Illing joke

Press, 26 February 1987, Page 10

Illing joke

The Beastie Boys “Licensed To III” (CBS 450082-1).

Gross is big in America these days, and nobody grosses out like The Beastie Boys,. New York’s latest hip-hop sensation. These boys leave no stone unturned in their quest for the ultimate in bad taste. Women, guns, A.1.D.5., drink, sex — all lyrical fodder for The Beasties’ inflated egos and exaggerated self-ag-grandisement. Jhe problem with consigning their new LP, “Licensed To Ill,” to the dumper is that their fusion of heavy metal guitar and huge, lumbering electrobeats can be incredibly exciting and (confession time) very funny.

‘ The album (on New York’s ultra-hot Def Jam label) is currently No. 2 In the U.S.A. consolidating the commercial force of rap after the initial inroads made by Run-DMC. But, where Run-DMC keep their laughs rela-

tively low-key, occasionally throwing in a serious song such as “Bom To Be Black,” the Beastie Boys are ... a joke.

The joke works best on fast, pounding grooves like “The New Style,” “She’s Crafty," and “Hold It, Now Hit It,” with the first-mentioned rivalling “Walk This Way” for sheer adrenalin thrills.

A few are a bit too close to heavy metal for comfort — “No Sleep ’til Brooklyn” and “Rhymin and Stealin” are guitar overkill of the Motor-head-AC/DC species.

“Licensed to Ill” is not a record that invites studied, armchair listening. It is undoubtedly rude, offensive, and very obnoxious.

Somewhere in the grooves, however, The Beastie Boys have accidently tapped into a rich vein of classic, dumb rock ’n roll. Buy it, but keep it inside a Billy Bragg sleeve ... —TONY GREEN.