Beastie Boys

"I had these rough mixes on the album -- mixes that had no EQ; just pan, volume and a reverb send. Like 'Ricky's Theme.' That's basically the rough mix coming off the monitor section of this old board" - Mario Caldato, 1994

"This song came out of a jam where I was playing drums. I was playing, then Money Mark started with the keyboards. Soon after, both Ad-Rock and MCA joined in. Mike D. was on a business call while we were jamming. Whenever I could, I would jump on the drums. As always, Mario C. recorded the jam onto tape, and we figured out the song structure. I later overdubbed the percussion. The title came from Ad-Rock, from what I remember. The Ricky he was talking about was none other than Ricky Powell. I remember that the Rickster was pretty tripped out about the title. The vibe of the song seemed to fit Ricky perfectly. The song incidently was the first song that I had recorded with me playing drums. I also got to play drums when we would do the song live, which was cool with me." - Eric Bobo, March 2003

Press

"The band bends the hip-hop tip into ambient textures on 'Ricky's Theme,' a quiet number with shimmering, loungey keyboards" - Impact, June 1994

"...[a] slick, funk-inspired instrumental" - Time, 1994

"...[a] downbeat instrumental [that was a] Beastly answer to alternative rock and acid jazz" - Entertainment Weekly, 1998