Paul's Boutique

I usually don't write long and legitimate reviews either because I don't have the time or patience or the album was so monotonal and boring that there wasn't that much to say about. When I do write a long and well thought review it's probably because I have a special connection to the album or it had some ups and some downs. This album is neither. I came into this album thinking that it was some kind of landmark in hip-hop. I had heard a lot about the Beastie Boys and knew a little bit of there later albums. When you listen to their individual songs, they are a refreshing listen that feels good and is enjoyable. Some find they're voice annoying and I see where they are coming from. But as I said, individual songs of theirs are nice. and this brings me to my first point. Each song individually is nice, but the album as a whole is repetitive and and the same sounding songs drag the album. Which is surprising to me, because this album's era was the era of concept albums, which are supposed to bring ups and downs, each song a piece of a bigger puzzle. And you can tell this album is intended to be a concept album. Songs flow into each other some are short. However there are no ups and downs, and all the songs don't make an image; if they did, it would be distorded and rather boring. My point is that this is a failed attempt at an concept album. but there's still a lot of great points in this album. The beats are very groovy and never let down, even though they can seem repetetive at points in the album. The lyrics are very good and they all tell stories. At least that part isn't repetitive. That brings me to yet another point. The vocals are not... great. They aren't unique, they don't bring anything new to the hip hop world, and they are not pleasent. It doesn't matter what the lyrics are, if it's hard to actually enjoy the vocals, you can't pay too much attention to the lyrics. There's no harmony in the vocals, there's nothing musical in the way they sing, and it's just not creative. If this is such a revolutionary album, then why do the vocals not add anything? What makes an album revolutionary is if it brings something new to the table. Some musicality would be very original but it seems like they just don't care. And god halfway through the album and you are already tired of their groaning type singing. Please, SINGGG!! Even in rap there should be some musicality in the vocals. There just isn't! Besides the vocals, there are some creative moments in this album. 5-peice chicken dinner isn't that long but it was a sudden changed and it kinda put a smile on my face. I wish there was more moments in the album where there are sudden changes to escape the eternal monotonal singing of whoever tf these rappers are. There are also some riffs that I can't mention because I don't remember what songs they were on but it was pretty refreshing when they had some pitch to them. but they were usually samples anyways :') i'm not saying that the beastie boys are racist or anything but I feel like this was created for people who are afraid of black rappers. I don't think that they did this intentionally but I can't imagine a black dude listening to this. It's very white culture. So... yeah. If you love painfully boring vocals with interesting lyrics, cool riffs that are usually sampled and groovy but extremely repetitive drum beats and a goofy ahh cowboy song about chicken and dinner, I think this it the album for you. For me? nah. I'll stick with the black rappers, thank you very much 2.5/5

A review from my two year old daughter: "There's too many words. I want shake it! [Shake It - Metro Station]"

You know you’re listening to art when they say ‘humpth dumpty was a big fat egg’ Some cool rhythm bits buts cannnnootttt enjoy this type of vocals. Somewhat enjoyed ‘looking down the barrel of a gun’.

This one was leagues better than the other two Beastie Boys albums we had the misfortune to listen to. Now, leagues better means 2 stars instead of 1 in this case. But I actually listened to the full album while only skipping half of 2-3 songs. That's a really massive improvement over the other two B-Boys albums!

Paul’s Boutique by Beastie Boys (1989) I listened carefully to this album from start to finish, and I read through about half the lyrics, and I tried to discern all the one hundred eleven credited samples. It sure seems like these guys are having a good time. The sampling is intricate and wide ranging, with more than a few snippets that are recognizable from other popular recorded music (from Led Zeppelin to Johnny Cash), sometimes entertaining, sometimes distracting, always worth researching. All this is laid down over heavy but un-evolving beats and musical grooves, providing background to the dominant yelling of the three male ‘vocalists’. If it’s not high art, it’s certainly a well developed craft. For those who are in on their party scene, I suppose it’s good fun. But for those like me who aren’t part of that scene, it rather evokes a regret that we weren’t invited. 2/5

Better than Ill Communication, but not by much...

I think...I think I might hate the Beastie Boys. Well...I hate their music. Which actually is pretty upsetting for me, because they all seem like pretty good dudes, and I wish I liked their stuff.

Kinda corny and annoying

Not for me. having heard Ill Communication back in the day, and hating it, I'll always been told that subsequently they evolved into a serious, more mature and credible act, but hadn't heard anything by them. Just listened to this, better produced yes, but still shouty white boy rap.

I like that this project makes you listen to music you wouldn't normally listen to. So I understand that this album is basically constructed from samples which is cool and quite clever. I like to that it's fun and would probably appreciate it at a house party or something of that ilk. I'm not really keen on rap, like don't get me wrong it's ok for a song or two. Would I choose to listen again? Probably not, sorry.

The style of this whole album just wasn't for me. I'm torn between 1 and 2. I was gonna be generous, and actually, I will be, I made it the whole way through

Man I dont think I liked this one at all. This kinda hip hop not my thing. Funky for sure, just not my funk.

im not enjoying this at allllll. what are they doing.. nice transition into the third track. okay, lyrics are fun sometimes. the psycho song in egg man was fun. high plains drifter: music is great but i cant with their whiny voices. okay im done and the previous sentence applies to the entire album basically. didnt hate it but i wouldnt want to listen to it again.

I was under the impression I was really into Beastie Boys so I went in with expectations high. Disappointed with the rhymes, disappointed with the rhythms. This ain’t the hip hop I’m gonna turn to in the future.

Probably my least favorite of their albums I have listened to. Some catchy bits but there were a few I outright skipped and nothing was that memorable. Shake your Rump was the only one I saved. And cool album cover, I've never seen a busy New York street corner as an album so very inventive and creative.

Overall an entertaining album, definitely overstays it's welcome. The vocals are pretty different from most other music I've listened to but I appreciate the beat on most of the songs. Also some sick Dylan, Hendrix, and Cash references in there.

Were the Beastie Boys lame or cool? I can't tell . The internet says they're a rock bank.. what!?

Ah, so I see where KidRock got his inspiration now. You know, I didn’t hate this, but so many of the songs just sounded the same to me. It didn’t really inspire me. It wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t make it through, but it just really isn’t my thing.

It says something that my favourite track on this album is a 23 second skit that's basically only samples with 2 lines of vocals. Not exactly my style but a good album nontheless. Apparently it's been very influential in rap/hip-hop world and I can see why.

Not good

Not my cup of tea

I'd rather go to Paul's Boutique than listen to this again. Favorite Track: "Hey Ladies".

Really didn't enjoy this

The swagger sounds laboured and false. Not my cup of tea.

For all of the clever little samples, this is just Beavis and Butthead trying to be hard.

I assume is supposed to be clever satirical stuff or an immature joke. Which ever it intended to be was lost on me. It was not remotely funny or engaging. Basically a mess.

Sounded like a bunch of year 7's showing off and trying to be hard I never want to hear this album again 1 ⭐️

It sounds like a collection of Smosh songs (2005-2009 Smosh). My recommended music on Spotify is never recovering from this.

Terrible, I listened to about half of it and couldn't stand it anymore.

