wanted to honor it with their own style. They weren’t trying to be cool, or act like something they’re not. It was real, and that’s why it worked.

Racism exists, no doubt, and if you pretend its untrue then you’re only lying to yourself. However, I do think that the Beastie Boys have helped us to erase some of those lines, and assist in ushering in a generation that accepts differences far more readily. I mean, we’re the generation that helped finally elect the first black president. I know I’m probably pissing some people off by saying this, and I’m not crediting the Beastie Boys with all civil progression, OR with President Obama's election into office, definitely not. What I am saying is that they made their contribution, they made an impact. Where would we be, as a society, without habitual line crossers Jimi Hendrix, Duke Ellington, Elvis…you get what I’m saying? 

I grew up in a super eclectic area of New York and had friends of all shapes and sizes, and they were my friends because they were cool and fun, and that was all. We would sit on our stoops (front porches for those of you not from NY) and listen to music. Connecting through styles and tastes via lyrics and melodies. Beautiful.

Later on, The Boys grew up from fighting for their right to party, and communicated different messages.  Their music matured, and they matured as people.  In 1996 they organized the Tibetan Freedom Concert, bringing attention to the plight of Tibetans living in a country now occupied by China. They headlined four of these concerts over four years, and Adam Yauch was a tireless advocate for the Tibetan people. They put on the New Yorkers Against Violence Event, raising money for victims of 9/11. Also, they’ve actively participated in Habitat for Humanity, the ASPCA and the Lunchbox Fund which helps provide food for hungry school children. I’d say they are actively doing their part as being decent humans.  Top that off with phat rhymes and skills to pay the bills?!  Holla!

While they DO fool around, and sing about what seems like the immature babbling of a generation known for its excess, they said a lot to the younger ears behind them, who were listening and absorbing the cultural world around them.

“The true key is a trust in self
For when I trust myself, I fear no one else
I took control of my life, just as anyone can
I want everyone to see it's in the palm of your hand
The past is gone, the future yet unborn
But right here and now is where it all goes on.” – The Update

So I’ll ask the question again as I did in the beginning, only this time I’m going to answer it. Why do the Beastie Boys deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?  Because they remind us to be true to ourselves, to ignore the boundaries people create to feel safe, to Fight for our Right. Isn’t that what Rock music is all about? Makes me think how exciting it'll be in another couple of years, when Rage against the Machine is inducted. Just a thought.

“I once was lost but now I'm found
The music washes over and you're one with the sound” - Shadrach 

BACK IN THE DAY: THE BEASTIE BOYS "PAUL'S BOUTIQUE"

Well, there's nothing like it.  The Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique didn't sound like any record that came before it, or anything since.

I remember buying it when it first came out, but I don't remember why I bought it.  I liked a bunch of songs on their debut album, Licensed To Ill. But it seemed like a novelty album, and it's appeal was... I'd describe it as douche-y.  Also their style was very derivative of Run-D.M.C.'s (understandable as they were a big influence and both groups were produced by Rick Rubin).

I think I may have heard "Hey Ladies" and thought that they didn't sound like they'd progressed too much. But the music was so much... thicker. I was intrigued.  So I picked it up.  When I first listened to the record, I was puzzled.  What the hell?  I know a lot of other people had the same experience.

But every time I came back to the album, I liked it a little bit more. I was always catching new references in the lyrics and in the music.  In fact, there is an entire website that explains every reference and lists every sample.  And there's a great book about the album that tells you just about everything about how it was made - it's part of the excellent 33 1/3 series.  You couldn't make an album like this today without a multi-million dollar sample-clearance budget and probably an army of lawyers.  I mean, they sampled The Beatles! You just couldn't do that today, but back then, there were no rules about it.  It was a cool era: other hip-hop LPs like Public Enemy's It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back and de la soul's 3 Feet High and Rising were similarly dense with samples, but no one can (legally) release albums like those today.  It's interesting to note, though, that this album was about the time where hip-hop's mainstream started losing interest in the Beasties.  On Licensed, they were signed to Def Jam and were managed by RUSH (both owned by Russell Simmons).  On this album, they left New York for L.A., ditched Def Jam and signed to Capitol (who didn't really have a hip-hop team in place), left RUSH management, and moved on from producer Rubin to The Dust Brothers.

Today, it's one of my favorite albums, and unlike Licensed To Ill, it's aged really well, and still sounds ahead of its time.

