Who's The Band? (PART III - Beastie Boys v. Beck)

[RyDogg66]

Who's The Band is back for it's third installment. Previously we've discussed Weezer v. Jane's Addiction, and Soundgarden v. Smashing Pumpkins. Dont vote strictly for your favorite, but that has to be taken into account like everything else, but where they stand in the industry when it comes to hits, live act, influence, originality, etc. It's kind of like the MVP vote where we dont know what the hell the criteria is.

 

I personally think Beck is highly underrated, but even knowing that Im not so sure he is "The Band" here, I mean, I think what does it for me is that Beck sampled "What'cha Want" for "E-Pro", not that there is anything wrong with that, I think its awesome.

 

I personally like Beck a lot more than the Beastie Boys, but for the purpose of this pointless thread I have to say Beastie Boys, You're the Band.

[iluvlamp]

I'll go with the Beastie Boys. Never really got into Beck all too much and don't really mind him. I remember being 10 and getting the BB's first album and I thought it was the greatest thing ever. Hold It Now, Hit It probably is still my favorite BB song. And Paul's Boutique was just an insanely great album.

 

From the song Slow Ride:

 

Because I'm hard hittin' always biten cool as hell

I got trees on my mirror so my car won't smell

Sittin' around the house gettin' high and watchin' tube

Eating Colonel's chicken drinkin' Heineken brew

I'm a gangster, I'm a prankster I'm the king of the Ave.

I'm hated, confrontated for the juice that I have

All the fly ladies are making a fuss

But I can't pay attention 'cause I'm on that dust

 

Awesome. Also Slw and Low was supposed to be a Run DMC song. The more you know.

[brettac1]

This is kind of tough.

 

I love the Beasties. However, Beck's "Sea Change" and "Odelay" are probably in my top 100 albums. The Beasties have been around for a long time, but then they haven't probably been relevant since "Hello Nasty".

 

I guess I give the edge to Beck based mostly on how much he jumps around stylistically, while for the most part making good stuff regardless of the genre. I think he's going to get crushed in this thread, though.

[Glennron]

I like Beck a lot, and don't like BB at all. As someone mentioned Odelay is a great underrated album. However because of influence, longevity, and popularity I'll have to go with the Beastie Boys

[RyDogg66]

This is kind of tough.

 

I love the Beasties. However, Beck's "Sea Change" and "Odelay" are probably in my top 100 albums. The Beasties have been around for a long time, but then they haven't probably been relevant since "Hello Nasty".

 

I guess I give the edge to Beck based mostly on how much he jumps around stylistically, while for the most part making good stuff regardless of the genre. I think he's going to get crushed in this thread, though.

That's a good argument for Beck. I think he'll get beat in this thread, however long it lasts, but you are right on about how he jumps around stylistically while maintaining his excellence. That shouldnt be overlooked.

 

[And That]

Beastie Boys are probably the more important of the two acts, and I love Mix Master Mike. Beck is better overall musically.

 

I'm gonna go with the Beastie Boys, but it is close. Maybe I'd go for Beck if he grabbed me more musically, but I've never been able to get into him personally.

[rwa12]

I've always felt Beck was one of those acts that I wasn't cool enough to "get". Loved the Beasties when I was a kid, and will still listen occasionally, so they get my vote.

[randybreuerfan]

I'm not too worried about who wins on this, but I just had to say my piece because I wanted to make sure that Beck's song Debra gets mentioned here. I am okay with the Beastie Boys as an icon, but I have never been too excited about more than three or four songs on any of their CDs. Beck dabbles in other people's styles, but he really does it well. I'd put Midnight Vultures up with the best of Prince's work, and I'd put Sea Change up near the top of my list of favorite CDs. I like Beck compared to his mid 90s to mid 00s peers much more than BB compared to mid80s-late90s peers.

[colbyjack]

Great topic, and the two are a good comparison because neither one is really a good live band, although in Beck's defense I haven't seen him live in several years, but when I did his music, which has always been on the high production side, didn't translate well to a live performance.

 

The Beastie Boys were awesome in concert, but not because they were good musicians, they were good entertainers. Both made music you could groove to.

 

I'm going to go with Beck because the guy is just so incredibly talented, and I really appreciate his folk roots and keeps exploring new things. He's one of those guys that when the question about who you would like to have dinner comes up, I seriously consider adding him to my list since he just screams creativity. Every album he has produced has been better than the one before it (IMO), and each album has also been significantly different than the one before it. Plus, how the heck do you explain his music? It's the one band that when recommending I have to say "just listen to it," and everyone that does is hooked for life. You can hear so many different bands that he pulls from, the Beatles and Neil Young being the most prevalent IMO.

 

It's a little tough to answer since the Beastie Boys are somewhat of a thing of the past, but their music just isn't as timeless as some bands that I continue to listen to, but I do think they made a bigger impression on mainstream culture, and possibly a longer lasting impression.

 

I don't remember the first two installments of this thread idea. Who won those? I've always contended that Soundgarden is one of the greatest bands of all-time, and it's too bad they didn't stay together longer than what they did, although I know a lot of huge Smashing Pumpkins fans that feel the same way.

