Yahoo! Music Album Review

Released on 14/11/05
Label: Parlophone

Long before Eminem became hip hop's Caucasian of choice, three obnoxious frat-brats from Brooklyn were terrorising the tabloids. Yet, compared to hip hop's current hierarchy and their shoot-'em-up, sex 'em to death ethics, the inflatable penises and anarchic 'we stay up all night' rhymes that so outraged The Sun some 24 years ago, seem tame today.

But just because they don't boast bullet wounds and bitches by the dozen doesn't mean the Beastie Boys haven't made some fantastic contributions to the world of rap. In celebration of their two-decade deep career, the adenoidal New Yorkers have compiled a retrospective of their greatest rap tracks from debut classic "Ill Communication" to more recent release, 2004's "To The 5 Boroughs".

The Boys may now be men, but the music certainly hasn't dated. Teenage angst-ridden anthem "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)" still sounds as stupidly brilliant now as it did then, as do the deafening decibels of "No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn". Travelling through time, the Dust Brothers' produced "Shake Your Rump", from criminally underrated second set "Paul's Boutique", proves that The Beasties were always years ahead of the rest. People just didn't quite 'get it' at the time.

From the swaggering sounds of "Sure Shot" to the boisterous boom-bap of "Brass Monkey", stupendous tracks from all seven albums are squeezed into this 15 track-er. Proving they still have it, tracks like "Ch-Check", "Open Letter To New York" and "Triple Trouble" from last year's well-received "To The 5 Boroughs" prove they haven't lost their knack at being bold, brash and even a little political now and then.

The finishing touch on this excellent collection might have been an accompanying visual anthology, like the one the trio released five years ago. It's hard to hear the strutting "Sabotage" without picturing dodgy wigs and calamitous cop car chases. Ditto the Spike Jonze-directed "Intergalactic", which pays hilarious homage to Japanese horror flicks. Still you can't have it all, and minor grumble aside, "Gold" is exactly that.

Inevitably, three middle-aged men may no longer appeal to a hip hop world obsessed with bling, Benz's and bragging. But Mike D, MCA and AD Rock still have much to offer those who like their rap with more than a large dollop of irony and irreverence. This is one back catalogue that has more than stood the test of time.

    by Hattie Collins