Beastie Boys

小简介
Beastie Boys乐队是一支非常有争议的三人组，虽然是说唱组合，但是他们的朋克思想一直影响着这支乐队，从音乐角度来说，他们在说唱和朋克之间的混合成为了他们的另类风格，这张专辑也基本保持了这样的特点。不过这张专辑的首周销量却比六年前他们的上一张专辑相差许多，首周36万张的销量虽然仍够他们坐上Billboard 200排行榜冠军的位置，但是比六年前的68万2千张相比几乎少了一半。 这是一张有着尖锐的语言，以及几乎通篇政治玩笑的专辑。这是Beastie Boys乐队一贯的特点，只不过这一次似乎他们又把最初成名时的激烈也些许的引入到这张专辑中。对于Beastie Boys乐队这样的把自己的音乐方式玩弄的烂熟于胸的乐坛老手来说，保持风格上的相对稳定，以自己最熟练的技巧去录制专辑是最稳妥的一个办法。Beastie Boys乐队在这张专辑里就依然广泛的使用自己的采样技术，吸收了许多不同作品的曲调，这是他们保证专辑质量的一个不错的手段。
大事记
Beastie Boys主要团员包括Mike D、MCA和Ad-Rock三人。不过，若回顾Beastie Boys则先必须将时间推回80年代中期，当美国还是保守的里根政府当政的时代，而Beastie Boys则仍是在纽约街头厮混的白人小孩。虽然他们几位都是出身自家境不错的犹太家庭，但他们却反而喜欢寻找一些与他们成长环境非常不同的事物。组团之后几年，他们以首张专辑《Licensed to Ill》及一首单曲《Fight For Your Right》成为畅销团体，而且在当时整个美国独立音乐界面临改革冲击之际，他们亦变成了后朋克青年反英雄美学的代表团体之一。此后，他们接连推出各方颇受好评的经典专辑《Paul’s Boutique》、《Check Your Head》与《Ill Communication》而成为新学派饶舌乐风的先驱人物，甚至间接影响了90年代中后期的新乐风及电子拼贴手法
Beastie Boys乐队是在后朋克时代美国流行音乐界具有重要地位和巨大影响力的一支乐队，之所以称Beastie Boys乐队为非常重要，不仅仅是因为他们是第一个真正大牌的白人说唱团体，更重要的是由于他们促进了两种音乐流派的混合——朋克和说唱。这支最初成立于1979年的乐队原本是一支硬核朋克乐队，在朋克音乐的巅峰过后，他们把B-boy，DIY等等hip-hop观念融入到自己的音乐之中，从另一个方面也可以说是把吉他演奏等摇滚乐元素加入到了说唱音乐之中。尽管长期的时间里一直以地下音乐的身份存在，但是他们充分的抓住了朋克音乐和说唱音乐在文化层面的某些同源性，继而形成了自己的音乐风格。
虽然在初期，这支由硬核朋克乐队转型为说唱乐团的白人三人组合被hip-hop评论家们认为是文化强盗，但是在之后的时间里，Beastie Boys乐队渐渐的用自己的行动向人们证明了在后朋克时代的地下音乐中，他们成为了这两种音乐流派混合的先驱。虽然他们在上世纪80年代发行的早期的作品，大多数在当时都没有引起足够的重视，但在现在而言，从《Licensed to Ill》到《Paul's Boutique》，统统被看作是朋克与说唱音乐混合的最早一批的经典，从而写入史册。而当90年代初的时候，Beastie Boys乐队从地下状态成为了排行榜的冠军的时候，Beastie Boys乐队自然而然的也被认为是整个90年代中最有影响力的乐团之一。
正是由于充分抓住了朋克音乐和说唱音乐在文化层面的某些同源性，例如非主流青年群体自由的激进政治理念，反叛尖锐的观点，这类弱势群体的呐喊，以及音乐流派混合上的创造性成功，让Beastie Boys乐队逐渐从一支地下状态的乐队成为了真正大牌的超级明星，他们赢得了这两类音乐风格的众多歌迷广泛的支持，在商业上取得了巨大的成功。并且由于他们在音乐上取得的创造性成就，在黑人hip-hop音乐与朋克音乐在文化层面的成功把握，他们带动的音乐流派混合，注重采样技术运用对后来的音乐人的影响，Beastie Boys乐队在音乐评论界也赢得了极高的赞誉。必须指出的是，由于该乐队尖锐的西方政治观点，因而经常进行一些影响别国的政治性活动。
与人们的想象不同，Beastie Boys乐队的成员并不是来自于美国社会草根阶层，他们全部都是纽约中产阶级家庭的子弟。乐队现有的三名成员分别是：Mike D原名Mike Diamond，出生于1966年11月20日；MCA原名Adam Yauch，生于1965年8月5日；Ad-Rock原名Adam Horovitz，出生于1967年10月31日，但是他们并不是乐队最初的阵容。上世纪70年代末，80年代初的时候，这群只有十几岁的少年就开始混迹于纽约地下的朋克音乐圈子中。不久之后的1981年，Mike Diamond与Adam Yauch一起组建了最初的Beastie Boys乐队，当时乐队的其他成员还包括了鼓手Kate Schellenbach以及吉他手John Berry。这支由十几岁的年轻人组成的乐队开始在纽约的地下俱乐部演出，并且发行过一些内容很少的EP唱片。而当时Adam Horovitz也组建了一支乐队，但是随后就结识了Beastie Boys乐队。1983年初，Beastie Boys乐队的Kate Schellenbach和John Berry离队，不久Adam Horovitz正式加入了Beastie Boys乐队。人员的变动让Beastie Boys乐队在音乐风格上开始了变化，1983年晚些时候他们发行了一首说唱风格的单曲《Cookie Puss》，并且随即成为了纽约地下音乐市场的一首颇受欢迎的作品，或许是这首单曲的成功让Beastie Boys乐队下定决心与朋克音乐告别，1984年，Beastie Boys乐队正式抛弃了朋克音乐，并投身到说唱音乐当中。
