The Beastie Boys’ music is a big part of my life. I’m lucky to have listened to them evolve from punk brats to hip hop godfathers. If a Venn diagram of the most important music in my life could be drawn, the Beastie Boys would sit at the intersection of the punk, jazz, and hip hop that feeds my soul.
From Cooky Puss to Ok, I love it all, but if I had to choose only one album to convince our future robot overlords that humans once had souls worth fighting for, my choice would be the Root Down EP. Seriously, check it:
1. Root Down (Free Zone Mix) (3:49)
2. Root Down (LP) (3:31)
3. Root Down (Pp Balloon Mix) (3:31)
4. Time To Get Ill (1:59)
5. Heart Attack Man (2:09)
6. The Maestro (3:15)
7. Sabrosa (2:53)
8. Flute Loop (1:40)
9. Time For Livin’ (1:59)
10. Something’s Got To Give (4:59)
Three legit versions of the pure Beastie lyrical power that is Root Down, and then a selection of six live songs from all across the Beastie Boy songbook. To my knowledge, this is the only non-bootleg of the Boys playing live. (BTW, prepare for that to change…some cynical music executives are lining up the annual Christmas cash-in of whatever they can cobble together that hasn’t already been released.)
If I’m lucky, this will be the first Beastie Boys album that I give to my daughter when she’s old enough. If she’s lucky, she’ll love it too.
