each album as defined by you

[pip07]

LTI:
PB:
CYH:
IC:
HN:
TT5B:
TMU:
HSCP2:


LTI: the hip hop classic, hello world
PB: their best album, deeeeeep cuts
CYH: return to instruments, experimenting
IC: continue that vibe
HN: recorded in outerspace, 808 magic
TT5B: the return of them and the old school, digital as can be
TMU: no signs of computers here, all instruments and no vocals, chill
HSCP2: return to form, the style that should be remembered. (playing, sampling, old school flows)

[Laver1969]

^Sounds about right.

I would only offer that PB: sampling masterpiece

[dirtydan11]

^Sounds about right.

I would only offer that PB: sampling masterpiece

And more references than a set of your dad's encyclopedias

[WesleyOHSnaps!]

^Sounds about right.

I would only offer that PB: sampling masterpiece

And groundbreaking. Before that album sampling was very one note. The Boys and Dust Brothers changed that with layer upon layers of sampling.

[pesto pizza]

LTI:
PB:
CYH:
IC:
HN:
TT5B:
TMU:
HSCP2:


LTI: the hip hop classic, hello world
PB: their best album, deeeeeep cuts
CYH: return to instruments, experimenting
IC: continue that vibe
HN: recorded in outerspace, 808 magic
TT5B: the return of them and the old school, digital as can be
TMU: no signs of computers here, all instruments and no vocals, chill
HSCP2: return to form, the style that should be remembered. (playing, sampling, old school flows)

thats it.spot on

[Guy Incognito]

LTI: sex, beer and rock and roll
PB: acid and record collecting
CYH: lo-fi, weed and ambition and instruments
IC: jazz, buddhism and probably some more weed
HN: Hey everybody here is our friend Mixmaster Mike
TT5B: laziness and politics and bad gags
TMU: crying out for vocals
HSCP2: back to the future

[JohnnyChavello]

And groundbreaking. Before that album sampling was very one note. The Boys and Dust Brothers changed that with layer upon layers of sampling.

3 Feet High and Rising, which has a similar multi-layed approach, was actually released first. Paul's Boutique deserves all the credit it gets for being a masterpiece, but it was not the first time anything like that had been done.

Also, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Released a year before Paul's.

[M.C. Guevera]

LTI: sex, beer and rock and roll
PB: acid and record collecting
CYH: lo-fi, weed and ambition and instruments
IC: jazz, buddhism and probably some more weed
HN: Hey everybody here is our friend Mixmaster Mike
TT5B: laziness and politics and bad gags
TMU: crying out for vocals
HSCP2: back to the future

This is pretty close to how I would define the eras, except CYH would be: the perfect blend of who they were and who they would become and HN would be: fun with a side of fighting for Tibet's freedom

EDIT: Now that I think about it, IC would be: The Coolest Motherfucking Band On The Entire Motherfucking Planet

Seriously, 1994 was *their* year.

[Brother McDuff]

LTI: "Hello beastie boys. Oh, you like goofin with your friends and writing rhymes? Guess what, now you're an icon. Good luck with that."

PB: "Dude, we're so much deeper than everyone thinks we are. I mean just listen to our hip fucking taste in records? Let's move out of NY where no one takes us seriously as musicians and prove we're artists. Drugs will help this."

CYH: "Well, our label doesn't give a shit about us and we've got a budget. Wouldn't it be fun to just build a studio and jam all day and night?"

IC: "Holy shit, CYH worked. Quick let's get back in the studio and ride this fuckin wave!"

HN: "Alright, everybody knows we're for real now, the label is giving us some breathing room, but we're kinda getting a little bored with just instruments, samplers, rap, rock, funk, and the LA scene. Let's add a few new things into the mix, i.e. electro, synthesizers, bossanova, country, psychedelia, bi-coastal recording, etc."

TT5B: "I'm bored, let's make a record. We'll keep it casual, stay in the box, just have some fun, and have it mixed down real nice."

