Slang Editorial :: Never Underestimate The Value Of A Holla'

Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Re-appraisals: Upon Which Our Heroes Get Excited And Then Rapidly Disappointed By Ill Communication

In our fourth attempt at revisiting our musical pasts, Jayson and I chose the Beastie Boys' Ill Communication, and were quickly reminded how absence can make the heart grow fonder... and an unexpected return can remind the heart why relations were lost.

This is insanely long, so don't read unless you are bored or think you really love(d) mid 90s Beastie Boys.

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styrofoamfuror: ILL COMMUNICATION!
jaychampvinyl: I'm ready
styrofoamfuror: GO

styrofoamfuror: i have not listened to this in so long
styrofoamfuror: and the last time i did in earnest, i knew so so little about rap music
jaychampvinyl: I am liking this so much already
jaychampvinyl: last time I heard this, the things I knew about rap were via osmosis
jaychampvinyl: 1) Public Enemy are cool
jaychampvinyl: 2) Skee Lo has a great song
styrofoamfuror: i knew all about "gangsta rap"
styrofoamfuror: and the Cypress Hill/House of Pain crew

jaychampvinyl: right
jaychampvinyl: I guess I did too
jaychampvinyl: but I didn't care for it
styrofoamfuror: by college i knew about groups like Tribe and Black Star and Dilated Peoples and J5
styrofoamfuror: but what i still knew nothing about was New York hiphop and "classic hiphop"
jaychampvinyl: right
styrofoamfuror: (some of which overlappped)
jaychampvinyl: by college, I had figured out some Wu Tang, Jay Z's REasonable Doubt, and Nas's Illmatifc
jaychampvinyl: tho I didn't spend tons of time with any of it
jaychampvinyl: I had the first Wu Tang record, I had supreme clientele
jaychampvinyl: and those two records
jaychampvinyl: others: Lauryn Hill, The Roots THings Fall Apart, Black Star
jaychampvinyl: Eminem's Marshal Mathers LP
jaychampvinyl: and this and Paul's Boutique
jaychampvinyl: probbbbbbably about it

jaychampvinyl: oof, "Tough Guy"--this fake Bad Brains shit has aged terribly
jaychampvinyl: and wasn't ever really even good, actually
jaychampvinyl: just kinda meant to signify that this was also something that you needed to like if you were going to get down with the new multiculti handbook
jaychampvinyl: so they kinda served as DJs
styrofoamfuror: i remmeber that Tough Guy and Heart Attack man never sat well with me

styrofoamfuror: B-Boys Makin with the Freak Freak sounds like mid 90s Beck
styrofoamfuror: a lot
styrofoamfuror: or perhaps vice versa
jaychampvinyl: yes
jaychampvinyl: not sure which way that goes either
styrofoamfuror: though i have repeated the line, "If i knew it was gonna be this kind of party...."
styrofoamfuror: sooooooo many times

jaychampvinyl: It actually just sounds like a complete retread of "So Whatcha Want"
jaychampvinyl: kinda interesting, tho: this still sounds "cool!"
styrofoamfuror: i think i forgot that by this point especially they were frequently using effects on their voices
styrofoamfuror: to compensate for the fact that they were three reedy sounding white dudes
jaychampvinyl: I was kinda expecting for this to be cringeworthy
jaychampvinyl: in a way
jaychampvinyl: the production, in particular, I was thinking would sound terrible
styrofoamfuror: i suspect it is much less cringeworthy than Check Yr Head would sound now
jaychampvinyl: yes!
jaychampvinyl: seconded
styrofoamfuror: i remember 10 years ago being sorta alone in preferring Ill Communication over that record (whatever nonsense that means)
jaychampvinyl: yeah, me too
jaychampvinyl: John told me that Ill Communication was just a poppier version of Check Your Head
styrofoamfuror: it's also more of an actual rap album
styrofoamfuror: Check Yr Head is more a not great rock/funk album

