The Most Bumping Albums of All Time (part 7)

#5 Most Bumping Album of All Time: Beastie Boys- Ill Communication Summer's first light has distracted me for the last week, and delayed the release of the 5th Most Bumping Album review. The Beastie Boys have always appealed to a very wide range of people. Their blend of hip-hop, rap, punk, jazz, and more has made them one of the most respected, enjoyed, and popular groups of music history. With so many great B Boys albums, it was a surprise to me that Ill Communication was the only one of their albums nominated. After another listen, I agreed that the album may have been their most "bumping" work. It was also nice to reflect on MCA, and his impact on both the Beastie Boys, and the music world at large. The album began with the tune "Sure Shot." From the flute intro, reminiscent of a Herbie Hancock song, "Sure Shot" boomed to life with a reminder, "You can't, you won't, and you don't stop." Enter a hint of turntable scratching and some rock and roll drums, and the album was off and running. The Beastie Boys rhyme scheme was one of the most distinctive in rap, catching people off guard long before Eminem proved even white guys could rap. While their background music exemplifies diversity, their vocal style has always seemed fairly uniform. "Tough Guy" exploded through my speakers reminding me of the punk aspect in their sound. I thought of 311 and Sublime as the edge emerged from behind their typical grooves. The song, less than a minute long, was short, energetic, and heavy, but I wouldn't refer to it as bumping. "B Boy Makin' with the Freak Freak" was quintessential Beasties. It highlighted their mastery of sample manipulation, genre blending, and rebellious (sometimes silly) rap. It also contained one of the most quoted rap lines I know, "shit, if this gonna be that kind of party, I'm gonna stick my dick in the mashed potatoes." The beat to this song was interesting, unique, and unexpected for a rap song. "Bobo on the Corner" was a jazzy instrumental interlude. The drums dominated the segment with a techy drum circle vibe. The song was short, and wasted no time leading into one of my favorite BB songs of all time... "Root Down." I have always loved "Root Down" from the first time I heard it. From the opening bass groove and funky drums through the wah effected guitar splashes, this tune had a soulful sound with a raw rap style that bordered on shouting, but translated to pure enthusiasm and intensity. It's high energy, and catchy chorus worked their way into my brain to take up a permanent residence from the first time I heard it. And then came "Sabotage." I remember the video was great, and became a giant hit. It was also the encore of the first Phish concert I ever attended... And it was awesome. The driven guitar combined with the explosive Beastie Boys vocals further fused elements in a similar way to the rap/rock of Red Hot Chili Peppers or Rage Against the Machine. "Get it Together" started with a flow that reminded me of Mos Def. As the song progressed each MC took their crack at the mic. The jazzy breaks worked well with the flow of the song which featured a looped sample of an effected piano. "Like Ma Bell they got the ill communication." "Sabrosa" is another of my favorite Beastie tunes. Also featured on "In Sounds From Way Out," this tune proved to me that the Boys had serious depth. The funky jazz instrumental would have been at home on a Herbie Hancock album, or even Medeski, Scofield, Martin, and Wood jam. It would have been a serious contender for favorite tune on the album, but this album had so many heavy hitters, it wasn't even top 3. "The Update" was a drum heavy rap with old school flavor. I thought about the Sugar Hill Gang during parts of it. The flows were smooth, yet articulated through distorted megaphonic effects. The last several songs had thumping bass and tight drums, and were as "bumping" as 3 white guys could hope to produce. "Futterman's Rule" begins with a Jamaican accented voice telling you to get right before it's too late. From there, the bass, organ, and drums launch into a charged jazz-rock jam. Once again they showed their instrumental prowess. Not only bumping, but impressive jams. "Alright Hear This" fused together the instrumental funk tracks with their distorted verses. The production was stellar as they shifted from live drums through sampled segments and back into instrumentals. The loose bass drum had a hand drum tone, and gave the low end more air. The next song, "Eugene's Lament" began with orchestral instrumentation which morphed into a middle eastern snake charmer kind of solo. The acoustic guitar which eventually arrived seemed to have the sound of a nylon stringed classical guitar. Screeching violins led to a rapidly descending scale and some improvisational music through the outro. Making a silly word play on "Fruit Loops," the next song was "Flute Loops." It was aptly named as the background music was a series of loops of jazz flute lines. The turn tabling and accompanying rap had nothing to do with the title, but it worked anyway. "Do It" sounded like good advice from the jump. The tune had a super pungent bass and tested my speakers. I thoroughly enjoyed the rhymes on this track as they moved on from smooth flows to a Parliament Funkadelic style conclusion. "Ricky's Theme" was more mellow jazz, and I enjoyed it. The sleek, light, jazz tracks created a balance to the verbal attack that was the Beastie Boys. It helped the album to occupy more space, develop more flavor, and provide transitions that added to the overall flow of the album. "Heart Attack Man" started with a broken conversation about a fat guy. From there a short punk song emerged, and voiced health concerns until the quote, "Aaaah what do we know about partying or anything else?!" The segue to "The Scoop" hit hard. The sudden punch of energetic lyrics over deep drums dropped like a shot of espresso. The bass-line in the tune reminded me of the one opportunity I had to see Adam Yauch play bass. At Carnegie Hall in New York City, MCA was part of a Tibetan Freedom Concert which also starred David Bowie, Patti Smith, and Phillip Glass. It was a really cool event. As if the album was reading my mind, the next song, "Shambala" began with chanting monks. The psychedelic jazz that followed had elements of Latin rhythms rubbing shoulders with spacey guitars and ultimately laid my ears in the hands of another chant. This chant flowed beneath vocals as "Bodhisattva Vow," bridged the gap between the eastern words of meditation and mantras, with the western influence of rap and hip hop. The album seemed to wrap up with positive messages and encouragement to explore the path of peace. The caboose of this bump train was "Transitions" which featured a blend of clavi, organ, and synthesizer. The instrumental denouement seemed to tie a bow around this 20 song package and lets the listener down easy. After so much bumping, it was nice to have a smooth fall. So, the top 5... What's more bumping than the Beastie Boys? Stay tuned for next week's edition... Number 4, Beck's Midnight Vultures.