Beastie Boys and the 1986 album ‘Licensed to Ill’

The debut album for Beastie Boys released on Saturday, November 15th, 1986. Mixing a hip hop and hard rock fusion that appealed to many, the album Licensed to Ill turned 35-years young this week. The muscular mixing of sounds landing the band a top selling album and the beginning of a career that landed the band in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Today we look at the Licensed to Ill album itself.

(A close-up look at the Licensed to Ill album cover of the Beastie Boys. Licensed to Ill was released on November 15th, 1986).

Rhymin & Stealin opens Licensed to Ill with a sample of John Bonham‘s drum introduction from Led Zeppelin‘s song When The Levee Breaks. Adding samples of Black Sabbath‘s Sweet Leaf and I Fought the Law by The Clash, a definitive announcement for the band’s sound with a direct statement for the band’s approach announced a hello with authority and clarity.

The New Style flips the script in being sampled generously, including a dozen years later about 2.5-minutes into the song Intergalactic. The song uses parts of five songs with irreverent, provocative and quick lyrics while stamping their musical style onto the hearts of many fans.

(The third single released in support of Licensed to Ill by Beastie Boys was The New Style).

She’s Crafty follows The New Style on Licensed to Ill, sampling the song The Ocean by Led Zeppelin. The craftiness refers to Lucy’s misrepresentations of her background coupled with the fact that there is a definite intimacy interest underlying the continuing momentum for the song.

Posse in Effect sampled a rhythm and blues sound with its biggest audience connecting being in the way that it encouraged people to dance.

Slow Ride samples the songs Low Rider by War and Take the Money and Run by Steve Miller Band while sharing a song title with a song by Foghat.

(Girls was the seventh and final single released in support of the Licensed to Ill album by Beastie Boys).

Girls by Beastie Boys started out as a song whose sound was inspired by The Isley Brothers‘ song Shout. We learn from Song Facts that Girls “is so outrageous in its misogyny that it is clearly satire.” The song was the seventh and final single released from Licensed to Ill.

I distinctly remember singing (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party) with my friends while growing up. The song starts with the elongated chord of a guitar followed by the lyrics “Kick it!” Back when the network played music, this song received frequent exposure on MTV (Music Television) for the band.

(The sixth single released in support of the Beastie Boys‘ album Licensed to Ill was No Sleep Till Brooklyn).

No Sleep Till Brooklyn offered a much strong traditional rock sound, landing as the sixth single released for Licensed to Ill. The song title plays on the Motörhead live album titled No Sleep ’til Hammersmith. The song itself charted better in the United Kingdom than in the United States, per Songfacts.

The song Paul Revere pokes fun at the notion of Paul Revere‘s ride in offering a fictional account for how the members of Beastie Boys met. I immediately thought of the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem Paul Revere’s Ride when first seeing the song title way back when. Learning that the song title came not from the poem, the historical figure Paul Revere nor the midnight ride of Paul Revere made this song a bit comical for me. The song title came from a horse ridden by band member Adam Horovitz (also known as Ad-Rock).

(The first single from Beastie Boys to be released in support of Licensed to Ill was Hold It Now, Hit It).

The first single released in support of Licensed to Ill by Beastie Boys was Hold It Now, Hit It, including samples of Take Me to Mardi Gras by Bob James, Funky Stuff by Kool & The Gang, The Return of Leroy Pt. 1 by The Jimmy Castor Bunch and others.

Brass Monkey references an alcoholic drink including rum, vodka and orange juice mixed over ice. The song samples the song Bring It Here by Wild Sugar. The term ‘brass monkey’ is thought to come from an explicit figure of speech that you can reference by clicking here.

(From left to right are Beastie Boy members Mike Diamond, Adam Yauch and Adam Horovitz (also known as Ad-Rock).

Slow and Low samples Flick of the Switch by AC/DC and 8th Wonder by The Sugarhill Gang. Like with the full scope of Licensed to Ill, the mixing and production were key to creating something new, which really cements part of the new style within the hip hop and hard rock tradition that Beastie Boys were making with this album. The accomplishment here is clear.

Time to Get Ill samples I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby by Barry White, Down on the Corner by Creedence Clearwater Revival and Gucci Time by Schoolly D. The song references actress and comedian Phyllis Diller along with the television show Mister Ed (1958-1966). That the song is a bit tongue in cheek brings us back to the rhymes, the attitude and the licensing that informs the album title Licensed to Ill.

Matt – Wednesday, November 17, 2021