It’s certainly noise.

hated it. honestly one of the worst albums i've ever listened to. some cool samples, but this was like nails on a chalkboard to me

I did not like this. i had to stop it in the middle. i understand the appeal, but absolutely not for me

It's just random yelling over shitty beats.

Wow, that was way more irritating than I thought it would be.

Honestly, don’t know if I can get through this one. Beastie Boys have never really been my thing, or my dad’s (I feel like it’s dad music). I never listened to them growing up, so they don’t elicit any feelings of nostalgia, which I think is the only way I would appreciate this album.

I suffered through it. I tried to see what people like about this. The rhythm, the rhymes. But for me, the voices are annoying, the topics are not interesting, and half the time I was trying to decipher what they actually meant by this phrase or that--usually unproductively, sometimes with regret.

Quite like the music until they sing

Whiny is the best way to describe this

Sounds like a lot of noise, they aren't good at rapping either. Extremely repetitive flow and rhyming scheme. The sound and everything is grating and repetitive. Struggling to even listen to the whole album. Extremely overrated. This stuff is genuinely bad.

Can’t listen to it - really not a fan

buernadium

One of my 10 favorite albums of all time, easily. It's a shame I didn't discover it until college. It had already been out for four years. That's four more years of Paul's Boutique I could have been listening to!

eggman is still one of my favorite songs ever and no wonder so many artists sampled parts from this album, creativity is just overflowing

I love this album. So classic. What a sound they created with samples

Excellent album. I've listened to this a few times over the years. Musically I might like Check Yer Head a little more, but this is probably their best album overall. They really showed what they were capable of on this one. Just a classic.

classic

Oh yeah

s*** was so good. I had to make it my album of the day two days in a row

this is really fun to listen to

Incredible.

I’m still shocked at how good this sounds.

Fuck. Yes.

All these years I’ve been melellow like yelellow and cool like lemonade, and then the Beasties voiced it for me. It’s their best record and a good time throughout.

5/5 - A masterpiece of interlocking samples - https://www.whosampled.com/album/Beastie-Boys/Paul%27S-Boutique/ Best tracks for me are Egg Man and Shake Your Rump, but it's a joyride almost the whole way through. Shout out for rhymes with Sadaharu Oh, Maggie's Farm, Fred Flintstone, and JD Salinger.

History’s best copyright violation.

10 stars!

Day 300. Enjoyed the hell out of this, loved spotting some of the samples they used. Will be listening a lot more in future. Highlights 3 minute rule Looking down the barrel of a gun Car thief

Innovative, significant, listenable and a lot of fun

Knowing the cost behind the samples in this album really gives it a lot of weight. I really enjoyed the way they just have fun over these insane beats. I feel like I might prefer slightly tighter beats and more intention behind lyrics but this ain't a concept album. This is a just guys having fun and really they do that amazingly.

Has not lost a bit of its cleverness over the 35 years. Hilarious funky and real. Amazing samples.

A re-listen, but a welcome one. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve listened to this over the years. Standout moment: What Comes Around jumped out to me the most this listen, but there’s not a bad moment here.

This is an album I had the pleasure of knowing before starting this project - it's one of my wife's favorites, and it's not hard to see why. While I've always had more respect for the Beasties as people/musicians than been an active fan, this album really brings the goods. Paul's Boutique kept the party vibe from Licensed To Ill but dropped the machismo and frat-boy vibes, pushing the music deeper and funkier, with lyrics that were wackier and simultaneously said more than they bothered to try to do on the debut. The extensive sampling is done with care and with respect to the source material, truly making innovative new sounds and vibes that set the course for mash-up artists for decades to come. This work reaches all the goals that these boys set out to accomplish. A masterpiece of its genre.

License to Ill established the sound and vibe of the Beastie Boys. Paul's Boutique gave us the faintest hint of how far they were going. A tremendous album, classic.

i left some listening notes for once so enjoy first song - i got fucking scared my audio wasnt working for a hot second. interesting vibe with the first song, definitely not what i associate with beastie boys so i'm already excited for this album. shoutout to all italian girls and puerto rican girls i guess second song - okay Yeah there's the beastie boys, this is fucking incredible the noises are BOMBASTIC and i love the stinky fucking bass i havent even listened to all of it and i'm already smelling a 5 LMAO THE PSYCHO SAMPLE fucking incredible. final verdict: it was indeed a 5

New Yorks Finest Amazing production (fuck you Rick Rubin, fuck yeah Dust Brothers), Great flow. So fun from start to finish. Beastie Boys ran so so much shitty white boy rap could lazily copy. Top Tracks: Shake Your Rump Egg Man Shadrach B-Boy Bouillabaisse (all tracks)

sitting in the white house blowing ass heaters

hope you're longing for more hip hop, because we've got more of the beastie boys coming at you today. this is their second album. what haven't i said about beastie boys that i haven't said already? these guys are just objectively good. they take the big corny world of 80s hip-hop goodness, make it four times as loud, make it really silly... there's probably at least a dozen lines you'll chuckle at or memorize. i love rap music with sample usage, and i especially love rap music where at least a thousand random dusty records are just flipped and scratched and mashed and mixed together. you don't get sampling like this too much anymore. this is a really good example of classic hip-hop, there's nothing like it!

Growing pains

Lowkey maximalist.

come on. top 10 album all time

I'm familiar with this album, though I have not listened to it in a long time. Thanks for making me listen to it again. It's a trip... it's got a FUNKY beat and I can bug out to it!

Classic hip-hop record. Favorite track: Shake your rump other picks: hey ladies, looking down the barrel of a gun

music is love

The Beastie Boys” style is almost charismatic - as you just want to join the party and be in with their crew. This album is just so fun to listen to and while it doesn’t have all their hits - I really like the samples and how they weave so many melodies and instruments in with their raps. It is playful and their sound instantly identifiable.

Shake Your Rump Hey Ladies Shadrach B-Boy Bouillabaisse: A Year and a Day

Absolute masterpiece. The beats are some of the best ever, I mean my GOD "Looking Through the Barrel of a Gun" goes so fucking hard. "The B-Boy Bouillabaisse" is just showing off on all levels

Really funky and fun (and ahead of its time). The additional tracks on the deluxe edition are worth it as well

It's a shift from their previous album, License To Ill. It's primarily rap, but this changes on other albums. It's a great album!

Amazing album. Desert island album for me. First 5 stars

A mesmerising collage of sounds that gives up something new every time

Great

Superb. Excellent samples. Proper good bass rumbling along throughout. Funky. Innovative, lyrics that jump out at you. Just great stuff from the Beastie Boys

I'd rate it a 6 if I could.

if i can recite an entire album from start to finish, it probably deserves a 5

(5/5) Arguably this is the *best* Beastie Boys album, and it is definitely my favorite. It's a dense, layered musical taco of samples. Later groups like The Avalanches may have perfected the art of sampling, but only because of this record which swung the door open and yelled "Hey Ladies"!! I don't have much to add to this, honestly, as it sits at the tip of the rap/sampling mountain as king of the hill. You either get it or you don't. I get it, and it's incredible.

