To the 5 Boroughs explained

To the 5 Boroughs
Type:studio
Artist:Beastie Boys
Cover:Beastie Boys - To the 5 Boroughs.png
Recorded:2002–2004
Studio:Oscilloscope Laboratories, Tribeca, New York City
Label:Capitol
Producer:Beastie Boys
Prev Title:Hello Nasty
Prev Year:1998
Next Title:The Mix-Up
Next Year:2007

To the 5 Boroughs is the sixth studio album by the American hip-hop group Beastie Boys. The album was released on June 14, 2004 internationally, and a day later in the United States. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the group's third consecutive album to do so, with 360,000 copies sold in its first week and is certified Platinum by the RIAA for sales of over 1,000,000 in the U.S. It was the group's first major release after the September 11 attacks on New York City and reflects on the after-effects.[1]

Release and promotion

The album's lead single "Ch-Check It Out" debuted on The O.C. in "The Strip" from Season 1, airing on April 28, 2004.[2] The album was the cause of some controversy with allegations that it installed spyware when inserted into the CD-ROM of a computer.[3] The band has denied this allegation saying there is no copy protection software on the albums sold in the U.S. and in the U.K. While there is Macrovision CDS-200 copy protection software installed on European copies of the album this is standard practice for all European releases on EMI/Capitol Records released in Europe and it does not install spyware or any form of permanent software.[4]

Singles

The album's first single "Ch-Check It Out" was released on April 28, 2004. The album's second single "Triple Trouble" was released in July 2004.[5] The album's third single "Right Right Now Now" was released in 2004.[6] The album's fourth single "An Open Letter to NYC" was released in November 2004.

Critical reception

The album was met with positive reviews, with an aggregated score of 71 on Metacritic. Playlouder said "To the 5 Boroughs is a triumph."[7] Rolling Stone said "To the 5 Boroughs is an exciting, astonishing balancing act: fast, funny and sobering." Jason Thompson of PopMatters called To the 5 Boroughs "their best album since Paul's Boutique".[8] Tom Sinclair of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "The beats are[...] simple and effective, with a welcome lack of bells and whistles that made Hello Nasty so distracting." AllMusic said: "It's rather impressive that they're maturing gracefully turning into expert craftsmen who can deliver a satisfying listen like this". The NME said: "Like Missy Elliott, the Beasties are re-examining hip hop—what it was, what it is, what it can be". The Onion AV Club said: "With To the 5 Boroughs, Beastie Boys' members discover a musical entryway to an earlier, more innocent era, affording listeners the exuberance of youth along with the hard-won wisdom that can only come with experience."[9] E! Online rated the album as a B− saying it was "fun but hardly fresh.[10]

Track listing

B-sides

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly sales chart performance for To the 5 Boroughs
Chart (2004)Peak
position
Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)[15] 1
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[16] 4

Year-end charts

Annual sales chart performance for To the 5 Boroughs
Chart (2004)Position
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[17] 90
UK Albums (OCC)[18] 143
US Billboard 200[19] 62
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[20] 77

