Paul’s Boutique is the second studio album by the Beastie Boys, released on July 25, 1989, by Capitol Records. Produced by the Beastie Boys and the Dust Brothers, the album’s composition makes extensive use of samples, drawn from a wide range of genres including funk, soul, rock, and jazz. It was recorded over two years at Matt Dike‘s apartment and the Record Plant in Los Angeles.
Paul’s Boutique did not match the sales of the group’s 1986 debut Licensed to Ill, and was promoted minimally by Capitol. However, despite its initial commercial failure, it became recognized as the group’s breakthrough achievement, with its innovative lyrical and sonic style earning them a position as critical favorites within the hip-hop community. Sometimes described as the “Sgt. Pepper of hip-hop”. Paul’s Boutique has placed on several lists of the greatest albums of all time, and is viewed by many critics as a landmark album of golden age hip hop and a seminal work in sample-based production.
Derided as one-hit wonders and estranged from their previous producer, Rick Rubin, and record label, Def Jam, Beastie Boys were in self-imposed exile in Los Angeles during early 1988, after being written off by most music critics. Following the commercial success of Licensed to Ill, the group was focusing on making an album with more creative depth and less commercial material. The group’s previous album had been enormously popular and received acclaim among both mainstream and hip hop music critics, although its simple, heavy beats and comically juvenile lyrics led to its label as frat hip hop. The group signed with Capitol Records and EMI Records.
The cover art and gatefold is a photograph of Ludlow Street (as shot from 99 Rivington Street), credited to Nathanial Hörnblowér, but shot by Jeremy Shatan, who was the original bassist for the Beastie Boys, when they were known as The Young Aborigines.
On its initial release, Paul’s Boutique was commercially unsuccessful because of its experimental and dense sampling and lyricism, in contrast to the group’s previous album, Licensed to Ill. It was a commercial disappointment, peaking at only #24 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and #14 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album received a gold certification by the (RIAA) on September 22 of its release year; it went on to sell over 2 million copies by January 1999 and was certified double platinum. The album was re-released in a 20th anniversary package remastered in 24-bit audio and featuring a commentary track on January 27, 2009.
Tracklist:
- To All the Girls
- Shake Your Rump
- Johnny Ryall
- Egg Man
- High Plains Drifter
- The Sounds of Science
- 3-Minute Rule
- Hey Ladies
- 5-Piece Chicken Dinner
- Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun
- Car Thief
- What Comes Around
- Shadrach
- Ask for Janice
- B-Boy Bouillabaisse
Japanese bonus tracks
- 33% God
- Dis Yourself in ’89 (Just Do It)
Credits
Beastie Boys: production
Allen Abrahamson: assistant engineer
Mario Caldato Jr.: engineer
Mike Simpson: producer, turntables, ensemble
The Dust Brothers: production
Matt Dike: ensemble
Ricky Powell: photography
Jeremy Shatan: photography
Nathaniel Hörnblowér: photography
Dominick Watkins: photography
Adam Nathaniel Yauch (August 5, 1964 – May 4, 2012).