[brettac1]

You know, Patrick, I have said that Beck is the modern Neil Young in the past. I still stick to that. He's one of the only other guys that I can think of that jumped/jumps around as much as Beck does.

[danzig6767]

Man this is a great comparison RyDogg and i'm a huge fan of both. Check Your Head by the Beasties and Odelay by Beck are two of my all time favorite discs. I remember the first time i ever heard Beck, i went out and bought Mellowgold and loved it so much, mellowgold became my email addy.

 

For me though even though i love Beck, the Beastie Boys had a bigger influence on me. I was in high school when Licensed to Ill came out, that cd expanded my musical tastes probably more than any other disc.At the time i was very much into the punk scene and was a bit of a music snob in that i felt i should only listen to what our group of friends were into, rap certainly wasn't it. The Beastie Boys changed all of that. A friend i drove to school with had the cd and for like a month straight we and two other friends got wasted on the way to school and jammed Licensed to Ill. That got me to listen to other rap like The Geto Boys, NWA, and Public Enemy. This girl i had started to date said if you like the Beasties, you should check out this new band i heard, The Red Hot Chili Peppers. I was like, Red Hot who?

 

In a short time after Licensed to Ill came out, i went from listening to pretty much only stuff like 80's punk, Slayer, Bauhaus/Bowie, or Floyd/The Doors/Hendrix to listening to rap and all different stuff. I started searching out non-punk music i hadn't heard before instead of listening to the same stuff over and over.

 

I probably listen to Beck now more than the Beasties, but the Beastie Boys hold a special place in my heart that only a couple other bands can match. Plus, i'm not alone, the Beastie Boys were a very influential band in the world of music on multiple fronts.

[Fatter than Joey]

Beasties

[RyDogg66]

I don't remember the first two installments of this thread idea. Who won those? I've always contended that Soundgarden is one of the greatest bands of all-time, and it's too bad they didn't stay together longer than what they did, although I know a lot of huge Smashing Pumpkins fans that feel the same way.

The previous two topics were pre-Yuku and I couldnt find them in the archives. We never really tally them up, I just read through what people think. If I remember, in the first one, Jane's Addiction jumped out to a huge lead, but Weezer came back strong to make it close. The second thread was close between Soundgarden and SP, but I think SP probably had more votes, to my surprise.

 

[Teatoe993]

This is a tough one to decide for me. I'd really like to give them a draw.

In Beck's defense, he cannot me labeled. He is one of the most diverse musicians I can think of. I find Mellow Gold lyrically hilarious. Odelay and Guero are solid classics. Sea Change is his masterpiece. It is such a dark and depressing album and a complete departure of everything else he's done. I have yet to see him live. But I have heard the same that his material doesn't go over as well in concert. He's brilliant in the studio, but needs to find a better way to present his material live.

The Beastie Boys are timeless. They are one of the few artists I can think of that almost anyone can get into. They definitely offer something to everyone. The Beasties are better musicians than most people think. They started out as a hardcore band and morphed into a hip hop group. License To Ill is a bit dated to me. I loved it when I first heard it, but it is the one album of theirs that hasn't stood the test of time for me. Maybe it's because all those fratchoads #1 request. However that album is lyrically brilliant. Paul's Boutique is a masterpiece. I can listen to that album at anytime. And you can get a party started instantly by putting that album on. Samplewise, that album could never have been made today. Check Your Head and Ill Communication are both very solid as well. I love how they are very diverse in material. Plenty of great hip hop, some hard core songs about Bill Lambeer and fat guys, some great lounge instrumentals, etc. It all seems to flow together well. Hello Nasty was the start of the downfall for me. That and To The 5 Boroughs are good albums, but they just don't compare to what came earlier. The Beasties are great live performers no matter what kind of material they are playing. They were also a good hard core band back in the early 80s when hard core was just getting started. In the mid 80s when Hip Hop was making its way out of the underground, the Beastie Boys thrived in a genre that was almost strictly black. That means a lot. How many years did it take after the Beastie Boys to get another white hip hop artist that wasn't a complete joke? Another reason I think the Beasties outweigh Beck is that the Beasties absolutely filled their albums with good material. Every album lasts a good hour and has a ton of great songs. Beck's albums tend to stick to the 12 song standard.

At the moment I would take the Beastie Boys over Beck. But the Beasties legacy is pretty much set. I really don't see anything great coming from them again. Beck however is younger and still at the top of his game. I can easily see him making great music for another decade or more.

Good discussion.

[brettac1]

The Beasties do kind of get a bump because this is one of the greatest videos ever:

[BuckyTuba]

Beck:

Sexx Laws video is the bomb! Jack Black being Jack Black.

[pogokat]

If you asked this question 5 years ago, i'd say the b-boys without a doubt...but because i think beck is far from done and that the beasties are at the end, i'll take beck...

 

love both of these though...truly fantastic

[Braunisfuture]

Beastie Boys