Hey, Hey Laaaadies

Licensed To Ill is one of my all time favorite records and in my humble opinion one of the greatest debut albums of all time. The Beastie Boys just demand your attention on every track, bringing such high energy and funny, fresh, fun to sing-a-long lyrics (did anyone else catch that tiny bit of alliteration? Yeah I know.). I've always said if I was going to be stranded on an island and could only bring five albums Licensed To Ill would definitely be one of them. I guess this begs the question if I knew I was going to be stranded on an island wouldn't I try and avoid it? Isn't getting stranded on an island something unfortunate that happens not something one plans for? Am I taking away the fun from this question by breaking down the obvious nature of it? Is this due to my tiredness or just wanting to point out the horrors of being stranded on an island? Can I ask any more questions that have rhetorical answers? (p.s. I think the answer to all these questions is, yes?)



Hey Ladies does not come off of Licensed To Ill though it comes off their follow up album Paul's Boutique. So why all the talk about Licensed To Ill and stranded islands then? Well I was using it as a transition into the bigger topic so just be patient (wow I'm really tired). Paul's Boutique is such a solid follow up. When a debut album is tremendously good (like Licensed To Ill is) it's very common for the band to cave under the awesomeness for the second album. Case and point being Bush. Paul's Boutique doesn't allow that to happen. It keeps that Beastie Boys integrity yet it still has a completely different feel to it. It's an advancement in sound (the sound of science?). Egg Man, High Plains Drifter (the sequel to my favorite Beastie Boys song Paul Revere), Shake Your Rump, Shadrach, and Hey Ladies all find the Beasties on the top of their form. This makes me want to grab two of my buddies and start up a three man hip hop group. We'd need a catchy name though. Something like Three Deuces… yeah I like that. Might be time to start making some phone calls. 

So let's talk Hey Ladies and the contagious good time it provides to its listeners (is that a cowbell?). The lyrics of this song are brilliantly ridiculous. I think that's part of the Beastie Boys genius, being able to take words and rhymes that don't belong together and making them sound like they were made for each other. They blend together the perfect amount of humor, pop culture, and storytelling with charming results. Here are a few of the standouts for me:

Tom Thumb Tom Cushman or Tom Foolery/Date women on T.V. with the help of Chuck Woolery

Me in the corner with a good looking daughter/I dropped my drawers and it was welcome back Kotter

I'm not James at 15 or Chachi in charge/I'm Adam and I'm adamant about living large

I met a little cutie she was all hopped up on zootie/I liked the little cutie but I kicked her in the bootie

She's got a gold tooth you know she's hardcore/She'll show you a good time then she'll show you the door

Now picture these lyrics used as spoken word poetry. You're in a basement club and there is a cloud of smoke as someone steps up to the open mic and starts reciting the lyrics of Hey Ladies. It makes me laugh every time picturing people snapping their fingers as our poetry reader uses  dramatic pause between the words, "She's got a gold tooth (pause) you know she's (pause) hardcore". Actually I like to take songs with silly lyrics and call friends and read them like spoken word poetry on their voicemail (am I the only one who finds this hysterical?) My favorite is Baby's Got Back (this is also my favorite karaoke jaaaaaaaaaam). You should try this sometime it's a blast. I'm feeding you people gold right now.

All spoken word poetry aside let's not forget the George Clinton-esq funk out at the end. You can hear the song on the edge of funking out the whole time and then that "Baby, baby, baby" kicks in. My only complaint is the funk jam doesn't last long enough. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a good funk number.

Things To Get Excited About Today-

Before I crawl away to get some much needed sleep allow me to inform you that Danger Mouse's spaghetti western themed album, Rome, is released today. I think Danger Mouse is an extradinary talent and he's exactly what the music scene needs. His ability to think outside of the box helps keep things fresh in a scene that is going kind of stale (oh my god is that the same recycled pop song I hear?). His work with Gorillaz, Gnarls Barkley, and the Black Keys are some of his cornerstones along with his Grey Album (mixing The Beatles and Jay-Z together, say whaaaat?). He just brings so much passion to his work it's hard not to admire him. For those of you who aren't sold on the awesomeness that is Danger Mouse I implore you to check out the self-titled debut album of Broken Bells. This album is amazing, my favorite of 2010. Fantastic replay value.

I've been looking forward to Rome for months now. Spaghetti westerns are so fun to watch and part of that reason is the music (Ennio Morricone you brilliant bastard you). So to hear the spin that Danger Mouse is going to put on it has me pretty stoked. On top of that he uses the vocals of both Jack White and Norah Jones (three songs each) along with composer Daniele Luppi leaving a lot to be excited about here. I can't' download this soon enough. Maybe I'll talk to Shea and see if she, Hudson, and I can dress up western style and have a shootout while listening to this. Possible pictures to follow (sleeeeeeeeeep).