Beastie Boys

The Beasties’ status as socially conscious artistes is by now so entrenched that it’s easy to forget how unlikely their progression once seemed. Upon its 1994 release, most viewed Ill Communication simply as the album that spawned the seismic smash hit “Sabotage.” But 15 years on, it’s a key transitional document, marking the point at which Mike D, MCA and Ad-Rock began swapping their original snotnose image for something more progressive and even enlightened.

Before tipping its hand, the trio drops plenty of the impish wordplay that made it famous. Classics like “Sure Shot” and “Root Down” offer an irresistible blend of stupid and clever, juxtaposing boasts about “doo doo” rhymes with countless obscure name-checks (Rod Carew, the Meters, Dick Hyman). The band is just as impressive when eschewing the mikes on groove-happy instrumentals such as “Futterman’s Rule,” which marries MCA’s punky, fuzzed-out bass to Money Mark’s righteous organ blasts. It’s a testament to the Boys’ pluralistic worldview that the record’s prayerful penultimate track, “Bodhisattva Vow,” comes off not as a left-field goof, but rather as a totally sincere statement of streetwise faith.

After that head-spinner—which, along with the rest of the disc, receives a serviceable if not especially noteworthy remastering—the bonus disc of remixes and other rarities is mostly extraneous. The exceptions are two killer live tracks that help connect the dots between the Boys’ hardcore roots and the hard-funk whomp of “Sabotage.”—Hank Shteamer

Buy Ill Communication: Remastered Edition on BN.com

Beastie Boys play All Points West at Liberty State Park July 31.

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