TIE FOR #11 - THE BEASTIE BOYS "HOT SAUCE COMMITTEE PART TWO"

I was so happy to hear that The Beastie Boys will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. What makes that more amazing is the fact that they are still putting out great records, as evidenced by Hot Sauce Committee Part Two.  Unfortunately, the album didn't get much attention. A lot of that is because they couldn't do too much promotion, since Adam Yauch is still battling cancer. But you really wouldn't have guessed that by listening to the album.

It's a straight up hip-hop record. There's no instrumental funk jams (which they probably got out of their system last time, on the instrumental album The Mix-Up). There's no hardcore punk, or hard rock jams.

That's a risky move for a bunch of guys in their mid to late 40s.  The current commercial hip-hop community probably aren't paying attention to them (although they get respect from the people who have a sense of history... and the fact that Nas guests on "Too Many Rappers" doesn't hurt either).  The production doesn't sound like it has an ear to 2011, or even 2001.  It's kind of timeless: on one hand, it sounds like old-school electro hip-hop.  On the other hand, it's very futuristic, but not in the Black Eyed Peas Euro-rave-Blade Runner way. They don't work with outside producers - they produce the tracks themselves.  Not many other hip-hop acts produce their own albums.

One thing that hasn't changed is that they still make great videos.  There's a half hour video "Fight For Your Right Revisited" (which is based on the banger "Make Some Noise") and also a Spike Jonze directed clip starring action figures for "Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win." You can catch them here.   But as for the album itself, it's a great one.  I'm sure some people will say that they aren't "relevant to the hip-hop community" anymore.  But shit, I'm 40+, I don't care about "relevant" I care about "great," and this is a great album.

THE BEASTIE BOYS - A BEGINNER'S GUIDE

How did The Beastie Boys react to the news that they're being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? They haven't really said much. On one hand, they don't seem to take this kind of thing seriously. On the other, it has to feel pretty good to be acknowledged. Along with the Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five and Run-D.M.C., they are the only hip-hop artist to be inducted thus far.  And they are the only band with roots in hardcore punk to be inducted.  Add to that, the fact that Adam Yauch has been battling cancer... well, that has to add some weight to this. I hope he's doing well, and I hope they show up and perform. I'd guess they'd do a hardcore tune, at least one hip-hop tune, one of their hard rockers and an instrumental funk jam. How many other bands have so many modes? So there's a lot of great stuff in the long line of LPs.

The Compilation: the 2 CD set Sounds Of Science has almost all of their modes: hardcore punk, their days as a Run-D.M.C. style Def Jam group, the Paul's Boutique era, their hard rock stuff, instrumental funk and even their country phase (which was very brief).  It has hits, album tracks and rare stuff too. And great liner notes by the band. If that's too much for you, go for the single CD Solid Gold Hits.

The Classic Album(s): They had a lot of game changers.  First, their debut full length, 1986's Licensed To Ill on Def Jam. It has lots of douchey anthems like "Fight For Your Right" and "Brass Monkey," but on the other hand, it was pretty groundbreaking and has lots of amazing tracks.  They completely flipped the script and risked everything by leaving Def Jam, Rush Management and producer Rick Rubin for L.A., Capitol Records and The Dust Brothers for 1989's Paul's Boutique. At the album tanked at the time. Now: it is considered a classic.   After that, they picked up their instruments again for another classic, 1992's Check Your Head. This sort of mapped out the rest of their career, which they'd split between straight up hip-hop, hard rock tunes with Adam Horowitz on the mic, hard core punk tunes with Mike D shouting, and instrumental funk jams.

After that, they still released great albums but nothing as groundbreaking. Still, 1994's Ill Communication is amazing, 1998's Hello Nasty is great. I think 2004's To The 5 Boroughs is totally underrated, and ditto for this year's Hot Sauce Committee Part 2. I also dig their instrumental album, 2007's The Mix-Up. And, although they weren't at their best as a hardcore band, the 1994 compilation Some Old Bullshit is still solid, plus it has their legendary prank call "Cookie Puss."

NORAH JONES REMIX EP

Tomorrow (1/12) Norah Jones is releasing the Chasing Pirates Remix EP on vinyl and iTunes. It includes the studio version of "Chasing Pirates" and a song that didn't make her latest album The Fall, "That's What I Said." Adam Horovitz and Mike D from The Beastie Boys do a remix of "That's What I Said," and Santigold remixes "Chasing Pirates." There's another "Pirates" remix by a group of people including Beck.