1984年，Beastie Boys乐队认识了制作人Rick Rubin，并且于1985年正式签约Def Jam唱片公司。加入唱片公司不久，Beastie Boys乐队就为电影《Krush Groove》的原声推出了热门单曲《She's on It》，一首采样于著名的AC/DC乐队的经典单曲《Back in Black》的说唱单曲。在1985年，Beastie Boys乐队第一次在整个美国地区亮相，他们为当时大红大紫的麦当娜(Madonna)的巡演做开场演出，但并不十分成功。在不久之后的1986年初，Beastie Boys乐队又为著名说唱乐团Run-D.M.C.做开场演出，随后便开始了首张专辑的发行工作。
1986年，Beastie Boys乐队的首张专辑《Licensed to Ill》正式发行，一张即带有摇滚乐的吉他riff，又带有黑人文化元素的专辑。但是这张专辑却遭到了相当一部分评论界人士和保守团体的抨击。不过这并不影响这张专辑在商业上的成功，单曲《Fight for Your Right (To Party)》的巨大成功首先为这张专辑的销售打开了市场，并且在评论界的争议声中专辑销量节节攀升，轻松的成为了Billboard 200排行榜的冠军，市场最终证明了这张专辑的价值——他是整个80年代销量最好的一张说唱专辑。不过面对这群玩着说唱的白人青年，很多hip-hop忠实的歌迷和评论家都认为他们只是黑人文化的强盗。如果说当时评论上的批评狂潮只能让他们感到一些舆论上的压力的话，那么警察和法官让他们体验到了真正的麻烦。自从这张专辑出炉之后，由于歌词中大量的暴力和男性至上主义观点以及其中朋克音乐似的煽动，让他们在当时受到了各界的批评。1987年，由于他们在巡回演唱会上进行了大量的有损女性尊严，以及类似生殖器崇拜的表演和场景设置，煽动性的表演和挑衅的动作使他们在整个巡演中频频的往来于监狱和法院，为了摆脱官司而忙碌。四处碰钉子的Beastie Boys乐队在整个巡演的最后几场中做出一些妥协，减少了煽动性的场景和表演。
不过在经历了首张专辑的风波之后，1988年，Beastie Boys乐队马上又陷入了和Def Jam唱片公司的冲突之中，并且在1988年底的时候彻底和唱片公司分道扬镳。Beastie Boys乐队在这之后从美国东海岸前往了西海岸的加利福尼亚州，并且成功的与Capitol Records唱片公司签约。在这里他们与唱片制作组合the Dust Brothers结识，并且立即展开了新专辑的制作。Beastie Boys乐队的第二张专辑《Paul's Boutique》在1989年正式发行，这张风格不同于《Licensed to Ill》的专辑基本上确立了此后乐队的跨流派综合路线，这张在当时乍显得风格上不伦不类的专辑受到了当时一些评论文章的大肆称赞。然而这一次尽管Beastie Boys乐队赢得了评论界的美誉，但是在商业上这张专辑却遭到了失败，缺乏像首张专辑那样的热门单曲支撑，使这张专辑被市场冷却。而这张专辑的影响其实直到后来人们研究这段音乐历史和Beastie Boys乐队的时候被再次确立，不过在当时，这张专辑所突出运用的采样技术就已经受到了不少业内人士的追捧。
虽然Beastie Boys乐队遭遇商业上的打击，但是他们建造了自己的录音室，创办了自己的唱片公司Grand Royal并且着手录制下一张专辑。Beastie Boys乐队的第三张专辑《Check Your Head》在1992年正式发行。这张专辑融合了多种跨流派的音乐风格，但是整体仍然是一张说唱专辑，不过令人意外的是，尽管这是一张说唱专辑，但是其中的单曲但一些大学广播和另类摇滚电台的播放量比在一些说唱电台的播放量更大。而这张专辑的销量也较为可观，再次进入了Billboard 200排行榜的前十名，同时在评论界获得了更为广泛的称赞。
1994年，Beastie Boys乐队把早期朋克时代的一些作品收录为专辑《Some Old Bullshit》正式发行，不过销量平平，勉强进入了排行榜的前50名。同年，他们发行了乐队的第四张专辑《Ill Communication》，这张专辑在发行首周就成为了排行榜的冠军，最终销量突破了200万张。在获得了评论界持续的好评之后，Beastie Boys乐队作品的商业成功也更为稳定。从此时开始，成军已达十五年的Beastie Boys乐队已经开始了持久、稳定、广泛的成功。除了音乐上的成就以外，Beastie Boys乐队的Grand Royal唱片公司也开始陆续的和其他一些艺人签约并发行唱片，其中包括Luscious Jackson乐队的首张专辑《Natural Ingredients》，当年Beastie Boys乐队的早期成员鼓手Kate Schellenbach在离队之后就是加盟了这支乐队。Beastie Boys乐队甚至还创办了自己的杂志，名字也叫做《Grand Royal》，并且也有着良好的业绩。而此后的时间里，Beastie Boys乐队的活动范围更多时候也已脱离了音乐的范畴，唱片公司和杂志等事务占据了更多时间。
1995年和1996年，Beastie Boys乐队先后发行了EP专辑《Root Down》以及音乐合辑《In Sound From Way Out!》，也都进入了排行榜前五十名。1998年，Beastie Boys乐队发行了第五张专辑《Hello Nasty》并且再次成为了排行榜的冠军，销量突破380万张。凭借这张专辑，Beastie Boys乐队获得了第41届格莱美奖最佳说唱组合奖和最佳另类音乐奖。
此后在1999年，Beastie Boys乐队又发行了双CD早期作品和重新混录作品合辑《Sounds Of Science》。2004年，Beastie Boys乐队发行了第六张专辑《To the 5 Boroughs》。
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
