Sounds of Science vs. Solid Gold - Best introductory album?

[Brother McDuff]

for what it's worth, LTI was my initial intro to bboys and it soured me on them for years. i thought it was dated and obnoxious (im a 90s kid). took me wrapping my head around the rest of their catalogue, understanding their breadth, before I could look past the immature qualities of LTI and appreciate it for what it was.

[Micodin]

yeah, not for me bro. the opposite reaction as a matter of fact, but i'm a 80s kid. i bought Raising Hell and License to Ill at the local music store with my best friend and both records blew me away and i still have HUGE love for both.

i guess the lyrics may come across immature now but the beasties lyrics have always been pretty silly in retrospect. the sonics of LTI still hold up without a doubt tho.

[Brother McDuff]

its funny, i got into the bboys during the HN era, and LTI sounded so ancient and rudimentary to me back then. but as the 00s progressed and hip-hop devolved back to a minimalist 808 culture again, it really revitalized that sound and reasserted just how well-crafted the LP's sonic and production prowess was. kind of a full circle thing, in a way.

[dust monkey]

Originally Posted by Micodin

yeah, not for me bro. the opposite reaction as a matter of fact, but i'm a 80s kid. i bought Raising Hell and License to Ill at the local music store with my best friend and both records blew me away and i still have HUGE love for both.

i guess the lyrics may come across immature now but the beasties lyrics have always been pretty silly in retrospect. the sonics of LTI still hold up without a doubt tho.

this....i picked up raising hell and LTI at same time at warehouse records on bmx strapped with walkman with money given by parents. listened to RH on way home and was instantly hooked, LTI after locked me in for life. i always say it was the BIG 4; RH, LTI, BAD and Nation. i went through at least 3 or 4 cassettes of each. the different RH covers, the different color cassettes for Nation, the braggadocio of LL and motherfucking LTI the cherry on top of all. 86 87 88 were great years then mind reset and blown again in 89 when PB's hit and i both hated and loved that some absolutely despised the record. i wanted them to see and appreciate the genius of it but it also became my own little special secret that was my own. anyway around and in between and after the big 4 floodgates just bust open forever... LTI was my favorite beastie album until probably around spring of '90 when i called PB my fav for 1st time, still do and LTI is around 5th or 6th now but the number means little because it's still awesome.

as far as introductory....i like the CYH logic but honestly i'd prob just make someone a mixtape/playlist if i was asked. this way i could drop i don't know in with the vibes and tadlock and car thief and stand together and root down and gratitude and egg raid and mullethead and something's got to give and posse in effect and transitions and skills to pay the bills and i want some......and you know the rest

[pesto pizza]

[quote=dust monkey;1822982]this....i picked up raising hell and LTI at same time at warehouse records on bmx strapped with walkman with money given by parents. listened to RH on way home and was instantly hooked, LTI after locked me in for life. i always say it was the BIG 4; RH, LTI, BAD and Nation. i went through at least 3 or 4 cassettes of each. the different RH covers, the different color cassettes for Nation, the braggadocio of LL and motherfucking LTI the cherry on top of all. 86 87 88 were great years then mind reset and blown again in 89 when PB's hit and i both hated and loved that some absolutely despised the record. i wanted them to see and appreciate the genius of it but it also became my own little special secret that was my own. anyway around and in between and after the big 4 floodgates just bust open forever... LTI was my favorite beastie album until probably around spring of '90 when i called PB my fav for 1st time, still do and LTI is around 5th or 6th now but the number means little because it's still awesome.

That was my life too, nice to read.for me that was hip hop and l will never forget those times, they up there with star wars OT and beer!

[dave790]

As an introductory album for your casual fan, SGH is the way. No casual fans are coming for instrumentals, skits, b-sides, hardcore etc. The Anthology for me always seemed more a gift for the converted anyway, especially given the option to devise your own tracklisting and the ultimate inclusion of rarities among some shrewd selections.

Alternatively, I'd go with Micodin - start at LTI and go forward from there. LTI made sense to me early on, although seemingly quite far away from the Beasties I fell in love with (more Sure Shot, Intergalactic, So What'Cha Want - the 90s videos constantly on MTV). I remember playing Rhymin and Stealin on headphones in a local record store - I think the 2000 remaster/reissue had just been released - and thinking it was the coolest sound I'd ever heard.

In any case I actually bought the Anthology as my gateway. Obviously I latched on to the singles I had heard and loved (Sure Shot, Root Down, Intergalactic etc) and other hip-hop joints. It took a very long time to appreciate a lot of the other material - although granted, I was only 11 or so at the time. I don't think it opened my ears and inspired me to broaden my tastes in the same way IC and CYH did, as everything going on in those records somehow begins to make much more (and masterful) sense in the context of the actual albums.

[pm0ney]

Originally Posted by Micodin

yeah, not for me bro. the opposite reaction as a matter of fact, but i'm a 80s kid. i bought Raising Hell and License to Ill at the local music store with my best friend and both records blew me away and i still have HUGE love for both.

i guess the lyrics may come across immature now but the beasties lyrics have always been pretty silly in retrospect. the sonics of LTI still hold up without a doubt tho.

Absolutely. It's an immortal, timeless record. There's a reason it's sold over ten million copies. Dated garbage does not do that. Also, in my humble opinion, their voices sound the best on that album, outside of Mike D.

[Sir SkratchaLot]

I typically start them off with "Some Dumb Cop Gave Me 2 Tickets Already" then move on to "Netty's Girl", "Your Sister's Def", and finish out with "Honkey Rink" If they're not huge fans by then I know they never will be.

[dust monkey]

Originally Posted by Sir SkratchaLot

I typically start them off with "Some Dumb Cop Gave Me 2 Tickets Already" then move on to "Netty's Girl", "Your Sister's Def", and finish out with "Honkey Rink" If they're not huge fans by then I know they never will be.

this if funny

[3stooges]

It's very hard, I guess I would says Sounds, but there is a lot of stuff on there that's unnecessary. I think if Rhino or somebody did one it would just be a solid 20+ songs on one disc with all the best stuff and no filler, my inclination would have it heavily weighted with songs from LTI to IC or HN. You can't really do them justice that way though. They went through so many phases, it's like trying to introduce someone to Miles Davis. It's easier to say these are my 4 or 5 favorite albums, listen to these and go from there.

[3stooges]

Originally Posted by Micodin

yeah, not for me bro. the opposite reaction as a matter of fact, but i'm a 80s kid. i bought Raising Hell and License to Ill at the local music store with my best friend and both records blew me away and i still have HUGE love for both.

i guess the lyrics may come across immature now but the beasties lyrics have always been pretty silly in retrospect. the sonics of LTI still hold up without a doubt tho.

It's interesting, yeah the lyrics are immature, but if you listen to kids today that are the same age as they were then, it's really no different. It's just that we've matured. But kids are still the same, if not worse to be honest. Back then it was considered shocking. Now that kind of thing is par for the course.