Paul's Boutique

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Paul's Boutique
Studio album by Beastie Boys
Released July 25, 1989
Recorded 1988–1989
Mario G's
(Los Angeles, California)
The Opium Den
The Record Plant
(New York City, New York)
Genre Hip hop
Length 53:03
Label Capitol
Producer Beastie Boys, Dust Brothers, Mario Caldato Jr.
Beastie Boys chronology
Licensed to Ill
(1986)		 Paul's Boutique
(1989)		 Check Your Head
(1992)

Paul's Boutique is the second studio album by American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on July 25, 1989, on Capitol Records. Featuring production by the Dust Brothers, the recording sessions for the album took place in Matt Dike's Apartment and the Record Plant in Los Angeles from 1988 to 1989, after which the recordings underwent mixing at the Record Plant in Los Angeles. Subsequent remixes were done at the Manhattan-based Record Plant Studios.

Paul's Boutique was initially considered a commercial failure by the executives at Capitol Records, as its sales did not match that of the group's previous record, Licensed to Ill, and the label eventually decided to stop promoting the album. The album's popularity continued to grow, however, and it has even been touted as a breakthrough achievement for the Beastie Boys. Highly varied lyrically and sonically, Paul's Boutique secured the Beastie Boys' place as critical favorites in the hip-hop genre, and has been widely recognized as the group's magnum opus.[1] The album's rankings near the top of many publications' "best albums" lists in disparate genres has given Paul's Boutique critical recognition as a landmark album in hip hop.[2]

On January 27, 1999, Paul's Boutique was certified double platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America.[3] In 2003, the album was ranked number 156 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[4] The album was re-released in a 20th anniversary package featuring 24-bit remaster audio and a commentary track on January 27, 2009.[5]

Contents

[edit] Conception

Derided as one-hit wonders and estranged from their original producer, Rick Rubin, and record label, Def Jam, the Beastie Boys were in self-imposed exile in Los Angeles during early 1988 and were written off by most music critics before even beginning to record their second studio album, Paul's Boutique.[6] Following the commercial success of Licensed to Ill, the Beastie Boys were focusing on making an album with more creative depth and less commercial material. The group's previous album had been enormously popular and received critical acclaim among both mainstream and hip hop music critics, although its simple, heavy beats and comically juvenile lyrics led it to be labeled as frat hip hop. The group signed with Capitol/EMI Records, and Paul's Boutique was produced with the Dust Brothers, whose extensive, innovative use of sampling helped establish the practice of multi-layered sampling as an art in itself. While the Dust Brothers were set on making a hit record, the duo agreed with the group on producing a more experimental and sonically different record.[6] In total, 105 songs were sampled on the album, including 24 individual samples on the last track alone. The backing tracks were allegedly produced with the intention of being released as a Dust Brothers instrumental album, but the Beastie Boys convinced the duo to use the tracks as the basis of its follow up to Licensed to Ill.[6][7]

Contrary to popular belief, most of the sampling for Paul's Boutique was cleared, but at excessively lower costs compared to the statutory rates of today.[7] 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."[7] Mario "Mario C" Caldato, Jr., engineer on the album, later said in an interview that "after [Beastie Boys] did Paul’s Boutique we realized we had spent a lot of money in the studio. We had spent about a $1/4 million in rights and licensing for samples."[8] This type of only possible before Grand Upright Music, Ltd. v. Warner Bros. Records Inc., the landmark lawsuit against Biz Markie by Gilbert O'Sullivan, which changed the process and future of hip hop sampling.

