Re-listened to the TT5B

[pesto pizza]

I have' nt listened to the TT5B in about 3 years or more.l always liked it because im into
HIP HOP music from 85 to 00 era.
unlike l feel most people who disliked it, were the crossover from the alternative music crowd.
But l liked (still do) the Beastie boys from 86 to 89 when they were considered a HIP HOP group.
The sound on headphones sounded so fresh, sonic and current with clear flows of rapping.
Maybe im clueless but TT5B sounds like the sort of album that could be released in 2018 esp the album cuts, more so than the singles like triple trouble and check it out.
The hard way, time to build, oh word, all lifestyles have taken on a new life for me!

[Kid Presentable]

I listened to it recently; really enjoyed about 65% of it. I adored it as a straight up hip-hop effort at the time, then hot sauce showed me so much more. It was like a Kid A, deliberate deconstruction of their style thing sort of. Still sounds good tho

[abbott]

so i still have a 6 disc changer in my car, but plan on a new car this year once my once brand new 2004 hits 200K in the miles

anyway, I always keep 3 slots for the BB CDs and cant deny it TT5B get almost the least play second to LTI. But I put it in and there are some great tracks and some duds. I always thought they just rushed this one and did not take the time to make every song great. Not that the production isnt good, just not the typical hook/have to here it again effect. I dont know, but that was always my thoughts. HN has the top honors for the past few years, but CYH would get my vote for my personal favorite.

If you dont like it then hey ...

happy weekend

[Brother McDuff]

I think TT5B will always be met with a degree of disdain simply because of it's overtly socio-political commentary. Which isn't to discredit the nobility of said outspokenness, however the manner in which said prose were delivered, whilst sharply adjacent to their trademark silliness, translated to something of an "after-school special" vibe.

I feel if they had contained the socially conscious tunes to a succinct EP release, and maintained a more universally lighthearted sentiment for the piece de resistance, that TT5B would be more readily accessible and resilient to fans, both loyal and casual.

Then again, what better podium from which to express one's deep-seated opinions than woven symbiotically among a highly anticipated LP proper?

Alas, it's their art and their prerogative, and god bless'em for sticking to their guns time and time again.

[tuc70021]

I remember when TT5B came out my friends and I were talking about how we were worried that it might not be very good. This theory of ours came from the fact that the group head released The Sounds of Science years before, and we thought maybe they were signaling that they were "done" with serious music and might just be doing some side-project stuff now. The fact that the album was in reference to NY and the 9/11 attacks were fairly recent, we thought it might just be a novelty album about NYC, Bush, the war, etc.

They we listened to it and didn't know what to make of it. We felt like we were kind of right. Hello Nasty took 5 years to make and it was amazing. TT5B took even longer and it definitely seems like it was made in 2 months with a fifth of the effort. It wasn't novelty enough to confirm our suspicions, but it also wasn't good enough for an album that took that long.

I think we were somewhat right. After Hello Nasty, Yauch got way more into making films, Mike was doing more fashion and art stuff, Adrock was.... getting more into judge shows and Chinese food? But they were having kids and the kids were getting older, getting new interests, etc. It seemed like the full-time Beastie Boys were done. The Mix Up was great, but again, not something we'd expect. HSCP2 was surprisingly good, but again, felt less like they had dedicated themselves to an album and more like 3 friends made an album in between doing their full-time jobs.

I love all their albums, including TT5B, but for me it sort of signaled the end of the Beastie Boys ars 3 boys who were all about their band and the start of 3 men who could made a great album from time to time.

[Micodin]

Honestly TT5B is 50/50 for me. I didn't mind that political aspect of the record because I was pretty much in agreement with what they were saying. I just didn't like the "sound" of the album. It's very thin and cold. There were no warm tones to be found on there. I blame a lot on the mixing of the record and relying on software for the beats. I wish they used drum machines and samplers on this project instead of relying on protools and logic.

Mario C was truly missed on this project for me. Luckily there were enough B-sides that I can make a pretty good 10 to 12 song playlist from that era. Time to Build, Triple Trouble, That's It That's All are highlights for me.

Yauch was a highlight with his lyrics on this one. But this is the album I ignore the most.

BUT... There "live" shows were fucking great! They were on point in concert. I think I caught 12-15 Beasties shows on that run. Good times.

