Barenaked LadiesBarenaked Ladies (BNL for short) is a Canadian alternative rock band composed of Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, Steven Page, Tyler Stewart, and Jim Creeggan. They formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto. BNL has a reputation as an excellent live band, and are particularly well-known for improvising amusing songs during their shows. Indie originsThe band's first tape, Buck Naked, released in 1989, was recorded in basements and bedrooms, and featured only Steve and Ed. Barenaked Lunch (also known as the Pink Tape) was released in 1990, and featured two new band members, Andy and Jim Creeggan. Unfortunately, the tape was mastered incorrectly and plays too fast. As there were very few copies made of both, these tapes are now extremely rare. While Andy was on a trip to Ecuador and the band was lacking a percussionist, Tyler Stewart took over the position, and retained it after Andy's return. The full band's first release of note was the 1991 independent Yellow Tape, the first indie release to achieve platinum status in Canada. Sales of the tape were jumpstarted when BNL were taken off the bill of a concert at Toronto's City Hall because a staffer for then-mayor June Rowlands saw the band's name and felt it objectified women, which catapulted BNL into a media frenzy. 1990sThe band's first album, Gordon, released in 1992, was a smash hit in Canada and included some of the band's most well-known songs, including "Be My Yoko Ono" (the single which helped fund the album), "If I Had $1000000" (which spawned a macaroni-throwing tradition at live shows that the band has recently been trying to discourage), and "Brian Wilson" (named after the Beach Boy who later covered the song on a live album). BNL's second album, Maybe You Should Drive, released in 1994, fared considerably less well with the Canadian public. After the release, Andy Creeggan left the band to begin college and to separate himself from the infighting that had taken place after the album's failure. The band released Born on a Pirate Ship in 1996 as a quartet. The album received two large boosts from the Jason Priestley-directed video for "The Old Apartment" and the inclusion of the song "Shoebox" on the Friends soundtrack. Kevin Hearn was hired as the keyboardist for the subsequent tour and then was asked to join the band. From two dates on the Born on a Pirate Ship tour during 1996, BNL recorded and released a live album called Rock Spectacle, which had a modest radio hit with "Brian Wilson." The band's greatest success to date and greatest recognition within the United States has come from their fourth album, Stunt, released in 1998, buoyed by the #1 single "One Week". Immediately after Stunt was released, however, Kevin Hearn was diagnosed with leukemia and had to spend several months in the hospital recovering. The band toured, but with friends Chris Brown and Greg Kurstin on keyboards until Kevin recovered enough to rejoin them on the road. The singles "It's All Been Done" which was also used as the opening theme song on the short lived animated TV series Baby Blues and the song "Call and Answer" also came from this highly successful album. The band has also collaberated with singer Tom Jones for a track on his 1999 album Reload. 2000sMaroon, released in 2000, also did fairly well in stores, led by the single "Pinch Me". In 2001, they released a compilation album, entitled Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits 1991-2001. It contains 17 tracks from previous albums, (all of them have been a single, have had their own video, or both) and two new tracks, "It's Only Me (The Wizard of Magicland)" and "Thanks, That Was Fun". The latter was thought by some fans to be a break-up song, because of its title, the fact that it was the last song on the CD, and because its video featured clips from previous videos, but used the Syncro-Vox technique so that the people would lip-sync to the new song. Everything to Everyone was released October 21, 2003. The first single off that album was "Another Postcard," which received modest radio play. "Testing 1,2,3" was the second single off of the album and received a video, but no CD single, while "Celebrity" was released later with a CD single, but no video. "Maybe Katie" and an edited version of "For You" from a concert in Glasgow, Scotland were also released as singles to radio. With the release of Everything to Everyone, BNL has fulfilled their contract with Reprise Records, which has allowed the band to try