styrofoamfuror: Root Down still sounds great
styrofoamfuror: god the samples they used were so fucking tasteful
jaychampvinyl: I know!!!!!
jaychampvinyl: this record is fucking great
jaychampvinyl: GREAT
styrofoamfuror: back then i sort of didn't understand sampling and just figured they made everything
styrofoamfuror: i'd never heard ANY of these samples
jaychampvinyl: oh man, same here
jaychampvinyl: maybe not as much here, because they talked so much about finding old funk records
jaychampvinyl: but I NO IDEA that gangsta rappers used samples
jaychampvinyl: I had no inkling that Dre records, or Biggie records, or anything where you couldn't hear the actual record scratching, were samples of older songs
styrofoamfuror: now i know that so much of these comes from awesome 70s jazz records
styrofoamfuror: and funk records

styrofoamfuror: and fucking Sabotage
styrofoamfuror: I can remember the very moment i first heard this song
jaychampvinyl: this still sounds like slow-motion walking bands of roving badasses entering your town with spiked bats
jaychampvinyl: but please share your sabotage story
styrofoamfuror: i had just gotten to germany for a three week visit
styrofoamfuror: July 1994
styrofoamfuror: i was excited but bummed about misssing little league all-stars
jaychampvinyl: haha, a good way to begin any story
styrofoamfuror: I was sick and staying at my aunt's house watching german MTV all day
styrofoamfuror: i remember one day seeing the All-4-One song "I Swear" SEVEN times

jaychampvinyl: YES
styrofoamfuror: four times on MTV
styrofoamfuror: and three times on the german channel

styrofoamfuror: sabotage sounded like literally the coolest thing i'd ever heard
styrofoamfuror: evre
jaychampvinyl: it still kind of does!!!!

jaychampvinyl: jesus, this song is actually giving me chills

jaychampvinyl: IT'S SO FUCKING AWESOM E

jaychampvinyl: GAHHH

styrofoamfuror: i spent the entirety of my trip looking forward to coming home and buying the record
jaychampvinyl: haha

jaychampvinyl: oh man, this Q-Tip song [Get it Together]
styrofoamfuror: yeah dude
jaychampvinyl: this is sorta the record where they became actual hip hop royalty
styrofoamfuror: i had no idea who he was
jaychampvinyl: I had heard him SO much in my bro's car
styrofoamfuror: "Black dude on Beastie Boys record not biz markie?:
jaychampvinyl: hahahaha
jaychampvinyl: yes
styrofoamfuror: the production on this track is fucking great too
styrofoamfuror: the way they work a q-tip sample into the chorus
styrofoamfuror: he even references biz markies
jaychampvinyl: yes!
styrofoamfuror: so i thouhgt maybe it was biz markie
jaychampvinyl: this beat
jaychampvinyl: is SO WEIRD
styrofoamfuror: i remember it took me forever and ever to be able to identify which of the beastie boys were which
jaychampvinyl: oh god
jaychampvinyl: yeah
styrofoamfuror: i think i've forgotten now but i think you need to learn how to listen to rap music
jaychampvinyl: god, you REALLY do
styrofoamfuror: like, in the beginning i think rap can be kind of confusing
styrofoamfuror: so many voices chiming in
jaychampvinyl: soooo confusing!
styrofoamfuror: often for just a verse
jaychampvinyl: and saying so many nonsesnical things
jaychampvinyl: I listened to Illmatic like five hundred times trying to figure out why it was groundbreaking in college
jaychampvinyl: I liked it enough
jaychampvinyl: and some of it was obvious
jaychampvinyl: but SO MANY LINES that just sailed past me
jaychampvinyl: about 80 percent of them, I'd say
jaychampvinyl: were just noises flying over my head
styrofoamfuror: i think another key thing was that in 1995 as a 13 year old knowing nothing about rap, i missed the one bazillion references on this record
styrofoamfuror: so so so many lines quoting other rap songs

styrofoamfuror: at a point down the road, by prob 98 or so, i was pretty obsessed with the instrumentals
jaychampvinyl: this one's solid ["Sabrosa"]
styrofoamfuror: i made a tape out of the instrumentals on this record, Check Yr Head and Hello Nasty
jaychampvinyl: hahaha wow
jaychampvinyl: how about The Insound from way out?
jaychampvinyl: that must have been your JAM
styrofoamfuror: yeah, made while not realizing that there existed an import record called Insound....
styrofoamfuror: i lived in oneonta, ny
styrofoamfuror: so there was no such thing
jaychampvinyl: hahahah, right

