Beastie Boys Bring Punk EP 'Aglio e Olio' to Streaming Services

"Only 8 songs, Only 11 minutes, Only cheap $"

BY Calum SlingerlandPublished Sep 11, 2020

While they just announced a new greatest hits compilation, Beastie Boys are now looking all the way back to 1995 with the arrival of their Aglio e Olio EP on streaming services. You can hear the eight-track effort below.

Coming off the release of 1994's Ill Communication, the Beasties ultimately made Aglio e Olio after determining that they had too many hardcore punk songs readied for a new record.

As Mike D would explain in 1999, "When we first started working on Hello Nasty in New York, Awol [drummer Amery Smith] was around helping us get set up. Along with the usual bunch of experimental jamming/sampling etc., we started playing a bunch of hardcore, putting song arrangements together really quickly. Then I started writing vocals. 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."

All but one of Aglio e Olio's tracks run under two minutes in length, while early CD and vinyl releases featured a hype sticker with the following: "Only 8 songs, Only 11 minutes, Only cheap $." While some versions of the EP tack on bonus tracks "Soba Violence" and a cover of the Doors' "Light My Fire," both are absent on streaming services.

Later this month, Mike D and Ad-Rock will appear on a new Public Enemy album. The two surviving members followed 2018's Beastie Boys Book with a Spike Jonze documentary.

Latest Coverage