As the first white rap group of any importance, the Beastie Boys received the scorn of critics and strident hip-hop musicians, who accused them of cultural pirating, especially since they began as a hardcore punk group in 1981. But the Beasties werent pirating — they treated rap as part of a post-punk musical underground, where the do-it-yourself aesthetics of hip-hop and punk werent that far apart. Of course, the exaggerated b-boy and frat-boy parodies of their unexpected hit debut album, Licensed to Ill, didnt help their cause. For much of the mid-80s, the Beastie Boys were considered as macho clowns, and while their ambitious, Dust Brothers-produced second album, Pauls Boutique, dismissed that theory, it was ignored by both the public and the press at the time. In retrospect, it was one of the first albums to predict the genre-bending, self-referential pop kaleidoscope of 90s pop. The Beasties refined their eclectic approach with 1992s Check Your Head, where they played their own instruments. Check Your Head brought the Beasties back to the top of the charts, and within a few years, they were considered one of the most influential and ambitious groups of the 90s, cultivating a musical community not only through their music, but with their record label, Grand Royal, and their magazine of the same name.
It was remarkable turn of events for a group that demonstrated no significant musical talent on their first records. All three members of the Beastie Boys — Mike D (born Mike Diamond, November 20, 1966), MCA (born Adam Yauch, August 5, 1965), and Ad-Rock (born Adam Horovitz, October 31, 1967) — came from wealthy middle-class Jewish families in New York and had become involved in the citys punk underground when they were teenagers in the early 80s. Diamond and Yauch formed the Beastie Boys with drummer Kate Schellenbach and guitarist John Berry in 1981, and the group began playing underground clubs around New York. The following year, the Beasties released the 7 EP Pollywog Stew on the indie Rat Cage to little attention. That year, the band met Horovitz, who had formed the hardcore group the Young and the Useless. By early 1983, Schellenbach and Berry had left the group — they would later join Luscious Jackson and Thwig, respectively — and Horovitz had joined the Beasties. The revamped group released the rap record Cookie Puss as a 12 single later in 1983. Based on a prank phone call the group made to Carvel Ice Cream, the single became an underground hit in New York. By early 1984, however, they had abandoned punk and turned their attention to rap.