TMU: "Man, we haven't made any songs with our instruments in almost a decade. Let's mess around. Wait, this is pretty fun, let's just make the entire record instrumental."

HC: "Enough's enough. Let's use the extra material and inspiration from these past two tangents as a basis for a new record, kinda like how we did IC and HN. All this touring has our chops on our instruments in form, rappin is funner than ever, and we ain't got a damn thing to prove. Let's give the fans what they want."

[Monsieur Decuts]

One word that best fits each

LTI: Booze
PB: Drugs
CYH: Introspection
IC: Spirituality
HN: Confidence
TT5B: Politics
TMU: Affirmation
HSCP2: Legacy

[JoLovesMCA]

LTI: "Hello beastie boys. Oh, you like goofin with your friends and writing rhymes? Guess what, now you're an icon. Good luck with that."

PB: "Dude, we're so much deeper than everyone thinks we are. I mean just listen to our hip fucking taste in records? Let's move out of NY where no one takes us seriously as musicians and prove we're artists. Drugs will help this."

CYH: "Well, our label doesn't give a shit about us and we've got a budget. Wouldn't it be fun to just build a studio and jam all day and night?"

IC: "Holy shit, CYH worked. Quick let's get back in the studio and ride this fuckin wave!"

HN: "Alright, everybody knows we're for real now, the label is giving us some breathing room, but we're kinda getting a little bored with just instruments, samplers, rap, rock, funk, and the LA scene. Let's add a few new things into the mix, i.e. electro, synthesizers, bossanova, country, psychedelia, bi-coastal recording, etc."

TT5B: "I'm bored, let's make a record. We'll keep it casual, stay in the box, just have some fun, and have it mixed down real nice."

TMU: "Man, we haven't made any songs with our instruments in almost a decade. Let's mess around. Wait, this is pretty fun, let's just make the entire record instrumental."

HC: "Enough's enough. Let's use the extra material and inspiration from these past two tangents as a basis for a new record, kinda like how we did IC and HN. All this touring has our chops on our instruments in form, rappin is funner than ever, and we ain't got a damn thing to prove. Let's give the fans what they want."

Gotta say that was a really good analysis of the music. At the end of the day though it's obvious they aren't out to make money off of fame, they just love to make music together. :o

[WesleyOHSnaps!]

3 Feet High and Rising, which has a similar multi-layed approach, was actually released first. Paul's Boutique deserves all the credit it gets for being a masterpiece, but it was not the first time anything like that had been done.

Also, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Released a year before Paul's.

That is true. Thanks for correcting me.

[dust monkey]

LTI:
PB:
CYH:
IC:
HN:
TT5B:
TMU:
HSCP2:


I like this thread, wish more would give their first-thoughts... Plus I'm adding two albums/ep's out of sequence but it's correct in the timeline according to when I discovered/listened to them.

LTI: Jr. High, scared shit out of parents, scared shit out of me but I liked it in a don't touch so I touched anyway way, defined me from this point on, didn't think it was joke, really wanted to be/act that way....Don't Be a Faggot, I'm so cool because I like BBoys and you love U2 and Prince, hope they join up with the WWF and Cindy at some point, Ad Rock is my fav I want to be him, Mike D is kinda fat and he has lots of pimples, MCA looks scary as all hell I don't think I would like him too much...looks mean...hope I don't get a lot of pimples like that.

PWS: Yeah cool LTI II.....ughhh....WTF.....where's Ad Rock, is that guy Ad Rock, who the fuck is that girl, is this really the Beastie Boys, damn this music sucks ass.

PB: WTF....no really WTF for real now, but that Hey Ladies video/song is so cool, ok To All the Girls...different but kinda cool, Shake Your Rump is fucking amazing....wait a second, this is not LTI at all but god damn I really like this, I don't want to like this, I shouldn't like this, my friends don't like this, nobody likes this...but I fucking LOVE this weird different shit to the end....awesome cassette tape, how come they never say their names on this album, what the fuck does ROPE mean.....forget it, quit trying to figure this out, this album is awesome start to finish and I love it and I'm glad that nobody else does. I'm gonna be the weird kid who still likes Beastie Boys but please make another LTI soon......

