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Beastie Boys: Licensed to Ill
40 Years
Series: The Great Albums
Brief Description
Fight for your right to celebrate 40 years of Beastie Boys' groundbreaking debut album—Licensed to Ill—through vivid photography, track-by-track analysis, and new interviews. When Licensed to Ill hit the Billboard charts in 1986, it didn't just make history—it rewrote it. The Beastie Boys' mix of punk...
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Format: Hardback
$9000
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October 2026
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Beastie Boys: Licensed to Ill
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Beastie Boys: Licensed to Ill - 40 Years presents the definitive visual and narrative celebration of the Beastie Boys' groundbreaking debut album.
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Description
Fight for your right to celebrate 40 years of Beastie Boys' groundbreaking debut album—Licensed to Ill—through vivid photography, track-by-track analysis, and new interviews.
When Licensed to Ill hit the Billboard charts in 1986, it didn't just make history—it rewrote it. The Beastie Boys' mix of punk energy, streetwise humour, and Rick Rubin's hard-hitting production propelled the album to become the first rap LP to top the Billboard 200 and one of the fastest-selling debuts in history. Beastie Boys: Licensed to Ill - 40 Years invites you into the creative chaos that produced classics like "No Sleep Till Brooklyn," "Girls," and "Brass Monkey." The book features:
- Over 200 images, including photographs, memorabilia, and candid studio and tour shots
- A giftable slipcased hardcover format
- Fresh, behind-the-mic interviews from producers, collaborators, and cultural critics
- An in-depth exploration of each track, unpacking how three kids from New York City fused punk, rap, and irreverent wit into an enduring musical revolution
Beautifully packaged and timed to the album's 40th anniversary, Beastie Boys: Licensed to Ill - 40 Years offers the definitive visual history of one of hip-hop's most influential albums—essential for fans of music, pop culture, the 1980s, and rebellion in all forms.
The Great Albums series presents authoritative explorations of rock's most revered records, beautifully packaged for fans to treasure. Delve into even more groundbreaking releases with: Pink Floyd and The Dark Side of the Moon, Bruce Springsteen and Born to Run, Prince and Purple Rain, Queen & A Night at the Opera, Run-DMC and Raising Hell, The Who & Quadrophenia, Eagles and Hotel California: 50 Years, and Fleetwood Mac and Rumours ... with more to come!
Series: The Great Albums
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Queen & A Night at the Opera
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In Prince and Purple Rain, acclaimed Prince authority Andrea Swensson takes a deep dive into the late artist's most iconic album with a beautiful, slipcased gift book. In 1984, Prince, along with his band, The Revolution, released what would become his best-selling album and a touchstone of 1980s pop culture. Purple Rain has gone on to sell 25 million copies...Hardback$9500Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
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Take a deep dive into legendary hip-hop group Run-DMC's groundbreaking album, Raising Hell, on its 40th anniversary with this handsome slipcased celebration. In 1985, Queens, New York-based rap group Run-DMC teamed with heavy metal producer Rick Rubin to record their breakthrough album and one of the most influential songs in rap and rock. The album, Raising Hell, went double platinum...Hardback$9500Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Pre-orderBeastie Boys: Licensed to Ill
Fight for your right to celebrate 40 years of Beastie Boys' groundbreaking debut album—Licensed to Ill—through vivid photography, track-by-track analysis, and new interviews. When Licensed to Ill hit the Billboard charts in 1986, it didn't just make history—it rewrote it. The Beastie Boys' mix of punk energy, streetwise humour, and Rick Rubin's hard-hitting production propelled the album to become the...Hardback$9000Unit price /UnavailableOut 13 Oct 2026Pre-order -
The Who & Quadrophenia
Take a deep dive into one of the best-selling albums ever on the 50th anniversary of its release with this beautifully produced and authoritatively written slipcased edition. Veteran rock critic Martin Popoff leaves no stone unturned in taking apart The Who's generation-spanning masterpiece, Quadrophenia, while exploring each of the album's 17 tracks and their themes of identity, anxiety, and mental...HardbackSold Out
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780760399675
Publisher: Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 15 October 2026
Country: United States
Imprint: Motorbooks
Edition: New Edition
Illustration: 250 color photos
Contributors:
- Foreword by Prince Paul
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 254.0mm
Height: 254.0mm
Weight: 0g
Pages: 176
About the Author
Author/musician Ben Merlis is a native of Los Angeles, where he was raised on oldies, hip-hop, and punk, in that order. He has written for HeartattaCk, Talkhouse, uDiscover Music, Rock The Bells, and Please Kill Me, and also works in public relations for Experience Hendrix, ABKCO, and ZZ Top, among many others. His book Goin' Off: The Story of the Juice Crew & Cold Chillin' Records (BMG Books, 2019) chronicles the rise and fall of the pivotal label during hip-hop's golden era by combining traditional writing with an oral history constructed from unique interviews of MCs, DJs, producers, and industry players. Beastie Boys: Licensed to Ill - 40 Years is his second book.
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