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6 June 2008
A documentary recording released in 1998 called 'The Beast Inside' although not very common, has been known to collectors for a while, but until recently we did not know about a CDR version.
Released in a jewel case with BBC Radio International labels, we have no idea how many were created, but it can't be too many as this is the first one we have seen since it came out ten years ago.
Discography : The Beast Inside Radio Documentary CDR : UK [PD0016001] (Promo)
Discography : The Beast Inside Radio Documentary MC : UK (Promo)
6 February 2008
Remember when Grand Royal closed and went up for auction? There was a stack of interesting items in the auction that the winner would get, and a lot of those items were DAT tapes. Unfortunately there were no cool Beastie Boys items listed, it was all material by the other Grand Royal artists.
This is the sort of thing we wanted to see in that auction - a Beastie Boys Root Down DAT.
Dated the 27th of April 1995, this features the tracks that were released on the Canadian and UK 12", but unlike those 12"s where the Israeli Radio Commercial is hidden at the end, this is listed on the sleeve as "So What'Cha Want (Israeli Version)".
Discography : Root Down DAT : US
9 December 2007
How is it that the "So What'Cha Want" single was released 15 years ago and we have only just recently discovered that there was a second country that pressed up a vinyl version?
We all know about the American pressing, but did you know there was also one made in Germany? It features the same artwork as it's counterpart, but only contains 3 tracks and not 7.
Very similar to the German "Jimmy James" 12", the vinyl labels use the classic Capitol Records design (like Paul's Boutique) and not the newer design like the American ones.
With the unearthing of this release, there is now a bigger question - is there a German pressing for "Gratitude" or "Pass the Mic"?
Discography : So What'Cha Want 12" : DE [7243 8 80141 6]
24 October 2007
Did you know that Zimbabwe used to release vinyl? We certainly didn't, which is why this rare find was a total surprise.
A pressing of Licensed To Ill (or as the labels state "Licenced To Ill") with the text "Manufactured and Marketed by Zimbabwee Music Corporation" printed on the back.
This has the came catalogue number as the South African pressing, but the vinyl labels look totally different.
What other countries out there released Beastie Boys vinyl that we don't know about yet?
Discography : Licensed To Ill LP : ZW [KSF 3159]
21 March 2007
Another Test Pressing out of the vaults... a Get It Together 12" pressed by Rainbo Records in 1994.
What makes this so special is the fact that it does not match any existing records that we know of. There is one track on the record - the Clean Version, which is repeated on the second side.
The catalogue number is "SPRO 79367" but this was not used for any other Beastie Boys releases. Was this 12" used simply to check the sound quality of the Clean Version, was it actually going to be pressed as a Promo with the Clean Version on each side? (doubtful), was it a mispressing that should have contained a different mix on the b-side? Who knows?
Discography : Get It Together 12" : US [SPRO 79367] (Test Pressing)
18 October 2006
An interesting item for both Beastie Boys and Grand Royal collectors today. This is the Test Pressing for the Scientists Of Sound 12", which was the first in the "Blow Up Factor" series.
What is interesting though is that this has the original catalogue number which was intended for this release (GR063) etched into the runout groove and stamped on the vinyl label. This record was released commercially with the revised catalogue number of "GR071".
"GR063" was later used for 'Mic Reaction' by DJ Strictnine & Paranorm which coincidently was the second 12" released in the "Blow Up Factor" series.
Confused yet? ;)
Discography : Scientists Of Sound 12" : US [GR071] (The Blow Up Factor Vol.1) (Test Pressing)
27 September 2006
Not so much an old release, but more one that slipped by us when it was released. This is a 5 track Promotional DVD released to promote To The 5 Boroughs.
It features 5 clips directed by James Frost, with track snippets from the album accompanying each one.
At this stage we only know of one collector with one of these so they seem extremely rare.
Discography : 5 Blips For 5 Boroughs DVD : US (Promo)
13 September 2006
Hurricane never really made it to the same level as some of the other Grand Royal acts which is why this release is that little bit more special.
A promo cassette containing an appearance he did for the London based "Tim Westwood Radio Show" recorded in April of 1995. Two Hurricane tracks are played ("Comin' Off" and "Pass Me The Gun") along with an interview.
The thing that sets this show apart though is that along for the ride are also legendary groups The Roots and Gravediggaz, featuring Prince Paul. Everyone ends up beatboxing and freestyling in an hour long jam session.
Discography : Tim Westwood Radio Show MC : UK (Promo)
30 July 2006
We have been chatting to someone who used to work at Capitol and that's where this next gem comes from.
A Promo Cassette containing Instrumentals of 13x tracks from Paul's Boutique.
Apparently the label was considering re-releasing Paul's Boutique together with this Instrumental version of the album as a double pack. It was pressed by Chop Em Out (Capitol UK's mastering company of choice at that time) on a Chrome Super II cassette on the 17th of July 1992, and only 10 copies exist.
Discography : Paul's Boutique Instrumentals MC : UK (Promo)
19 April 2006
If you were one of the lucky radio listeners on 99X you too could have seen the Beastie Boys in a very exclusive gig and received a copy of that gig on a unique Promo CD.