CYH: YO MTV Raps, cool RUN DMC just walked in, why is RUN acting so cold toward them, instruments....huh....oh yeah PWS but that sucked ass, nobody likes them, Chuck kicked them out of the X-tra Strength Posse and didn't mention them in his linear notes, do they really suck as bad as all the other rappers think they do, haha fuck everyone and fuck Chuck D they don't get it, damn Pass the Mic, a guitar sample...ok ok LTI is coming back, they are back....ugh Funky Boss WTF.....ugh Gratitude huh? Time for Livin' dear god they are not rapping together, they said Ad Rock "cuttin' it up" but it was just Mike and MCA rhymin, wait Stand Together is just MCA, WTF fuck is going on.....this album is actually pretty good, fuck my friends, ok So Whatcha Want video premiere....ta da......HOLY SHIT I love these guys that video is the greatest thing I've ever seen, I fucking LOVE them, where's my beanie, what kind of shoes are those....hmmm Campus Adidas ok I'm buying every color I can find, thank you Harput's.....I love this shit Hardcore songs....???? I'm going to check out PWS again....this is fucking awesome, love this, Bad Brains sweet, Minor Threat sweet, never thought I would listen to anything but rap but CYH changed my musical landscape and perspective forever, that video changed my world....forget LTI, still love it but PB and CYH are better cause the are different and weird and not shit everyone else likes.

IC: Somehow got this on cassette a month before it was released, hooked on BBoys in serious way so record doesn't matter, cool two hardcore songs, nice nice nice nice, a little too long in some places, not a drastic change in format like the last releases but still cool, CYH pt.2 with cleaner instrumentals, don't like this song The Update very much, Lallapalooza sweet what a show, someone stepped on my baby blue campus' - - B-Sides rule, why does everyone like them now...I don't think I like everyone liking them this much.

AeO: Grand Royal LA, sweet, short but I love this shit, PWS pt. 2...can't believe I hated PWS when I first listened in Kiyoi's room.

HN: Nice site, cool samples of songs, this is going to be PB pt.2 I just know it, Hurricane...NO NO, first song pretty cool, next song not so much....hmmmmm this is NOT PB pt.2, I'm not really feeling this record, ok 3 MC's is cool, MMM probably ok, hmmmm very week ending, not feeling this record, too different this time, o well still enough good shit just probably won't listen as much as the others, where is PWS i need something harder and faster.

TT5B: Chk it OUT, awesome, they are back, love this record, sounds very clean, a little lazy, wish they trade off rhymes more, songs are short, wish more of album sounded more like Open Letter, fuck it who cares they are back, tours.....Berkley best show I've ever seen and this is my 14th time seeing them live, album not strongest but i like better than HN, they can do so much better but fuck it they don't have to, thanks BBoys for cancelling the hiatus.

TMU: rumors rumors....no lyrics....no way I don't believe that shit....confirmation....ahhhhhhhh o well that's cool, it'll sound awesome, good summer/listen to at work album, don't like the suits but who cares, tour yes great shows, suits actually kinda cool, record ok.....who cares they are still going......hope they go back though, make one more sonic masterpiece with lyrics, all their styles, hope they make one more album that just oozes with fun and creativity......

[Bernard Goetz]

3 Feet High and PB were out the same summer though; it's not like the Beasties heard 3F and were influenced by it on PB.

[Kid Presentable]

Defined by personal cohesion and substance:

LTI: Unified by beer
PB: Unified by hallucinogens
CYH: Unified by weed
IC: Part weed, part burgeoning spirituality
HN: Part divorce, part new love, part weed
TT5B: Unified by troubled times
TMU: Unified by rediscovery
HSC 2: Unified by music

[JasonP]

Seriously, 1994 was *their* year.

Totally agree. My fav beastie year.

