In 1998, when the Beastie Boys were doing the pre-release press conferences promoting Hello Nasty, few people took them seriously when they spoke of a country album that had been completed as well.

The release of Beastie Boys Anthology: Sounds of Science (1999) made believers out of everyone. The double disc collection featured two country songs: "Country Mike's Theme" and "Railroad Blues." These racks confirmed earlier suspicions that the album entitled Country Mike's Greatest Hits did indeed exist.

In order to create this new dimension in the Beastie Boys' repertoire, another musician had to be added into the equation. That musician turned out to be steel pedal player Bucky Baxter. The liner notes for Beastie Boys Anthology: Sounds of Science (1999) said very little about the sessions. Yet we do know a few facts that were mentioned on the back of the Country Mike's Greatest Hits album jacket.

First off, the entire album was mixed and recorded at the Dungeon (located in New York, NY), which is where the Beastie Boys had been working the majority of Hello Nasty. In the beginning many people assumed that the Country Mike sessions took place in Nashville, TN, since Bucky has his Three Trees Studio there.

Second, we can conclude that Bucky plays steel pedal on every Country Mike track. In addition to that, he also plays the fiddle of "Country Christmas." Over the years Bucky has worked with other super-talented artists from Bob Dylan to R.E.M., so his teamwork on Country Mike flowed naturally.

Although Country Mike's Greatest Hits was never released commercially on cd, bootleg cd-r copies are frequently on eBay or can be found within Beastie Boys collecting circles. If you'd rather have the official document, expect to pay at least $100.00 for a copy of it on vinyl. Again, eBay is your best bet for acquiring this rare and collectible album.