Looking Down The Barrel of a Gun Known samples: Primary beat sample: "Last Bongo in Belgium" - Incredible Bongo Band (1973). Piano chord sample: "Time" - Pink Floyd (1973). Additional samples: "Put Your Hand in the Hand" - Ocean (1971).
"Rolling down the hill snowballing getting bigger An explosion in the chamber, the hammer from the trigger I seen him get stabbed I watched the blood spill out He had more cuts than my man Chuck Chillout ( Influential old-school DJ who put out party records in the 1980's and has mixing credits on Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back ) 24 is my age .22 is my gauge Writing rhymes on a page going off in a rage Out on a missionm a stolen car mission Had a small problem with the transmission 3 on the tree in the middle of the night I have this steak on my head cause I got into a fist fight Life comes in phases, take the good with the bad You bought those coins on the street and you got had It's all high spirit, you know you gotta hear it !Don't touch the mic, baby don't come near it !It's gonna get you it's gonna get you -It's gonna get you girl it's gonna get you...
Looking down the barrel of a gun -Son of a gun son of a bitch -Getting paid getting rich - (sample: drums and bit of guitar distortion here from "Mississippi Queen" - Mountain (1979). Ultra violence running through my head (An allusion to Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange film (1971), a more obvious reference follows)Fuzzy navel y'all making me see red (Fuzzy Navel is a mixed drink comprised of peach schnapps and orange juice. )Rapid fire louie like Rambo got bullets ( John Rambo became the quintessential action hero, popularized by Sylvester Stallone, starting with the film First Blood in 1982. )I'm a gonna die harder like my kid Bruce Willis ( Bruce Willis franchise of action movies began in 1988 with Die Hard. )I love girlies waxing and milking Co-ordinating trim is my man Dave Scilken ( Childhood friend of Adam Horovitz who died of a drug overdose in 1991 (two years after thisrecording). Scilken was also in The Young and the Useless with Horovitz prior to the Beastie Boys. On the Licensed to Ill and Together Forever tours, Scilken earned the title of "trim co-ordinator". His primary duties in this role was to procure females from the crowd and present them with backstage passes.) Predetermined destiny is who I am You got your finger on the trigger like the Son of Sam I am ( David Berkowitz was a NYC area serial killer in the late 1970's. He terrorized the city for 13 months before his capture, killing six people. The first nickname he acquired during his spree was given to him because of his weapon of choice, the ".44 caliber killer". Later, in letters to the police left at the scenes of his crimes, Berkowitz referred to himself as the "Son of Sam."This line of the song also seems to make brief reference to the story Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss which begins "I am Sam/Sam I am". )Like Clockwork Orange going off on the town (Here's the other more obvious A Clockwork Orange reference. )I've got homeboy's bonanza to beat your ass down I'm mad at my desk and I'm writing all curse words Expressing my aggressions through my schizophrenic verse words You're a headless chicken chasin' a sucker free basin Looking for a fist to put your face in Get hip, get hip - don't slip ya knuckle heads Racism is schism on the serious tip."
the pants are fancy.
― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Saturday, 26 March 2005 10:13 (nineteen years ago) link
Having removed these we have:Chuck Chillout - admittedly semi-obscure reference.Dave Scilken - no disrepect to the dead , but too obscure to have any real lyrical meaning.
Ultra Violence, Fuzzy Navel, Rambo, Bruce Willis, Son of Sam - Not really digging deep here.
Clockwork Orange as "more obvious Clockwork Orange reference" - indisputable.
Still, I can't help but admit that Racism is schism on the serious tip. Whatever that means.
I think the Anthrax cover on that "Beavis and Butthead Experience" album is the superior version.
― John Justen (johnjusten), Saturday, 26 March 2005 10:32 (nineteen years ago) link
same ol shit.
― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Saturday, 26 March 2005 10:47 (nineteen years ago) link
-- Bobby Peru (per...), March 26th, 2005 4:13 AM. (Bobby Peru) (later)
haha, this is completely missing the coolest sample of all, Mountain's "Mississippi Queen"! Which was of course immediately apparent to me upon picking this album up day-of-release back there in the late-80s. Can't speak to the classic-rock hating morons and why they missed it. I always listened to Mountain as a kid, because I like good musicians.
― Stormy Davis (diamond), Saturday, 26 March 2005 10:52 (nineteen years ago) link
Looking down the barrel of a gun -Son of a gun son of a bitch -Getting paid getting rich -(sample: drums and bit of guitar distortion here from "Mississippi Queen" - Mountain (1979).
