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Hello Nasty represents a slight shift in the Beastie Boys' music. Whereas the previous two albums (Ill Communication and Check Your Head) found the group straddling the line between hip-hop and the then current alternative rock boom, on Hello Nasty they commit more heavily towards the hip hop side of things - or at least their own unique take on the genre. This meant saying goodbye to many of the live instruments (which is probably for the best since the Beastie Boys are best known as rappers and not for their instrumental prowess) and longtime member DJ Hurricane, who was replaced Mixmaster Mike. The resulting sound was a concoction of drum machines, early 1980's electronica, and the trio's playful rhyming, which is sharper here than it had ever been before, or has been in the 11 years since. Track after track, the lyrics and music work together in strong unison with "Three MC's And On DJ", "Just A Test" and the huge hit "Intergalactic" being among the most explosive. Although the band didn't offer up any of the usual funk instrumentals on Hello Nasty there are a few genre shifts throughout the album's 22 track sprawl: "Song For The Man" is electronica-meets-lounge kitsch, "And Me" indulges in drum'n'bass, and "Song For Junior" is Santana-esque Latin-rock with a vocal guest spot by Miho Hatori from Cibo Matto. The Boys even meet up with one of their idols, Lee Perry, for the dub track "Dr. Lee PhD" although the results are forgettable.
The new edition of the album features remastered sound, and a second disc of bonus songs. The bonus material is pretty spotty, consisting mostly of throwaway jams and fragments. The only keepers are the remixes of album cuts, including Fatboy Slim's well known take on "Body Movin".
DAVID MANSDORF
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