Speaking about the album 20 years on, Adam Yauch told Clash Magazine: “The Dust Brothers had a bunch of music together, before we arrived to work with them. As a result, a lot of the tracks come from songs they’d planned to release to clubs as instrumentals – ‘Shake Your Rump’, for example. They’d put together some beats, basslines and guitar lines, all these loops together, and they were quite surprised when we said we wanted to rhyme on it, because they thought it was too dense. They offered to strip it down to just beats, but we wanted all of that stuff on there. I think half of the tracks were written when we got there, and the other half we wrote together.” [9]

All of the songs for Paul's Boutique were recorded in Matt Dike's living room in Los Angeles,[10] with the exception of "Hello Brooklyn". The fifth part of the album's finale suite "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" was recorded at the apartment building of the Beastie Boy-member Adam Yauch, aka MCA, in Koreatown, Los Angeles. The location of recording was credited in the album liner notes as the Opium Den.[11] The recordings for Paul's Boutique were later mixed by the Dust Brothers at Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles.[6]

[edit] Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 5/5 stars[12]
Robert Christgau A[13]
The A.V Club (A) [14]
Time Out 5/5 stars[15]
Rolling Stone 5/5 stars[16]
Yahoo! Music (favorable)[17]
NME 10/10 stars[18]
Drowned in Sound 10/10 stars[19]
Pitchfork Media (10.0/10)[20]
RapReviews 10/10 stars[21]
Ultimate Guitar 10/10 stars[22]

[edit] Critical response

Sure, Paul's Boutique is littered with bullshit tough-guy bravado, but it's clever and hilarious bullshit: Who can be put off by claims like "I got more hits than Sadaharu Oh" and "I got more suits than Jacoby and Myers"?
—Rolling Stone, August 10, 1989

Upon initial release, Paul's Boutique was alienated commercially for its experimental and dense sampling and lyricism, in contrast to the Beastie Boys's previous album, Licensed to Ill.[12] Music critic David Handelman called the record a "rap opera."[11] While major music publications such as Rolling Stone favored the album's unique name-dropping lyrics and the album peaked at #14 on the Pop Albums chart, Paul's Boutique did not equal its predecessor's commercial success with hip hop fans, as it only peaked at #24 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[23] The album received a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America on September 22 of its release year.[3] Paul's Boutique would go on to sell over 2 million copies by 1999.[3] In retrospect, the album has also gone on to receive much critical acclaim and has been recognized as a landmark album in hip-hop. In a review of the album for Allmusic, contributor Stephen Thomas Erlewine summed the initial reaction to Paul's Boutique and praised the density that the album contains:

Musically, few hip-hop records have ever been so rich; it's not just the recontextulations of familiar music via samples, it's the flow of each song and the album as a whole, culminating in the widescreen suite that closes the record. Lyrically, the Beasties have never been better — not just because their jokes are razor-sharp, but because they construct full-bodied narratives and evocative portraits of characters and places. Few pop records offer this much to savor, and if Paul's Boutique only made a modest impact upon its initial release, over time its influence could be heard through pop and rap, yet no matter how its influence was felt, it stands alone as a record of stunning vision, maturity, and accomplishment.[12]
—Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Miles Davis said that he never tired of listening to Paul's Boutique.[24] Later, in a VIBE interview of all three Beastie Boys, Chuck D of Public Enemy was quoted as saying that the "dirty secret" among the black hip-hop community at the time of release was that "Paul's Boutique had the best beats."[25] During the same VIBE interview, Mike D was asked about any possible hesitation he or the band might have had regarding their overt "sampling" of several minutes of well-known Beatles background tracks, including the song "The End" on "The Sounds of Science". He claimed that the Beatles filed preliminary legal papers, and that his response was "What's cooler than getting sued by the Beatles?"[26]

[edit] Awards and accolades

The panoramic photograph of Ludlow Street by Jeremy Shatan.

List of the album's rankings and listings on selected publications and top album lists:[2][27][28][29] (Full list)

  • Ranked #37 on Blender's "The 100 Greatest American Albums of All Time"
  • Ranked #2 on Ego Trip's "Hip Hop's 25 Greatest Albums by Year (1980-1998)"
  • Ranked #156 on "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"
  • Ranked #12 on Spin's "100 Greatest Albums, 1985-2005"
  • Ranked #74 on VH1's "Top 100 Albums"
  • Ranked #98 on Q's "Q Magazine Readers' 100 Greatest Albums Ever"
  • Ranked #3 on Pitchfork Media's "Top 100 Albums of the 1980s"
  • Ranked #8 on Chris Rock's list of the "Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums"
  • Selected as one of Rolling Stone magazine's "The Essential 200 Rock Records"
  • Selected as one of The Source's "100 Best Rap Albums"
  • Selected as one of TIME magazine's "100 Greatest Albums of All TIME"
  • Selected by Rhapsody as one of "The 10 Best Albums By White Rappers"[30]