― @@r0n h. z@nd3r$ (AaronHz), Saturday, 26 March 2005 11:11 (nineteen years ago) link
Iggy Pop - "Raw Power" - I'm a street walking cheetah with a head full of napalm
NWA - "Fuck the Police" - Fuck tha policeComin straight from the undergroundYoung nigga got it bad cuz I'm brownAnd not the other color so police thinkThey have the authority to kill a minority
Ramones - "Bonzo goes to Bitburg" - You'?re a politician don'?t become one of hitler?s' children
The Doors - "Peacefrog" - Blood in the streets in the town of New Haven Blood stains the roofs and the palm trees of Venice Blood in my love in the terrible summer Bloody red sun of Phantastic L.A.
Chic - "Le Freak" - All that pressure got you downHas your head spinning all aroundFeel the rhythm, check the rideCome on along and have a real good timeLike the days of stomping at the SavoyNow we freak, oh what a joyJust come on down, two fifty fourFind a spot out on the floor
Beastie Boys - "Looking down the Barrel of a gun" - I have this steak on my head cause I got into a fist fight.
As lyrics go, I'll give you even odds with chic, a fighting chance with the Doors (because I always thought Morrison was an over-rated dolt), and absolutely no fucking shot at NWA. As music goes (referencing music written by the Beastie Boys), no contest. Across the board.
― John Justen (johnjusten), Saturday, 26 March 2005 11:30 (nineteen years ago) link
Such a silly lyric that for some reason is fun/funny, whereas the reality of soaking your black eye with a steak is no fun at all.
― Lemonade Salesman (Eleventy-Twelve), Saturday, 26 March 2005 13:47 (nineteen years ago) link
― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Saturday, 26 March 2005 16:04 (nineteen years ago) link
― Deerninja B4rim4, Plus-Tech Whizz Kid (Barima), Saturday, 26 March 2005 16:29 (nineteen years ago) link
This may be one of those lines divided by age: if you're over a cerain age you may not have been open enough at the time to recognize just how brilliant and inventive their whole package was for the eighties, (IGNORING ALWAYS 'fight for your right', which is in no way representative of their output) and if you're younger than 25 you may take them for granted (like how Metallica appears stodgy today compared to all the heavier bands they influenced). But here is a fact: when 'Licensed' dropped it was a revelation to all.
Certain tracks from License to Ill were ubiquitous at that time, and they are rap *classics*: Slow & Low, Hold it now, hit It, Brass Monkey, and Paul Revere were coming out of every trunk in Oakland that whole year - and if you go back and listen to the NEXT year's best hip-hop offerings (Such as It Takes A Nation of Millions & Straight Outta Compton) you will hear *exactly* how many times those artists reference the Beastie Boys. And if it's good enough for NWA & PE (etc etc) than it's good enough for me.
― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Saturday, 26 March 2005 22:28 (nineteen years ago) link
God, check out these fuckin snobs at the top of the thread here!
― ○◙i shine cuz i genital grind◙○ (roxymuzak), Tuesday, 28 October 2008 14:48 (fifteen years ago) link
Hello Nasty fucking banged (well the good tracks did)
― Cittaslow Mazza (blueski), Tuesday, 28 October 2008 14:56 (fifteen years ago) link
Shit can be summed up as:
embarrassing early yearsfollowed by
2 great albumsfollowed by
2 good albumsfollowed by
being irrelevant, spotty, and in need of charity
― (unregistered) (PappaWheelie V), Tuesday, 28 October 2008 15:21 (fifteen years ago) link
embarrassing early years are the best shit ever
― ○◙i shine cuz i genital grind◙○ (roxymuzak), Tuesday, 28 October 2008 15:23 (fifteen years ago) link
That this question was even asked breaks my heart.
― A socialist who's happy to spread the wealth (Susan), Tuesday, 28 October 2008 15:26 (fifteen years ago) link
embarrassing early years are the best shit ever― ○◙i shine cuz i genital grind◙○ (roxymuzak), Tuesday, October 28, 2008 5:23 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
― ○◙i shine cuz i genital grind◙○ (roxymuzak), Tuesday, October 28, 2008 5:23 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
^^^hoos that^^^
― Ioannis, Tuesday, 28 October 2008 15:29 (fifteen years ago) link
Palefaced Pretenders should be the name of a tribute band
― The Slash My Father Wrote (DJ Mencap), Tuesday, 28 October 2008 15:34 (fifteen years ago) link
pretty excellent band though i sort of checked out before "5 boroughs" came out. i don't know what spencer's "sf of rap" thing is supposed to mean except i guess it's another southland zing. they always sounded nothing more than nyc to me and they got tons of play on the subway during my time there!