[MrSmiley1]

Originally Posted by Micodin

Honestly TT5B is 50/50 for me. I didn't mind that political aspect of the record because I was pretty much in agreement with what they were saying. I just didn't like the "sound" of the album. It's very thin and cold. There were no warm tones to be found on there. I blame a lot on the mixing of the record and relying on software for the beats. I wish they used drum machines and samplers on this project instead of relying on protools and logic.

Mario C was truly missed on this project for me. Luckily there were enough B-sides that I can make a pretty good 10 to 12 song playlist from that era. Time to Build, Triple Trouble, That's It That's All are highlights for me.

Yauch was a highlight with his lyrics on this one. But this is the album I ignore the most.

BUT... There "live" shows were fucking great! They were on point in concert. I think I caught 12-15 Beasties shows on that run. Good times.

Outside of the tracks that you mentioned and An Open Letter, if I listen to anything else from this era it is almost always a fan created remix because let's be honest, they made the music interesting.

[Brother McDuff]

i always found it ironic how right after they open this brand new beautiful recording space, they opted to do an entire record digitally in the box. perhaps oscope was still under construction and that contributed to their approach a bit?

[Micodin]

Originally Posted by Brother McDuff

i always found it ironic how right after they open this brand new beautiful recording space, they opted to do an entire record digitally in the box. perhaps oscope was still under construction and that contributed to their approach a bit?

That or maybe they just wanted to experiment with software on this project. Not all experiments work. I appreciate the attempt. But notice they went back to basics on the instrumental album and Hot Sauce.

[Jiberish]

It's my least listened to album of theirs. But I still like all of the songs. Some analog drum machines or live instruments would have been nice, and I agree that it at times, because of the lack of that stuff, sounds cold and robotic.

I also don't care for how pretty much every song has the same structure. (pretty much every song). But things I like are the danceability of the beats, the absolute skill of the flows. All 3 of them are on fire on that record, and the sample flips. It sounds incredible on good headphones. A lot of it sounds like they were trying to make a modern hip hop record of the time. But you know, with them rapping. It's a cool record. Just not what any of us wanted to hear from them after HN. But that's fine. they don't owe us anything.

All the tracks are fun. it's just too monotonous sounding to sustain an entire record. But it's also short. So it doesn't irk me that much. I especially hate how there "has" to be a MMM break on every track. Even though he kills it. They absolutely should have put TGNATU and the other 2 b-sides on this record. Those are 3 of the best songs from the era.

I haven't listened to it in about 2 years though. I should give it another spin.

HSCP2 on the other hand sounds like the missing link between IC & HN. And I fucking love that.

[ClarenceAlabama]

The Beastie Boys set the bar so high for albums that people are always expecting a masterpiece when they release one. For me, their first 4 albums are 10/10 and I can listen to it front to back with out skipping any tracks. That was their golden era.

When Hello Nasty was released, it was the first time I was slightly disappointed with them. There's some great songs on there, but as an album it was lacking. It was way too long and it had a few bad songs on there. It was the first time I would skip tracks...

So when TT5B first came out, I remember being slightly disappointed again. Some of the songs sounded too preachy and it didn't feel like a "classic" album that I was hoping for (especially after waiting 6 years).

Now all these years later... I love TT5B! The only 3 tracks that I skip are (Right Right Now Now, Time to Build, and All Lifestyles). If they cut those 3 and just released the other 12, it would have been a classic album just like their first 4. The rest of the songs hold up really well and just like Paul's Boutique, I think it was ahead of its time.

[pesto pizza]

Originally Posted by ClarenceAlabama

The Beastie Boys set the bar so high for albums that people are always expecting a masterpiece when they release one. For me, their first 4 albums are 10/10 and I can listen to it front to back with out skipping any tracks. That was their golden era.

When Hello Nasty was released, it was the first time I was slightly disappointed with them. There's some great songs on there, but as an album it was lacking. It was way too long and it had a few bad songs on there. It was the first time I would skip tracks...

So when TT5B first came out, I remember being slightly disappointed again. Some of the songs sounded too preachy and it didn't feel like a "classic" album that I was hoping for (especially after waiting 6 years).

Now all these years later... I love TT5B! The only 3 tracks that I skip are (Right Right Now Now, Time to Build, and All Lifestyles). If they cut those 3 and just released the other 12, it would have been a classic album just like their first 4. The rest of the songs hold up really well and just like Paul's Boutique, I think it was ahead of its time.

Im always wanting arists to cut tracks to make for a non skip album but l love all lifestyles and right right now now, just shows people have different tastes when they like the same artist

[Jiberish]

Originally Posted by pesto pizza

Im always wanting arists to cut tracks to make for a non skip album but l love all lifestyles and right right now now, just shows people have different tastes when they like the same artist

That's funny. All three tracks he suggests cutting are also my favorite three on the record.