[edit] Track listing

All songs written by the Beastie Boys and the Dust Brothers.[12]

  1. "To All the Girls" – 1:29
  2. "Shake Your Rump" – 3:19
  3. "Johnny Ryall" – 3:00
  4. "Egg Man" – 2:57
  5. "High Plains Drifter" – 4:13
  6. "The Sounds of Science" – 3:11
  7. "3-Minute Rule" – 3:39
  8. "Hey Ladies" – 3:47
  9. "5-Piece Chicken Dinner" – 0:23
  10. "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun" – 3:28
  11. "Car Thief" – 3:39
  12. "What Comes Around" – 3:07
  13. "Shadrach" – 4:07
  14. "Ask for Janice" – 0:11
  15. "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" – 12:33 (separated into individual tracks on 20th Anniversary Edition[31])
Bonus tracks

Japanese CD release bonus cuts.[32]

  1. "33% God" – 3:53
  2. "Dis Yourself in '89 (Just Do It)" – 3:29

[edit] Chart history

[edit] Album

Year Chart Position
1989 Billboard 200 14
1989 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 24

[edit] Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1989 Hey Ladies Billboard Hot 100 36
1989 Hey Ladies Hot Rap Singles 10
1989 Hey Ladies Modern Rock Tracks 18

[edit] Personnel

[edit] References

  1. ^ Google search results for "Paul's Boutique" magnum opus.
  2. ^ a b "Paul's Boutique". AcclaimedMusic.net. http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/Current/A759.htm. Retrieved 28 February 2011. 
  3. ^ a b c "American album certifications – Beastie Boys – Paul%27s Boutique". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Paul%2527s+Boutique%22. Retrieved 26 August 2008.  If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  4. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone (Straight Arrow) (Special Issue): 156) Paul's Boutique. November 2003. ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on 9 November 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20071109102054/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6599020/156_pauls_boutique. Retrieved 25 August 2008. 
  5. ^ "Paul's Boutique - 20th Anniversary Remastered Edition". InSound.com. http://www.insound.com/Pauls-Boutique-20th-Anniversary-Remastered-Edition-CD-Beastie-Boys/P/INS52436/. Retrieved 28 February 2011. 
  6. ^ a b c d LeRoy, Dan (2006). The Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique (33 1/3). Continuum International. pp. 54–59. ISBN 9780826417411. http://books.google.com/books?id=zou4D6wYjwkC&pg=PA54&source=gbs_search_s&sig=ACfU3U37_HZtN5YB3ahGYeY2tkxWGED02g#PPA57,M1. Retrieved 6 October 2009. 
  7. ^ a b c Tingen, Paul (May 2005). "The Dust Brothers: Sampling, Remixing & The Boat Studio". Sound on Sound (Cambridge, UK: SOS Publications Group). ISSN 1473-5326. http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may05/articles/dust.htm. Retrieved 25 July 2011. 
  8. ^ Burke, Darron (January 2002). Barnes, Joyce. ed. "Interview with Mario Caldato, Jr. – March 2001". Tape Op Magazine (Sacramento, CA). OCLC 55533380. http://www.makeshiftstudio.com/pdfs/tapeop_mario.pdf. Retrieved 25 July 2011. 
  9. ^ "The Beastie Boys Interview Preview". clashmusic.com(subscription required)
  10. ^ "Paul's Boutique (1989 LP)". Discogs.com. http://www.discogs.com/release/1405831. Retrieved 28 February 2011. 
  11. ^ a b LeRoy, Dan (2006). The Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique (33 1/3). Continuum International. pp. 100–106. http://books.google.com/books?id=zou4D6wYjwkC&pg=PA106&vq=opium+den&dq=chuck+d+paul's+boutique&source=gbs_search_s&sig=ACfU3U12bmzbX8clAeG1Kn5mlg8X5icnnA#PPA106,M1. Retrieved 28 February 2011. 