― omar little, Tuesday, 28 October 2008 15:36 (fifteen years ago) link
I should clarify by early years, I mean as a hardcore band.
Although I've always been curious about their purported No Wave/World Music outfit that predated it.
And Cookie Puss is fantastic, still (which is what prompted interest from Russell Simmons anyway).
― (unregistered) (PappaWheelie V), Tuesday, 28 October 2008 15:42 (fifteen years ago) link
No Wave/World Music outfit that predated it.
I have never heard of this.
― A socialist who's happy to spread the wealth (Susan), Tuesday, 28 October 2008 15:43 (fifteen years ago) link
Wouldn't they have been about 12?
― I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE UP TO (Colonel Poo), Tuesday, 28 October 2008 15:51 (fifteen years ago) link
Young Aborigines
I can't find the lengthy timeline now that described in their own words what they wanted to do, but I remember them citing several things that were NYC du jour in 1981, including no wave and world music.
Anyway, since that timeline, Young Aborigines is cited all over, although downplaying it to "very very shortlived", which is fair, but non-descript of their original goals.
http://www.beastiemania.com/whois/the_young_aborigines/By the summer of 1981 the Young Aborigines were performing at Jerry William’s 171 A.
By the summer of 1981 the Young Aborigines were performing at Jerry William’s 171 A.
http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid2=9&fid1=3028&csid1=59Young Aborigines drummer Michael Diamond meets Adam Yauch at a Bad Brains show in New York and the two become close friends through their love of hardcore music. Yauch begins showing up at Aborigines practices; when founding bassist Jeremy Shatan goes home to do his homework, Adam takes over. When Yauch is on bass duty, the Aborigines (including percussionist Kate Schellenbach and guitarist John Berry) call themselves the Beastie Boys, a purposefully stupid name for their joke attempt at being one of New York’s first hardcore bands. The new line-up debuts at Yauch’s 17th birthday party. Record store owner Dave Parsons asks them if they’d be interested in releasing their first record on his new label, Rat Cage.
Young Aborigines drummer Michael Diamond meets Adam Yauch at a Bad Brains show in New York and the two become close friends through their love of hardcore music. Yauch begins showing up at Aborigines practices; when founding bassist Jeremy Shatan goes home to do his homework, Adam takes over. When Yauch is on bass duty, the Aborigines (including percussionist Kate Schellenbach and guitarist John Berry) call themselves the Beastie Boys, a purposefully stupid name for their joke attempt at being one of New York’s first hardcore bands. The new line-up debuts at Yauch’s 17th birthday party. Record store owner Dave Parsons asks them if they’d be interested in releasing their first record on his new label, Rat Cage.
xpost
― (unregistered) (PappaWheelie V), Tuesday, 28 October 2008 15:52 (fifteen years ago) link
Yes, this sounds a little familiar. According to Mike D they broke up after only two shows so there probably wasn't much worth hearing.
― A socialist who's happy to spread the wealth (Susan), Tuesday, 28 October 2008 15:59 (fifteen years ago) link
I again would like to point to exhibit A -- which I failed to bring to the trial -- the timeline.
Seems they had been together for a fair amount of time rehearsing before their show(s), and had a clear direction.
Most people cite 1979 as the founding date, although it seems that's a stretch. Mike D would've been 13/14 at that time.
I wonder if it was like, "yeah, we want to be as cool as the Mudd Club scene, but you know, we're kids, and this hardcore thing appeals to us directly, so let's move on."
― (unregistered) (PappaWheelie V), Tuesday, 28 October 2008 17:22 (fifteen years ago) link
anyone heard the bootleg of them live in trenton nj 1992? it is large.
― MacElby's Puddin'© (stevie), Tuesday, 28 October 2008 20:35 (fifteen years ago) link
Where to find this? I'm not big on collecting bootlegs and the like but I remember that tour. It was great.
― A socialist who's happy to spread the wealth (Susan), Tuesday, 28 October 2008 20:42 (fifteen years ago) link
first two records are a couple of the greatest hip hop albums ever imho, but I never really bother with anything after that. although at the time I was really into Check Your Head and Ill Communication. Lost interest entirely after that.
― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 28 October 2008 20:46 (fifteen years ago) link
Some Dumb Cop Gave Me Two Tickets Already = funniness
― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 28 October 2008 20:48 (fifteen years ago) link
i'd like to give an early birthday shout-out to ad rock. i know halloween is his birthday cuz he said it was in a song once.
i always loved egg raid on mojo from the speed trials comp. as far as their pre-rap stuff goes. and cookie puss of course. which is still genius.