internet distribution and an independent album release. In early 2004, the band began offering full live shows for purchase as either download or CD off of an eponymous website (http://www.barenakedladies.com). More recently, the latest studio album as well as a single from it have been added. The band's most recent album is "Barenaked for the Holidays," which was released on October 5, 2004. It is their first independent record since the Yellow Tape and was distributed by Warner Music. BNL just recently completed a pilot for a variety show, tenatively titled Barenaked Ladies Variety Show, and have submitted it to the FOX network. They are now working on music for a production of "As You Like It" with the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario and working on an album at Steven Page's farm. Side projectsBoth Jim Creeggan and Kevin Hearn have side projects that are worked on during hiatus from BNL touring and studio time. Jim is part of the alternative/jazz trio The Brothers Creeggan, with brother and former BNL member Andy Creeggan and friend Ian McLauchlan. Kevin is the frontman of Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle, who play a mix of alternative rock and jazz with many other eclectic influences. Thin Buckle features players from several other Canadian alternative bands, such as Rheostatics. BiographyBarenaked Ladies have authorized a biography, Public Stunts Private Stories, written by friend of the band and fellow "Scarberian" Paul Myers, brother of actor Mike Myers. It is published in Canada by Madrigal Press. An updated 2003 version includes a different cover, information about Disc One and Everything to Everyone, and fixes several typos found in the original version. Primary album discography
This page about Barenaked Ladies includes information from a Wikipedia article. Additional articles about Barenaked Ladies News stories about Barenaked Ladies External links for Barenaked Ladies Videos for Barenaked Ladies Wikis about Barenaked Ladies Discussion Groups about Barenaked Ladies Blogs about Barenaked Ladies Images of Barenaked Ladies |
|
An updated 2003 version includes a different
cover, information about Disc One and Everything to Everyone, and fixes several typos found in the original version. A unique feature to
the dvds was the ability to switch audio tracks (and, in some cases, camera angles) for many of the videos in any number of
combinations, thus creating a wide variety of videos from the same base song. It is published in Canada by Madrigal Press. In addition, dvd archivists the Criterion
Collection honored the 'Boys by creating a two-disc video set with almost all of the band's videos on it. Barenaked Ladies have authorized a biography, Public Stunts Private Stories, written by friend of the band and fellow "Scarberian"
Paul Myers, brother of actor Mike Myers. Kevin is the frontman of Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle, who play a mix of alternative rock and jazz with many other eclectic influences. [2] (http://www.moire.com/beastieboys/faq/#7.11). Jim is part of the alternative/jazz trio The Brothers Creeggan, with brother and former BNL member Andy Creeggan and friend Ian McLauchlan. Some band members may have attended the high school of Yeshiva University when they were younger. Both Jim Creeggan and Kevin Hearn have side projects that are worked on during hiatus from BNL touring and studio time. Horovitz replaced Berry as a member of the group in 1983. They are now working on music for a production of "As You Like It" with the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario and working on an album at Steven Page's farm. Kate Schellenbach (later of Luscious Jackson) on drums and John Berry on guitar were members of the original band but had left the band by 1984. BNL just recently completed a pilot for a variety show, tenatively titled Barenaked Ladies Variety Show, and have submitted it to the FOX network. This has been the band's line up for every album it has recorded. It is their first independent record since the Yellow Tape and was distributed by Warner Music. As of 2004, the Beastie Boys consists of:. The band's most recent album is "Barenaked for the Holidays," which was released on October 5, 2004. Few, if any, of the Beastie Boys' contemporaries have matched this feat. More recently, the latest studio album as well as a single from it have been added. Since 1986, they have had four albums reach the top of the Billboard album charts: Licensed to Ill, Ill Communication, Hello