Amazon.co.jp
いくつになっても世界中のスケーターたちのお兄さん、そして日本において、必要以上とも思える絶対的支持力と影響力をもつビースティーズの1stアルバム。当時、彼らがやってのけたAC/DCやツェッペリンをサンプリングしたあげくハードコアに置き換えてしまうというセンスはかなりかっこよかったし、年月を経た今もなおそれが色あせないというのはすごいことである。後のスケーターズ・ブームを、そしてMTV世代をたたき上げることになる彼らの、記念的かつ歴史的1枚。ビースティーズ未聴者は、まずはこれから。(青木まう)
Amazon.com essential recording
The joke of
Licensed to Ill's cover--that the Beasties could crash their jet into the side of a mountain and keep on tickin'--serves as a good metaphor for a career that even some of their 1986 admirers thought might be over after the one-time-only shock of this full-length debut. That thousands of funk-junkie wannabes have since failed at re-creating its groove, breaking-the-law vibe, and ear-splitting mix of rock and rap is an even better joke. And funniest of all is the record itself, which packs dexterous boasts, aural puns, and lots and lots of yelling into a disc that can still be listened to with as much pleasure as it gave in '86.
--Rickey Wright