Beastie Boys

Paul’s Boutique

Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/47802-Beastie-Boys-Pauls-Boutique

Year Of Release: 1989

Review

It’s impressive just how ignorant I was about Paul’s Boutique until I bought a copy on CD in a Virgin Megastore in France in late 1994. I’d owned Check Your Head, and heard most all of Licensed To Ill, but wasn’t at all aware of Paul’s Boutique. I know it seems really ignorant, but in the olden days (before the Internet, and Discogs for that matter) the only way I heard about albums was via magazines like Thrasher, Countdown (!), or Rolling Stone. Or maybe in the giant catalogue that they kept behind the counter in my local Chandlers and let me scour through from time to time. So I really was clueless.

In any case, I think this is a fantastic album, and it should have propelled the Beasties to even greater heights, not bombed like it did (at least, that’s the way the story is told now). It’s a sophisticated concoction of samples and rhyming lyrics and humour delivered in the Beastie Boys’ inimitable style. The whole album feels like they’re really going for it, but at the same time it’s also an experiment in testing the limits of their abilities (and the equipment they were using). The Dust Brothers had a big hand in the production, and they went on to do some pretty influential stuff too.

There’re a tonne of samples in this record, and this site has done a fantastic job of putting together a comprehensive reference of the samples used in the tracks, as well as what the various references are. I’ll admit that I didn’t realise Machine Gun by The Commodores was the backbone of Hey Ladies until last decade (mainly because I was unfamiliar with The Commodores back catalogue). Standout tracks for me are Shake Your Rump, Johnny Ryall, The Sounds Of Science, and the aforementioned Hey Ladies (mainly for the video clip).

I also highly recommend Dan LeRoy’s book on Paul’s Boutique (part of the 33 1/3 series) for a comprehensive overview of the album, the production process, and insight into the Beastie Boys at that point in time.

Rating: 8.5/10