This CD was recorded at the competition winner's gig on the 15th of October in 2004, and not only features the three live tracks that were recorded, but also the interview that was conducted. The version of 'Right Right Now Now' from this recording is featured on the '99X Live X 10 (Recently)' CD.
As only 50 of these were created, the chances of finding one - hmmm, not too good.
Discography : 99X - Live X CD5 : US (Promo)
20 March 2006
Up until recently most of us only knew of the French version of the Cookie Puss 12" being released with a picture sleeve. That is until two important factors came into play: (1) some observant person noticed that their copy didn't have "Made in France" on the vinyl label or the back of the sleeve, and (2) a Test Pressing was found made by Mayking Records.
Pressed on the 9th of April 1984, the Test Pressing shows that (most likely) the French and English copies were pressed a year after the American copies were released. This Test Pressing was actually pressed in France (Hence the french "Avril" on the stamp) but done for the UK release (hence the Mayking labels).
Note that both the English and French versions originally came with an insert (though the UK version is slightly smaller) and that on the English pressing, the A-Side vinyl label is on the B-Side and vice versa.
Discography : Cookie Puss 12" : UK [MOTR 26] (Test Pressing)
Discography : Cookie Puss 12" : UK [MOTR 26]
Discography : Cookie Puss 12" : FR [MOTR 26]
[Thanks to Colm for helping out on the investigation along with Nick who used to work for Mayking]
30 July 2005
By the time that Ill Communication was released in 1994, vinyl pressings in Europe were definately in decline from the glory days of a decade before. That is what makes this pressings such a great find. It was pressed in Greece, and at the time that we write this, the only other Greek vinyl pressings that we know of are for the 'Shes On It' 12", 'Licensed To Ill' LP and 'Pauls Boutique' LP. The discovery of this double LP creates the question "Is there a Greek vinyl pressing for 'Check Your Head' as well?".
Another curious aspect of this release is that it uses the Capitol Records vinyl labels (as seen on the Paul's Boutique LP) as opposed to the other Ill Communication albums we have seen that have Grand Royal vinyl labels.
Discography : Ill Communication 2LP : GR [7243 8 29398 1 8]
13 May 2005
Who knows if it was a translation problem, a typing mistake or simply an oversight, but some versions of the Licensed To Ill LP pressed in Spain were mispressed.
The sleeves on these copies are identical to the normal Spanish versions but the difference lies with the vinyl-labels. The mispressed labels have named the album "Licensed To Kill", which is obviously where the title originates, but is not the actual name of the album.
A few of these copies have surfaced, though we have no idea how many were pressed before the error was discovered. For those people who already own the Spanish LP, dig it out now and check to see if you have one of the mispressings!
Discography : Licensed To Ill LP : ES [DEF 450062 1] (Mispressed)
Discography : Licensed To Ill LP : ES [DEF 450062 1]
31 December 2004
Although most Luscious Jackson items aren't considered as collectable as releases by the Beastie Boys, some of them are just as rare or more so.
This 12" is a Promo copy of the band's first EP, 'In Search Of Manny'. The American pressing was released by Grand Royal, but in the UK it was pressed by Big Cat Records. This UK 12" has a similar catalogue number to the commerically released version [ABB46 X] but as it was a promo, the 'X' has been replaced with a 'P' [ABB46 P]. The vinyl labels are blank and the record is housed in a plain die-cut sleeve, possibly because the artwork was not finished by this stage.
A press release was also included which explains who the band is, the reason for the album name and the origins of the band name.
Discography : In Search Of Manny 12" : UK [ABB46 P] (Promo)
8 October 2004
In the Discography we already have a Test Pressing for the Yellow Vinyl version of The In Sound From Way Out! (with the test pressing actually being clear and not yellow). Well now we have another Test Pressing. This is on standard black vinyl and might seem quite boring, but for the collectors amongst us, it's a cool a find.
The A-Side label features the pressing plant logo with the matrix number and date of pressing, while the B-Side is blank. The sleeve is also plain with the only bit of information being the matrix number and the date. The date (17-May-95) is a great feature as with most of the older releases it's hard to pinpoint when they were actually pressed with any accuracy.
Discography : The In Sound From Way Out! LP : US [GR 013] (Test Pressing)
8 September 2004
Picture Discs are always a nice addition to a collection because generally they're a bit more exciting to look at than a piece of black wax. But when you have a Test Pressing of a Picture Disc, that's something to really get excited about. This is the uncut Test Pressing for the Girls 7" which was released in 1987 in England. The final version was cut into the shape of a Medallion (VW style) - this copy is still in the original circular format before it was shaped.
Discography : Girls 7" : UK [BEAST W3] (Shaped Picture Disc) (Test Pressing)
3 September 2004
Something which has eluded a lot of the collectors out there has been this little gem picked up recently by Beastiemania.com's own Beastienut. The 'Three MC's And One DJ' Canadian pressed one track promo CD5 was rumoured to exist but we here at Beastiemania hadn't seen one ourselves. Like the Promo 12" that was also released in Canada, it features Three MCs without including 'Remote Control' like all of the English and European versions. The disc itself is similar to the Nasty Bits Promo CD5 (which again was pressed in Canada), but is white and has a square image in the middle.
Discography : Three MC's And One DJ CD5 : CA [DPRO 1801] (Promo)
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