I set out this past work week, to present a movie review (on a movie in theaters now). But, I opted instead to skip reviewing this one, because it is so unique that I neither wanted to criticize it nor laud it. The film, containing a long scene of brutality against a woman, makes me count myself lucky to have gotten past the film now knowing the plot (in case anyone should ask me about it). Hence, I walked away from it only slightly emotionally troubled, but troubled nonetheless.

That it (the movie) is also a true story, did increase the intrigue however; and, deceived my expectation.

You might know which film it is, and you might see it yourself. That is all I will say about it now.

At this time, I fortunately have some more music albums that I’m poised to write about for you… published in between some later-coming movie reviews. I look forward to writing about the children’s and family films coming this way too – don’t you worry.

So, on the heels of my recent “U2” song review, I’d like to highlight today a band that received a lot of US hype in its day (N.Y.); and then I will “circle back” to write at least one other “U2” song review.

This review here, is about 1986’s “License to Ill” (justifiably equipped with a parental advisory sticker). It is (at very least) a rated (R) album. “Paul Revere” is one of the songs on there that qualify it as rated “X”, in my view. Though I’ve heard more explicit.

With other albums of its type released in that decade, it gave rise to a mentality and widely accepted belief among young students, that scholasticism and religion could be replaced with perverse privilege, selfish motivations, and violence… a “license” to “get ill”. How seriously should bad advice be taken? That’s not my objective in this post to declare, though I’m sure you know what I might say.

“U2’s” lyrics are poetic and cryptic. They energize in the melancholy. They feature adults’ emotional experience with sorrow. Their lyrics are somewhat contradictory and personal; but, listeners have not to reference outside sources or inquire the musicians’ bio, to somehow understand that to “U2” – love hurts. They are poetic and vague in their album “Achtung Baby”. And still have a great energy. They leave something that just about anyone mature enough, can grab a hold of and sink into, like your pillow.

But “Beastie Boys”? In this album, gentle melancholy is far from it. Judging from track one, they are to shock, rock, and project ego and personal gain, like no one’s business! I first heard of the hype, when I had graduated high school (my best guess). I don’t remember what exact year I bought the tape “License to Ill”. I bought it second hand. They created a really crass, seductive, album, with totally vile lyrics and attitude. But in our youth, that was somewhat appealing to many; and it was a wave to ride before wiping out on a bad message. Along with “Beastie Boys” in its day, were other urban beat-box and scratch (not only from Brooklyn, NY); glam rock; and “Madonna”. “Madonna” in those days, vowing to keep her fictional baby (against her father’s wishes that she not keep her baby) offered actually a gentleness, that others found objectionable (because of her lyrics and female sensuality). She was at that time, opening doors for musicians such as Mariah Carey, Witney Houston, Tony Braxton, and many other strong female solo artists.

“Beastie Boys” provoked by message and tone (as did many songs of the late eighties and nineties), prevalence of attitude (over lyrical substance) – to many teenagers. But, provocation (whether it be through sex, or attitude) was clearly a motive of the prevailing record producers, to reach US and European suburbia in the late eighties and early nineties (of the end of the 20th Century). The “Boys” were not the only to do so; of course, not all music lasts for centuries.

Once more, finding the only album of theirs that I owned (in the shoe-box with my cassettes), I listened this week to my “License to Ill”. After seeing on the cassette insert, that the artists dedicated the album to someone (Doris Keefe), I looked up the name and found some interesting bio information about the “Beastie Boys” family. [See the website: www.beastiemania.com/qa/beastieparents.php]. Until today, I knew nothing about the band’s “roots”. The album “License to Ill”, most definitely promotes a worry free, irresponsible, and violent life attitude…. partying somewhere “dirty”, in “the big apple”.

What I’d like to do now, is study the lyrics in this album, to see if there is any reference that could in some way tell a back story, layered within the hard candy surface. Maybe there are messages deeper; or autobiographical elements of truth?

I’ve read the lyrics for “Paul Revere”. “Paul Revere”? Why this name? Do they despise the British? And if so, is that why in real life, the “Beastie Boys” had “beef” with “British Air” over an advert? Even “Beastie Boys” had sampled guitar riffs from rock “legend” “Led Zeppelin”, in the song “Posse in Effect”. As “U2” lyrics rightly say, “artists steal from each other” and many would agree. “Beastie Boys” no different.

Separate of that conversation, I point out that the cover art depicts quite explicitly – an event we all now know, that has come to pass. The album, “License to Ill”, has a “Def Jam Recordings” date of 1986. This album therefore precedes the 9-11 World Trade Center attack by about 15 years.

The cover art, shows a damaged plane resembling an “American Airlines” jet liner. Likeness resembling those flown on 9-11-2001. That leads me to ask, “What inspired the cover art?” “Was the cover art seen by radical terrorists?” “Did it (the cover art and/or album) inspire the terrorists to do evil?” “Were they answering the album’s conveyance of American haughtiness with evil of epic proportion?”

“And, again why this image? Was the cover artist seeing into the future by some sub-conscious premonition?” “Why did the “Beastie Boys” select this artistic rendition for their album?” “What does it have to do with their music?” “Could they have known something way back then?” “Were the “Beastie Boys” dropping a premonition of their own (known or without knowing)?” “Were they unwittingly messaging?” “Did they just in their ignorance, think it was cool to show their plane as a junker?” “And that it should look like an “American Airline” jet?” “Again, does the cover art
have any relationship at all to the album’s music and lyrics?” “Was the artwork simply a marketing scheme with which to provoke sales of the album in its unique and terrifying imagery, long before anyone could know of such a “copy cat” event?” “Was this coincidence, and we are looking too deeply?”

If you were like me as a teenager, the image stokes fright, though we didn’t have any reason to make any inference beyond that… except that the plane was one owned by the band (fictionally… with its name put on the tail). And, true… many band’s have cover art that in retrospect, is in some way either suggestive, mysterious, unexplained? A lot of it!

So with all this in mind, regardless of the questions, this is more of a review of the material; and so irrespective of the theories about the album illustration, please don’t let your children listen to this album. It’s really not for kids and the profanity is upsetting. It’s essentially as x-rated as many of the rap albums I’ve bought in the 1990’s. Why have I kept them you may ask? Because, art is not always just sweet coconut pulp. And, as we go through life, we have to journey through it. Sometimes wounds heal and we can throw away the past. Sometimes tragedy hurts certain victims far more than others. But, music is a time capsule for everyone. Sometimes it is good to glimpse backward. Because tragedy impacts everyone in some way.

When reaching a point of stability and victory, we can revisit some of our deconstructed past. Some pains are best left behind. But art can bring good memories and bad both, back to our consciousness. In the case of listening to some of this album this week, now that I heard it again, I might go online and read the lyrics of the rest of the tracks. Then, maybe I’ll be better equipped to teach what I’ve learned about this album, to people I know. After all, that is how we learn and grow. We need to study the lyrics of our music. We need to contextualize. And that is an aim of reviewing arts.