The Sounds Of Science

The Sounds Of Science is a beautifully packaged, comprehensive anthology of the work of Adam 'Ad-Rock' Horowitz, Michael 'Mike-D' Diamond, Adam 'MCA' Yauch and, latterly, Money Mark Nichita, from their early hardore days, through the Bratpop of Licenced To Ill right up to Hello Nasty. Since the start of the '80s, when the Boys first inflicted their cacophonic buzzsaw guitarfest on New York, they have experimented with genres from hip-hop through to country, from punk to bossanova, sampling everyone from Run DMC to Rachmaninoff into the bargain.

And dig this. From the thunderous hardcore of their eponymous early release to the closing mastery of recent single, 'Intergalactic', The Sounds Of Silence has it all.

Their rap 'n' roll knack of mixing in big guitar samples took hip-hop and rap from the concrete schoolyards of Public Enemy and brought it to middle-class white America. The anthemic frat-rap of 'Fight For Your Right' turned them into pop stars but also tarred them with the drunken jock image, and made Licenced To Ill a number one album into the bargain.

They followed this with the funk-ed up sampladelica of Paul's Boutique in 1989, as the Boys teamed up with the then fledgling Dust Brothers, for an album that was undoutedly well ahead of its time - even the faintly ridiculous 'Hey Ladies' has a super party vibe. However, despite 1992's sporadicly excellent Check Your Head LP (see the angry distortion of 'Gratitude'), it wasn't until Ill Communication in 1994 that they really gelled their diverse range of influences together. The savage mastery of 'Sabotage' was matched by the dynamic hip-hop of 'Sure Shot', possibly their finest hour, and the funky as bejaysis 'Root Down'.

Other highlights include the Nashvillian tomfoolery of 'Country Mike's Theme' and 'Railroad Blues'; the harcore/hip-hop blend of 'Pass The Mic', the scratchy symmetry of 'Three Mc's and One DJ' and the excellent 'Get It Together', featuring A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip on guest vocals. .

Out of 42 tracks there's bound to be a few fillers, especially the hardcore rants of 'Believe Me', 'Soba Violence' and 'I Want Some', but there is more than enough quality and substance to make up for the occasional let-down, as the Boys "use the microphone like Picasso used clay" ('Alive').

Sounds Of Science is a refreshing, intriguing glimpse at one of the more innovative and exciting Stateside combos of the last 15 years. Here's hoping they never grow up!