I'd only cut the last 2 songs, even though I like them. I think they would ahve made better b-sides. TGNATU, NGB and BSE are all miles better than those last two tracks.

To each his own, indeed.

[Kid Presentable]

Brrr Stick Em is the best.

[cj hood]

Good record just not a good Beastie Boys record......like The Last Jedi is a good movie.....just not a good Star Wars movie.....

[Jiberish]

Originally Posted by cj hood

Good record just not a good Beastie Boys record......like The Last Jedi is a good movie.....just not a good Star Wars movie.....

The Last Jedi is probably the second best SW movie. To me.

[Micodin]

Originally Posted by Jiberish

The Last Jedi is probably the second best SW movie. To me.

Same.

[Brother McDuff]

hopefully we can all agree that Crawlspace is the fuckin shiznit though

[pesto pizza]

Originally Posted by Kid Presentable

Brrr Stick Em is the best.

Yes that track should of been on the album instead of we got the.....

[pesto pizza]

Originally Posted by Jiberish

The Last Jedi is probably the second best SW movie. To me.

Just like the Last Jedi l rather the Beastie boys had made the TT5B than not.
The mix up was the phantom menace very disappointing at the time but ive grown to think its ok.

[pesto pizza]

Some great rapping on TT5B

[pesto pizza]

Just listened to the mix up, its taken me 10 years to get its genius
My older brain must be more willing to hear different concepts and styles than it did in the past.

[Bradleystp]

Originally Posted by Brother McDuff

hopefully we can all agree that Crawlspace is the fuckin shiznit though

YES.

[Bradleystp]

Originally Posted by pesto pizza

Just like the Last Jedi l rather the Beastie boys had made the TT5B than not.
The mix up was the phantom menace very disappointing at the time but ive grown to think its ok.

I was disappointed at the time too, not that TMU was bad, quite the opposite. But it had been so long, I just wanted a rap album from them at that time.

For a while I was taking my favs from TT5B and TMU and mixing them up, to make a more diverse album.

[pm0ney]

I think TT5B is clearly the weakest link in their discography. It doesn’t break down to one simple reason, but more like a confluence of aspects which all break down, to me, into laziness.

The rhyming, particularly rhyme schemes fell off drastically in their complexity on this record compared to Hello Nasty. Hello Nasty was the pinnacle of trading off lines, to the point where they almost came up with a new instrument based solely off the incredible trading back and forth of rhymes. On TT5B it was so boring and formulaic. Four bars, four bars, four bars, sometimes eight, eight, eight, wash rinse repeat. Lazy. Not a throwback to their old ways, just lazy.

The production was lazy as well. It clearly was made using dated computer programs, lacks that deep, grainy, boom-bap that timeless hip hop records have. Those sounds are products of drum machines and sampled loops that are worlds removed from the programmed beats on TT5B. They all sound like GarageBand demonstrations. If they wanted to make a record that sounded like it came from the 80’s, they should have used an 808. Again, laziness.

Finally, the political stuff. I’m of the opinion that if you aren’t a supremely gifted writer or public orator, keep your political opinions to yourself. Their political chops, so to speak leave much to be desired. Chuck D they are not.

So yeah, it’s a decent album by normal album standards I guess. Some tracks are really dope like Ch Check It Out, Three the Hard Way and Open Letter. But you can’t listen to Hot Sauce Committee and then take TT5B seriously. It’s a gigantic let down from by far my favorite group of all time. I hope people on here remember the hype leading up to that release after six years off. Thankfully, they returned to form on HSC and also the tour to promote TT5B was incredible. I saw them at both the Garden and the Coliseum.

[ClarenceAlabama]

Originally Posted by pm0ney

I think TT5B is clearly the weakest link in their discography. It doesn’t break down to one simple reason, but more like a confluence of aspects which all break down, to me, into laziness.

The rhyming, particularly rhyme schemes fell off drastically in their complexity on this record compared to Hello Nasty. Hello Nasty was the pinnacle of trading off lines, to the point where they almost came up with a new instrument based solely off the incredible trading back and forth of rhymes. On TT5B it was so boring and formulaic. Four bars, four bars, four bars, sometimes eight, eight, eight, wash rinse repeat. Lazy. Not a throwback to their old ways, just lazy.