Variety: 5 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 5 Uniqueness: 5 Emotionality: 3 = 4.6 rounded up to a 5 "I'm a writer, a poet, a genius, I know it / I don't buy cheeba, I grow it" Heard this a billion times, and while it's not my favorite Beastie Boys album, it's probably their most critically acclaimed. I get it. The crazy amount of samples set a precedent, it's full of great stuff. I'll try and give it it's due, but will be saving most of my love for the next couple. THE TRACKS Side A "To All the Girls" - This short piece with a funky organ feels like waking up still under the influence of whatever you huffed last night. It's barely anything, but works as a decent intro. "Shake Your Rump" - And we're right in it with an all time banger. This one takes all their earlier more immature hits and distills them down into a very music forward presentation that has been previously lacking. Let's be honest here - none of these guys are actually good rappers. Memorable voices sure. Iconically delivered, witty lyrics, yes. Credit to them for realizing this early enough to dive deep into the soundscapes. Tempted to list all of the samples on this album, but I might be at my keyboard for a few years. Maybe I'll still give it a go... "Johnny Ryall" - The Beasties as curators ( vultures to some maybe) is apparent here even though it ONLY contains samples of 11 songs if the internets are to be believed. Slacking off already, just 3 tracks in. For shame. "Egg Man" - Curtis Mayfield and Bernard Herrmann provide the bed for this bit of nursery rhyme nonsense. Something the Beasties easily get away with. I don't need to look for any deep meaning hear because there is none. And that's fine. "High Plains Drifter" - The Eagles (!) are here to deliver the menacing driving pulse of this catchy as number ( they all are really though) and the vibes are way more John Carpenter than Don Henley. This could easily score a music video if Snake Plissken's exploits. "The Sounds of Science" - Just a sample smoothie of pure joy here. The Beatles, James Brown, and Isaac all join hands to lift this bit of ear candy up. "3-Minute Rule" - This one sees the guys doing a bit of a rewind and going more old school than anything else on here. Samples to are kept to a minimum, and we get what feels like a leftover track from License to Ill, but performed slow motion in cloud of green smoke. "Hey Ladies" - If the last track was a call back to the old sound, this one takes that old sound and expounds upon it and opens it up. Just as juvenile as their old stuff, but much easier to swallow as the veneer of whether or not they are serious has been completely waxed away. We're in on the jokes now and they land a lot more solidly this go around. Side B "5-Piece Chicken Dinner" An interlude, but worth mentioning since it could be our first hint of Country Mike? "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun" A preview of what we'll get on Check Your Head coming up. This is also of a piece with Sabotage, and leans hard into the rock elements with out sacrificing any of the funky atmosphere. "Car Thief" - If "3-Minute Rule" was a nod to the recent past, and "Hey Ladies" an improvement on the formula with one foot in both eras, then this track is them in the process of fully stepping into the future and shaking the old sound off. Everytime it starts to feel old hat, there's a sample, a vocal hook or some other bit of business that slaps the taste of License to Ill out of your mouth and shakes you into the present ( of 1989). "What Comes Around" - Short on the samples once again, but damn... what choices. And perfectly integrated. I read the Dust Brothers are in part responsible for a lot of the crate digging here. Bravo, gentlemen. "Shadrach" - Hands down my favorite track on the album. It's got everything. It's funky. It's soulful. It's got energy for days. It's got the guys at their most cohesive as a vocal unit. Loaded with hooks. We get both a Mad Magazine call out and a "Funky Drummer" beat drop. What more could you ask for? "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" - This one is the Beastie's version of the medleys on Abbey Road. These are all pretty fun, but not sure any of them deserve to be called out individually. Personally would much rather have all this stuff at the end than spread throughout as an endless stream of interludes interrupting the flow of the album, so wise choice here. Favorites include "Stop That Train", "Hello Brooklyn", "Dropping Names", "Lay It On Me". HIGHLIGHTS - "Shake Your Rump" - "Egg Man" - "High Plains Drifter" - "The Sounds of Science" - "Hey Ladies" - "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun" - "What Comes Around" - "Shadrach" - "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" MIDLIGHTS - "Johnny Ryall" - "3-Minute Rule" - "Car Thief" LOWLIGHTS - FINAL THOUGHTS Even the middle of the road tracks here are only that by comparison with the highest of the highs. There's not a lick of this one I'd change I think, even if I prefer to listen to the core group of (mostly) unimpeachable 4 albums altogether as one giant playlist. The party atmosphere is still here, but it's light years more evolved musically than anything they had previously done. And the crazy part is this would have been nigh impossible just a few years later once companies started realizing how much money was to be made off samples from their catalogs. This one gets in just under the line. A line which I think it may have been responsible for. Surely these people saw what was going on here and took note. The influence of this thing can't be overstated. Without this, it's very hard to imagine the chain that gets us to Odelay, Since I Left You, Endtroducing... and onto Speakerboxxx/ the Love Below and into anything by Girl Talk and mashup culture in general. An all time classic, and glad I got to listen to it isolated from the other stuff. Maybe my opinions will change and we'll see some shuffling around. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - None. Perfect as is. FURTHER LISTENING - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back by Public Enemy - Done by the Forces of Nature By Jungle Brothers - Check Your Head by Beastie Boys - 3 Feet High and Rising by De La Soul - Odelay by Beck - Stereo Type A by Cibo Matto - Endtroducing.....by DJ Shadow - Since I Left You by The Avalanches - Night Ripper by Girl Talk

classic

Best Song: Hey Ladies There's no better Beastie Boys than License to Ill is not true!!!! 5/5!

All of the Beastie Boys albums are awesome, and this one holds a special place for me. I had the cassette which was red like a 70s tape.

“Humpty Dumpty was a big fat egg” is a bar I’ve quoted for years because it’s just so fucking silly god I love this album, can take or leave the Bouillabaisse though

apologies for the sentimentality, but aren't Beastie Boys albums all about the beauty of having friends? about concocting a shared language - what makes you laugh, what sounds tough, what you value about each other - and then finding a way to make that language universal? well, yes, they are. they're about inventing a way of looking at the world with your boys, and believing in it so wholeheartedly you have to show the rest of us what it's all about. it's mostly because of that premise that i just love Paul's Boutique. it's also because of the samples, and the jokes, the endless quotable bars, but it's primarily about spinning all those things into a dizzy collection of alternate-universe hip-hop tropes that have a lot to do with hitting people with eggs and Bob Dylan, sold so confidently they just make sense. it's so beautifully, immediately fully-formed, it's like a magic trick. at 14 or so, when i discovered this album, it was mostly just great fun - now, there's a diamond-cut wackadoo clarity to the whole project that makes me genuinely very emotional. there's a reason my two best friends and i went as these guys for Halloween one year - they were a unit on an aspirational level, so tight, so eloquent, so funny and so sure. i'm thrilled to return to this record and find it completely singular and wonderful, its reverence for hip-hop tradition coupled with its dedication to rulebreaking in perfect balance. love these guys so much. off to eat some eggs for lunch

