The Check Your Head pre-order going live coincides with today’s announcement that Beastie Boys will headline the July 31 opening night of this year’s All Points West festival at New Jersey’s Liberty State Park. All Points West pre-sale will begin April 2, with general on-sale following on April 3. For details, visit www.apwfestival.com.
Other confirmed Beastie Boys tour dates thus far include June 12 at the Bonnaroo festival in Manchester, TN and the band’s first ever headline engagement at the Hollywood Bowl on September 24. For ticket info visit: www.beastieboys.com.
Originally released in April 1992, Check Your Head was a milestone for Beastie Boys on multiple levels: It was the first B Boys album to be produced in its entirety by Mario Caldato Jr. and to feature keyboard player Keyboard Money Mark, as well as the first to be recorded at the band’s own G-Son studios in Atwater Village, CA. Most significantly, however, Check Your Head marked the return of live instrumentation to the forefront and backbone of the Beastie Boys sound, with the bulk of the album featuring Mike D on drums, Adrock on guitar and MCA on bass for the first time since the band’s early 1980s hardcore punk recordings.
On the strength of now-classic singles and videos “So What’cha Want,” “Pass The Mic,” “Gratitude” and “Jimmy James” -all of which are included in their original 12″ vinyl incarnations in the ultra deluxe version-Check Your Head stormed the U.S. Top 10, ultimately returning Beastie Boys to hard-touring, platinum-selling status, and setting the band up for the pop cultural dominance it would achieve in the decade to come.
The full list of Check Your Head reissue configurations is as follows:
* Digital Download (album and b-sides)
– Deluxe Digital Option (also includes videos and video commentary)
* Deluxe, limited collector’s vinyl + Digital Download
* Standard double vinyl + Digital Download
* Ecopack double CD + Digital Download
* Shirt combos:
– Deluxe Digital + shirt
– Standard Vinyl + shirt
– CD + shirt:
– Deluxe, limited collector’s vinyl + shirt
For further information, go to www.beastieboys.com