[taquitos]

#1) cookiepuss

[Darko]

LTI: Tongue-in-cheek fake tough talking rap to be played in White Castle parking lots.

PB: A brilliant pop culture collage consisting of layer upon layer of samples and lyrics that is easy to get into but impossible to ever truly wrap your head around.

CYH: A more mature album as they pick up their instruments, put on some toques, fuzz up their vocals and make eclectic music that often isn't even hip-hop, not caring how it will be received.

IC: A direct continuation of CYH except with even fuzzier vocals and a slight shift to more traditional hip-hop. Their only album that feels like it's playing it safe.

HN: A gleefully overstuffed masterpiece of insanity that bounces around wildly between futuristic electronic hip-hop, 60s pop psychedelia and mellow bossa nova ballads.

TT5B: Tongue-in-cheek fake tough talking rap with a slight political tinge to be played in White Castle parking lots during election season. A return to classic old school hip-hop after the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink craziness that was Hello Nasty.

TMU: Making instrumental music not caring how it will be received.

HSC2: Electrofuzz. A very electronic album but doesn't sound kitschy like Hello Nasty and brings back some of the heavier, more instrument-based sounds from the CYH/IC era. Sounds like their first truly modern album of the 21st century yet still definitively Beastie Boys.

[Lex Diamonds]

LTI: Fila
PB: Thrift stores
CYH: Converse
IC: Ben Davis
Hello Nasty: DC
TT5B: Bape
HSC2: Coogi

[Uru-Nitro]

LTI: hello world here's something new that hasn't been done before. it is hiphop but not the one you used to know. even Madona loves us.
PB: the definition of a piece of art. the final result is not the most important, but the whole process of making it. the technic of sampling in this album can be compared with andy warhol's works: eveybody can do it but somebody has to do it first and well.
CYH: check out, we're still rock stars so whatcha want
IC: straight hip-hop, rock, instrumental, sampling,... we can even mix some buddish chords.
HN: hello world, he have made the best hiphop song ever and we're about to build a whole album around it. oh yeah by the way here you are the best videoclip ever.
TT5B: we have played in 9/11 benefit show with mix master mike with no instruments, just his turntables. we liked the experience, and we want to make a lot more of shows like this. we need an excuse.. here you are, our tribute to the City.
TMU: its time to create brand new music with our instruments again.
HSCP2: hello world. sorry for not taking care of you the last decade. it's a shame what hiphop has become. where the originality has gone? where the straight rap has gone? where the fat beats have gone? new MCs just make pop songs with hot female "singers" and old MCs just make pop songs with hot female "singers". the world doesn't need another hook. hey, we're on our 40s, we have built this and we are about to show you what this is all about. lesson #1: a hiphop videoclip should have more MCs than boobs on it.
lesson #2: don't trust other old dogs on the game, they probably are on drugs and have to pay their mansions so they will release bullshit with hot female singers on the hooks.

[abbott]

LTI: taking off & breaking through..
PB: Full thrusters still on .. but most dont realize it
CYH: full thrusters still on .. and everybody knows
IC: auto pilot engaged
HN: floating in deep space
TT5B: back after ruff re-entry
TMU: just chillin
HSCP2: TBD

[laurie_hammy]

LTI: Fun times
PB: Experimental trippy fun
CYH: Creativity, rough, awsome
IC: Favorite, Fresh, Funk, Rock, Hip Hop
HN: Trippy, awsome unique Hip Hop
TT5B: Fresh clean listening start to finish Hip Hop
TMU: Cruisy as
HSCP2: SOLID, very high chance soon to be favorite

[camo]

LTI: Discovering a new sound
PB: Inventing a new sound
CYH: Using your own sound
IC: Using your own sound part II
HN: Layering your sound
TT5B: Retrospective sound
TMU: We can make a sound
HSCP2: Refresh that sound

[Kid Presentable]

LTI: Fila
PB: Thrift stores
CYH: Converse
IC: Ben Davis
Hello Nasty: DC
TT5B: Bape
HSC2: Coogi

Well played. (y)