Ah, the Beastie Boys. I remember when they crawled out of the gutter and onto my radio with Fight For Your Right in 1986-1987. That song was huge, and they became huge. What many didn’t know, including one 13-year-old kid in Kentucky, was that the Beastie Boys were essentially a satirical group making fun of the frat boy idiots they were portraying. Once the group kind of found out people weren’t laughing at them, but with them, they toned down their obnoxious, sexist, offensive ways. By the time the Beastie Boys needed to record their follow-up album to the hugely popular and million-selling Licensed To Ill, they wanted to make a more serious album with better beats and more mature lyrical content. They weren’t happy being the frat brothers' favorite rappers, though, Licensed To Ill still garnered respect in the hip-hop community at the time. The Beasties’ split with Rick Rubin and went with the Dust Brothers as producers and created one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever. Arguably, my favorite hip-hop album as I’ve heard it 100 times. Though I’ll admit, I didn’t get into this album until way after it came out. As a commercial product, Paul’s Boutique was a failure, but in the hip-hop community, it’s legendary. Chuck D, of Public Enemy, was quoted as saying that a dirty secret in the black hip-hop community was that Paul’s Boutique had the best beats. Track 1 is essentially an interstitial, lead-in; it’s nothing really. Track 2 is Shake Your Rump, and already you can tell the beats are 1,000 times better than Licensed to Ill. Also, this album uses maybe the most samples of any album to build beats. While the Boys sound the same, the lyrics are less about college life and more mature, if a song about shaking your butt is mature. Plus, unlike a lot of songs on Licensed To Ill, you can dance to this jam. Great way to open the album. Track 3 is Johnny Ryall, and again, the samples used to create the music are perfect. At the time this record came out, what the Dust Brothers were doing with sampling took it to a whole new level. In hip-hop around that time, DJs would take maybe a record or two to build a music bed to rap over, but the Dust Brothers would use a dozen samples to create the music for the Beastie Boys. While this was more sophisticated and a new way to make music, once it caught on, that’s when the artists and music companies decided it needed some money for all these samples. Track 4 is Egg Man and it’s just a fun song. “The egg, a symbol of life I go inside your house and bust out your wife I pulled out the jammy, he thought it was a joke The trigger, I pulled - his face, the yolk Reached in his pocket, took all his cash Left my man standing with the egg mustache Suckers, they come a dime a dozen "When I say dozen, you know what I'm talkin' about, boy" The main groove of the song is Curtis Mayfield’s bassline from Superfly, amongst about 10 other songs, including a sample from the theme from Jaws and Psycho. Track 5 is High Plains Drifter, maybe my favorite on the album, and the main groove of it is a sample from the Eagles Those Shoes. The song centers on an outlaw on the run from the law. It seems to be set in the present day, but it has a lot of references to the Old West. This song really features the incredible interplay between the three Beasties. They had a style all their own. As hip-hop grew and entered the 2000s, I can see how younger hip-hop fans thought their rhyming was simple compared to what Jay-Z or Eminem was doing, but it was still complicated and fun. Track 6 is The Sounds of Science, and it is full of Beatles samples, including Back in the U.S.S.R., Sgt. Peppers’ Lonely Club Hearts Band, When I’m 64 and the End. There’s no way a producer would think of using a Beatles song in hip-hop these days. It really was the Old West in hip-hop back then. Track 8 is Hey Ladies, which was the first of two singles off the album and likely the only song you have maybe heard from this album. This album uses samples the right way. They aren’t always the groove from the most well-known songs, they’re bits and pieces from songs that aren’t on the tip of your ear. So, in turn, when the beats are used to make a song, it sounds like they were made for the Beasties' song. Did I explain that right? For example, Hey Ladies is built off about 20 samples, it seems, but I can’t really place any of them, or the pieces sampled aren’t the hook of the sampled song. So, the music for Hey Ladies seems like it’s just the music for Hey Ladies. This song rules. Track 10 is Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun, and it's essentially the Beastie Boys gangsta rap song. “I'm rolling down the hill, snowballing, getting bigger An explosion in the chamber, the hammer from the trigger I seen him get stabbed, I watched the blood spill out He had more cuts than my man Chuck Chillout 24 is my age, and 22 is my gauge I'm writing rhymes on a page, I'm going off in a rage Because I'm out on a mission, a stolen car mission Had a small problem with the transmission.” This song is heavy, like rock and roll heavy. The music is based in part on Mountain’s Mississippi Queen. There is also a chime in there from Pink Floyd’s Time. I can’t imagine anyone in Pink Floyd would like to know that some of their music is in a rap song. , Then there’s a bass solo in the middle, which is likely one of the Beastie Boys playing. Before becoming rappers, the Beastie Boys were a punk band. In later albums they would play a few songs of original music performed by the group, like Sabotage and Gratitude. Gratitude is a banger. Track 11, Car Thief, is another funky, but rock-sounding song. I don’t really remember this song as much as others, but it's really good. I love it. The samples are woven together so well. Again, there’s a fuzzy bass solo popping up now and again. Good jam. Track 13 is Shadrach, and it was the second and last single from the album. It seems once Capitol Records saw they didn’t have Licensed To Ill Part 2, they kind of gave up on the album. Just another example of how business people don’t know art. If it doesn’t make money, it’s obviously not worth focusing on. Paul’s Boutique would later become one of the greatest hip-hop records ever. But the album didn’t sell well either, so it also proved that a lot of Beastie Boys fans might have been just dumb frat boys. And most frat boys don’t know anything about art. I digress. This song is just fun. Perhaps my favorite sample on the whole album is one from Black Oak Arkansas’ Hot and Nasty. Now that’s a song that will curl your hair. “I once was lost, but now I'm found The music washes over, and you're one with the sound Well, who shall inherit the earth? The meek shall And yo, I think I'm starting to peak now, Al And the man upstairs, well, I hope that he cares If I had a penny for my thoughts, I'd be a millionaire We're just three MCs, and we're on the go Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego” Holy crap! I was just told by my good friends at Wikipedia that most of these songs were recorded in a dude’s living room. I can’t say anything more about this album other than listen to it. Even non-hip-hop fans will enjoy this, I believe. I wasn’t really into hip-hop when I first listened to Paul’s Boutique, but I loved it. I still wasn’t a huge hip-hop fan after that, but I was excited to get a new Beastie Boys album every chance I had. This is for sure a must-listen album, not just because it’s got great songs, but it also inspired a lot of what hip-hop became musically.

I hadn't listened to this as a full album in quite some time, but this is an absolute gem of a record and a landmark in hip-hop history for very good reason. The Dust Brothers created an incredible tapestry of sampling here that redefined the way beats could be constructed (like who thinks to 1) request sampling rights to "When I'm 64" and 2) slow it down to make an almost vaudeville rap song?) Dancey party moments (Shadrach is my favorite in this vein), slower moments that just go hard (High Plains Drifter), just a sonic collage of epic proportions. I love this album.

I always forget how much I love the beastie boys which is really strange because typically this sorta thing wouldn't be my vibe but there's an energy they bring which I love. The sounds of science I loved but largely due to the Beatles samples.

Unique work of genius. 5/5

Oh, I feel like I have to apologize, but this is a 5. I love this album. The boys at their best. 4 for the album itself and 1 for pure nostalgia. And isn’t that part of the power of music?

