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SGH Reviews
Music
The Times November 05, 2005 Beastie Boys Solid Gold Hits (Capitol) Judging by comments posted on their website, the Beastie Boys are somewhat cynical about this pre-Christmas release. Noting Capitol’s “sudden” decision to “celebrate (the band’s) 24th anniversary”, they have nevertheless played along, posing in suitably arch attire for the self-mocking cover. Neither a singles collection nor an incontrovertible “best of” set, some selections are questionable: Brass Monkey’s engaging juvenilia could have happily made way for far better material from their first album, and the band’s evident preference for Fatboy Slim’s remix of Body Movin’ over their own steel-pan original remains mystifying. But any release that includes Fight for Your Right, the evergreen paean to teenage existentialism, Sabotage, a theme song in search of a cop show, and Shake Your Rump, perhaps the funkiest piece of sampling kleptomania ever conceived, cannot be all bad. ANGUS BATEY All Music Guide Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine The Beastie Boys had a good, albeit eccentric, hits compilation in 1999 with the double-disc set The Sounds of Science, so what's the purpose of the 2005 set Solid Gold Hits? Well, it is considerably more concise than the previous compilation, spanning just one disc and containing a mere 15 songs compared to the 42 on Sounds. So, for listeners who are just looking for the big hits, this serves its purpose quite well, since this may be missing many great songs — and not just album tracks or early singles like "She's on It," but charting hits like "Paul Revere" — but it does have all of their anthems, including "Fight for Your Right," "Brass Monkey," "Hey Ladies," "Shake Your Rump," "So What'cha Want," "Sabotage," "Sure Shot," "Intergalactic," and "Body Movin'," here in its Fatboy Slim remix. While some listeners may find the non-chronological order kind of frustrating, these songs sound good in pretty much any running order, so this winds up as a thoroughly entertaining listen. Perhaps it's not the definitive Beastie Boys album, but for fans who just want nothing more than the hits, this does its job. These I found at a very informative and frankly decent site, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beastie_Boys which covers an awful lot of things Beastie. I think theres a review in Kerrang!magazine next week so I'll scan that in. Also, I think Angus Young (the times reviewer) is fairly spot on about the release. He's definitely a fan though, I enjoy the Rhymin' and Stealin' book he wrote! dave
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