Some Old Bullshit

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Back before they were rock stars, entrepreneurs, and spokesmen for a generation, the Beastie Boys were just another band of kids, scrambling for gigs, scrapping for studio time, and just looking for a good time. Sometimes it worked for the Beasties, and sometimes it didn't--Mike D. has said that they broke up at least three times before they ever met up with Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons and made Licensed to Ill. There's a few of the Beasties' hardcore tracks here (the best being "Egg Raid on Mojo"), but for a peek at the future, listen to "Cooky Puss" (the B-Boys' first underground hit--and a disco hit, at that) and the screwy reggae of "Beastie Revolution." Fun trivia fact: Tim Sommer, who can be heard here as the host of WNYU's "Noise the Show," went on to become the A&R rep to sign Hootie & the Blowfish. --Randy Silver