styrofoamfuror: i remember being really stoked when i finally found that record
styrofoamfuror: but then bummed that there were only two bonus tracks
styrofoamfuror: and the ones from hello nasty weren't on there
styrofoamfuror: (cause that came out after)

jaychampvinyl: btw, kinda forgot that there was a song on this record called "Bodhisattva Vow"
jaychampvinyl: the beginning of the end
jaychampvinyl: visible only now
jaychampvinyl: kinda like "Revolution No. 9" on the White Album
jaychampvinyl: "uh oh"
jaychampvinyl: SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES
styrofoamfuror: christgau describes the instrumentals as "the unschooled funk of a prerap garage band"
styrofoamfuror: this song always seemed like a bad acid trip (sorry, mom!)
jaychampvinyl: yup
jaychampvinyl: also: first terrible MCA lyrics about the world and stuff
styrofoamfuror: it was a little too melodeath core
jaychampvinyl: wayy too much so
styrofoamfuror: except at 2:16
styrofoamfuror: when those beautiful sad piano chords come in
jaychampvinyl: oooooh forgot about those
jaychampvinyl: yes
styrofoamfuror: they literally made the song ok to me
jaychampvinyl: "I give respect to King and his nonviolent ways"
jaychampvinyl: how benevolent of MCA to "give" respect to Martin Luther fucking King Jr.
styrofoamfuror: this song, vocal-wise kind of epitomized ways i didn't like their vocals

styrofoamfuror: oh dude
styrofoamfuror: the intro to futterman's rule
styrofoamfuror: Big Youth sample
styrofoamfuror: but this is literally the first time i've known that

styrofoamfuror: and it's fucking great

jaychampvinyl: you are obsessive
jaychampvinyl: btw
jaychampvinyl: yes
jaychampvinyl: these are really great
jaychampvinyl: simple, amateurish, yeah, but somehow nail something
jaychampvinyl: there's some vibe they nail here
jaychampvinyl: they probably created it
jaychampvinyl: like, this WORKS
styrofoamfuror: oh man
jaychampvinyl: and none of them can really play and none of them really know what the fuck theyr'e doing
styrofoamfuror: this is my FAVE of the instrumentals actually
jaychampvinyl: it shouldn't sound this good, logically, when they do this
styrofoamfuror: THEY can't play but Eric Bobo can
styrofoamfuror: as can Money Mark
jaychampvinyl: right
styrofoamfuror: i remember being really bummed that the Insound record didn't have this one on it
styrofoamfuror: and feeling triumphant about my own self-collected tape
jaychampvinyl: yes!
jaychampvinyl: as you should
jaychampvinyl: good old-fashioned questing nerd ingenuity
styrofoamfuror: i definitely put this on as an interlude a few times
jaychampvinyl: while fucking?
jaychampvinyl: 'hold on, hold on, just stay there, I really want to play this song"
jaychampvinyl: 'JUST HOLD ON!"

styrofoamfuror: haaa
styrofoamfuror: i meant on a mix
styrofoamfuror: no fucking at this point in my life
styrofoamfuror: i rememebr trying to scratch records on our record player
styrofoamfuror: "BEN THIS ISN'T A DIRECT DRIVE TURNTABLE!!!"
styrofoamfuror: my mom shouting in the background
jaychampvinyl: hahahahaha

jaychampvinyl: take a disco nap!
jaychampvinyl: I am sure I did that once
jaychampvinyl: just pulled the record back
jaychampvinyl: and then freaked out when it made the WORST sound imaginable

jaychampvinyl: this one sounds a little Soul Coughing-y

styrofoamfuror: yeah, actually "Alright Hear This" is incredibly ala mid 90s Beck
jaychampvinyl: yes
styrofoamfuror: again, i don't know who is first
jaychampvinyl: the cutting/scratching is a little more old-sounding to these ears
styrofoamfuror: but it sounds literally indistinguishable save the lyrics
jaychampvinyl: yes
jaychampvinyl: it does
styrofoamfuror: listen to "In a Cold Ass Fashion"
styrofoamfuror: also from 1994
styrofoamfuror: http://whiskeyclonehotelcity1997layitontothedawnshecantalktosquirrels.net/ghost/songinfo.php?songID=147
styrofoamfuror: which is what he was originally going to call Odelay
jaychampvinyl: Gettin' all caught up in a taste test / And it all basically tastes like crap
styrofoamfuror: exactly
styrofoamfuror: oh man
styrofoamfuror: a great song