In 1984, the Beasties joined forces with producer Rick Rubin, a heavy metal and hip-hop fan who had recently founded Def Jam Records with fellow New York University student Russell Simmons. Def Jam officially signed the Beastie Boys in 1985, and that year they had a hit single from the soundtrack to Krush Groove with Shes on It, a rap track that sampled AC/DCs Back in Black and suggested the approach of the groups forthcoming debut album. The Beasties received their first significant national exposure later in 1985, when they opened for Madonna on her Virgin Tour. The trio taunted the audience with profanity and were generally poorly received. One other major tour, as the openers for Run-D.M.C.s ill-fated Raisin Hell trek, followed before Licensed to Ill was released late in 1986. An amalgam of street beats, metal riffs, b-boy jokes, and satire, Licensed to Ill was interpreted as a mindless, obnoxious party record by many critics and conservative action groups, but that didnt stop the album from becoming the fastest-selling debut in Columbia Records history, moving over 750,000 copies in its first six weeks. Much of that success was due to the single Fight for Your Right (To Party), which became a massive crossover success. In fact, Licensed to Ill became the biggest-selling rap album of the 80s, which generated much criticism from certain hip-hop fans who believed that the Beasties were merely cultural pirates. On the other side of the coin, the group was being attacked from the right, who claimed their lyrics were violent and sexist and that their concerts — which featured female audience members dancing in go-go cages and a giant inflatable penis, similar to what the Stones used in their mid-70s concerts — caused even more outrage. Throughout their 1987 tour, they were plagued with arrests and lawsuits, and were accused of inciting crime.
While much of the Beasties exaggeratedly obnoxious behavior started out as a joke, it became a self-parody by the end of 1987, so it wasnt a surprise that the group decided to revamp their sound and image during the next two years. During 1988, they became involved in a bitter lawsuit with Def Jam and Rick Rubin, who claimed he was responsible for the groups success and threatened to release outtakes as their second album. The group finally broke away by the end of the year and relocated to California, where they signed with Capitol Records. While in California, they met the production team the Dust Brothers, and they convinced the duo to use their prospective debut album as the basis for the Beasties second album, Pauls Boutique. Densely layered with interweaving samples and pop culture references, the retro-funk-psychedelia of Pauls Boutique was entirely different than Licensed to Ill, and many observers werent quite sure what to make of it. Several publications gave it rave reviews, but when it failed to produce a single bigger than the number 36 Hey Ladies, it was quickly forgotten about.
Despite its poor commercial performance, Pauls Boutique gained a cult following, and its cut-and-paste sample techniques would later be hailed as visionary, especially after the Dust Brothers altered the approach for Becks acclaimed 1996 album, Odelay. Still, the record was declared a disaster in the early 90s, but that didnt prevent the Beasties from building their own studio and founding their own record label, Grand Royal, for their next record, Check Your Head. Alternating between old-school hip-hop, raw amateurish funk, and hardcore punk, Check Your Head was a less accomplished than Pauls Boutique, yet it was just as diverse. Furthermore, the burgeoning cult around the Beasties made the album a surprise Top 10 hit upon its spring 1992 release. Jimmy James, Pass the Mic, and So Whatcha Want were bigger hits on college and alternative rock radio than they were on rap radio, and the group suddenly became hip again. Early in 1994, they collected their early punk recordings on the compilation Some Old Bullshit, which was followed in June by their fourth album, Ill Communication. Essentially an extension of Check Your Head, the record debuted at number one upon its release, and the singles Sabotage and Sure Shot helped send it to double-platinum status. During the summer of 1994, they co-headlined the fourth Lollapalooza festival with the Smashing Pumpkins. That same year, Grand Royal became a full-fledged record label as it released Luscious Jacksons acclaimed debut album, Natural Ingredients. The Beasties Grand Royal magazine was also launched that year.
Over the next few years, the Beasties remained quiet as they concentrated on political causes and their record label. In 1996, they released the hardcore EP Aglio e Olio and the instrumental soul-jazz and funk collection The in Sound from Way Out! Also that year, Adam Yauch organized a two-day festival to raise awareness and money about Tibets plight against the Chinese government; the festival went on to become an annual event. The Beastie Boys long-awaited fifth LP, Hello Nasty, finally appeared during the summer of 1998, and became their third career chart-topper. A longer wait preceded release of their next album, To the 5 Boroughs, which appeared in mid-2004. In 2005, Capitol issued Solid Gold Hits, a 15-track survey of the Beasties lengthy career. In 2006, the band released theatrically the concert film Awesome: I Fuckin Shot That! The film was pieced together from footage shot by 50 DV and Hi-8 cameras that were distributed to fans with little more instruction than to keep shooting. The DVD version appeared in July of that year. In 2007 they released the all-instrumental album The Mix Up.