monkey
06-22-2004, 08:51 AM
Beasties Finally Deliver
Seminal rap band return after six years with 'To the 5 Boroughs'
By Jonathan Cohen
Billboard
NEW YORK -- Long breaks between records are nothing new for the Beastie Boys: They took four years between 1994's "Ill Communication" and their chart-topping, triple-platinum follow-up, "Hello Nasty."
But they are willing to admit that the six years between "Nasty" and "To the 5 Boroughs" would have been even longer if they had had their way.
Beastie Michael Diamond (known professionally as Mike D) says only the friendly prodding from Capitol president Andy Slater and the band's manager, John Silva, kept the band from continuing to tinker with the album for months, or even years.
"Because of the way we choose to work and because we work in our own studio, we could really go on forever," he says.
"We have to say, 'This is the release date we're going to shoot for' and work backwards from there. If we didn't set deadlines for ourselves based on that, we really would just keep going on and on and fixing things and making new songs."
Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock) and Adam Yauch (MCA) round out the group.
If first single "Ch-Check It Out" is any indication, there is definitely a pent-up demand for the 15-track set.
"Ch-Check It Out" rocketed to a career-best No. 3 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in only four weeks. (It rises to No. 2 this issue.) The accompanying video is No. 2 on MTV2 and No. 6 on MTV.
As expected, "To the 5 Boroughs" is loaded with political commentary, including calls to vote President Bush out of office ("That's It That's All") and criticism of U.S. foreign policy ("Time to Build"). It also frequently pays homage to the trio's New York surroundings, best evidenced in "An Open Letter to NYC."
Above a chopped-up sample of the Dead Boys' "Sonic Reducer," the group finds solace in the city's post-Sept. 11 resiliency: "Since 911 we're still livin'/and lovin' life we've been given/ain't nothing gonna take that away from us/we're lookin' pretty and gritty 'cause in the city we trust."
Reinforcing the subject matter, the album's cover art is a pencil drawing of lower Manhattan as viewed from its southern tip, with the World Trade Center towers intact.
But the Beasties wisely don't skimp on their trademark goofball humor. They littered the album with references to such pop-culture figures as Fred Sanford, the Keebler Elves, Ron Popeil, Herman Munster, Jabba the Hut, Foghorn Leghorn and "Three's Company" landlord Mr. Furley.
"Seventy percent of the album or more is basically us just trying to entertain each other and have a good time," Mike D says. "That being said, it's only natural that there were certain days we came in and couldn't help but be thinking about things that were a lot more serious. We really felt there were things we had to say."
The trio begins its first extended tour in five years Aug. 7-8 at Japan's Summer Sonic Festival. The trek includes a North American arena outing that starts in mid-August.
"The idea with this record and tour, although it may sound like a contradiction, is to try to get to as much of the world but at the same time live sane family lives," Mike D says.
To emphasize the straight-ahead hip-hop sound of "Boroughs," the Beasties will forgo live instrumentation and tour simply with DJ Mix Master Mike, though Mike D says, "That could change at any moment."
The bigger question for some observers is what the future holds for the group, in light of how long it took to complete this record. Even Mike D admits, "To be honest, we really never know."
"One of the things we've talked about is actually not waiting so long until we record the next record, because we did a lot more songs than we wound up using," he adds. "Of course, give it a year."
Seminal rap band return after six years with 'To the 5 Boroughs'
By Jonathan Cohen
Billboard
NEW YORK -- Long breaks between records are nothing new for the Beastie Boys: They took four years between 1994's "Ill Communication" and their chart-topping, triple-platinum follow-up, "Hello Nasty."
But they are willing to admit that the six years between "Nasty" and "To the 5 Boroughs" would have been even longer if they had had their way.
Beastie Michael Diamond (known professionally as Mike D) says only the friendly prodding from Capitol president Andy Slater and the band's manager, John Silva, kept the band from continuing to tinker with the album for months, or even years.
"Because of the way we choose to work and because we work in our own studio, we could really go on forever," he says.
"We have to say, 'This is the release date we're going to shoot for' and work backwards from there. If we didn't set deadlines for ourselves based on that, we really would just keep going on and on and fixing things and making new songs."
Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock) and Adam Yauch (MCA) round out the group.
If first single "Ch-Check It Out" is any indication, there is definitely a pent-up demand for the 15-track set.
"Ch-Check It Out" rocketed to a career-best No. 3 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in only four weeks. (It rises to No. 2 this issue.) The accompanying video is No. 2 on MTV2 and No. 6 on MTV.
As expected, "To the 5 Boroughs" is loaded with political commentary, including calls to vote President Bush out of office ("That's It That's All") and criticism of U.S. foreign policy ("Time to Build"). It also frequently pays homage to the trio's New York surroundings, best evidenced in "An Open Letter to NYC."
Above a chopped-up sample of the Dead Boys' "Sonic Reducer," the group finds solace in the city's post-Sept. 11 resiliency: "Since 911 we're still livin'/and lovin' life we've been given/ain't nothing gonna take that away from us/we're lookin' pretty and gritty 'cause in the city we trust."
Reinforcing the subject matter, the album's cover art is a pencil drawing of lower Manhattan as viewed from its southern tip, with the World Trade Center towers intact.
But the Beasties wisely don't skimp on their trademark goofball humor. They littered the album with references to such pop-culture figures as Fred Sanford, the Keebler Elves, Ron Popeil, Herman Munster, Jabba the Hut, Foghorn Leghorn and "Three's Company" landlord Mr. Furley.
"Seventy percent of the album or more is basically us just trying to entertain each other and have a good time," Mike D says. "That being said, it's only natural that there were certain days we came in and couldn't help but be thinking about things that were a lot more serious. We really felt there were things we had to say."
The trio begins its first extended tour in five years Aug. 7-8 at Japan's Summer Sonic Festival. The trek includes a North American arena outing that starts in mid-August.
"The idea with this record and tour, although it may sound like a contradiction, is to try to get to as much of the world but at the same time live sane family lives," Mike D says.
To emphasize the straight-ahead hip-hop sound of "Boroughs," the Beasties will forgo live instrumentation and tour simply with DJ Mix Master Mike, though Mike D says, "That could change at any moment."
The bigger question for some observers is what the future holds for the group, in light of how long it took to complete this record. Even Mike D admits, "To be honest, we really never know."
"One of the things we've talked about is actually not waiting so long until we record the next record, because we did a lot more songs than we wound up using," he adds. "Of course, give it a year."