Nasty and To The 5 Boroughs. In early 2004, the band began offering full live shows for purchase as either download or CD off of an eponymous website (http://www.barenakedladies.com). The chart consistency of the Beastie Boys must be acknowledged. With the release of Everything to Everyone, BNL has fulfilled their contract with Reprise Records, which has allowed the band to try internet distribution and an independent album release. The Beastie Boys have recorded rap songs throughout their entire career, but also have recorded punk (first appearing before Licensed to Ill, then resurfacing in Check Your Head through Ill Communication), heavy metal (Check Your Head through Ill Communication), jazz funk (Check Your Head through Hello Nasty) and softly sung, often electronic tracks (Hello Nasty). "Maybe Katie" and an edited version of "For You" from a concert in Glasgow, Scotland were also released as singles to radio. Hip Hop is based upon incorporating many different cultures into one type of music. "Testing 1,2,3" was the second single off of the album and received a video, but no CD single, while "Celebrity" was released later with a CD single, but no video. The group is also known for extending Hip Hop to its fullest potential. The first single off that album was "Another Postcard," which received modest radio play. The influence of this album can be seen for example on Beck's 1996 Odelay album (also produced by the Dust Brothers). Everything to Everyone was released October 21, 2003. The Beastie Boys were leaders in the use of sampling with Paul's Boutique being notable for its effective use of samples. The latter was thought by some fans to be a break-up song, because of its title, the fact that it was the last song on the CD, and because its video featured clips from previous videos, but used the Syncro-Vox technique so that the people would lip-sync to the new song. The Beastie Boys influence can be seen in many nu metal acts featuring a DJ. It contains 17 tracks from previous albums, (all of them have been a single, have had their own video, or both) and two new tracks, "It's Only Me (The Wizard of Magicland)" and "Thanks, That Was Fun". The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame acknowledged "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)" as one of the 500 most influential tracks in the history of rock music being a major influence on rapcore and incorporation of hip hop into music. In 2001, they released a compilation album, entitled Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits 1991-2001. The Beastie Boys are equally influential in rock music history. Maroon, released in 2000, also did fairly well in stores, led by the single "Pinch Me". Licensed to Ill was the most successful album released by any rap artist in the 1980s. The singles "It's All Been Done" which was also used as the opening theme song on the short lived animated TV series Baby Blues and the song "Call and Answer" also came from this highly successful album. The band has also collaberated with singer Tom Jones for a track on his 1999 album Reload. They were certainly the first white rappers of any significance, paving the way for others such as Eminem. Licensed to Ill was the first rap album to reach #1 on the Billboard 200 charts, and together with the success of Run-DMC's Raising Hell album in 1986, marked a breakthrough for rap music. The band toured, but with friends Chris Brown and Greg Kurstin on keyboards until Kevin recovered enough to rejoin them on the road. The Beastie Boys rated #11 on VH1's list of greatest hip hop artists. Immediately after Stunt was released, however, Kevin Hearn was diagnosed with leukemia and had to spend several months in the hospital recovering. Adam "Adrock" Horowitz's side project BS2000, with Amery "Awol" Smith, released "Simply Mortified" in 2001. The band's greatest success to date and greatest recognition within the United States has come from their fourth album, Stunt, released in 1998, buoyed by the #1 single "One Week". While there is Macrovision's CDS-200 copy protection software installed on European copies of the album, this is standard practice for all European releases on EMI/Capitol Records released in Europe and it does not install spyware or any form of permanent software. From two dates on the Born on a Pirate Ship tour during 1996, BNL recorded and released a live album called Rock Spectacle, which had a modest radio hit with "Brian Wilson.". [1] (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/06/23/beastie_boy_cd_virus/1) The