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Beastie Boys – An Open Letter To NYC . YouTube . Beastie Boys . 6 October 2020 . September 20, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200920214615/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny6hwUOFvlw . live .
  2. Web site: Yahoo Launch News Story. yahoo.com. May 25, 2017. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20050415182031/http://launch.yahoo.com/read/story/12057394. April 15, 2005. mdy-all.
  3. Web site: Beastie Boys CD installs virus. Greene. Thomas C.. 23 June 2004. The Register. 16 September 2014. September 24, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080924201204/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/06/23/beastie_boy_cd_virus/. live.
  4. Web site: Official Merchandise Store . Beastie Boys . 2012-03-12 . May 23, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080523224757/http://www.beastieboys.com/news.php/2 . live .
  5. Web site: Adam Yauch: The Videos of Nathaniel Hornblower Pictures – 'Triple Trouble' 2004 . Rolling Stone . 2014-01-17 . January 7, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160107105049/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/adam-yauch-the-videos-of-nathaniel-hornblower-20120504/triple-trouble-2004-0965247 . live .
  6. Web site: Right Right Now Now: Beastie Boys: Music . Amazon . 2014-01-17 . March 5, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160305101404/http://www.amazon.com/Right-Now-Beastie-Boys/dp/B00069BOKU . live .
  7. Web site: Playlouder MSP Music Service . Playlouder.com . 2012-03-12 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120213141539/http://www.playlouder.com/review/+tothe5boroughs/ . February 13, 2012 . mdy .
  8. Web site: Beastie Boys: To the 5 Boroughs . . September 27, 2009 . Thompson . Jason . May 25, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110525091136/http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/b/beastieboys-tothe5boroughs.shtml . live .
  9. Web site: The Onion A.V. Club | Music To The 5 Boroughs . https://archive.today/20040820010450/http://www.theonionavclub.com/review.php?review_id=7569 . dead . 2004-08-20 . 2014-01-17 .
  10. Web site: E! Online - Music - Beastie Boys "To the 5 Boroughs" . www.eonline.com . 17 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20040618055435/http://www.eonline.com/Reviews/Facts/Music/RevID/0,1107,3232,00.html . 18 June 2004 . dead.
  11. Web site: Beastiemania.com – Discography. Raul. Pollicino. www.beastiemania.com. May 25, 2017. October 19, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141019154630/http://www.beastiemania.com/discog/show.php?r=checkit12uspromo,checkit12uspromoblaze,checkit12uk,checkit12eu,checkit12nevins,checkit12saville,checkit12jizztp,checkit12jizz,checkit12peggy,checkit12gingerjoker,checkit12blackbeast,checkit12murphy,checkitcdrus,checkitcdrau,checkitcdrjp,checkitcdrfr,checkitcdrgr,checkitcduspromo,checkitcdeupromo,checkitcdjppromo,checkitcdmxpromo,checkitcduk1,checkitcduk2,checkitcdeu1,checkitcdeu2,checkitcdau,checkitcdca,checkitcdjp,checkitcdgingerjoker. live.
  12. Web site: Beastie Boys : To the 5 Boroughs. Discogs.com.
  13. Web site: Beastiemania.com – Discography. Raul. Pollicino. www.beastiemania.com. May 25, 2017. November 12, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161112142012/http://www.beastiemania.com/discog/show.php?r=rightnowcduspromo,rightnowcdrjppromo,rightnowcdjppromo,rightnowcdjp. live.
  14. Web site: Beastiemania.com – Discography. Raul. Pollicino. www.beastiemania.com. May 25, 2017. November 12, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161112142157/http://www.beastiemania.com/discog/show.php?r=tt5b12us,tt5b12uk,tt5b12eu,tt5bcdruslisteningpost,tt5bcdkrpromo,tt5bcdjppromo,tt5bcdarpromo,tt5bcdus,tt5bcdus2,tt5bcdusclean,tt5bcdusclean2,tt5bcdeulimited,tt5bcdeulimited2,tt5bcduk2,tt5bcdau,tt5bcdjp,tt5bcdjp2,tt5bcdth,tt5bcdmy,tt5bcdtw,tt5bcdar,tt5bcdph,tt5bcdmx,tt5bcdidclean,tt5bcdca,tt5bcdca2,tt5bcdbr,tt5bcdkr,tt5bcdbg,tt5bcdjpdvd,tt5bcdautour,tt5bcdcn,tt5bcdkh,tt5bcdruboot,tt5bmceuclean,tt5bmcmyclean. live.
  15. ARIA Urban Chart – Week Commencing 7th March 2005 . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20080222222428/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20050320-0000/issue784.pdf . dead . 22 February 2008 . . 784 . 17 . March 7, 2005 . April 16, 2023 . Pandora Archive.
  16. Web site: R&B : Top 50. Jam!. July 29, 2004. January 29, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20040803080053/http://www.canoe.com:80/JamMusicCharts/RANDB.html. August 3, 2004.
  17. Web site: Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2004. hitparade.ch. July 17, 2020. February 28, 2015. https://archive.today/20150228153804/http://hitparade.ch/charts/jahreshitparade/2004. live.
  18. Web site: UK Year-End Chart 2004. Official Charts Company. July 17, 2020. March 31, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160331160914/http://ukchartsplus.co.uk/ChartsPlusYE2004.pdf. live.
  19. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2004. Billboard. July 17, 2020. July 26, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170726140040/http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2004/top-billboard-200-albums. live.
  20. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2004. Billboard. July 17, 2020. September 17, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200917034730/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2004/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums. live.

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