The Mix-Up

The Mix-Up is the seventh studio album by Beastie Boys, released on June 26, 2007. The album consists entirely of instrumental performances and won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album.[6]

The Mix-Up
Studio album by
Beastie Boys
ReleasedJune 26, 2007
Recorded2006–2007
StudioOscilloscope Laboratories, New York City
Genre
Length42:43
LabelCapitol
ProducerBeastie 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

Background

On May 1, 2007, an e-mail sent to those on 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.[7] 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."[8] Two singers speculated to be featured on the vocal version were Jarvis Cocker and M.I.A..[9]

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.” [10] 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.” [10]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic61/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[5]
The A.V. Club(B) [12]
Entertainment Weekly(C+)[4]
NME[2]
Robert Christgau [13]
Stylus Magazine(B−)[14]
PopMatters[15]
Pitchfork Media(4.6/10) [16]
Rolling Stone [17]
Vibe[18]

The album debuted at number 15 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling 44,000 copies in its first week.[19] It was their lowest charting album in the US. 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."[20] The Mix-Up won a Grammy in the Best Pop Instrumental category.[6]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
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[21]
No.TitleLength
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

  • Jon Weiner – engineer
  • Greg Calbi – mastering
  • Bill McMullen – illustration, package design

Charts
Chart (2007) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[22] 15

References
  1. Mitchum, Rob (June 26, 2007). "Beastie Boys: The". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  2. "NME Album Reviews - Beastie Boys". Nme.Com. June 18, 2007. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  3. Schiller, Mike (June 25, 2007). "Beastie Boys: The Mix-Up". PopMatters. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  4. Douglas Wolk (June 22, 2007). "The Mix-Up Review | Music Reviews and News". EW.com. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  5. The Mix-Up at AllMusic
  6. Grammy Winners List
  7. BrooklynVegan.com
  8. Mike D. Talks New Beastie Boys Instrumental Album
  9. Bizarre Beastie Boys Update - Second Edition of new Album "The Mix-Up" to feature vocals and remixes
  10. The Beastie Boys: Still Mixing It Up, by Daniel Alleva, The Aquarian Weekly, 2/27/08
  11. "The Mix-Up Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More". Metacritic. June 26, 2007. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  12. Rabin, Nathan (June 26, 2007). "Beastie Boys: The Mix-Up | Music | Music Review". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  13. "CG: beastie boys". Robert Christgau. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  14. "The Beastie Boys - The Mix-Up - Review". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  15. Schiller, Mike. "Beastie Boys: The Mix-Up < PopMatters". Popmatters.com. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  16. "Beastie Boys: The Mix-Up | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. June 26, 2007. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  17. Rob Sheffield (June 13, 2007). "The Mix Up | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  18. Vibe Magazine - "Maybe The Mix-Up woks simply because it does nothing terribily wrong."
  19. Jonathan Cohen, "Cyrus Sidesteps Clarkson To Debut At No. 1", Billboard.com, July 4, 2007.
  20. 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."
  21. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-mix-up-bonus-tracks-ep/id716427625
  22. "Beastie Boys Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
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