Beastie Boys "Pauls Boutique"

Hearing about the passing of Adam Yauch (better known as MCA) today, I feel a responsibility to touch on the greatness of the Beastie Boys and their impact on Hip-Hop. Their "License to Ill" album is probably considered their greatest album of all time and it's definitely worthy of that respect, but my personal favorite is "Pauls Boutique"; released on July 25, 1989 (Capitol Records) and RIAA-certified Double Platinum. The lyrical content and tag-team delivery are typical Beastie Boys, but the production of the Dust Brothers and the overall arrangment of the album stand out as epic. "Pauls Boutique" is one of my picks as the top 5 albums of all time in Hip-Hop specifically due to this and is really the blueprint of how I hope to assemble all of my mixtapes. You can hear elements directly from the album throughout a great deal of my mixtapes including my most recent "Slap That Mix Vol 10".

"Pauls Boutique" contains samples from 105 songs. That is mind-boggling. The Dust Brothers went bananas with the crate diggin and then twisted it all together in a seamless high-energy blend that, again, I use as a blueprint on how to keep a mix toked with excitement and twists that give you that "OH SHIT!" scrunchface response. A 2005 article by Paul Tingen about The Dust Brothers reveals that "most of the samples used on Paul's Boutique were cleared, easily and affordably, something that...would be "unthinkable" in today's litigious music industry."

I won't post a link up to download the album (you need to pay that little piece of money to support the artistry), but you can listen to the full album below (found on youtube). When you're done here, you should really go check out Mick Boogie's "Grand Royal" tribute to the album "Pauls Boutique". Mick Boogie's "Grand Royal" tribute is basically a homework assignment for all DJs and a real treat for the fans of the Beastie Boys and unfortunately a timely tribut to MCA. Rest in Peace Adam Yauch.



1. To All The Girls 00:00
2. Shake Your Rump 01:29
3. Johnny Ryall 04:47
4. Egg Man 07:47
5. High Plains Drifter 10:44
6. The Sounds Of Science 14:58
7. 3-Minute Rule 18:10
8. Hey Ladies 21:48
9. 5-Piece Chicken Dinner 25:36
10. Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun 25:58
11. Car Thief 29:26
12. What Comes Around 33:06
13. Shadrach 36:14
14. Ask For Janice 40:22
15. B-Boy Bouillabaisse
- a. 59 Chrystie Street 40:33
- b. Get On The Mic 41:30
- c. Stop That Train 42:44
- d. A Year And A Day 44:42
- e. Hello Brooklyn 47:04
- f. Dropping Names 48:36
- g. Lay It On Me 49:38
- h. Mike On The Mic 50:32
- i. A.W.O.L. 51:20