Check Your Head

Check Your Head
Studio album by The Beastie Boys
Released	April 21, 1992
Recorded	G-son Studios Atwater Village California, 1991-92
Genre	Alternative hip hop, rap rock, hardcore punk
Length	53:29
Label	Capitol
Producer	Mario Caldato, Jr.
The Beastie Boys chronology
Paul's Boutique (1989) Check Your Head (1992) Ill Communication (1994)

Check Your Head is the third studio album by the Beastie Boys, released on April 21, 1992.

Three years elapsed between the release of Paul's Boutique (the band's second album) and their recording of this album. Check Your Head was recorded at the G-Son Studios in Atwater Village, California in 1991. The album features the popular hits "So Whatcha Want" and "Pass the Mic"; the music videos for both songs are available on the Criterion Collection Beastie Boys Video Anthology DVD set. The album was re-released in 2009 in a number of formats and featured 16 b-sides and rarities as well as a commentary track. The album is extensively broken down track-by-track by Mike D, MCA, Ad-Rock, Mario Caldato Jr., and Money Mark in Brian Coleman's book Check the Technique.

Background

In contrast to their previous album, Paul's Boutique, the Boys returned stylistically to their punk rock roots on Check Your Head, playing their own instruments for the first time on record since their early EPs (although they did provide live instrumentation on at least two songs on Paul's Boutique). Hence photographer Glen E. Friedman's idea to shoot photos with their instrument cases (one of which became the cover). The cover itself is a subtle depiction of the famous Three Wise Monkeys: "See No Evil," "Hear No Evil," and "Speak No Evil." (This theme is revisited in the lyrics of "Finger Lickin' Good.") The album was their first to be fully co-produced by Mario Caldato Jr. Caldato was an engineer on Paul's Boutique and was credited as producer on that album's track "Ask for Janice". The album also marks the first appearance of long time collaborator keyboardist Money Mark.

The Beastie Boys toured with the Rollins Band and Cypress Hill in the spring of 1992 to support Check Your Head.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Robert Christgau
Entertainment Weekly	A
Pitchfork Media	(6.7/10)
RapReviews	(7.5/10)
IGN	(7.8/10)
Rolling Stone
Q Magazine
Drowned in Sound
PopMatters

Rolling Stone - 3.5 Stars - Very Good - "…their most unconventional outing to date…Beneath the seeming chaos, the Beastie Boys have created a harmonious playground out of their musical fantasies…"

Spin - Ranked #12 in Spin Magazine's "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s".

Spin - Ranked #4 in Spin's list of the "20 Best Albums Of The Year".

Alternative Press - Ranked #23 in AP's list of the "Top 99 Of '85-'95".

The Village Voice - Ranked #5 in the Village Voice's list of the 40 Best Albums Of 1992.

PitchforkMedia - Ranked # 34 in Pitchfork Media's list of the Top 100 Albums of the 1990s.

Track listing

All tracks by Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz and Adam Yauch, except as indicated.

1. "Jimmy James" – 3:14
2. "Funky Boss" – 1:35
3. "Pass the Mic" – 4:17
4. "Gratitude" – 2:45
5. "Lighten Up" – 2:41
6. "Finger Lickin' Good" – 3:39
7. "So What'cha Want" – 3:37
8. "The Biz vs. The Nuge" – 0:33
9. "Time for Livin'" – 1:48 (Sly & the Family Stone)
10. "Something's Got to Give" – 3:28
11. "The Blue Nun" – 0:32
12. "Stand Together"– 2:47
13. "POW" – 2:13
14. "The Maestro" – 2:52
15. "Groove Holmes" – 2:33
16. "Live at P.J.'s" – 3:18
17. "Mark on the Bus" – 1:05
18. "Professor Booty" – 4:13
19. "In 3's" – 2:23
20. "Namasté" – 4:01

Japanese bonus tracks

21. "Dub The Mic (Instrumental)"
22. "Drunken Praying Mantis Style"
23. "Skills to Pay the Bills (Pass the Mic, Pt. 2)"
24. "Netty's Girl"

2009 Remastered Edition Bonus Disc

1. "Dub The Mic (Instrumental)" - 4:30
2. "Pass The Mic (Pt2, Skills To Pay The Bills)" - 4:25
3. "Drunken Praying Mantis Style" - 2:40
4. "Netty's Girl" - 3:24
5. "The Skills To Pay The Bills (Original Version)" - 3:16
6. "So What'cha Want (Soul Assassins Remix Version)" - 4:08
7. "So What'cha Want (Butt Naked Version)" - 3:29
8. "Groove Holmes (Live vs The Biz)" - 6:13
9. "So What'cha Want (All The Way Live Freestyle Version)" - 3:39
10. "Stand Together (Live at French's Tavern, Sydney Australia)" - 2:32
11. "Finger Lickin' Good (Government Cheese Remix)" - 4:15
12. "Gratitude (Live at Budokan 9-16-92)" - 4:28
13. "Honky Rink" - 2:13
14. "Jimmy James (Original Original Version)" - 3:44
15. "Boomin' Granny" - 2:18
16. "Drinkin' Wine" - 4:42