The production was lazy as well. It clearly was made using dated computer programs, lacks that deep, grainy, boom-bap that timeless hip hop records have. Those sounds are products of drum machines and sampled loops that are worlds removed from the programmed beats on TT5B. They all sound like GarageBand demonstrations. If they wanted to make a record that sounded like it came from the 80’s, they should have used an 808. Again, laziness.

Finally, the political stuff. I’m of the opinion that if you aren’t a supremely gifted writer or public orator, keep your political opinions to yourself. Their political chops, so to speak leave much to be desired. Chuck D they are not.

So yeah, it’s a decent album by normal album standards I guess. Some tracks are really dope like Ch Check It Out, Three the Hard Way and Open Letter. But you can’t listen to Hot Sauce Committee and then take TT5B seriously. It’s a gigantic let down from by far my favorite group of all time. I hope people on here remember the hype leading up to that release after six years off. Thankfully, they returned to form on HSC and also the tour to promote TT5B was incredible. I saw them at both the Garden and the Coliseum.

I agree, the hype leading up to the release is what made a lot of people disappointed when they finally heard it, but I disagree that it's the weakest link in their discography... that goes to The Mix Up! (the worst idea of their careers).

TT5B is a pretty fun album when you take out the political tracks. I think re-arranging the track listing would have made a huge difference.

[dave790]

Loved it then, love it now.

Admittedly, away from the music itself I remember it being such a great time. I was mid-teens and it was the first B-Boys record released that I could actually look forward to, having discovered the band at the turn of the millennium. I remember the interview that Mike and Yauch gave with Zane Lowe in early 2004, and I think that was the first one they'd given for some time. When Yauch said 'this one's all hip hop,' I just couldn't wait. Ill Communication was probably already my favourite album by then - and I loved the mix of styles - but ultimately I wanted to hear them rhyme. I also remember a lot of chat / interviews in the build up where they clearly said they wanted to strip it back a bit more and keep it simple. I found it strange, then and now, that people complained that it was lazy or too simplistic or that they didn't know what they were doing without Mario C. I think TT5B is exactly the album they wanted to make, but I appreciate its comparatively minimalist sound may have still been underwhelming for some.

I thought C-CIO was a brilliant comeback single, and that the rapping was amazing. It was obviously very old school, but it somehow sounded like the freshest thing in a long time. There was some basic excitement at hearing them rhyme again, but the song still stands up for me, and it got a lot of airplay here in the UK. There was also a sense of relief that it was a million miles better than IAWGM. I suppose C-CIO was slightly unrepresentative of TT5B, only in that the drum samples and horn stabs are samples of actual playing, as opposed to the more computer-generated beats that dominated the rest of the album. The album I envisaged on the strength of C-CIO was probably better in my mind than the final release (if that makes sense). In any case, I remember RRNN, TT and AOLTNYC being played on Radio 1 on the eve of the album's release and thinking that they were as strong as anything in the band's back catalog. Aside from TT, which I find a little poppy and contrived, I still feel the same way.

My first listen to the album as a whole was slightly underwhelming, as it often is when there is so much anticipation. I loved it from the moment I played it on the headphones the second time though. I personally love the focus present throughout, the four bar verses, the fact the vocals are actually at the front of the mix (first time really since LTI), the stripped back approach that still incorporated some interesting sounds... But ultimately I just loved that there were so many good hip hop songs on there. I love the rhyming - me and a few friends spent years reciting things back various couplets and verses to one another. I remember the lyrics to Rhyme The Rhyme Well were posted on here before the album's release and it was obvious, to me at least, that this was a major step up from HN. Obviously some people love HN, and fair enough, but for all its inventiveness I think it falls way short of the standard of Ill Communication. It sounds like a cartoon Beastie Boys, and there are worse things than that, but it remains my least favourite album of theirs. So I suppose I was coming into TT5B pleased that the new record was going to be, well, almost back to basics. I prefer actual versus as well, as opposed to the tag-team style. A lot of it is just down to personal preference. But like someone said on here at the time, I felt that TT5B 'pisses all over HN' despite having none of its variation.

Having said all that, TT5B is not flawless. For the most part, I think the beats sound fine - Time to Build is one of their most underrated cuts! - but I think something like AOLTNYC would have been more effective with some sort of drum machine or live rhythm sample to go with the Dead Boys riff. As it is, it sounds very processed. I also agree with the general consensus here that some of the b-sides would have made stronger album cuts. Certainly, Brrr Stick 'Em, TGNATU and possibly And Then I would have been better selections than Crawlspace (sorry), All Lifestyles (nice sentiment but ultimately lightweight for me) and We Got The, which is an absolutely forgettable conclusion to what is otherwise an excellent record.

