The Beastie Boys were an American hip hop group from New York City, formed in 1980. For the majority of its career, the group consisted of Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass) and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar).
Originally formed as a four-piece hardcore punk band, The Young Aborigines, in 1978 by Diamond (vocals), John Berry (guitar), Adam Yauch (bass) and Kate Schellenbach (drums), the band made a full transition to hip hop, releasing a string of successful singles.
The Beastie Boys toured with Madonna in 1985 and a year later released their debut album Licensed To Ill. The group sold 26 million albums in the United States and 50 million albums worldwide, making them, according to Billboard, "the biggest-selling rap group" since the magazine began recording sales data in 1991.
In 2012, Adam Yauch died of cancer leading to the group disbanding and in 2016, John Berry died of dementia.
Links To Peel[]
Peel first started playing the band's material in the mid-80's and once predicted on his 29 December 1986 show that the group would not be big in 1987, which turned out to be off the mark. The band had several hits during that year, with their album 'Licensed To Ill' eventually selling over ten million copies in the United States.
During the 90's the group were rarely played by Peel. Their appearance at the 1992 Reading Festival did not impress him. In 1996, Peel played a track from the Beastie Boys new 12" single, the hardcore punk sound of which harked back to their roots in contrast to their better-known hip-hop genre creations.
Shows Played[]
Beastie Boys - Holy Snappers punk
- 1985
- 20 November 1985: Slow And Low (7") Def Jam
- 1986
- 07 April 1986: Hold It Now, Hit It (LP - Licensed To Ill) Def Jam
- 14 April 1986: Hold It Now, Hit It (LP - Licensed To Ill) Def Jam
- 22 April 1986: Hold It Now, Hit It (LP - Licensed To Ill) Def Jam
- 14 October 1986: Paul Revere (12" Single") Def Jam
- 12 November 1986: Rhymin' & Stealin' (LP - Licensed To Ill) Def Jam
- 17 November 1986: No Sleep Till Brooklyn (album - Licensed To Ill) Def Jam
- 19 November 1986: Slow And Low (album - Licensed To Ill) Def Jam
- 24 November 1986: Slow Ride (LP - Licensed To Ill) Def Jam
- 30 November 1986 (BFBS): Slow Ride (LP - Licensed To Ill) Def Jam
- 02 December 1986: No Sleep Till Brooklyn (LP - Licensed To Ill) Def Jam
Beastie Boys-Posse In Effect
- 1987
- 26 May 1987: Beastie Boys (single - Polly Wog Stew EP) Rat Cage
- 26 May 1987: Posse In Effect (album - Licensed To Ill) Def Jam
- 27 May 1987: 'Holy Snappers (EP-Polly Wog Stew)' (Rat Cage)
- 12 June 1987 (BFBS): Beastie Boys (single - Polly Wog Stew EP) Rat Cage
- 27 July 1987: 'She's Crafty (remix) (7 inch-double A-side with Girls)' (Def Jam Recordings)
- 31 July 1987 (Radio Bremen): No Sleep Till Brooklyn (7") Def Jam (played on the audio before Peel's show)
- 25 August 1987: Egg Raid On Mojo (v/a LP - Speed Trials) Homestead
- 13 September 1987 (BFBS): Egg Raid On Mojo (Live)
Beastie Boys - Shake Your Rump
- 1989
- 19 July 1989: Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun (album - Paul's Boutique) Capitol
- 19 July 1989: Egg Man (album - Paul's Boutique) Capitol
- 07 August 1989: Shake Your Rump (album - Paul's Boutique) Capitol
- 10 August 1989: Johnny Ryall (album - Paul's Boutique) Capitol
- 24 August 1989: The Sounds Of Science (album - Paul's Boutique) Capitol
- 1996
- 12 January 1996: 'You Catch A Bad One (12"-Aglio E Olio)' (Grand Royal)
- 13 January 1996: Brand New (CD single - Aglio E Olio) Grand Royal
- 1998
- 27 June 1998: Intergalactic (Prisoners of Technology TMS1 Remix) (single)
- 28 June 1998: Intergalactic (single) Grand Royal