Jammin’ With Josh: Beastie Boys

This is Jammin’ With Josh. Each week I take a look at one of the bands that I love. Or perhaps it will be a band that I just discovered and think you should check out. Or maybe it will just be a way for me to post music videos. Honestly, no one will ever know.

I started doing these Jammin’ With Josh features because of a Beastie Boys post. I realized the other day that I never actually did one for them. As I mentioned in that post, “Paul Revere” is my favorite Beastie Boys song. But there are so many others. 

When I was a very young kid, about six or so, my uncle would play Beastie Boys, usually “Fight for Your Right.” 

The entire License to Ill album is fantastic, there are so many great tracks, such “Brass Monkey”, “Girls”, “Rhymin & Stealin”, and one of their underrated songs “She’s Crafty.” 

As fantastic as their next two albums were, which I remember listening to with Uncle Shawn, it was Ill Communication that really blew me away. “Sabotage” is one of the coolest songs ever made.

It was like the middle of the 1990s and “Sabotage” was them proving that if they wanted to dominate the rock world, they could. But there so many other great songs on that album: “Get It Together”, “Sure Shot”, “Root Down”, and some of the instrumental stuff like “Sabrosa.”

A few years later, I was working as a dishwasher at the Ponderosa in State College, and a few of the cooks were talking about the new Beastie Boys album and how good it was. I went out the next day and bought Hello Nasty. Honestly, it is probably my favorite album of theirs, at least from top to bottom. I mean, “Intergalactic” is amazing.

Some of my favorite songs from that album are “Remote Control”, “Three MCs and One DJ”, “Putting Shame in Your Game”, and “The Negotiation Limerick File.”

Seriously, I probably listened to that entire album a thousand times. I bought their next album, which came out like six years later. It was a bit of a letdown at first, but over time, some of the songs really grew on me. Such as…

Also, “Right Right Now Now” and “Ch-Check It Out” were pretty good.

“An Open Letter to NYC” is probably the one that has grown on me the most. I think when I first heard it, I was just fatigued from all of the other New York tribute songs out there. Seemed like every band had something about NYC and 9/11. Maybe it resonates more now because it seems like something people need to actually hear and remember…

I will not lie, I do not own Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, but I have heard a few of the songs from it. I definitely like “Too Many Rappers” with Nas. 

Also, “Make Some Noise” is an awesome video.

So many great songs. I remember when their greatest hits came out, they had an option on their website where you could make your own greatest hits album by choosing which tracks you wanted. 

What is your favorite Beastie Boys song? Also, how cool is it that Bob Dylan is a fan?

I was not going to post the video for “Paul Revere”….but come on, I cannot resist!