jaychampvinyl: haaaaa @ the title "Eugene's Lament"
jaychampvinyl: and also @ the song itself
styrofoamfuror: hahah, yes
styrofoamfuror: is that a violin?
jaychampvinyl: this is retarded
jaychampvinyl: yes
styrofoamfuror: this also sounds Beck-ish
jaychampvinyl: in a terrible sort of way
styrofoamfuror: for some reason (reason: i am sloppy and not astute) as a kid i never heard the similarity
styrofoamfuror: now i'm becoming increasingly convinced that half of this record is near-interchangeable with some less exciting understanding of mid 90s beck
jaychampvinyl: hahaha yes
jaychampvinyl: also, it is wearing on me a bit
jaychampvinyl: pretty samey towards the end
jaychampvinyl: this is more the unexciting gumbo I was expecting
styrofoamfuror: so basically tracks 1-7 are more or less exhilarating
styrofoamfuror: tracks 8-12 zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
jaychampvinyl: the back half is Starbucks turntablism
styrofoamfuror: there is really not a ton of actual rapping on this record
jaychampvinyl: this is turning into a slog for me

styrofoamfuror: Do It
styrofoamfuror: not exciting
styrofoamfuror: is the result
jaychampvinyl: I am starting to have uncharitable thoughts about 1997-era goateed hipsters
jaychampvinyl: I am seeing them doing stupid dances in my head
styrofoamfuror: apparently the single version of "Get It Together" did NOT have Qtip on it?
jaychampvinyl: whoa, weird
styrofoamfuror: i'm not sure how that song exists without him
jaychampvinyl: me neither?
jaychampvinyl: they must recut the whole song
jaychampvinyl: yeah the back half is straight bong water-Sega Genesis music
styrofoamfuror: yeh dude, i was right there
styrofoamfuror: to put on between phish bootleg tapes

styrofoamfuror: also: "Sure Shot" was one of the songs deemed inappropriate to play on radio after Sept 11 by Clear Channel
styrofoamfuror: "Clear Channel Banned Songs"
styrofoamfuror: thanks Mays family
styrofoamfuror: you fucking scumbags
styrofoamfuror: Sabotage was also banned
styrofoamfuror: Louis Armstrong, "What a Wonderful World"
jaychampvinyl: jesus fucking christ, those people
jaychampvinyl: that list
jaychampvinyl: is straight gestapo
jaychampvinyl: (no huffpo)

styrofoamfuror: Dave Matthews "Crash Into Me"
styrofoamfuror: David Bowie and Mick Jagger "Dancing in the Street" (probably a good thing since it's fucking godawful)
jaychampvinyl: "We are banning all 80s Rolling Stones, mostly befcause it sucks"

jaychampvinyl: I love that this is "Ricky's Theme"
jaychampvinyl: also: haaa
styrofoamfuror: Heart Attack Man is better than Tough Guy
styrofoamfuror: but existed as a novelty even as an unperformed idea

jaychampvinyl: a little diddy about a good guy I know
jaychampvinyl: Man, at this point, I'm just thinking about Paul's Boutique
jaychampvinyl: and how good "Shadrach" would probalby sound at this point in the running time
styrofoamfuror: i'm getting bumcore now
styrofoamfuror: how the fuck could they have banned Cat Stevens "Peace Train"
styrofoamfuror: fucking dicks
styrofoamfuror: i have Mark Mays's cell phone number by the way
styrofoamfuror: remind me to distribute on the internet at some point
styrofoamfuror: (he's the CEO)
jaychampvinyl: hahaha, yes
styrofoamfuror: the only thing i can say favorably is that the company is doing terribly now
styrofoamfuror: so they're getting theirs (sorta, not really)
styrofoamfuror: "All songs by Rage Against the Machine"
styrofoamfuror: Sugar Ray "Fly"
jaychampvinyl: JESUSSSS
styrofoamfuror: let's ban literally the most innocuous song ever written
jaychampvinyl: but he wants to Fly
jaychampvinyl: (A PLANE INTO THE PENTAGON)
styrofoamfuror: what a fucking mental arbitrary list
styrofoamfuror: Limp Bizkit "Break Stuff"
styrofoamfuror: haha no more sorry
jaychampvinyl: tjat
jaychampvinyl: that's one I can get behind
jaychampvinyl: Fred Durst incited mass rapes

