DESCRIPTION
By 1994 the Beasties had settled into their cultural role as the grand arbiters of cool, and Ill Communication is pretty much a catalog of coolness: live funk, a bit of hardcore, ingenious samples of obscure records, keyboards by analogue master Money Mark, guest shots by Q-Tip and Biz Markie, MCA's cop-show metal number "Sabotage," and the inevitable cascade of witty old-school rhymes. But it's also a surprisingly mature record from a band that had, after all, been at it for 12 years already. The original jazz-funk instrumentals hold their own with the group's favorite sample sources. Their voices are modestly buried in the mix, and they've tempered their old snottiness with lyrical compassion: check out "Bodhisattva Vow," a salute to Buddhist spirituality.
TRACKLIST
A1. Sure Shot
A2. Tough Guy
A3. B - Boys Makin' With The Freak Freak
A4. Bobo On The Corner
A5. Root Down
B1. Sabotage
B2. Get It Together
B3. Sabrosa
B4. The Update
B5. Futterman's Rule
C1. Alright Hear This
C2. Eugene's Lament
C3. Flute Loop
C4. Do It
C5. Ricky's Theme
D1. Heart Attack Man
D2. The Scoop
D3. Shambala
D4. Bodhisattva Vow
D5. Transitions