The modern musical world knows many talented bands. Only a few of them managed to stay on stage for several decades and maintain their own style.
One such band is the alternative American band Beastie Boys.
Founding, style transformation and composition of the Beastie Boys
The history of the group began in 1978 in Brooklyn, when Jeremy Schaten, John Berry, Keith Schellenbach and Michael Diamond formed the group The Young Aboriginals. It was a hardcore band developing in the direction of hip-hop.
In 1981, Adam Yauch joined the band. His revolutionary ideas not only changed the name to Beastie Boys, but also influenced the style of performance.
Such changes eventually led to changes in the composition: Jeremy Shaten left the team. Mike Diamond (vocalist), John Berry (guitarist), Keith Schellenbach (drums) and, in fact, Adam Yauch (bass guitarist) became the first line-up of the updated band.
The first mini-album Pollywog Stew was released in 1982 and became the benchmark for hardcore punk in New York. At the same time, D. Berry left the group.
Adam Horowitz came in instead. A year later, the single Cooky Puss was released, which soon sounded in all New York nightclubs.
Such activity of the young team attracted the attention of Rick Rubin, a producer working with rap groups. The result of their interaction was the final transition from punk rock to hip hop.
Due to constant conflicts with the producer, Kate Schellenbach, who had a hard time performing rap, left the group. In the future, the Beastie Boys performed as a trio.
At the zenith of glory
The members of the Beastie Boys, as is customary among hip-hop artists, acquired stage names: Ad-Rock, Mike D, MCA. In 1984, the single Rock Hard was released - the basis of the modern image of the band.
He became a combination of two styles: hip-hop and hard rock. The track appeared on the music charts thanks to the work with the American label Def Jam Recordings.
In 1985, during the tour, the band performed at one of Madonna's concerts. Later, the Beastie Boys went on tour with other famous bands.
Debut album Licensed to Kill
The debut album Licensed to Kill was recorded and released in 1986. This title was a parody version of the title of the book Licensed to Kill (a book about James Bond).
The album has sold over 9 million copies. It became the best-selling album of the decade.
Licensed to Ill managed to stay at the top of the Billboard 200 for five weeks and become the first rap album of this level. The music video for the first single from the album was featured on MTV.
In 1987, the trio went on a big tour in support of the new album. It was a scandalous tour, because it was accompanied by many conflicts with the law, numerous provocations, but such fame only increased the ratings of the artists.
The result of the group's collaboration with Capitol Records (due to a divergence of interests with the producer) was the release in 1989 of the next album.
The Paul's Boutique album was qualitatively different from the previous one - it had a lot of samples and combined such styles as psychedelic, funk, even retro.
Many talented performers and musicians were involved in the creation of this album.
The quality of the second album was a testament to the maturation of the Beastie Boys. This disc is rightfully considered one of the most successful trio in history.
Creative independence came to the group with the recording of the third album Check Your Head in collaboration with the label Grand Royal. The record was a significant success in America and went platinum twice.
The third album that returned the band's popularity
The album Ill Communication (1994) helped the band return to the top positions in the charts. In the same year, the trio acted as the headliner of the famous Loolapalooza festival.
In addition, the Beastie Boys went on a massive tour to South America and Asia.
Upon returning to the States after the successful release of Hello Nasty (1997), the band received a Grammy Award (1999) in several categories: "Best Rap Performance" and "Best Alternative Music Record".
The Beastie Boys were one of the first to put their tracks on the site for free download.
The revival of the former popularity of the Beastie Boys: a dream that will not come true?
In its main line-up (M. Diamond, A. Yauch, A. Horowitz), the Beastie Boys team existed for more than one year.
So, in 2009, along with the new album Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 1 group announced their return to the rap industry.
But the plans did not come true - Adam Yauch was diagnosed with cancer, and the release of the disc was postponed indefinitely.
There was even a short film made for the debut composition. Adam Yauch directed the short film.
The completed course of chemotherapy helped Adam to cope with the disease only for a while. The musician died on May 4, 2012. After his death, Mike Diamond considered a possible further collaboration in the musical field with Adam Horowitz.
But he had no confidence in the existence of the format of the group. The Beastie Boys finally disbanded in 2014.
