Of course, the Beasties themselves threw in some immature (though admittedly fun) lyrics into some of its early, classic cuts (i.e. “The New Style”) but here and elsewhere, are lyrically bold and clever without being classless.
With CYH and I.C. having been released closer together than any other two Beastie Boys studio albums, one would rightly think they share some common characteristics (besides being multi-platinum records). For one, the cowbell-dominant “Alright Hear This” and “The Scoop” from I.C. have the same distorted mic sound that worked so well on C.Y.H. hit “So What’cha Want.”
Number two, both LPs contain short, raw skate-punk cuts.
I.C.’s rough and tough “Tough Guy” and “Heart Attack Man” aren’t too dissimilar from the prior album’s “Time For Livin.’” Even more important, both records also feature more organic sounds than the Beasties’ first two (‘80s) albums, because of the multi-talented rappers' ability to play their own instruments live, and sample their own creations.
Also, where the Dust Brothers were the secret to the success of Paul’s Boutique, producer Mario C. and keyboardist “Money Mark” Nishita were unheralded significant contributors to the Beasties’ next two records, with the latter shining on hits including C.Y.H.’s “So What’cha Want” and Ill’s “Root Down.” And on Ill’s many instrumentals (i.e. “Sabrosa,” “Futterman’s Rule,” “Shambala”), session musicians like percussionist Eric Bobo and Nishita gel well alongside MCA on bass guitar/upright bass, Ad-Rock on guitar and Mike D on drums.
From the downloadable hour-long audio commentary the Beastie Boys recorded to accompany this remastered LP, you learn among other facts that the many sounds of “Root Down” were “chopped up” from just one record, and the group’s favorite loop on this album is the one that carries the ultra cool (and foul-mouthed) “Get It Together.” This bass and beat-heavy track, featuring A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip, was one that could’ve fit just as well on a Tribe record as this one.
“Get It Together” may have an old-school feel to it, but with the four-man tag team trading rhymes back and forth here, it still sounds as fresh today as it did back in 1994. Speaking of old-school, friend of the Beasties Biz Markie cameos on the standout body movin’ track, “Do It.”
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