We watched the Beastie Boys doco on Apple TV the other day. I'm a huge Beasties fan from way back - I don't know why I ended up being a fan as no one I know seemed to listen to them. I was sold from the first time I heard them, and bought ever single one on vinyl. I have big memories of standing on top of a hill watching the sun come up listening to Sure Shot. I saw them twice in the late '90's - and I still believe it's one of the best bands I ever saw live. In fact, I saw them twice that year, as after their big stadium gig they went home for an illness and came back again to complete the tour, starting back in Melbourne. I bought tickets straight away. 


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>  “As we learn to breed love for one another / in these times of melding cultures / I give respect for what’s been borrowed and lent / I know this music comes down from African descent” - Beasties, Ill Communication

The 2020 doco is a little wierd - Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz (Mike D and Ad Rock) tell the story as a stage show, as Adam Yaulch died of cancer some years ago when he was only 46. These guys had been mates since they were teenagers, so the loss was huge for them, as well as the world, who lost a really creative musician. 

I didn't like the stage show as it felt really scripted as they read off the teleprompter mostly, and there wasn't as much music as I would have liked. However, there were lots of photos and clips as well, and it was great to hear about the history of the band I'd liked for such a long time. 

First, I didn't realise how *young* they were and how early they started on the rap scene. They were produced by Def Jam records (who they left after the first album and tour, believing they had been taken advantage of) who produced Run DMC, their heros. I mean, they were *soooooo* young - their second album came out when they were only 22! So they were performing these wild, chaotic, drunken tours when barely out of their teens. I remember back then 'Fight for Your Right to Party' taking off and not really understanding who these young white rappers were exactly. But you couldn't help hear about them. 

I didn't know that the album that has kinda cult status didn't sell so well at the time (Ill Communication, their first studio album, did brilliant), only getting crickets (their words). It's famous for it's extensive use of samples, and it's play with various genres from funk, soul, rock, and jazz. 

> Sometimes described as the "Sgt. Pepper of hip-hop",[3] Paul's Boutique has placed on several lists of the greatest albums of all time, and is viewed by many critics as a landmark album of golden age hip hop and a seminal work in sample-based production. - Wikipedia

It's definitely one of those albums that marked an era, and every listen brings out something new - lyrical jokes, samples and so on. It's still super fresh and I love bringing it out on vinyl every now and then. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x5NCDYB1Lc

After the madness of their early days, they'd certainly started their true journey as creative musicians. I mean, these guys were just mates making music and finding their purpose doing it, starting to take themselves a little bit more seriously and finding their unique sound that still gets stuck in my head, like this one from their third album, Check Your Head. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru3gH27Fn6E

> So, so what'cha, what'cha, what'cha want? (what'cha want?)
I get so funny with my money that you flaunt
I said, "Where'd you get your information from" huh?
You think that you can front when revelation comes?
(Yeah, you can't front on that)

It's ridiculously hard for me to choose three songs only from the Beastie Boys. Even the ones I chose here I just had to pull out quick without thinking too hard about it. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhqyZeUlE8U

> “Well, I’m like Lee Perry, I’m very on / Rock the microphone and then I’m gone”

I mean, I first heard of Lee Perry through this album and went and saw him live because of the Beasties, starting my obsession with dub and reggae, believe it or not. 

Was the doco worth watching? Yeah - it was an annoying format, but still, a real ode to the age and I learnt a lot about one of my favourite bands of all time. 

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