band has denied this allegation, defending that there is no copy protection software on the albums sold in the US and UK. Kevin Hearn was hired as the keyboardist for the subsequent tour and then was asked to join the band. The album was the cause of some controversy with allegations that it installed spyware when inserted into the CD-ROM of a computer. The album received two large boosts from the Jason Priestley-directed video for "The Old Apartment" and the inclusion of the song "Shoebox" on the Friends soundtrack. The first single from the album, "Ch-Check It Out", has reached #1 in Canada, #2 on the US modern rock chart and world Internet download charts, and #3 on a composite world modern rock chart. The band released Born on a Pirate Ship in 1996 as a quartet. It reached #1 on the Billboard album charts, #2 in the UK and Australia, and #3 in Germany. After the release, Andy Creeggan left the band to begin college and to separate himself from the infighting that had taken place after the album's failure. To The 5 Boroughs, was released worldwide on 15 June 2004, the first album the Beastie Boys produced themselves. BNL's second album, Maybe You Should Drive, released in 1994, fared considerably less well with the Canadian public. The Beastie Boys also headlined the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The band's first album, Gordon, released in 1992, was a smash hit in Canada and included some of the band's most well-known songs, including "Be My Yoko Ono" (the single which helped fund the album), "If I Had $1000000" (which spawned a macaroni-throwing tradition at live shows that the band has recently been trying to discourage), and "Brian Wilson" (named after the Beach Boy who later covered the song on a live album). The 19th and 20th Tibetan Freedom Concerts were held in Tokyo and Taipei - the Beastie Boys' first Taiwan appearance. Sales of the tape were jumpstarted when BNL were taken off the bill of a concert at Toronto's City Hall because a staffer for then-mayor June Rowlands saw the band's name and felt it objectified women, which catapulted BNL into a media frenzy. It was the most downloaded track during April 2003. The full band's first release of note was the 1991 independent Yellow Tape, the first indie release to achieve platinum status in Canada. The band released a protest song, "In A World Gone Mad", against the 2003 Iraq war as a free download on its website, the Milarepa website, the MTV website, MoveOn.org, and Win Without War. While Andy was on a trip to Ecuador and the band was lacking a percussionist, Tyler Stewart took over the position, and retained it after Andy's return. In 2002, the Beastie Boys started building a new studio facility, Oscilloscope, in downtown Manhattan, New York and started work on a new album. As there were very few copies made of both, these tapes are now extremely rare. Mike D is also a major advocate of the environmental activist program Save Our Environment, whose cause includes the opposition of drilling for oil in the state of Alaska. Barenaked Lunch (also known as the Pink Tape) was released in 1990, and featured two new band members, Andy and Jim Creeggan. Unfortunately, the tape was mastered incorrectly and plays too fast. The line-up included the Strokes, the B-52's, Cibo Matto, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Mos Def, N.E.R.D, Rival Schools, the Roots, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Saul Williams, Stretch Armstrong, Afrika Bambaataa, and a surprise two-song set by Moby and Michael Stipe (featuring an impromptu cameo by Bono). The band's first tape, Buck Naked, released in 1989, was recorded in basements and bedrooms, and featured only Steve and Ed. Funds from the concert went towards the New York Women's Foundation Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Association for New Americans (NYANA). BNL has a reputation as an excellent live band, and are particularly well-known for improvising amusing songs during their shows. The band organized and headlined the New Yorkers Against Violence on October 28-29, 2001. They formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto. The band increased its level of leftwing political activism after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Barenaked Ladies (BNL for short) is a Canadian alternative rock band composed of Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, Steven Page, Tyler Stewart, and Jim Creeggan. The Beastie Boys owned their own record label, Grand Royal, for eight years before they decided to close it down in 2001 due to financial reasons. Barenaked for the Holidays (2004). The official diagnosis was 5th degree acromioclavicular joint dislocation, meaning he needed surgery and extensive rehabilitation. Everything to Everyone (2003). In 2000, the Beastie Boys had planned to headline the "Rhyme and Reason" tour with Rage Against the Machine, but the tour was cancelled when drummer Mike D suffered a serious injury due to a bicycle accident. Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits 1991-2001 (2001). The one new song, the single "Alive," reached #11 on the Modern Rock charts. Maroon (2000). This album reached #19 on the Billboard 200, #18 in Canada, #6 on the Internet sales charts, and #14 on the R&B/Hip Hop charts. Stunt (1998). The Beastie Boys released The Sounds of Science, a two-CD compilation of their works in 1999. Rock Spectacle (1996). On 28 September 1999, the Beastie Boys joined Elvis Costello to play "Radio, Radio" on the 25th anniversary of Saturday Night Live. Born On A Pirate Ship (1996). The 1999 Tibetan Freedom Concerts featured concerts at East Troy, Wisconsin, Sydney, Tokyo and Amsterdam. Maybe You Should Drive (1994). The Wall Street Journal published an article on the band's efforts. Gordon (1992). They tried to make downloads available each night but were not always successful. The Beastie Boys started an arena tour in 1998 and tried to make live downloads available for their fans but were temporarily thwarted when Capitol Records removed them from the website. This was the first, and as of 2004, only time that a band has won awards in both rap and alternative categories. The Beastie Boys won two awards in the Grammy Awards of 1999: Hello Nasty for Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album and "Intergalactic" for Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. "The Negotiation Limerick File" also made the Billboard modern rock charts. The Beastie Boys won a MTV Video Music Award for Best Hip Hop Video for the clip "Intergalactic" in 1999, and a "Video Vanguard" award for Lifetime Achievement in 1998. "Body Movin" hit the Billboard modern rock and dance charts and the Australian Top 40. The lead single Intergalactic reached the Canadian Top Ten, the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, the Top 40 in Australia, #4 on the Billboard modern rock chart, and #6 on the Billboard dance chart. and went straight in at #1 in the US, the UK, Germany, Australia, Holland, New Zealand, and Sweden, #2 in Canada and Japan, and Top Ten in Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, Belgium, Finland, France, and Israel. Released July 14, 1998 Hello Nasty clocked first week sales of nearly 700,000 in the U.S. The Beastie Boys returned to New York City in 1997 and worked on their studio tans in producing Hello Nasty. The In Sound From Way Out!, a collection of jazz/funk instrumentals, was released on Grand Royal in 1996 with the title and artwork the same as a groundbreaking album by electronic music pioneers Perrey and Kingsley. The band also released Aglio e Olio, a collection of eight songs lasting for just eleven minutes harking back to their punk roots, in 1995. The Beastie Boys toured South America and Southeast Asia for the first time. A dollar from each ticket sold went to local charities. In 1995, the popularity of the Beastie Boys was underlined when tickets for an arena tour went on sale in the US and sold out within minutes. The Tibetan Freedom Concert in 1997 was held at Randall's Island in New York, New York. In 1996, Yauch organized the Tibetan Freedom Concert, a two-day festival at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, attracting 100,000 people. The Milarepa Fund aims to raise awareness of Tibetan human rights issues and the exile of the Dalai Lama. to raise money for the Milarepa Fund and dedicated the royalties from "Shambala" and "Bodhisattva Vow" from the Ill Communication album to the cause. In addition, the band performed three concerts in Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington D.C. The Beastie Boys headlined at Lollapalooza in 1994 together with the Smashing Pumpkins. Some Old Bullshit, featuring the bands early independent material, made #50 on the Billboard independent charts. "Get It Together" reached Top Ten of the Billboard dance charts and also became an urban hit while "Sure Shot" was a dance hit. The single "Sabotage" became a hit on the modern rock charts and the Spike Jonze video received