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Which is the best Beastie Boys album?

Menome

Menome

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,405
Prompted by an exchange in another thread, I'm asking ResetERA what they believe to be the best album by the phenomenal Beastie Boys to be. From the frat-boy beginnings of Licence To Ill to the history-making sampling super-cut of Paul's Boutique, from the return to their original roots of garage rock in Check Your Head to the incorporation of world music in Ill Communication and beyond.

Which album do you go back to the most and either rock out to, or groove to the beats of the most?

R.I.P MCA.
 
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Raide

Raide

Banned
Oct 31, 2017
16,596
Hello Nasty for me. I love all the albums... Well maybe not so much To the 5 Boroughs.
 
Eldy

Eldy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,192
Maryland
It's Paul's Boutique for me. Legendary production and I think it has a lot of their best rhymes on it. Not a knock against their other albums (I'm especially fond of Check Your Head and Licensed to Ill, though the latter is partially nostalgia since it's their first album I heard), but I don't think it's a particularly close call.
 
OP
OP
Menome

Menome

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Oct 25, 2017
6,405
Well, it turns out the 'Poll' option only allows five entries, so we'll have to discuss it and tally things up later on.

To kick things off, my own vote would be for Paul's Boutique. Not only for its place in music history as a monument to sampling, but because as hip-hop album it manages to flow effortlessly from track to track despite the fact it's working in what is effectively a newly constructed environment for the genre. It manages to be direct, have a little fun along the way in the manner that characterises the Beastie Boys for their career, and sounds great when pumped up on the stereo.

An honourable second place would go to Hello Nasty, which is a great encapsulation of everything the Beastie Boys had done up until that point in their career, along with some damn fine singles and chilled out grooves to lay back to. A near-perfect summer album.
 
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Clown_im_OP

Clown_im_OP

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,458
I honestly like To the 5 Boroughs the best. I can see why that's not the popular opinion though.
Triple Trouble is my jam.

Also The Sounds of Science is one of the greatest Best Ofs ever.
 
Conciliator

Conciliator

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Oct 25, 2017
5,123
I stand by Paul's Boutique as in the other thread

but I think this is a great thread to discuss the various merits of the Beastie Boys discography
 
Soundscream

Soundscream

Member
Nov 2, 2017
9,232
Pauls Boutique is one of the most influential hip hop albums because of the use of samples, but Hello Nasty is their best album.
 
astroturfing

astroturfing

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Nov 1, 2017
6,450
Suomi Finland
not a popular opinion but i can't get into any of their albums, they legit sound like 90% aimless filler to me :/

some individual tracks are amazing though of course, like Sure Shot.
 
8bit

8bit

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,390
Paul's Boutique. Although "Phone is ringing, oh my god." is possibly my favourite bit of any of their albums.
 

Deleted member 1627

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Check Your Head
Hello Nasty
Ill Communication
Paul's Boutique
License to Ill
To the 5 Boroughs
Hot Sauce Committee Part 2

THEY ALL BANGERS, THO.
 
A Fish Aficionado

A Fish Aficionado

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Oct 25, 2017
2,190
Getting on like Ali boom ba yay
So fed up with racism today
Time to speak up and not turn away
Make the sun shine when it's cloudy and gray
....
Now who in the world do you want to fight?
It's agianst the system we should unite
Homophobics ain't alright
If you learn to love then you might love life

They knew what was up in like 1999
 

Deleted member 1627

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
2,061
A Fish Aficionado said:
Getting on like Ali boom ba yay
So fed up with racism today
Time to speak up and not turn away
Make the sun shine when it's cloudy and gray
....
Now who in the world do you want to fight?
It's agianst the system we should unite
Homophobics ain't alright
If you learn to love then you might love life

They knew what was up in like 1999
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Click to shrink...
This is a belting track and one of their best videos, too.
 
OP
OP
Menome

Menome

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Oct 25, 2017
6,405
djplaeskool said:
Hello Nasty, if only because Intergalactic is hands down one of the best tracks of that decade.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I mean, let's not mince words here.

Of all time.

Even at my lowest, that song can get me bobbing my head along. It's also the very first song I asked my Google Home speaker to play when I set it up.
 

Deleted member 20284

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Oct 28, 2017
2,889
This is like picking a favourite child. Fuuuck. The answer changes based on my mood. Hands down the best live experiences big and especially small venues. Foo fighters second.

I want to stay old school but imma go with Hot Sauce, they slayed it on so many albums though.
 
D6AMIA6N

D6AMIA6N

Member
Nov 8, 2017
354
Atlanta, GA
I love almost all of them but Paul's Boutique is in my opinion their best and the sound of the Beatsie Boysssss

Also shout out and RIP to my boy MCA. I miss you man
 
AtomLung

AtomLung

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,642
Probably Ill Communication or Check Your Head. I really liked it when they started doing instrumental jam tracks on their albums. I generally love these guys though.
 

Kramer

Member
Oct 27, 2017
162
Hello Nasty.

But really just make a massive Beasties playlist with tunes from all the albums.

Saw them live at Wembley Arena. AMAZING.
 

philipnorth

Member
Oct 31, 2017
551
I seriously cant choose. Oh my God thats the funky shit.

I mean all albums have quality songs.
I love ill comm, hello nasty, Pauls B, all of them.
 
THEVOID

THEVOID

Prophet of Regret
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Oct 27, 2017
22,841
I listen to LTI far more then the others. It's such a great album from start to finish. Love it.
 
subcutaneousphat

subcutaneousphat

Member
Dec 4, 2017
1,801
London
Paul's Boutique would be my pick. It's their most complete album to my ears, without a single moment of filler. It also has that wonderfully free-wheeling and playful approach to sampling that isn't really possible nowadays outside of an Avalanches release every ten years which was pretty innovative for it's time.

After that I would probably rank them from best to worst - Check Your Head, Hot Sauce, Hello Nasty, Ill Communication, 5 Boroughs, License To Ill
 
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