PDA

View Full Version : March 7, 1987

Micodin
03-07-2014, 07:39 AM
March 7, 1987

The Beastie Boys' debut album Licensed to Ill dropped on November 15, 1986 under Def Jam. After charting in November 1986, the album peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Chart on March 7, 1987. Licensed to Ill became the first hip-hop album to reach number one, spawning great hits like, "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)," "No Sleep till Brooklyn," and "Brass Monkey." The album is considered one of the best rap albums of the 80s and one of the best rap albums ever. It has sold over nine million copies in the United States.

source (http://www.complex.com/music/2014/03/this-day-in-rap-history-licensed-to-ill-hits-number-one-march-7)
abbott
03-07-2014, 08:05 AM
(y)
cj hood
03-07-2014, 09:17 AM
game changer
Bernard Goetz
03-07-2014, 09:17 AM
And for many fans its greatness is often obscured by factors such as the band's monumental followup albums and the sophomoric antics that defined their lifestyle at the time. But make no mistake: Licensed To Ill is still dope as fuck, nearly 30 years after its release.
Micodin
03-07-2014, 09:25 AM
If we could only get a proper reissue with a mastered Desperado, Scenario and whatever gems that are kicking around.

Or just give me a mastered Desperado (Tougher Than Leather version) and I will be forever (ever, ever) grateful.
Michelle*s_Farm
03-07-2014, 06:11 PM
(y)
Laver1969
03-07-2014, 07:01 PM
I love LTI. It's the album I connected with as a 17 year old back in '87. Sounds corny but it definitely had an unbelievably huge impact on my life.
3stooges
03-07-2014, 10:29 PM
And for many fans its greatness is often obscured by factors such as the band's monumental followup albums and the sophomoric antics that defined their lifestyle at the time. But make no mistake: Licensed To Ill is still dope as fuck, nearly 30 years after its release.

Yeah it's kind of incredible, when you look at the video footage of the way they acted back then, that they could make an album that good. But we now know that that was mostly just part of the act.

It's true that I regard Check Your Head and Paul's Boutique as better albums, but every now and then I go back and listen to Licensed to Ill, and I am genuinely surprised by how good it is. There are a couple songs I don't like (Girls, Fight..). But for most of the album I am like, damn, these dudes were putting it down. And they hadn't even been at it for very long at that point. A couple years maybe...

It's funny, my friend had the album when it came out in November. We'd listen to it every day. Then it went to number one in March. I guess that was pretty normal for a hit album's trajectory back then. But when it was blowing up and everybody (EVERYBODY) knew all the words, I just remember thinking, "this shit is old, everybody is late to the party." You know how it is when you are a teenager and into hip hop, once an album has been out for a few months, it's like, "that shit is old."

It's such an adolescent perspective. But that is really a huge part of the spirit of hip hop. It's all about what's fresh and new, and innovative. We are always looking for the next cool thing. Which I think is probably the biggest reason hip hop has been so huge over the last 30 years or so in culture. It's got something intrinsically built into it that is always going to appeal to young people.
beasties#1fan
03-08-2014, 12:54 AM
game changer

nailed it
Rodie
03-08-2014, 09:43 AM
If we could only get a proper reissue with a mastered Desperado, Scenario and whatever gems that are kicking around.

Or just give me a mastered Desperado (Tougher Than Leather version) and I will be forever (ever, ever) grateful.

30th anniversary in 2 years. Would be amazing if something like this was in the works.
Brass Monk
03-09-2014, 10:18 AM
It's funny, my friend had the album when it came out in November. We'd listen to it every day. Then it went to number one in March. I guess that was pretty normal for a hit album's trajectory back then. But when it was blowing up and everybody (EVERYBODY) knew all the words, I just remember thinking, "this shit is old, everybody is late to the party." You know how it is when you are a teenager and into hip hop, once an album has been out for a few months, it's like, "that shit is old."

It's such an adolescent perspective. But that is really a huge part of the spirit of hip hop. It's all about what's fresh and new, and innovative. We are always looking for the next cool thing. Which I think is probably the biggest reason hip hop has been so huge over the last 30 years or so in culture. It's got something intrinsically built into it that is always going to appeal to young people.