Personnel

Beastie Boys:

• Ad-Rock – Vocals, guitar
• Mike D – Vocals, drums
• MCA – Vocals, bass

Other:

• Marcel Hall - Vocals on "The Biz Vs. The Nuge"
• James Bradley, Jr. – Percussion
• Drew Lawrence – Percussion
• Money Mark – Organ, synthesizer, keyboards, clavinet, wurlitzer
• Art Oliva – Percussion
• Juanito Vazquez – Percussion, conga, cuica

Technical personnel

• Tom Baker – Mastering
• Beastie Boys – Producer
• Mario Caldato, Jr. – Producer, engineer
• Glen E. Friedman – Photography

Partial list of samples

The following lists some songs and sounds sampled for Check Your Head.

"Jimmy James"

• "Rockin' It" by Fearless Four
• "Fresh Is the Word" by Mantronix
• "Beat Bop" by Rammelzee vs. K Rob
• "Surrender" by Cheap Trick (Live version from Cheap Trick at Budokan)
• "I'm Chief Kamanawanalea (We're the Royal Macadamia Nuts)" by The Turtles
• "3rd Stone from the Sun", "Foxy Lady", "Happy Birthday", and "Still Raining, Still Dreaming" by Jimi Hendrix

"Funky Boss"

• "Funky Worm" by Ohio Players
• "Under Mi Sensi" by Barrington Levy
• "Anywhere But Nowhere" by K.C. White
• "Acid" and "Bicentennial Nigger" by Richard Pryor
• "Duppy Conqueror" by Bob Marley & the Wailers

"Pass the Mic"

• "Choir" by James Newton
• "The Black Prince Has Arrived" by Jimmie Walker
• "Big Take Over" by Bad Brains
• "So Wat Cha Sayin'" by EPMD
• "Big Sur Suite" by Johnny "Hammond" Smith
• "I Walk on Guilded Splinters" by Johnny Jenkins
• "I Wanna Know If It's Good to You" by Funkadelic

"Finger Lickin' Good"

• "Aquarius" by The 5th Dimension
• "Breakout" by Johnny "Hammond" Smith
• "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" by Bob Dylan
• "Dance to the Music" by Sly & the Family Stone
• "Freaks for the Festival" by Rahsaan Roland Kirk

"So What'cha Want"

• "When The Levee Breaks" by Led Zeppelin
• "Just Rhymin' With Biz" by Big Daddy Kane featuring Biz Markie
• "I've Been Watching You" by Southside Movement

"The Biz vs. The Nuge"

• "Homebound" by Ted Nugent

"The Blue Nun"

• "On Wine: How To Select and Serve" by Peter M. F. Sichel and Sondra Bianca
• "Hector" by The Village Callers

"Stand Together"

• "Slivadiv" by Back Door
• "Be Black Baby" by Grady Tate
• "Kissing My Love" by Cold Blood

"Live at P.J.'s"

• "Change Le Beat" by Fab Five Freddy featuring Beeside

"Mark on the Bus"

• Dialogue from the film Wild Style
• "Mr. Roberts #1" from National Lampoon's That's Not Funny, That's Sick! (1977)
• Dialogue from a bootleg recording of pioneering black metal band Venom's 1986 performance at City gardens, New Jersey

"Professor Booty"

• Dialogue from Wild Style
• "Give It Up" by Kool & the Gang
• "Loose Booty" by Funkadelic
• "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More, Babe" by Jimmy Smith

Chart positions

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1992	The Billboard 200	10
1992	Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums	37

Singles

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1992	So What'cha Want	The Billboard Hot 100	93
1992	So What'cha Want	Hot Dance Music/Max-Singles Sales	26
1992	So What'cha Want	Hot Rap Singles	18
1992	So What'cha Want	Modern Rock Tracks	22
1992	Pass The Mic	Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	38
1992	Jimmy James
1992	Gratitude

References

• "Beastie Boys - Check Your Head CD". CDUniverse.com. Product Detail. http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1109343&desc=1&activetab=Product%20Detail#Product%20Detail. Retrieved 10 October 2011.