The Beastie Boys had a good, albeit eccentric, hits compilation in 1999 with the double-disc set
The Sounds of Science, so what's the purpose of the 2005 set Solid Gold Hits? Well, it is considerably more concise than the previous compilation, spanning just one disc and containing a mere 15 songs compared to the 42 on
Sounds. So, for listeners who are just looking for the big hits, this serves its purpose quite well, since this may be missing many great songs -- and not just album tracks or early singles like "She's on It," but charting hits like "Paul Revere" -- but it does have all of their anthems, including "Fight for Your Right," "Brass Monkey," "Hey Ladies," "Shake Your Rump," "So What'cha Want," "Sabotage," "Sure Shot," "Intergalactic," and "Body Movin'," here in its
Fatboy Slim remix. While some listeners may find the non-chronological order kind of frustrating, these songs sound good in pretty much any running order, so this winds up as a thoroughly entertaining listen. Perhaps it's not the definitive
Beastie Boys album, but for fans who just want nothing more than the hits, this does its job. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine