Licensed to Ill "indy" reissue 9/22

[tuc70021]

Yet another low-effort release from our close personal friends at Def Jam:

https://rockthistownrecords.com/products/beastie-boys-licensed-to-ill-indie-exclusive-fruit-punch-vinyl

[dave790]

Anyone picked up a copy of the burgundy reissue?

I’ve only ever had an original pressing - out of every vinyl release since, what would people recommend?

I know it’s never ever sounded truly great (from what I’ve heard) but presumably there’s a superior pressing somewhere…

[Sir SkratchaLot]

Do the represses get the lock groove at the end right?

[tuc70021]

Do the represses get the lock groove at the end right?

I'm preparing a needlessly detailed review, so I'll report back. So you're saying the 1986 release had a locked groove that would play the Time to Get Ill beat on repeat? Not sure mine does that, but I haven't listened to it in a long ass time.

[Sir SkratchaLot]

I'm preparing a needlessly detailed review, so I'll report back. So you're saying the 1986 release had a locked groove that would play the Time to Get Ill beat on repeat? Not sure mine does that, but I haven't listened to it in a long ass time.

Yes, the 808 beat at the end of Time To Get Ill is a locked groove on the original record. If you have a record player that automatically lifts the needle at the end of a record then it may lift before the locked groove can play out.

[tuc70021]

Well this is interesting. I just played two 1st edition US copies (FC40238 and BFC40238) as well as my Venezuelan copy (CS-10.568) for good measure, and neither has a locked groove (my turntable is fully manual so the tone arm isn't lifting off: I watched the record play out and the arm go to the center). Is it possible your copy has a backskip in a really convenient spot? Or do you have a different version?

Anyway, back to the main topic of this "fruit punch" edition that Def Jam was so kind as to bless us with. It is not good. I listened to a few tracks from the 1986 (US), 2016 30th anniversary reissue, 2020 Walmart exclusive clear vinyl, and the 2023 Indy Store fruit punch versions. The 1986 version still sounds the best: lots of punch in the drums, crisp eveything, just great all around. The 2016 and 2020 versions are less punchy and crisp, and I think these are actually just the same recording pressed on different vinyl. The fruit punch edition lacks all the punch and crispness, but it's also reeeeeally quiet. I'd guess that these were made at a different plant, and one that isn't very good. The whole album is just taken down 5 notches, and the packaging is the same as we've come to expect: nothing new or interesting at all. So yeah, Def Jam. Another one.

I thought I read somewhere that Def Jam actually doesn't know what happened to the master tapes for LTI, so they can't actually do any remastering, they can just kind of fuck with completed versions. I'm also not a audio-tech guy so I might be talking out of my ass. Also, I know that tape degrades over time, and if not properly stored, can actually sounds way worse than records printed from those tapes after time passes. So like, if Russel Simmons has the LTI tapes stuffed in a Crown Royal bag under his bed, no one is going to be able to make a version of LTI that sounds better than what you'd get on a clean 1986 vinyl or CD.

Either way, I'd skip the Fruit Punch unless you're a collector.

[3stooges]

My guess would be if it doesn't say anything about "remastered", then they are just ripping audio from a CD and then pressing vinyl of that.

Well this is interesting. I just played two 1st edition US copies (FC40238 and BFC40238) as well as my Venezuelan copy (CS-10.568) for good measure, and neither has a locked groove (my turntable is fully manual so the tone arm isn't lifting off: I watched the record play out and the arm go to the center). Is it possible your copy has a backskip in a really convenient spot? Or do you have a different version?

Anyway, back to the main topic of this "fruit punch" edition that Def Jam was so kind as to bless us with. It is not good. I listened to a few tracks from the 1986 (US), 2016 30th anniversary reissue, 2020 Walmart exclusive clear vinyl, and the 2023 Indy Store fruit punch versions. The 1986 version still sounds the best: lots of punch in the drums, crisp eveything, just great all around. The 2016 and 2020 versions are less punchy and crisp, and I think these are actually just the same recording pressed on different vinyl. The fruit punch edition lacks all the punch and crispness, but it's also reeeeeally quiet. I'd guess that these were made at a different plant, and one that isn't very good. The whole album is just taken down 5 notches, and the packaging is the same as we've come to expect: nothing new or interesting at all. So yeah, Def Jam. Another one.

I thought I read somewhere that Def Jam actually doesn't know what happened to the master tapes for LTI, so they can't actually do any remastering, they can just kind of fuck with completed versions. I'm also not a audio-tech guy so I might be talking out of my ass. Also, I know that tape degrades over time, and if not properly stored, can actually sounds way worse than records printed from those tapes after time passes. So like, if Russel Simmons has the LTI tapes stuffed in a Crown Royal bag under his bed, no one is going to be able to make a version of LTI that sounds better than what you'd get on a clean 1986 vinyl or CD.

Either way, I'd skip the Fruit Punch unless you're a collector.

[Sir SkratchaLot]

Well this is interesting. I just played two 1st edition US copies (FC40238 and BFC40238) as well as my Venezuelan copy (CS-10.568) for good measure, and neither has a locked groove (my turntable is fully manual so the tone arm isn't lifting off: I watched the record play out and the arm go to the center). Is it possible your copy has a backskip in a really convenient spot? Or do you have a different version?

Anyway, back to the main topic of this "fruit punch" edition that Def Jam was so kind as to bless us with. It is not good. I listened to a few tracks from the 1986 (US), 2016 30th anniversary reissue, 2020 Walmart exclusive clear vinyl, and the 2023 Indy Store fruit punch versions. The 1986 version still sounds the best: lots of punch in the drums, crisp eveything, just great all around. The 2016 and 2020 versions are less punchy and crisp, and I think these are actually just the same recording pressed on different vinyl. The fruit punch edition lacks all the punch and crispness, but it's also reeeeeally quiet. I'd guess that these were made at a different plant, and one that isn't very good. The whole album is just taken down 5 notches, and the packaging is the same as we've come to expect: nothing new or interesting at all. So yeah, Def Jam. Another one.

I thought I read somewhere that Def Jam actually doesn't know what happened to the master tapes for LTI, so they can't actually do any remastering, they can just kind of fuck with completed versions. I'm also not a audio-tech guy so I might be talking out of my ass. Also, I know that tape degrades over time, and if not properly stored, can actually sounds way worse than records printed from those tapes after time passes. So like, if Russel Simmons has the LTI tapes stuffed in a Crown Royal bag under his bed, no one is going to be able to make a version of LTI that sounds better than what you'd get on a clean 1986 vinyl or CD.

Either way, I'd skip the Fruit Punch unless you're a collector.

This is the one
https://www.discogs.com/release/4373456-Beastie-Boys-Licensed-To-Ill

[tuc70021]

Learned something new today. I'm not sure which pressings I have then, but apparently they're not the ones with the locked grooves. I'd love to buy one of these from Discogs, but in my experience sellers are not great with being precise with their listings for things like this (I think even today a lot of the "Green" Root Down copies for sale say "SEALED!" indicating that the seller hasn't even read the basic description).

Anyone got a locked groove LTI copy they'd want to sell/trade?

[dust monkey]

This is the one
https://www.discogs.com/release/4373456-Beastie-Boys-Licensed-To-Ill


i have this record, confirmed match. there is no lock groove with sound.

[Sir SkratchaLot]

i have this record, confirmed match. there is no lock groove with sound.

Is it the one with the hype sticker? Mine is and it has the locked groove.

[tuc70021]

I didn't expect to get this deep in the weeds but I'm pumped that we are...... gatta solve the mystery of the locked groove!

Also, on that Discogs release page, it says that the grooves are locked on both the A and B sides. How does the lock groove work on FFYR? Just the final guitar chords over and over again with them screaming "PARTY!" ?

[Sir SkratchaLot]

I didn't expect to get this deep in the weeds but I'm pumped that we are...... gatta solve the mystery of the locked groove!

Also, on that Discogs release page, it says that the grooves are locked on both the A and B sides. How does the lock groove work on FFYR? Just the final guitar chords over and over again with them screaming "PARTY!" ?


If I remember right it's just the tail end of the guitar sound. Not as cool as the Time to Get Ill drums.