  12. ^ a b c d Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Beastie Boys: Paul's Boutique > Review" at Allmusic. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  13. ^ "The Beastie Boys: Paul's Boutique". Robertchristgau.com. http://robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=3479. Retrieved 28 February 2011. 
  14. ^ http://www.avclub.com/articles/beastie-boys-pauls-boutique-20th-anniversary-editi,23861/
  15. ^ DiCrescenzo, Brent (16 February 2009). "Beastie Boys". Time Out Chicago (Time Out). http://timeoutchicago.com/music-nightlife/music/62149/beastie-boys. Retrieved 28 February 2011. 
  16. ^ Handelman, David (25 July 1989). "Beastie Boys: Paul's Boutique". Rolling Stone (Straight Arrow). ISSN 0035-791X. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/pauls-boutique-19930811. Retrieved 12 October 2011. 
  17. ^ "Paul's Boutique". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on 15 December 2005. http://web.archive.org/web/20051215033526/http://music.yahoo.com/release/151988. Retrieved 28 February 2011. 
  18. ^ "Paul's Boutique Review". NME (IPC Media). 25 July 1989. ISSN 0028-6362. http://www.tower.com/pauls-boutique-beastie-boys-cd/wapi/106067946. Retrieved 28 February 2011. 
  19. ^ Anonymous, Adam (18 February 2009). "Beastie Boys: Paul's Boutique". Drowned in Sound. http://drownedinsound.com/releases/14031/reviews/4136262. Retrieved 28 February 2011. 
  20. ^ Patrin, Nate (13 February 2009). "Beastie Boys: Paul's Boutique". Pitchfork Media. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/reviews/albums/12671-pauls-boutique/. Retrieved 12 October 2011. 
  21. ^ Book, John (25 February 2003). "Beastie Boys :: Paul's Boutique". Back to the Lab. RapReviews.com. http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/BTTL_paulsbot.html. Retrieved 28 February 2011. 
  22. ^ http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/compact_discs/beastie_boys/pauls_boutique/index.html
  23. ^ "Paul's Boutique > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums" at Allmusic. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  24. ^ Whalen, Nancy (6 April 1994). "Gathering Dust". BAM (Oakland, CA). OCLC 56556937. http://bbs.beastieboys.com/showthread.php?t=64389. 
  25. ^ "Shake, Shake, Shake. Shake your Boutique". A Story To Tell. twelvebar.com. 11 January 2007. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20081013212942/http://www.twelvebar.com/astorytotell/2007/01/shake-shake-shake-shake-your-boutique.html. 
  26. ^ Pollicino, Raul. "The Sounds of Science". Song Spotlight. BeastieMania.com. http://www.beastiemania.com/songspotlight/show.php?s=soundsofscience. Retrieved 28 February 2011. 
  27. ^ "Top 100 Albums of the 1980s". Pitchfork Media. 20 November 2002. 003: Beastie Boys: Paul's Boutique. Archived from the original on 2 April 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080402044136/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/36736-top-100-albums-of-the-1980s/. Retrieved 28 February 2011. 
  28. ^ "Chris Rock's 25 Hip Hop Albums". RateYourMusic.com. http://rateyourmusic.com/list/tha_flu/chris_rocks_top_25_hip_hop_albums. Retrieved 28 February 2011. 
  29. ^ Tyrangiel, Josh (2 November 2006). "Paul's Boutique". The All-TIME 100 Albums. Time.com. http://www.time.com/time/2006/100albums/index.html. Retrieved 28 February 2011. 
  30. ^ "The 10 Best Albums By White Rappers". Rhapsody. http://blog.rhapsody.com/2010/06/whiterappers.html. Retrieved 26 July 2010. 
  31. ^ "Paul's Banquet". BeastieBoys.com. http://paulsboutique.beastieboys.com/. Retrieved 28 February 2011. 
  32. ^ "ポールズ・ブティック [Extra tracks] [Paul's Boutique [Extra tracks]]" (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B000005JUQ. Retrieved 28 February 2011. 

[edit] External links

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