Midweek must-watch: Beastie Boys - 'Sabotage' live on Letterman

'Ill Communication' just turned 30. I know. But this video makes me feel 16 again

Welcome (or welcome back) to Record Shop Stories, a lovingly produced weekly newsletter about independent record stores - the people who run them, the people who cherish them, and the stories that live behind the counter. I also send regular free posts like this one about mind-blowing music videos on YouTube (top tip – watch these in the Substack app to avoid the ads!).

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The Beastie Boys’ incredible fourth album, Ill Communication, has just turned 30. Like many, I’ve had trouble coming to terms with this fact.

I can still remember exactly where I was when I bought it – at the Virgin Megastore in Norwich, after sixth form had wrapped up for the day. Two mates and I went and picked up a copy each, then played it on loop for weeks…

This is not a remarkable tale for anyone of a similar age to me, of course. Whether you were into hip-hop, skater hardcore punk or wah-wah funk, the Beastie Boys crossed divides like few other bands in the often-tribal teenage music world.

Ill Communication has never really gone off loop for me since. There are so many stand-out tracks that it seems almost unfair to pick just one for today’s post.

I toyed with the 70s cop-show schtick of the official video for ‘Sabotage’ - possibly my favourite MTV music vid of all time. Three guys in Aviators clearly having the time of their lives on record company expenses. I could easily have gone with the ‘Root Down’ video too – a superb visual mixtape of 90s hip-hop Manhattan.

But I like to choose a live track for these if I can. So here is Sabotage, live on the Letterman show in ’94. It’s a glorious melting pot of everything they were doing at the time, and a good chunk of what the 90s alternative scene was doing, full stop.

‘Sabotage’ always slings me right back to that May school-day afternoon all over again. As it does to every one of the 30 years since, when I’ve blasted it through headphones, speakers, or in the car.

I feel lucky to have seen them live in London for the Hello Nasty tour in ’99 - I know a few of you reading this were there for that too… and will remember that set-closer ‘Sabotage’ sent us off, ears ringing, into the night.

But hey, that’s my brief Ill Communication story. What’s yours? Leave it down below… I’d love to hear it.

Peace, love and music.

Rich

PS If you enjoyed this, check out my interview with DJ BobaFatt, where we talked about his cracking new Ill Communication Block Party mix for BBC 6 Music, and much more…