While most Beastie Boys albums can be classified as having one dominant sound, that's harder to do with Ill Communication. In 1994, they released their most eclectic album yet, one that contains some of their mellowest tracks as well as some of their heaviest. Punk, hard rock, funk, and tons of other stuff round out Ill Communication, though it's the classic Beastie Boys style of rap that comes off as strongest. Sure Shot kicks it off with its familiar whistle and chorus of "Cause you can't, you won't, and you don't stop." The Beasties deliver tight rhymes throughout, keeping the verses chock full of humor, social conscience, and simile: "I got more action than my man John Woo/ And I got mad hits like I was Rod Carew." The very funky and upbeat Root Down has been one of my favorite Beasties tracks for a while with its tight rhymes and vinyl sound. Plenty of other diverse B-Boys rap is scattered throughout the album on the likes of Get It Together, Do It, and Alright Hear This. Their blending of old school styles with new styles (though not necessarily what's popular) is what makes their music stand out, even if it is sometimes hard to get into. Check Your Head featured one of the Beastie's punk-style songs; Ill Communication has two. Tough Guy lashes out a basketball player who can't keep his elbows to himself while Heart Attack Man describes a dangerously obese person. Both tracks are fast, loud, and somewhat humorous. They're fun to listen to (even if they do disrupt the flow a bit), but it's still clear that the Beasties chose the right genre to focus on. It is rock however that really helped this album. I'm talking about Sabotage, an explosive mix of rock and rap. It rocks harder than any other B-Boys tune, even those from their first album. A fantastic video parodying old cop dramas propelled Sabotage to elite status in terms of Beastie Boys singles. Ill Communication contains a lot of instrumentals, all of which are very good. Some are fairly upbeat while most are mellow in a funky kind of way. Futterman's Rule and Bobo On the Corner are two of the more upbeat ones, while Sabrosa could make some nice porn music. Even though the instrumentals are good, they dominate two thirds of the tracks, giving the album too mellow a mood after the first seven. There are some decent rap tracks, but they almost get lost in the softness. The Beastie Boys could make a whole album of groovy, jazzy instrumentals (which they have as a compilation of album tracks), but after hearing Sabotage and Root Down, it's not what I want for so much of the album. Ill Communication is a very good at showcasing the Beastie Boys' skills in many areas of music. However, the overabundance of instrumentals takes too much focus off the later rap tracks, making it hard to get into. If you play this in your car, you'll find yourself hitting skip quite a few times. But if you're in a "whatever" mood, Ill Communication works just fine as an eclectic album to throw in and kick back to.Read full review
Ill Communication is the Last Album in which the Beastie Boys reflected their skills in Sampling and instrumentally. After "ILL Communication" the Beastie Boys fell into a bizarre area of Freaky "Intergalactic" music that made no sense to anyone. Then thier last Album seemed forced out...meaning the Creativity and ecclectic qualities that got the Beasties thier fame was gone. It was if Capitol Records forced them to put out an album. ILL COMMUNICATION was the last great Album The Beasties Created...it has genuine creativity and soul...It marked the end of the Famous Generation X revolution of the Early 1990's when "Check Your Head" was just released and "Paul's Boutique" discovered its second coming.Ill Communication is an awesome album and a must have for anyone age 28 or older....It all ended after that...and that is why this album marks a signifigant period in history and musical vision....It was the soundtrack to the Credits played for many of us who lived the lives....and worked the work of the early 1990's B-Boy Revolution.. Depression ICRRead full review
The Beasties were in top form on this album. This is the third of what critics have largely described as the Boys' 3 best albums. To recap, in 1989 Paul's Boutique came out. It was met initially with mixed reviews, but has become a watershed moment in hop/rock/crossover history. Chuck D from Public Enemy admitted that the BBs had the slickest beats at that time by far. They followed up with 1992s Check Your Head, which was a shift; gone were the cacophony of samples (supposedly all of Paul's Boutique was done with samples), replaced with more instrumental sounds. The Beasties showcased rap/punk/jazz, which carried over to 1994s ILL COMMUNICATION. The album takes the high bar set by the previous album and raises it just a bit more. The Beastie Boys were just so creative, so widely influenced, that if you bear down and listen closely to these albums a few times, you hear different nuances with every listen. You feel like they really put a lot of heart, sweat, and grit into every track. 'Sabrosa' is my absolute favorite track, it catches people off guard that it's the BBs all the time. Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Good quality CD. Plays Well! Arrives on time. Good price.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
The music is ok overall but not worthy of all the awards and praise it received in my opinion...Their previous recording -licensed to ill- was not only more mainstream but better flowing musically... some band's first works are their best while others grow into their own style
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