styrofoamfuror: oh man Shambala

styrofoamfuror: we are listening the beastie boys

styrofoamfuror: and this record has turned into muddled nonsense
jaychampvinyl: jesus god
jaychampvinyl: this is it
jaychampvinyl: this is Revolution NO. 9

jaychampvinyl: I am so very ready for the Beastie Boys to finish Ill communicating with me
styrofoamfuror: it's like they just put a record on 20 minutes ago and left the room
jaychampvinyl: this is the song that presaged just how awful they were going to become
jaychampvinyl: as people
jaychampvinyl: and as people making music
jaychampvinyl: not awful as people
jaychampvinyl: just laughable
jaychampvinyl: to me, this is some bono awfulness
jaychampvinyl: if you're into Buddhism
jaychampvinyl: don't aggrandize about it on your album
jaychampvinyl: plz
styrofoamfuror: this was literally pot consumption tunes

jaychampvinyl: so, wow, turns out this album could have ended after "Get IT Together"
styrofoamfuror: Bodhisattva Vow
styrofoamfuror: fuckign terrible
styrofoamfuror: this is unpleasant to listen to
jaychampvinyl: "I'll be glad if it helps anyone else out, too"
styrofoamfuror: i remember never liking this one
jaychampvinyl: GAAAAAAAAH
jaychampvinyl: this makes KRS-One look like a funny, laidback dude
jaychampvinyl: I CAN'T BELIEVE ADAM YAUCH DID THIS
styrofoamfuror: yeah
styrofoamfuror: terrible

jaychampvinyl: ok
jaychampvinyl: deep breath
jaychampvinyl: transitions
jaychampvinyl: final track
styrofoamfuror: Transitions isn't terrible
jaychampvinyl: back into mediocre-funk territory
jaychampvinyl: and it's pleasing
styrofoamfuror: it's actually totally acceptable out of context
styrofoamfuror: just not really in the context of having been subjected to 12 previous tracks of either lite-funk, bad buddhism or boring fuzz-rap
jaychampvinyl: hahaha
jaychampvinyl: exactly
jaychampvinyl: well put
jaychampvinyl: weird how quickly this turned for me
jaychampvinyl: I was REALLY into this
jaychampvinyl: for the first third
jaychampvinyl: I can no loinger believe that "Sabotage" is on this album
styrofoamfuror: "jaychampvinyl: IT'S SO FUCKING AWESOM E"
jaychampvinyl: I KNOW

styrofoamfuror: ok over
styrofoamfuror: wow
styrofoamfuror: shittown
jaychampvinyl: hahaha
styrofoamfuror: no wonder people talked shit on this album
styrofoamfuror: at least Check Yr Head is like 35 mintues
jaychampvinyl: THERE IT WAS, FOLKS- YOUR TRI-WEEKLY FUNDAY AFTERNOON MEMORY-RAPING BUZZKILL
styrofoamfuror: hahahaha
styrofoamfuror: yep

The final verdict: things went down easier when I was a know-nothing teenager who smoked pot all day dreaming what it would be like to "have a girlfriend" or "leave upstate New York".

LISTEN:

Beastie Boys - "Sabotage" (I still fucking love you!)

Beastie Boys - "Get It Together"

Beastie Boys - "Shambala"

And for old time's sake, the video for "Sabotage" (with 20 second intro):

Labels: Jayson Greene In Spirit, memories, music, old flames, rap, re-appraisals

posted by Nihilist Loves Hate, Hates Everything at 9/15/2009 07:57:00 PM 0 comments

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