The album may also not have seemed as new when it came out to many fans because many of the tracks off it had already been released long before the full album.
3stooges
03-09-2014, 10:50 PM
The album may also not have seemed as new when it came out to many fans because many of the tracks off it had already been released long before the full album.

Yeah in '86 they had released three singles for it leading up to that. But I hadn't heard them till the album came out. I remember the first time I heard it. We were in an AM-PM parking lot in my friend's Camaro. He said "oh I got a new tape." I remember hearing Posse In Effect and saying "they sound like Run-DMC." My friend goes "oh yeah, these guys are white." I was like, what...

I think those singles were big in New York, east coast, and bigger cities maybe but where I lived they weren't big yet, not till the album was out for a little while, and then they were huge everywhere. The peak of their popularity (at least in the States), was probably around when Fight for Your Right and No Sleep were blowing up, March/April '87. And that was crazy, you couldn't drive anywhere without hearing that album blasting out of somebody's car....

Actually it's funny, cause I remember it sold 4 million copies, and then they were on hiatus, PB, CYH...and it was sitting at 4 million for a while. Probably selling a little bit. But clearly it's sold a lot in the last 15-20 years or so, cause they say it's 9 million now. I guess it's like when I was a kid in the 80s, you'd buy old stuff, like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, etc (to me that was "old rock"). That's what LTI is like for kids now....
tt5brevisited
03-10-2014, 03:20 AM
If we could only get a proper reissue with a mastered Desperado, Scenario and whatever gems that are kicking around.

Or just give me a mastered Desperado (Tougher Than Leather version) and I will be forever (ever, ever) grateful.

Yes! but give me both versions, I really like the 808 'demo'.
30 years, pretty sure we will see something.
Laver1969
03-10-2014, 05:23 AM
Seems like LTI has been sitting at 9 million for 10 years. I thought I heard that number when TT5B came out. It has to be over 10 million now.
pm0ney
03-10-2014, 11:03 AM
Their most iconic album and one of the greatest rap records of all time. I secretly still prefer it to Paul's Boutique. That early Def Jam sound will never be duplicated. Licensed To Ill, Raising Hell, Radio. Done.
Brass Monk
03-11-2014, 07:12 AM
Actually it's funny, cause I remember it sold 4 million copies, and then they were on hiatus, PB, CYH...and it was sitting at 4 million for a while. Probably selling a little bit. But clearly it's sold a lot in the last 15-20 years or so, cause they say it's 9 million now. I guess it's like when I was a kid in the 80s, you'd buy old stuff, like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, etc (to me that was "old rock"). That's what LTI is like for kids now....

I wonder how the classic Hip Hop records sell now. To me they should continue to sell as well as any classic rock record. But sadly I don't think they do....
3stooges
03-12-2014, 10:05 PM
I wonder how the classic Hip Hop records sell now. To me they should continue to sell as well as any classic rock record. But sadly I don't think they do....

Yeah I don't think they do. Of course nothing sells like it used to, but I don't think a Licensed To Ill or a Raising Hell has as much staying power as a Led Zeppelin, or Eagles or something. Just thinking in general terms but it seems to me hip hop kids are more about what's hot now, whereas rock fans will be more likely to appreciate old stuff.
Sir SkratchaLot
03-13-2014, 09:04 AM
Their voices on Licensed to Ill are still my favorite of all their albums. The tone, vibe, etc. almost comes off cartoonish. The whole album is very dope. Plus the drums hit so hoooooooard!

The show vinyl for this album is also nanners. I think it's something with the compression on it, maybe because they were pressing it for live show purposes. Anyway, that's shit BUMPS!
Brass Monk
03-15-2014, 12:33 PM
Yeah I don't think they do. Of course nothing sells like it used to, but I don't think a Licensed To Ill or a Raising Hell has as much staying power as a Led Zeppelin, or Eagles or something. Just thinking in general terms but it seems to me hip hop kids are more about what's hot now, whereas rock fans will be more likely to appreciate old stuff.

Even so, it seemed to me that there was a lot more reverence for old classic 80's Hip Hop albums/artists from Hip Hop fans back in the mid to late 90's, even though there was still a simultaneous emphasis on the new (which as you pointed out, has always been an attitude in Hip Hop).

I thought that would continue, but unfortunately not. I guess it was because Hip Hop was the biggest thing in popular culture during that time and everyone wanted to be in on it or at least pretend they were. Seems like a lot less people care now.