extensive play on MTV. Ill Communication, released in 1994, saw the Beastie Boys' return to the top of the Billboard album charts and reached #2 on the R&B/ hip hop album chart. The 1995 issue of the magazine contained the first print reference of the expression "mullet" to describe the hairstyle. The Beastie Boys also published Grand Royal Magazine, with the first edition in 1993 featuring a cover story on Bruce Lee, artwork by George Clinton, and interviews with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and A Tribe Called Quest MC Q-Tip. Grand Royal's first independent release was Luscious Jackson's album In Search Of Manny in 1993. The Beastie Boys owned Grand Royal Records until 2001 when it was then sold for financial reasons. The Beastie Boys signed an eclectic roster of artists to the Grand Royal label including Luscious Jackson featuring Kate Schellenbach, Sean Lennon, promising Australian artist Ben Lee, and the Japanese duo Cibo Matto. The album also introduced a more experimental direction, with funk and jazz inspired songs, including "Lighten Up" and "Something's Got To Give." Hardcore punk even made its reappearance with "Time For Livin'.". "Pass the Mic" became a hit in dance clubs. Check Your Head was released in 1992 and went double platinum in the US, reaching a peak of #10 on the Billboard 200. The first single "So What'cha Want" reached #43 on the Billboard 100 and made both the urban and modern rock charts. ("Mario C") produced, and would become a longtime collaborator. Mario Caldato Jr. The band played the instruments on this album, with Mike D on drums, Yauch on bass, Horovitz on guitar and Mark Ramos Nishita ("Keyboard Money Mark") on keyboards. The follow-up, Check Your Head, was recorded in the band's own "G-Son" studio in Atwater Village, California and released on its Grand Royal record label. Rolling Stone would describe it as "the Pet Sounds/Dark Side of the Moon of hip hop" and Paul's Boutique would eventually sell a million albums. A double A-side 12" of "Hey Ladies/Shake Your Rump" reached the album charts. The lead single "Hey Ladies" reached #36 on the Billboard 100 and #10 on the R&B charts. The album was released in 1989 by Capitol Records and failed to match the sales of Licensed to Ill reaching #14 on the Billboard 200 and number 10 on the Billboard R&B charts. The group matured with their second album, Paul's Boutique, produced mainly by the Dust Brothers recorded in 1988. This extremely sample-heavy oeuvre is still considered one of the best hip hop and rock albums ever and the Beastie Boys' best work. It became a major hit in the UK reaching #4 and #1 in Australia. British comedian Tony Hawks recorded the song "Stutter Rap" under the pseudonym of "Morris Minor and the Majors" as a send up of the Beastie Boys' then image. In the UK, alleged insults supposedly aimed at leukemia victims almost resulted in the band being kicked out of the country, although the Beastie Boys maintain that the incident was a beat up of the band politely declining to sign an autograph. This tour was troubled by lawsuits and arrests with the band accused of provoking the crowd. This tour was controversial, featuring female members of the crowd dancing in cages and a giant motorized inflatable penis similar to one used by The Rolling Stones in the 1970s. The band toured the Licensed to Ill tour around the world. Other significant tracks from the album include "No Sleep Til Brooklyn" and "Posse In Effect". Kerry King of Slayer played guitar on "No Sleep Til Brooklyn". "Brass Monkey", named after the cocktail, also reached #48 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was later named one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. The first single from the album "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)" reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was Columbia Records' fastest selling debut record to that point and sold over five million albums. It also reached #2 on the Urban album charts. It became a smash success becoming the best selling rap album of the 1980s and the first rap album to go #1 on the Billboard album chart, staying there for five weeks. The band recorded Licensed to Ill in 1986 and released it at the end of the year. The track "She's on It" from the Krush Groove soundtrack continued in a rap/metal vein while a double A-side 12" "Paul Revere/The New Style" was a released at the end of the year and became another R&B/dance hit. With their exposure on this tour, the track "Hold It, Now Hit