The Mix-Up

The Mix-Up
Studio album by Beastie Boys
Released June 26, 2007
Recorded 2006–2007 at Oscilloscope Laboratories, New York, New York City
Genre Industrial rock, post-rock, post-punk, funk rock, jazz fusion
Length 42:43
Label Capitol
Producer Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys chronology
To the 5 Boroughs
(2004)		 The Mix-Up
(2007)		 Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
(2011)
Singles from The Mix-Up
  1. "Electric Worm"
    Released: 2007
  2. "Off the Grid"
    Released: 2007

The Mix-Up is the seventh studio album by the Beastie Boys, released on June 26, 2007. The album consists entirely of instrumental performances and won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album.[1]

Background

On May 1, 2007, an e-mail sent to those on the Beastie Boys' mailing list revealed the album is all instrumental.

“ OK, here's our blurb about our new album — it spits hot fire! — hot shit! it's official... it's named THE MIX-UP. g'wan. all instrumental record. "see i knew they were gonna do that!" that's a quote from you. check the track listing and cover below. you love us. don't you?" ”

On June 21, 2007, a legal stream of the entire album was released on BrooklynVegan.com.[2] Drummer Mike D said that "even though The Mix-Up is a 'post-punk instrumental' album, the Beasties have no plans to ditch vocals for good. In fact, they are currently planning another version of the album that will feature collaborations with 'a pretty wide array' of 'mostly newer' vocalists."[3] Two singers speculated to be featured on the vocal version were Jarvis Cocker and M.I.A..[4]

In an interview with The Aquarian Weekly, published in February 2008, the band was asked if they were making a statement about the status of hip-hop music by releasing an album strictly of instrumentals. “In a way, the album was a reaction to our hip hop," said Ad-Rock "Our last record was an all rap record, so when we started recording [The Mix Up] we wanted to work with some instruments, and it just sounded cool, so we kept with it.” [5] Mike D expanded on Ad-Rock's response, adding, "We get asked, ‘What do you think of the state of hip hop today?’ a lot. Maybe I’m being defensive, but it seems like people always look for us to come out and criticize hip hop. But hip hop is what we grew up on, and it continues to be one of the only forms of music left that strives on evolution and innovation. Yeah, we might be in a spell where we’re waiting for that next record to come out and change everything—but still, that’s what hip hop is and that’s what puts it in its unique place.” [5]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(61/100)[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[7]
The A.V. Club(B) [8]
Entertainment Weekly(C+) [9]
NME[10]
Robert Christgau [11]
Stylus Magazine(B−)[12]
PopMatters[13]
Pitchfork Media(4.6/10) [14]
Rolling Stone [15]
Vibe[16]

The album debuted at number 15 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling 44,000 copies in its first week.[17] It is their lowest charting album in the US so far, the highest being Hello Nasty, which debuted at number one.[18] Uncut magazine gave it four stars out of five, saying "The Mix-Up is the best record collection ever thoroughly digested and re-imagined by a bunch of guys in love with sound."[19] The Mix-Up won a Grammy in the Best Pop Instrumental category.[1]

Track listing

No. Title Length
1. "B for My Name"   3:31
2. "14th St. Break"   3:34
3. "Suco de Tangerina"   3:17
4. "The Gala Event"   3:47
5. "Electric Worm"   3:15
6. "Freaky Hijiki"   3:05
7. "Off the Grid"   4:36
8. "The Rat Cage"   3:37
9. "The Melee"   3:10
10. "Dramastically Different"   3:57
11. "The Cousin of Death"   3:06
12. "The Kangaroo Rat"   3:28
13. "Biscuits and Butter" (iTunes bonus track) 4:19
The Mix-Up Bonus Tracks - EP[20]
No. Title Length
1. "Politickin'"   3:57
2. "Beasley Is a Beast"   3:49
3. "LTD"   3:12
4. "The Panda Rat"   3:40
5. "The Mix-Up"   3:34
6. "Fibonacci Sequence"   3:13

Personnel

Beastie Boys
Additional musicians
Technical personnel

Charts

Chart (2007) Peak
position
scope="row" US Billboard 200[21] 15

References

  1. 1 2 Grammy Winners List
  2. ↑ BrooklynVegan.com
  3. ↑ Mike D. Talks New Beastie Boys Instrumental Album
  4. ↑ Bizarre Beastie Boys Update - Second Edition of new Album "The Mix-Up" to feature vocals and remixes
  5. 1 2 The Beastie Boys: Still Mixing It Up, by Daniel Alleva, The Aquarian Weekly, 2/27/08
  6. ↑ "The Mix-Up Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More". Metacritic. 2007-06-26. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  7. ↑ The Mix-Up at AllMusic
  8. ↑ Rabin, Nathan (2007-06-26). "Beastie Boys: The Mix-Up | Music | Music Review". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  9. ↑ Douglas Wolk (2007-06-22). "The Mix-Up Review | Music Reviews and News". EW.com. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  10. ↑ "NME Album Reviews - Beastie Boys". Nme.Com. 2007-06-18. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  11. ↑ "CG: beastie boys". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  12. ↑ "The Beastie Boys - The Mix-Up - Review". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  13. ↑ Schiller, Mike. "Beastie Boys: The Mix-Up < PopMatters". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  14. ↑ "Beastie Boys: The Mix-Up | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. 2007-06-26. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  15. ↑ Rob Sheffield (2007-06-13). "The Mix Up | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  16. ↑ Vibe Magazine - "Maybe The Mix-Up woks simply because it does nothing terribily wrong."
  17. ↑ Jonathan Cohen, "Cyrus Sidesteps Clarkson To Debut At No. 1", Billboard.com, July 4, 2007.
  18. ↑ UK chart log
  19. ↑ Uncut (p.96) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "THE MIX-UP is the best record collection ever thoroughly digested and re-imagined by a bunch of guys in love with sound."
  20. ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-mix-up-bonus-tracks-ep/id716427625
  21. ↑ "Beastie Boys – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Beastie Boys. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
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