Beastie Boys reveal 30th anniversary of ‘Ill Communication’ reissue

Beastie Boys have announced a 30th anniversary reissue of their 1994 album ‘Ill Communication’.

In a social media announcement yesterday (May 31), on the day the album turned 30, Beastie Boys issued a video clip showcasing the forthcoming boxset. It will comprise three vinyl LPs – two of the original album remastered, and a third record featuring remixes, bonus tracks and rarities – along with a lenticular cover.

This boxset was originally issued in 2009 in a limited run of 1500 copies. The album will also be reissued on cassette, making its first appearance on the format since its original 1994 release. Pre-orders will ship on July 26, and are available to the public via their official website.

As with the 2009 edition, the 30th anniversary of ‘Ill Communication’ features, among others, both an acoustic rendition and a live recording of ‘Heart Attack Man’, along with a ‘Get It Together’ remix and a “European B-Boy” instrumental version of ‘Sure Shot’.

The upcoming ‘Ill Communication’ reissue follows similar 30th anniversary campaigns for their first three albums: 1986’s ‘License to Ill’, 1989’s ‘Paul’s Boutique’, and 1992’s ‘Check Your Head’. Last year, the group also released a 25th anniversary reissue of ‘Hello Nasty’.

Last September, surviving Beastie Boys members Ad-Rock and Mike D attended a ceremony where an intersection in Manhattan was officially renamed Beastie Boys Square. The intersection of Ludlow and Rivington on the Lower East Side of the city was originally featured on the cover of ‘Paul’s Boutique’.

“It makes me really happy to know that some kid on the way to school 50 years from now is gonna look up and say, ‘What the fuck is a Beastie Boy? Why do they get a square?’” said Ad-Rock to the crowd in attendance.

Mike D added: “We could not have become what we became without growing up in New York City.”

NME included ‘Ill Communication’ in its list of classic 1994 albums that turn 30 this year. Rhian Daly wrote: “Beastie Boys might now be synonymous with merging hip-hop with other sounds like punk and jazz, but it wasn’t until ‘Ill Communication’ that they really made that eclectic spirit their calling card. The results birthed tracks both gigantic and glorious, from the juddering howls of ‘Sabotage’ to the flute-laden ‘Sure Shot’.”