― scott seward, Tuesday, 28 October 2008 21:00 (fifteen years ago) link
what the hell? I had never heard of this before
― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 28 October 2008 21:04 (fifteen years ago) link
are you serious??????
― Mr. Que, Tuesday, 28 October 2008 21:04 (fifteen years ago) link
they don't got no carvel where shakey lives.
― scott seward, Tuesday, 28 October 2008 21:05 (fifteen years ago) link
He sometimes has arms and legs, but these are just icing decorations, not additional parts.
― 8 HOOS Dog (BIG HOOS aka the steendriver), Tuesday, 28 October 2008 21:06 (fifteen years ago) link
― scott seward, Tuesday, 28 October 2008 21:07 (fifteen years ago) link
i'm like proust and his fuckin' cookie when i watch these ads...
― scott seward, Tuesday, 28 October 2008 21:10 (fifteen years ago) link
if you live in NY and ever go out, you've probably run into Mojo. He's still around, still working the doors, putting on shows and playing records.
― dan selzer, Tuesday, 28 October 2008 21:10 (fifteen years ago) link
um, not sure what ilx3's policy on links to verboten materials are like, but if you search theultimatebootlegexperience blog its quite easy to find. [mods pls delete if this is a problem]
― MacElby's Puddin'© (stevie), Tuesday, 28 October 2008 21:12 (fifteen years ago) link
I've lived my whole life in CA guys. Been to NY twice.
― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 28 October 2008 21:15 (fifteen years ago) link
yah but you could still know what a cookie puss was!
― Mr. Que, Tuesday, 28 October 2008 21:16 (fifteen years ago) link
Thank you Stevie. :)
I never experienced a Cookie Puss while I lived in NYC but I did see the Beasties all the time. Perhaps I should have asked one of them to direct me to a Carvel's.
― A socialist who's happy to spread the wealth (Susan), Wednesday, 29 October 2008 12:42 (fifteen years ago) link
Carvel sucked, though I always really hated Ice Cream Cakes. Please also note Fudgie the Whale, who shared a mold with Santa, if I remember correctly.
― dan selzer, Wednesday, 29 October 2008 13:07 (fifteen years ago) link
Yeah Carvel is horrible, horrible ice cream.
― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 29 October 2008 13:31 (fifteen years ago) link
i love carvel ice cream. i live for flying saucers.
― scott seward, Wednesday, 29 October 2008 21:17 (fifteen years ago) link
yeah flying saucers are great, and the cakes, with the chocolate crunchies in between the layers. i totally miss carvel. a coworker and i recently tried to get a carvel cake sent to CO, but no dice. wickie the witch for a happy halloween.
― Booker van Permalink (Hunt3r), Wednesday, 29 October 2008 23:10 (fifteen years ago) link
so the beasties are obviously megaproud about being from brooklyn in 99% of their lyrics, so why in "shake yr rump" do they say "from downtown, manhattan, the village"
― ○◙i shine cuz i genital grind◙○ (roxymuzak), Thursday, 30 October 2008 15:45 (fifteen years ago) link
Only MCA is from Brooklyn. Mike D and AdRock are from Manhatten.
― A socialist who's happy to spread the wealth (Susan), Thursday, 30 October 2008 15:50 (fifteen years ago) link
that makes sense. mca is the one saying "from downtown".
youre right, i forgot "you're from secausus, im from manhattan" - adrock
― ○◙i shine cuz i genital grind◙○ (roxymuzak), Thursday, 30 October 2008 16:18 (fifteen years ago) link
So there's a 20th anniversary remaster of Paul's Boutique out; is it any good? Does it just mash the levels up? B-Boy Bouillabaisse is split into 9 tracks at the mastering...
― Sickamous Mouthall (Scik Mouthy), Wednesday, 18 February 2009 08:29 (fifteen years ago) link
1. It is louder, as you would expect, but not mashed; Audacity shows no plateaus.
2. The bass has definitely been enhanced, but not overly so; much closer to the original vinyl.
3. If you like the album, it has never, ever sounded this good. Still one of the best headphone albums ever.
4. B-Boy Bouillabaisse is split but you don't notice it.
― EZ Snappin, Wednesday, 18 February 2009 13:50 (fifteen years ago) link
Just been and bought it, following that post, EZ.
― Sickamous Mouthall (Scik Mouthy), Wednesday, 18 February 2009 14:53 (fifteen years ago) link