Saturday, June 29, 2019

#76 - License to Ill: Beastie Boys (1986)


I don’t know nuthin about no Beastie Boys. That said, that is one cool album cover.

What’s really interesting, though, is the full cover:


Some people thinks it looks kinda like a joint. And, of course, if you hold it up to a mirror, “3ATM3” says “eat me.” Great stuff, great stuff.

The idea was producer Rick Rubin’s. According to genius.com “after reading a biography about Led Zeppelin’s success, he saw that they had a private jet. Rick Rubin then thought about how the lives of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, Big Bopper, and some of the original members of Lynyrd Skynyrd were taken by airplane crashes. What better way to announce a new band than crashing their jet into the side of a mountain? He also said that it was like a Mad Magazine Fold-In. Looking at the standard album cover and opening up the gatefold imitates that same feeling.” Man, the guy’s a genius!

The painting was by David Gambale, AKA World B. Omes. 


Not sure if he’s known for anything else.  His only other credit on discogs is for a parody!


Interestingly, the original was sold on Antiques Roadshow.

So, the Internets tell me they’re a white rap group from the 80s and 90s. In fact, they were the biggest selling rap group ever. They have no less than 7 platinum albums, and are in the Rock’n Roll HoF. Sorry, I tuned out at “white rap group.”


Yo, yo, yo

They were very diverse with their album covers. Here are a few more I like:




Surprisingly few parodies out there. Eminem, though did a very direct homage to the cover – and Los Beasty Ones – with his Kamikaze:




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