Super influencial masterpiece

This was a Beastie Boys album that flew under my radar when it came out. I owned Licensed to Ill and loved it but didn’t really know about this album until almost ten years after it came out. It could well be their best album.

Genuinely fun and endearing album the entire way through, alongside some of the hardest hitting beats of the era

I really enjoyed this album from start to finish. I much preferred this one to 'Ill Communication' if I'm being totally honest, even though the songs seemed slightly less experimental. To me, this seemed like a very strong album, where they knew what sound they wanted and executed it very well. The album starts with such an upbeat feel, giving you expectations for the rest of the tracks, which don't fall flat at all. I usually dislike albums with too many tracks; I think around 12 is perfect for an album, but with the length of these songs being slightly shorter, even with a 23-track album, the length is perfect. I enjoy the addition of '5-Piece Chicken Dinner' thrown in the mix; it feels really random and shows their humour incorporated into their music. Favourites (in order): Egg Man Johnny Ryall B-Boy Bouillabaisse: Dropping Names 3-Minute Rule High Plains Drifter

TS SLAPS banger after banger i literally never hated a song or felt like it didn't contribute to the album Idk how high I want to set the bar for what is a 5/5 but this might be it. Giving it another listen tomorrow it's tomorrow now, ts slaps so hard. giving it a 5

Excellent

Taxi driver, I'm the eggman.

One of my favorites

I have zero memory of this album coming out, probably because their label opted to promote Donny Osmond's new record instead. Back in those days I would've been dubious anyway, because I hated License to Ill. It'd be years before I heard all of Paul's Boutique, but I quickly understood how great it was. The production and craftsmanship with its myriad samples is pretty mind-blowing, and it's home to a handful of Beasties greats.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Det är funkigt, svängigt och propfyllt med attityd och feta samplingar. Det blir varierat med inslag från rock, funk och disco. Vissa tycker att de har en skrikig leverans men för mig är det en BB signatur. Detta är ett röjig album som håller jämn nivå genom hela albumet så det blir en femma. Bäst är Shake your rump, Johnnu Ryall, Egg man, High plan drifter, The sound of science, Hey ladies, Looking down the berral of a gun och B-boy medley.

29 - The Beastie Boys - Pauls Boutique - Rating = 5 I would give this album a 10 if I could. It’s one of the top 50 albums of my life. From the opening To All the Girls into the biggest groove banger in the Beastie Boys catalog, “Shake Your Rump”… I mean The Sounds of Science, Johnny Ryall, Hey Ladies, Shadrach… This album was goofy, fresh and new with the level of sampling at play here. This is a seminal album of my life. Thank God for the Beastie Boys and their craziness and intelligence and attitude. Got arrested at the Mardi Gras for jumpin’ on a float. Such a great record.

I loved this as a teenager. Even now it’s an absolute delight to listen to, the writing is incredibly tight and you can get lost in the Dust Brothers’ immaculate collage of samples

Un album muy divertido y placentero de escuchar

Hell yeah.

The samples alone

samplemania!

a perfect album!

Easy win for the B-boys!

Thoughts before listening: The Beastie Boys album that gets all the praise, not my favorite of theirs. I mean it's great and I'll give it 5-stars, but for me personally they took the blueprint they created with this album and perfected it on Check Your Head and Ill Communication. Very happy to have a reason to pull out my vinyl copy today. Review: Yeah I mean this album was extremely influential in its usage of sampling which is why it always gets tagged as the Beastie Boys' "best". I don't dispute the importance of the album, but for me personally its not as strong as the next 2. Still though there is a lot to love here. This is catchy, funky hip hop with funny lyrics and recognizable samples. The fact that they helped invent rap rock on Licensed to Ill and then revolutionized sampling on Paul's Boutique shouldn't be overlooked. Lots of iconic songs on this one as well: "Shake Your Rump", "Johnny Ryall", "Egg Man", "High Plains Drifter", "The Sounds of Science", "Hey Ladies", "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun", and "Shadrach" all rank among their best. If there is some criticism to be had, I do feel that they lose the plot a bit on side 2, especially with all of the "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" songs that feel like unnecessary filler, but this is still very much a 5-star album.

Fun, with playful rhymes and ridiculous beats (but I'm glad I wasn't a woman around them back then)

Peak from start to finish, and I found myself bopping my head to the songs quite a bit throughout. The beats and the lyrics are just absolutely splendid. Can't go wrong with some boys from the city!

:)

a certified classic to rob a Wegmans to 5/5

YEAAAAAAAAH dust brothers can fuckin Produce man. sad we cant get samples like this anymore. the beastie boys are so damn charismatic too.

Absolute banger. This thing fucks

Perfect album

Fukking masterpiece

Absolute love for this album. I bought this album new and enjoy it as much now as I did then. No matter how many times you listen to this album you want to listen to it again. Hip Hop and sampling at it's finest.

Licensed to Ill was a blast, and Paul’s Boutique blew the fuckin doors off. I spun this up the first time and I knew it was a game-changer. God it was fun! Wore out my cassette, blasting it out of my car. The sheer creative force of their sampling genius, the flow, and the crazy stupid fun of the whole joint made it legendary. Still play it wall-to-wall today.

This album is absolutely immense, hit me at the right time as well

One of my all time favorites!!!

OOOoooohhhh my! My fave from them!

the Joni Mitchell’s Blue of shaking your rump

Foundational album! It’s not a collection of tracks, it’s a complete opus.

Dropping Science Like Galileo Dropped The Orange 1001 Albums Generator 247 (3/13/2026) Perhaps the most impressive piece of sampling ever, Paul's Boutique is different from Beastie Boys' debut in almost every way. Licensed to Ill is classic frat rap, but even then, hints of the Boys' production chops could be seen. Paul's Boutique still maintains a fun, upbeat energy, but it is also a serious piece of art. There is nary a bad song on this thing. The closest you're gonna get is the intro To All The Girls, the banjo-led interlude 5-Piece Chicken Dinner, and the awkward beatboxing on Get On The Mic. Besides that, you got the cool midschool hiphop of High Palins Drifter, the rap rock of Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun, the strange funk of Egg Man, and the lawsuit waiting to happen The Sounds Of Science (which they almost did get sued for by The Beatles). Oh, and speaking of the Beatles, Paul's Boutique ends with their very own "Abbey Road suite", with the 9-part B-Boy Bouillabaisse. It's pretty great, but some of the really short songs in the medley kind of don't stand out too much on their own. That's really my only complaint. And with that said, A Year And A Day is one of the best songs on this whole album, and Hello Brooklyn is crazy too. I have much more nostalgia for their debut, but Paul's Boutique is a classic for a reason. 4.5/5, rounded up to 5. Favs: Shake Your Rump Looking Down The Barrel of a Gun Shadrach Least Fav: B-Boy Bouillabaisse: Get On The Mic

Perfection. I did have this cassette stick in my 89 Geo Prism for the better part of a summer so I really got to appreciate it. The comedy matches the groove.

Happened to be great for doing pottery

Probably their best! B A N G E R 10/5

Love Beastie Boys. Love this album. So unique. So creative. So fun.

meisterhaft und absolut hörenswert!

the Beastie Boys are unparalleled and this record is iconic!

