Beastie Boys have released their 1995 hardcore punk EP Aglio E Oglio on all streaming services. The move comes 25 years after its initial release. After their 1994 hip hop, punk rock, jazz and funk-driven, Ill Communication was released, the band went back to their hardcore roots by releasing Aglio E Oglio. “Aglio” and “olio” mean “garlic” and “oil” in Italian, which is supposedly a metaphor for the simplistic approach of the EP.
The eight-track EP was originally released as a 12″ vinyl by Beastie Boys (in conjuction with Capitol Records) own L.A. based record label Grand Royal. It featured eight songs in 11 minutes, wasn’t overstated — it was just Adrock, MCA and Mike D. rolling back the years. It was also released on CD.
In a 1999 interview, Mike D said the EP came about because they had too many hardcore songs for their upcoming 1998 album Hello Nasty.
“Soon we realized that we had way too many hardcore songs to possibly put on the next album, so we decided to release them all together as an EP.”
Mike D – NME 1999
The version available on streaming services doesn’t include two bonus tracks — “Soba Violence” and a cover of The Doors’ “Light My Fire” — that were released on the physical version in 1995.
Last week, it was announced that the Beastie Boys would be releasing another career-spanning compilation. A film and photo book about the group were also released this year. It’s out on Oct. 23.
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Everyone should have a soundtrack playing loudly in the background of their life. I was born moshing to my own beat and have never swayed from my love of music. Spreading my passion through the written word is my soul’s purpose. My punk heart beats loudly with the rhythm of my rock soul. I plan to continue to mosh like no one gives a shit.
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