And, as also outlined here, this was a great late era for the band. The pageant shows were arguably their best ever, and the preceding club (and all hip-hop) tour was also very strong. I remember watching them play RRNN at the first Hip Hop Honors thing, and thinking that they were still clearly the coolest band on the planet. It's a shame the other singles didn't do much. Throughout HN, the band just seemed to get bigger and bigger, and they were probably at their peak of worldwide popularity then. It was always going to be hard to recapture that six years later, but I remember being slightly disappointed that the album didn't do better overall. Coming on here it was obvious that I was in a minority of people who genuinely loved it, so that's fair enough I suppose. In any case, thanks for letting me reminisce

[pesto pizza]

I agree with all of that apart from all lifestyles.
Esp that bit about the cartoon version of the Beasties

[Late-Night Lion]

Originally Posted by pm0ney

I think TT5B is clearly the weakest link in their discography. It doesn’t break down to one simple reason, but more like a confluence of aspects which all break down, to me, into laziness.

The rhyming, particularly rhyme schemes fell off drastically in their complexity on this record compared to Hello Nasty. Hello Nasty was the pinnacle of trading off lines, to the point where they almost came up with a new instrument based solely off the incredible trading back and forth of rhymes. On TT5B it was so boring and formulaic. Four bars, four bars, four bars, sometimes eight, eight, eight, wash rinse repeat. Lazy. Not a throwback to their old ways, just lazy.

The production was lazy as well. It clearly was made using dated computer programs, lacks that deep, grainy, boom-bap that timeless hip hop records have. Those sounds are products of drum machines and sampled loops that are worlds removed from the programmed beats on TT5B. They all sound like GarageBand demonstrations. If they wanted to make a record that sounded like it came from the 80’s, they should have used an 808. Again, laziness.

Finally, the political stuff. I’m of the opinion that if you aren’t a supremely gifted writer or public orator, keep your political opinions to yourself. Their political chops, so to speak leave much to be desired. Chuck D they are not.

So yeah, it’s a decent album by normal album standards I guess. Some tracks are really dope like Ch Check It Out, Three the Hard Way and Open Letter. But you can’t listen to Hot Sauce Committee and then take TT5B seriously. It’s a gigantic let down from by far my favorite group of all time. I hope people on here remember the hype leading up to that release after six years off. Thankfully, they returned to form on HSC and also the tour to promote TT5B was incredible. I saw them at both the Garden and the Coliseum.

I agree. I'll always look back fondly on this era but I remember the hype building up to the release and it just couldn't live up to it. I got into them around the release of Hello Nasty and they quickly became my favorite band. In the years after HN I absorbed everything Beastie related I possibly could, all albums, EP's, imports, etc. Then the break was so long I started to get into other groups, punk, more hip-hop, stuff like that. Then when there were rumblings of a new album in early '04 my hype started early.

I remember hearing a crappy quality recording of That's It That's All and thinking it was a little sparse. Repetitive rhyming and simple beat, but I thought it's probably a rough draft and it'll sound better on the finished album. Then Ch-Check It Out premiered on The O.C. I think? At the same as on the local alternative radio station and I recorded it on tape. I LOVED that one though. Unique and funny rhymes, a nice old school hip-hop beat. I was super excited again.

Then the album came out and it was summer so I was off from college and rushed to my local Borders Books and couldn't wait to pop it in the player. I started it and it was over before I knew it. All that hype and it was over so quick. I was used to BB albums being super dense with samples and beats all over the place. I thought it would take me all summer to pour over the album. This one seemed so simple in comparison. I still enjoyed it for what it was, but it definitely felt like a bit of a let down after 6 years of waiting after what was arguably their densest album, HN.

It'll always hold a place for me since it was the first BB album I was anticipating the release of, and I'm glad it exists. I agreed with their political views and still do, but it's a little strange to hear now. It does date the album, for sure.

They definitely made up for the simplicity of TT5B with HSCP2 though. That will forever be one of my favorite BB albums. It truly was a return to form that I can feel them having fun and just being their weird selves creating.

[Brother McDuff]

Originally Posted by pm0ney

Hello Nasty was the pinnacle of trading off lines, to the point where they almost came up with a new instrument based solely off the incredible trading back and forth of rhymes.

eloquently put. couldnt agree more