Unapologetically New York sounding, this is the Beastie’s best album. The INSANE level of innovative sampling is unbeatable, and has lots of fantastic lyricism. Could be slimmed down a lot however.

I'm surprised I even like this genre of music. But I only skipped the 30-second ones.

Oh my fucking god. The Sgt. Peppers of rap does not disappoint. This is just entirely off the chain for 1989. The samples are insane, incredibly wide-reaching across decades and genres and go deep in the crates. The rhymes are ridiculous, the usual hyperkinetic wordplay from the boys, throwing in all manner of stupidity and ridiculousness and offhand brilliance. The beats go so hard. It’s over an hour that is like the giant ice cream sundae you always wanted as a kid - the one with like eight scoops and two bananas and a bunch of whipped cream and you and your friends could just eat it forever, just bliss on bliss on bliss. It’s a top ten album.

Too much of a good thing

“So the lights are flashing, my mind is spinning I feel like it is always the beginning Of another rhyme I'm rapping, M.C-ing I rock You ain't nothing but a car thief who must be stopped” “Paul’s Boutique” is a wonderful collage of popular music over the preceding 25 years propped up by the distinctive sound of a hiphop group who was at the time in dire need of a producer capable of focusing their talents. While I was listening I found myself wondering how this album would sound if you were to make it today, but I feel that it would fundamentally just not work. Practically, the idea of getting the samples cleared prior to release in 2026 is insane. In 1989 producers The Dust Brothers were able to clear much of the album for very little money as well as just hoping that some samples would fly under the radar. Then in 1991 a landmark lawsuit involving Biz Markie and Gilbert O’Sullivan laid the groundwork for the excessive red tape around sampling we are used to today. This new era of music litigation meant that one lawsuit relating to Beastie Boys’ use of sampling on this album was not finalised until 2015. There is also the issue that if you were to achieve this sound today it just wouldn’t be as impressive. Music technology has come along so much since “Paul’s Boutique” that bedroom DJs can sample pretty much anything in a matter of minutes. But, in the late 80s sampling was in its infancy and was extremely primitive. The length of sample that you could use was significantly shorter and that meant producers had to be much smarter and more creative with what they chose and how they used it. This is what sets “Paul’s Boutique” apart from other Hiphop records of the time. What the Dust Brothers achieved on this record completely changed not just how Hiphop instrumentals were crafted but expanded what music producers thought possible at all. The beats have a fantastic sense of humour that interweaves perfectly with Beastie Boys’ own brevity. Often referred to as “The Sergeant Pepper of Hiphop” due to its advancement of recording technology and influence on the genre “Paul’s Boutique” is more than worthy of its title.

Just an absolutely achievement in hip-hop. Lyrically incredible, beats are amazing, just one good thing to say about it after another. Doesn't reach some of their later heights, but imagining strolling in Brooklyn in 1989 with this on in a Walkman, smoking the worst ditch weed imaginable, and buying dollar slices. Just a dream. Easy listening and always fun, great harmonies, and the development of the style is just so wonderful.

of course this gets 5/5

If you are a rap fan, you already know about this one.

À l'époque, en 1989, tout le monde attendait les Beastie Boys au tournant. Après le succès colossal et un peu bas de plafond de Licensed to Ill, on les prenait pour les bouffons de service du hip-hop, les petits Blancs privilégiés qui allaient disparaître aussi vite qu'une canette de bière tiède dans une fête de fraternité. Mais au lieu de nous refaire le coup du rock-rap facile, Mike D, MCA et Ad-Rock se sont barrés à Los Angeles pour accoucher de ce qui reste, plus de 35 ans après, une anomalie géniale, un chef-d'œuvre absolu : Paul's Boutique. C’est un "joyeux bazar", un bordel organisé à l'image de ce magasin de Manhattan qui donne son nom à l'album. C’est un disque qui ne devrait pas fonctionner, une sorte de Frankenstein musical recousu avec des morceaux de funk, de soul, de rock et de jazz. C'est l'un de leurs meilleurs albums, ex-æquo avec Check Your Head, et il mérite largement son 5 sur 5. Mais pourquoi ce disque est un indispensable me diriez vous ? Avec les Dust Brothers aux manettes, les Beastie Boys ont pondu un monstre d'échantillonnage qui ferait faire un AVC à n'importe quel juriste spécialisé en droits d'auteur aujourd'hui. On n'est plus dans la gaudriole de fête foraine pour skateurs bourrés, mais dans une tapisserie sonore d'une densité chirurgicale où des centaines de samples — des Beatles à Led Zep — s'imbriquent avec une maestria qui, trente ans plus tard, me colle encore des frissons de nerd du microsillon. C’est le disque de la mue, celui où ils ont troqué les hymnes bière-pizzas pour une écriture tentaculaire, prouvant au monde qu’ils étaient des bâtisseurs de cathédrales sonores plutôt que de simples amuseurs publics. Véritable odyssée urbaine à cheval entre le bitume crasseux de New York et le soleil de plomb californien, cet album réussit le miracle de faire cohabiter un jazz cérébral, un funk poisseux et des éclairs rock sans jamais virer au gloubi-boulga indigeste. C'est une lettre d'amour monumentale à la pop culture, une machine à explorer le temps et l'espace où chaque écoute révèle un détail qu'on avait loupé la veille. Il y a quelques mois, j’ai replongé dans Ill Communication dans le cadre de ce projet, et je lui avais collé un petit 3 sur 5. C'était une note donnée plus par respect qu'autre chose, car l'album semblait s'éparpiller un peu trop. Mais avec Paul's Boutique, on joue dans une autre catégorie, on est dans la pureté de l'intention, dans l'explosion créative totale. C’est un disque irrévérencieux, drôle, parfois complètement barré, mais toujours porté par une énergie communicative. On sent qu'ils s'amusaient comme des fous en studio, et cette liberté se transmet à chaque seconde. C'est l'album de la maturité qui refuse de grandir, le genre de disque qui te rappelle pourquoi tu as aimé la musique en premier lieu. Trente-cinq ans plus tard, le constat est sans appel : c'est un classique indémodable qui défonce encore tout sur son passage. Un 5/5 net, sans bavure, et une leçon magistrale de ce que le hip-hop peut offrir de plus riche.

me encanta cuando un album hace que odie y ame canciones al mismo tiempo

Raptastic!

I truly believe Paul’s Boutique is the Beastie Boys absolute crowning achievement. It's a huge step up from their first album, ditching the party all the time vibe for a super cool, trippy, and complex sound, like the Sgt. Pepper of hip-hop. The three of them, Mike D, Ad-Rock, and MCA, are at their best here, heir quick rhymes and energy are amazing. Some people might not like their New York shouting, but for me, it makes the album super fun and energetic. The production by the Dust Brothers is nothing short of a miracle, a masterclass in sampling that simply could not be repeated in today’s litigious music industry. With over 100 samples ranging from the Beatles and Led Zeppelin to Johnny Cash, the album is a sonic collage that feels fresh every time I listen. Whether it’s the funky groove of "Shake Your Rump" or the ambitious suite of "B-Boy Bouillabaisse", every track is packed with easter eggs and witty references. It is a one of a kind landmark that perfectly embodies the anything goes if you have 2 turntables and a microphone spirit of late '80s hip-hop.

