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November 28, 2016 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 603

Beastie Boys, Licensed to Ill (1986)
liceEasily one of the most important, influential albums for me – one of the things I could point to and say “I discovered this!” Actually, my friend Aaron had it first. Probably from his older brother. But as soon as I heard it I was sold. I remember exactly the room – at Aaron’s house. We were there, as was the way back in the late 1980s, to play computer games. And while they loaded (!!?!) we listened to music. I was sold on the Beastie Boys then and there. And it’s been a lifelong love. I was deeply saddened when MCA died, I was thrilled just to say I got to see them one time. I have collected up everything of theirs – but I’ve hardly owned anything on vinyl. Just a couple of the records. This, their debut, has been reissued as a 30th Anniversary celebration. It’s a masterpiece from another era, a master-class in rock-record sampling; this was as much my introduction to John Bonham as any Led Zeppelin recording. It’s juvenile and snotty but wonderful – and wonderfully so. I can forgive them their antics, they atoned at least also with the way they developed – as human beings and musicians – but somehow this, a lone vestige (almost) of my pre-teen and teen listening stands up for me every time I hear it. Wonderfully nostalgic. And then something more than that too.

Sample Track: Slow Ride
bboys-licences
The Vinyl Countdown is a document of every LP I listen to, brand new discoveries and old-old favourites; extremely pre-loved, previously abandoned or with the shrink-wrap having just been removed it’s all here at The Vinyl Countdown

Posted in Blog, The Vinyl Countdown and tagged with 1986, 30th Anniversary, Ad Roc, Beastie Boys, Fight For Your Right To Party, Hip-Hop, John Bonham, Kerry King, Led Zeppelin, Licensed to Ill, LP, MCA, Mike D, Rap, Record, Reissue, Rock, Sampling, Slayer, Slow Ride, The Vinyl Countdown # 603, Vinyl. RSS 2.0 feed.
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