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View Poll Results: Sounds of Science vs. Solid Gold - Best introductory album?
Sounds Of Science 8 42.11%
Solid Gold Hits 8 42.11%
Licensed To Ill 2 10.53%
Other 1 5.26%
Voters: 19. You may not vote on this poll

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  #1  
Old 02-08-2020, 08:28 PM
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brooklyndust brooklyndust is offline
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Default Sounds of Science vs. Solid Gold - Best introductory album?

I'm currently spinning through the Anthology and I still think this is the best album to introduce people to Beastie Boys.
From the versatile track selection to the accompanying photos and booklet, I think this is the most accurate representation of the majority of their work.

The only thing with the SOS is that it might be a little to extensive and time consuming for the casual listener who is just being exposed to the band for the first time. In that case maybe a simple greatest hits / singles collection like SGH is the way to go.

Or... maybe a debut full-length album like Licensed to Ill is the best hook.
That was them knocking down the door with a brand new sound and style along with producing their biggest hits and singles.

What do you guys think?

Last edited by brooklyndust : 02-08-2020 at 08:33 PM.
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  #2  
Old 02-09-2020, 04:57 AM
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Default Re: Sounds of Science vs. Solid Gold - Best introductory album?

A friend of mine has Solid Gold Hits on vinyl. Fair play.



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Old 02-09-2020, 08:46 AM
tuc70021 tuc70021 is offline
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Default Re: Sounds of Science vs. Solid Gold - Best introductory album?

I voted for Sounds of Science because like many bands, their hits were actually kind of dissimilar to the majority of their work, so SGH is kind of a weird compilation.

I was tempted to vote "Other" and actually go with Check Your Head. Hear me out...

CYH covers a few different genres, which is an important part of understanding the band. But more than that, you get these genres right up front. Within the first four songs you've got rap, funk, and rock, and one of the rap tracks is Pass the Mic which casual listeners may connect to since it was kind of a popular track for mainstream audiences.

CYH is also not too long. Of what I'd call their three genre-defying albums (CYH, IC, HN), it is the shortest at just over 53 minutes while IC is just shy of an hour and HN is a grueling 67 minutes (I don't find it grueling, but in their 2009 commentary they say that they should have cut it short and that when they played if for their friends they were like "Oh wow... so it's still going?") I feel like for an "intro" album, you don't want to overburden people (which is the problem with Sounds of Science).

CYH was also their crossroads album. By their own admissions, this was the album when they found themselves as a band. The LTI vibe is dead by this point, but there are still references to mackin' on girls and flashy shit. At the same time, the conscious lyrics that would define much of their later work also shows up. So if someone were listening to it they might be like "Oh that 'you scream and you holla 'bout my Chevy Impala' rhyme is nice!" they could go back and check out Paul's Boutique; if they thought "Wow, they've got some deep shit to say here" they could check out IC and listen to Yauch given a full sermon on Mahayana Buddhism.

Anyway, my two cents.
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Old 02-09-2020, 01:00 PM
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Default Re: Sounds of Science vs. Solid Gold - Best introductory album?

Quote:
Originally Posted by tuc70021 View Post
CYH covers a few different genres, which is an important part of understanding the band. But more than that, you get these genres right up front. Within the first four songs you've got rap, funk, and rock, and one of the rap tracks is Pass the Mic which casual listeners may connect to since it was kind of a popular track for mainstream audiences.

CYH is also not too long. Of what I'd call their three genre-defying albums (CYH, IC, HN), it is the shortest at just over 53 minutes while IC is just shy of an hour and HN is a grueling 67 minutes (I don't find it grueling, but in their 2009 commentary they say that they should have cut it short and that when they played if for their friends they were like "Oh wow... so it's still going?") I feel like for an "intro" album, you don't want to overburden people (which is the problem with Sounds of Science).

CYH was also their crossroads album. By their own admissions, this was the album when they found themselves as a band. The LTI vibe is dead by this point, but there are still references to mackin' on girls and flashy shit. At the same time, the conscious lyrics that would define much of their later work also shows up. So if someone were listening to it they might be like "Oh that 'you scream and you holla 'bout my Chevy Impala' rhyme is nice!" they could go back and check out Paul's Boutique; if they thought "Wow, they've got some deep shit to say here" they could check out IC and listen to Yauch given a full sermon on Mahayana Buddhism.

Anyway, my two cents.
I'm going with this for those reasons
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Old 02-09-2020, 03:21 PM
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Brother McDuff Brother McDuff is offline
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Default Re: Sounds of Science vs. Solid Gold - Best introductory album?

I wholeheartedly agree with this ideology, though would place my vote on IC. It captures the same scope, but is also a more polished interpretation of their range. If CYH documented them forging their “base” identity, then IC shows that muscle fully developed and being flexed, following a touring cycle to further hone it in. if they found themselves on CYH, they mastered themselves on IC.

to play devils advo though, if IC is the work that best represents their identity, i still think the anthology is a better intro for someone who is generally unfamiliar. its not just hits, but album cuts and some more experimental stuff as well. not to mention they chose the tracks themselves, better indicating how they personally intend their body of work to be interpreted.



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Old 02-09-2020, 05:32 PM
tuc70021 tuc70021 is offline
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Default Re: Sounds of Science vs. Solid Gold - Best introductory album?

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Originally Posted by Brother McDuff View Post
I wholeheartedly agree with this ideology, though would place my vote on IC. It captures the same scope, but is also a more polished interpretation of their range. If CYH documented them forging their “base” identity, then IC shows that muscle fully developed and being flexed, following a touring cycle to further hone it in. if they found themselves on CYH, they mastered themselves on IC.

Yup, it could really go either way for me too. IC always felt like CYH Part 2 in some ways, and I think they admit to such in their commentary and book - that they were on a roll in the mid-90s and went right back to the studio after CYH. Those two albums back to back are a fucking trip.
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