What initially sounds like pure collage gradually reveals careful architecture. The sampling is dense but purposeful, stacking fragments of funk, rock, and soul into something that feels fluid rather than cluttered. Lyrically it’s loose and playful, yet structurally it’s remarkably disciplined. Each listen uncovers small production details that strengthen the sense of depth. It manages to be immersive without feeling self-indulgent, which is why it earns a full score.

This album is a classic! From a time before sampling was sued and licensed out of existence, this is the high water mark. The Beasties are at their best here, riffing off each other, interweaving punk, classic rock, funk, R&B and true hip hop sensibilities. Yes, they’re white, Jewish boys but they were actively participating in hip hop culture and community as it came about - this is organic, not appropriation. To all the people who are like “tHeY’rE jUsT sHoUtInG??”: As a resident of the Tri-State Area, I can tell you with 100% certainty: They are not yelling, they’re just from New York. 5⭐️

nostalgiaaaa. Hard to pick a favorite but i have to say sounds of science

This album slaps. Will come back again that's for sure.

Their best work

It's cringe but it's so good

The best Beastie Boys album. And I don’t say that lightly.

A classic

Dense but great. A classic illustration of how marketing drove sales back in the day. An album that would be impossible to make today.

I couldn't love this more. It was a permanent fixture in the CD player of my car for years. I can't think of many albums that mainline fun and energy to my brain quite like this. Listened to it again yesterday for the 2,567 and 2,568th time. Still holds up.

There’s not much I can say about this that hasn’t already been said. This is a top 10 album for me and a top 5 rap album. The Black Album bends the knee to Paul’s Boutique.

One of my favourite all-time albums. It was really nice to have an excuse to listen to it again after many years away.

Good Fucking God I love the Beastie Boys. Potentially better than Licensed To Ill, at least maybe marginally more artistic. Still perfectly angry, loud, and oh-so-cool. New top 10 album, maybe top 5. Phenomenal.

This is probably one of the most important and influential hip hop albums out there. If I had to take a guess your favorite rapper probably has this album in their top 5 albums of all time. Every song on here is so much fun and I might have this entire album memorized, which is really saying something due to the amount of lyrics on here. High 5!!!

I mean the Beastie Boys are the Beastie Boys, aren't they. It's perfection. The samples go crazy. The genre switch ups are mega. LOVE.

My 2nd favorite after Hello Nasty.

digger det! 10/10 sint, sampledelica, drøyt, morsomme vers

Giants of hip-hop, all-time greats of the genre. White lads, waxy voices, more rascal than gangsta, but you just can't ignore them. Also a very unique, inimitable sound, and yet reminds me of Public Enemy, if its members where white and got raised in upper-middle class artistic families. "Paul's Boutique" is the least hit-heavy album of the band, not a single of the most popular BB songs comes from this record. Yet as a whole this is the most Beastie album of them all, and the most artsy. Samples, beats, lyrics - crème de la crème, all of it. BB has been for a very long time one of my favourite bands, yet I listened to this album for the very first time thanks to this list. And now I know why it's such a cult classic.

Incredible. 4.5

awesome

Very happy to have heard this album again.

Paul's Boutique was the next step in the growth and evolution of Beastie Boys. If License To Ill was elementary school, Paul's Boutique is high school. Also, to the people complaining about "too much shouting", go find your safe space and put your Bon Iver records on. Beastie Boys aren't for you. This album kicks so much ass.

A glowing exception to my self-invented rule that rap albums don’t age well. I wasn’t into the Beastie Boys when they first appeared, although like everyone I heard their hit singles and I thought they were OK. Much later, when I had access to streamed music, I tried listening to their first album (Licensed to Ill) a few times, but found it pretty tiresome and juvenile. I’d read that Paul’s Boutique was really ‘the one’ and I had a go at it once or twice, but I reckon I probably didn’t get past the silly To All the Girls intro song and the fairly routine rap track Shake Your Rump that followed it. Having now heard the album right through and - importantly - used good headphones and read the lyrics as I listened to each track, I think it’s brilliant. The backing tracks, with their myriad samples from a wide range of genres, still sound fantastic even 35 years later. The production is great. And the lyrics match the music: clever, funny and erudite, with constant references to, and borrowings from, the worlds of art, literature, science, history, music and pop culture. I never loved the three-guys-shouting rap style and still don’t. Plus also, as with almost any rap album, you have to wade through a fair amount of macho flexing (although here it’s often laced with humour). But this is a really impressive album and it gets 5 stars from me, which I really hadn’t expected to be the outcome before I pressed play.

Love this album: the exuberance of the samples is a maximalist experience.

Fun and creative and also goated

I looked at how many tracks this was and thought this might feel a slog, but wow it was just joy the whole time this is a fantastic album. There was no tracks I recognized but made me realize there is more to beastie boys than just there hits.

Super cool album, but one I've been trying to properly digest for a very long time. There is A LOT to take in here. Most people praise this album for the same reason they praise a lot of golden age hip hop records, albums like 'It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back' and '3 Feet High and Rising'...it's the sampling. They're just flying at you and right past you as you start trying to process the next sample. 'Shake Your Rump' is the perfect demonstration of this; it's like a million different songs packed into this little 3-minute container, and that iconic three-way Beastie Boys rapping style only adds to the unfiltered chaos. Overwhelming can't begin to describe it. 'Egg Man', while having one of the more consistent (and better) rap performances on the album, is equally as unhinged. Look, yes, a part of me wishes that the guys would just ride the really hypnotic and infectious bassline beat established at the beginning of the song, without throwing in a million different interjections and switch-ups...IT'S LITERALLY UNDER 3 MINUTES. But that's the appeal (of most) of this album, and you come to understand that very early on. The album really dishes out one intriguing production beat after another. I love that main guitar riff driving the spacey 'The Sound Of Science,' or the funky guitars scratching through 'Hey Ladies'. And in typical '80s hip hop fashion, you'll get a pretty neat (and sorta random) heavy metal crossover with 'Looking Down The Barrel Of a Gun'. 'Shake Your Rump' is a warehouse of incredible little beat moments, with maybe the tightest drum loop on the album, and this weird, fuzzy synth tone that'll go on to become a Big Beat staple in the '90s. A lot of this album, come to think of it, is very predictive when it comes to that particular genre; the beats have this weighty, clunky feel to them. Thankfully, the rapping doesn't balance the production out or anything; it's just as bombastic. I feel like having three distinct MC voices featured here, rapping about the most random shit you can imagine, is the only style that CAN work with production this shaky and precarious. Anyway, if you hate how all-over-the-place this thing is, then you'll hate the last side of this thing even more. Just these short non-sequitors that, admittedly, contain some of the better rap performances here. 'Get On The Mic' is one, but more specifically, 'A Year And A Day', my favorite Beastie Boys song, period. Everything from the beat, to the flow, to the weird staticy filter on the vocals, whatever that is. I don't usually write this much about albums on this list, but I just sort of drifted while re-listening to this album for this list. It fascinates me like few rap albums, and albums in general, do. So weird, so non-sensical, so different, like cycling through the radio channels in some alternate universe where these oddly artistic but edgy frat bros own all the broadcasting frequencies. But it's an album that'll undeniably latch itself onto you and refuse to let go - once you get it, of course.