It" made Billboard's national R&B and dance charts. Later in the year, the group was on the Raising Hell tour with Run DMC, Whodini, LL Cool J and the Timex Social Club. In 1985, the band supported Madonna on her North American Virgin tour. They were just like, ‘Nothing against you guys, but we just don’t endorse sampling.’". The song was to reappear on their 1999 The Sounds of Science anthology, but was removed when AC/DC refused permission to use a sample from the song "Back in Black." Beastie Boys member Mike D reportedly talked to the band personally on the phone: "AC/DC could not get with the sample concept. "Rock Hard" has been removed from print and is considered a rare collector's item. Kate Schellenbach left the band in this period due to musical differences over the direction of the band, going on to join Luscious Jackson. Influenced by Rick Rubin, the Beastie Boys changed from a punk rock outfit to a three-man hip hop crew. The band released the 12" single "Rock Hard" in 1984, the second record released by Def Jam, credited to Rubin as producer. The band also performed its first rap track "Cooky Puss" (based on a prank call by the group to Carvel Ice Cream) with the song becoming a hit in New York underground dance clubs on its release by Ratcage. John Berry left the group (later forming Thwig) and was replaced by Horovitz who had previously played in punk band The Young and the Useless in 1983. It was released on Ratcage Records, but attracted little interest. That same year, the Beastie Boys's recorded the 7" EP "Pollywog Stew" at the 171A studios (used by the Bad Brains). The band quickly earned support slots for Bad Brains and Reagan Youth at venues such as CBGB and Max's Kansas City playing at the latter venue on its closing night. Their first gig was at Berry's house on Yauch's 17th birthday party. Its original line-up consisted of Adam Yauch on bass, Kate Schellenbach on drums, John Berry on guitar and Michael Diamond on vocals. The Beastie Boys (which stood for "Boys Entering Anarchistic States Towards Inner Excellence") were formed in New York City in 1981 as a hardcore punk band. Their rock and punk influenced rap has influenced artists both in and outside of the hip-hop scene, as illustrated by music channel VH1's list of greatest hip hop artists, where the Beastie Boys are ranked in eleventh place. The Beastie Boys were the first successful white rap band, and are the one of the few acts from the early days of hip-hop that still enjoy major successes. All of their three albums released since 1994 (Ill Communication, Hello Nasty and To The 5 Boroughs) were best-sellers, all reaching #1 in the American albums charts. After turning more serious in their second album, they started playing the instruments themselves, and established their own record company Grand Royal in the early 1990s. The record gave the Beastie Boys a name as a party band, which was reinforced by their ridiculous behaviour and controversial live shows. Their first album in that style, Licensed To Ill, reached number one in the US album charts, the first rap record to do so. The band originally started out playing hardcore punk, but switched to hip-hop in 1984. Its main members are Mike D (real name Michael Diamond), MCA (Adam Yauch) and Adrock (Adam Horovitz), but several other musicians have played with the group for a long time. The Beastie Boys are an American hip hop music group originating from New York City. 2004 "An Open Letter To NYC" (UK). 2004 "Right Right Now Now" (US). 2004 "Triple Trouble" #37 UK. 2004 "Ch-Check It Out" #8 UK. 1999 "Alive" #28 UK. 1999 "Remote Control/3 MCs and 1 DJ" #21 UK. 1998 "Body Movin'" #15 UK. 1998 "Intergalactic" #28 US, #5 UK. 1994 "Sure Shot" #27 UK. 1994 "Get It Together/Sabotage" #19 UK. 1992 "So What'cha Want". 1989 "Hey Ladies" #36 US. 1987 "Girls/She's Crafty" #34 UK. 1987 "She's on It" #10 UK. 1987 "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" #14 UK. 1987 "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)" #7 US, #11 UK. Download sample of "Rhymin' and Stealin'"; from Licensed to Ill. Amery Smith aka AWOL (drums). Eric Bobo (percussion). Wendell Fite aka DJ Hurricane (DJ). Money Mark Ramos-Nishita (keyboards, vocals, carpentry). John King and Mike Simpson aka The Dust Brothers (producers). Mario Caldato Junior aka Mario C (producer). Michael Schwartz aka Mixmaster Mike (DJ). Adam Horovitz aka Adrock born October 31, 1966. Adam Yauch aka MCA born August 5, 1964; and. Michael Diamond aka Mike D born November 20, 1965;. |