the album gathers 20 of the Beastie Boys ’ best-known tracks including MTV staples and radio hits and presents them chronologically in this 2xLP package . Side one is dedicated entirely to Licensed to Ill . The bratty and misogynistic “ Girls ” is omitted in favor of the inevitable “ Fight for Your Right ,” slinky “ Brass Monkey ,” defiant “ No Sleep Till Brooklyn ,” the outlaw ’ s shaggy dog story “ Paul Revere ” and cocky “ Hold It Now , Hit It .” The sample-heavy pastiche and innovation of the Dust Brothers-produced Paul ’ s Boutique ( aka “ the Sgt . Pepper of hip-hop ”) marked an evolutionary leap for Beastie Boys and is represented by three tracks including “ Shake Your Rump ” and “ Hey Ladies .” 1992 ’ s Check Your Head found the band veering back toward commercial appeal and rock band instrumentation ( including the entrance of keyboardist “ Money Mark ” Nishita ) on tracks like “ So What ’ Cha Want .” The formula was perfected with 1994 ’ s Ill Communication , which gave the band its second # 1 album . The feral “ Sabotage ” ( and its Spike Jonzedirected cop-show homage / parody video ) opened the floodgates . The song ’ s lyric was written by Adam “ Ad-Rock ” Horowitz as an angry venting session following a paparazzi ambush at the funeral for actor and friend River Phoenix . The arrangement is driven by MCA ’ s furious fuzz-bass and Mike “ Mike D ” Diamond ’ s thrashing drums . The album also featured “ Root Down ” and “ Sure Shot .” The latter song included a feminist statement from MCA expressing the desire to undo a measure of the band ’ s admittedly disrespectful “ boys will be boys ” hijinks from earlier years . Hello Nasty continued the hot streak in 1998 with “ Intergalactic ” and “ Body Movin ’,” benefitting from the addition of Mix Master Mike as turntablist . To the Five Boroughs ( featuring “ Ch-Check it Out ”) was a third consecutive chart-topper

and spoke to the repercussions of the 9 / 11 terror attacks on the band ’ s hometown . Beastie Boys ’ final album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two arrived in 2011 . The completed Part 1 had been shelved after the 2009 announcement of Yauch ’ s illness . Beastie Boys Music concludes with Part 2 ’ s celebratory “ Make Some Noise ” and “ Don ’ t Play No Game That I Can ’ t Win .” The 2xLP package is mastered to heavyweight vinyl . Beastie Boys Music serves as a great party mix and travelogue through Beastie Boys ’ journey from snot-nosed but clever punks toward maturity and social awareness that never lost its witty , funloving streak .

– Jeff Elbel

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NEW ORDER Power , Corruption & Lies Definitive Edition

( Warners Bros )

It ' s hard to underestimate how uncertain things looked for New Order in 1983 on the heels of their 1981 album , the Joy Division-ish Movement , the band had moved away from the sorrow of J . D . Singer Ian Curtis ' death on more gothy 1982 dance singles " Temptation " and " Everything ' s Gone Green ," But the twin punch of genre changing dance single " Blue Monday " with it rapid fire drum and synth rhythm track and the lovely synths of Power Corruption and Lies changed the face of rock and disco merging forever . Lead track " Age of Consent " has become a staple of the " 120 Minutes " crowd since the ' 80s but in 1983 its almost laughable how foreign sounding Peter Hook ' s heavily chorused basslines and Steven Morris ' frenetic drumming sounded yolked with Bernard Sumner ' s sticky melodies . Trading their guitars for primitive synths (" 5-8-6 ," " Your Silent Face ") showed fans a direction they ' d not anticipated . PW & C Definitive edition adds demo versions of classic tracks and out of print ( BBC ) Peel Session versions

-John Vernon

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was released on Songs and Music from She ’ s the One . A 1997 San Francisco performance of “ It ’ s Good to Be King ” stretches past 11 minutes , but the song ’ s blissful mood and

Epstein ’ s loping bass groove make the time pass in the blink of an eye . During the band ’ s breakdown for “ You Wreck Me ” from Boston in 2014 , Campbell ’ s soloing channels Jerry Garcia before Blair and Ferrone kick back into a thundering finish . Tench cites a version of “ Wake Up Time ” recorded at Chicago ’ s Vic Theatre in 2003 as a personal favorite .

An immersive 9xLP Super Deluxe edition includes the Finding Wildflowers set with 16 alternate versions from the studio to illustrate further the musical risks taken as Petty ’ s songs evolved between July 1992 and July 1994 . The set contains studio versions of “ Drivin ’ Down to Georgia ” and “ Girl on LSD ,” and the only available version of the droning rocker “ You Saw Me Comin ’” ( with Lynch on drums ). An early version of “ Crawling Back to You ” with Lynch ’ s heavy drums and Campbell ’ s rumbling power chords sounds closer to a Hard Promises track like “ A Woman in Love ( It ’ s Not Me )” than the anguished and emotional Wildflowers version . Ringo Starr drums an early version of “ Wildflowers .” Think about that – Petty

was ultimately so sure of his vision that he decided against retaining a guest spot by a Beatle .

There ’ s little to criticize in this set , which was clearly assembled with affection , respect and care . Anew mix or surround sound wouldn ’ t have been necessary , but it ’ s perhaps surprising that the deluxe versions don ’ t include a DVD or Blu-ray disc with high-definition audio . Anything to bring the listener closer to the sonic quality Petty ’ s team heard in the studio would have been a delicacy . Such a disc could also have included the 400 Days documentary film , previously available on 2009 ’ s The Live Anthology , and recently made available on Petty ’ s YouTube channel .

Rick Rubin ’ s thumbprint as Wildflowers producer wasn ’ t as audible as Lynne ’ s signature sound on Petty ’ s previous two albums . Co-producing with Campbell lent a sense of agelessness to the album that allowed Petty ’ s own personality to shine through , heightened by the songwriting ’ s personal nature . Wildflowers & All the Rest is a spectacular collection that honors the work and the artist . Many fans lamented when this set didn ’ t arrive for the album ’ s 20th anniversary or 25th anniversary ( the latter due to Tom ’ s passing ), but this was clearly rendered with loving care by Tom ’ s musical family and heirs . “ Thank you all so much . I hope you had a great time ,” says Petty as the final notes from an encore of “ Wildflowers ” fade from the live disc . If you ’ re a fan , it ’ s a safe bet that you did .

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