Easy 5 stars. Next!

I’ve loved this album for many years

Second Beastie Boys album in a row (and going chronologically which is nice). I had heard so many good things about this album and I was excited to finally listen to it. Way more polished than the debut, excellent and very creative production. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Probably would give it a 4.5/5 if I could, but I have no problem rounding it up to 5/5.

I just received this album on vinyl for Christmas. If its not my favorite Beastie Boys albums its in a close battle Ill Communication. Along with that it is probably at the top of my favorite albums of all time. It hits the perfect mix of nostalgia and am album that always has something new to offer. The whole dynamic between the three and the use of samples overlayed is worth listening to and also fun. Unlike some albums that are important and or significant but difficult to get through this one is easy as pie.

It is soo good

What an amazing album. It was a masterpiece.

Every sound is perfect. Creative and unheard of before it came out.

The whole album is killer I loved the whole thing!

It sounds like a fun party. If you don't like it - well, it's not a party you'd be invited to anyway. 5/5

It's never not the right time for the Beastie Boys.

Starting 2026 with an absolute classic. Some of the other sample-driven albums on this list have left me cold but this one just works throughout. The lyrics are still kind of juvenile but the rapping is much improved over Licensed to Ill, which had some downright embarrassing moments. Favorite tracks: Egg Man, The Sounds of Science, Hey Ladies, Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun

Great record!!!! Love me some Beastie Boys! RIP MCA!

Priceless album

This was great. The Beasties always have great flow. Add to that the impeccable production from the dust brothers and this is a real joy.

An absolute masterpiece that marks the beginning of a stellar 4-album run for the Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique, Check Your Head, Ill Communication, Hello Nasty. While there is still some misogyny from License to Ill present here, it is not nearly as rampant. The Dust Brothers provide the music, and it is awe-inspiring; this album and De La Soul's Three Feet High and Rising set impossibly high standards for sampling that few albums have matched.

Possibly the greatest use of samples in music history

Gen X Apotheosis

I have zero memory of this album coming out, probably because their label opted to promote Donny Osmond's new record instead. Back in those days I would've been dubious anyway, because I hated License to Ill. It'd be years before I heard all of Paul's Boutique, but I quickly understood how great it was. The production and craftsmanship with its myriad samples is pretty mind-blowing, and it's home to a handful of Beasties greats.

No notes. Best Song: Shadrack Rating: 9/10 Stars: 5

Fantastic dumb party music from start to finish. I love the Beastie Boys.

This is my favorite Beastie Boys album, the samples are my favorite part, the sound of science is one of the best hip hop songs of all time, when I first heard that Beatles sample I lost my mind it's so good. Amazing energy I feel so confident while listening to it and overall it's a great experience

bangers after bangers. we are up to something. i like how some samples just suddenly hits you in the face like a track. the fun is unpallaleled. what a fucking bop (way better than lincensed to ill) 5/5

When you take a bunch of wonderful things, put them together, don’t include anything not wonderful, and sprinkle it with wonder, you get something wonderful.

One of my all time, absolute, mega, complete and utter favourites. Read the lyrics to 'Eggman', then listen to the tune and try and tell me that these guys were not operating in a different dimension. Absolute scenes. This and '3 feet high & rising' are the two records which define the moment of the explosion of sampling - and show what could have been possible without the crackdown. Damn shame.

low 5 it is sik. i like the ones with the beatles samples

This was a great album, super fun wordplay on awesome beats!

Paul’s Boutique will be my final Beastie Boys album to review, and looking at the track listing, I don’t think I’m familiar with any songs on here. I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned it on my other reviews, but I think the only Beastie Boys album I had listened to in its entirety before starting this project was Hot Sauce Committee Part II, which I wasn’t really wowed by. I was really hoping I’d fall in love with at least one of the Beastie Boys albums that I was going to review, but that has yet to happen. I like the Beastie Boys, and I think their music is fun and clever, but I think I’ve learned that they’re one of those artists who I love certain songs of theirs, but their whole albums just aren’t my thing. I don’t have high hopes that Paul’s Boutique is going to break this trend, but I’ll keep an open mind. I wouldn’t say I fell in love with Paul’s Boutique, but I can definitely say that this was a fantastic album, and it’s easily the best Beastie Boys album that I’ve listened to. With other Beastie Boys albums, I would find myself getting bored for stretches, with their vocal delivery eventually just wearing me down. That wasn’t the case here though, as this album was full of some really incredible samples that kept this album incredibly fun and interesting. The funk and soul samples worked particularly well, and hats off to The Dust Brothers for some excellent production work on this album. One of my favorite things about Beastie Boys songs is their catchy and clever lyrics that are often filled with some great pop culture references, and I was delighted to hear some of that on this album as well. I think my favorite lyrics on this album were either “Rapunzel Rapunzel let down your hair, So I can climb up and get into your underwear” or “I got more flavor than Fruit Stripe gum.” The Rapunzel line is a bit misogynistic, but I’ll be damned if it didn’t crack me up. As far as the Fruit Stripe gum reference, I guess it’s technically true, since they didn’t mention how quickly that flavor dissipates. There were a lot of other references and lines that I liked, and I’m sure I missed quite a few as well. Oh, I almost forgot about the Donald Trump reference on “Johnny Ryall.” I really hate living in a world where that guy is still relevant, and I’m sure Ad-Rock and Mike D probably hate it too. I had some notes on the individual songs, but I think I’ll skip posting that, because there really wasn’t a bad song on the album. The mooing cow toy sample on “The Sounds of Science” was a low point, because that was annoying as hell, but it was still pretty brilliant and clever. As far as my favorite sogns on this album go, I’d have to go with “Shake Your Rump,” “Egg Man,” “High Plains Drifter,” “Hey Ladies,” and “Shadrach.” Again though, there’s really not a bad track on here. I don’t know that I’d listen to this album again, because it’s not really the type of thing that would draw me back, but Paul’s Boutique is a masterclass on fun and inventive hip hop.

It’s in my blood to love this one - another easy 5

One of their best !!

So fun got this on red cassette when it came out loved it. I remember it didn’t sell well and Gavin and I going to White Oaks Mall and him finding the CD in the long box for $2.99 pretty sick so many highlights I really love the B boy bouillabaisse at the end. Hey ladies, this is a fun record.

Licensed to Ill hit my white suburban life like a ton of bricks when I was 12 years old. I had a rap group with some friends that lasted a whole DAY. This though, this album that hit when I was full-on 15 years old, pasty and pimply? I didn't know it came out. Nobody played it. I didn't encounter it until well into college, when Ill Communication came out to massive airplay. People were like, sure this is good, but have you heard Paul's Boutique?

Classic album for all the reasons everyone says it is. Some of the best production of any rap album ever, thanks to the Dust (now Chemical) Brothers. The combination of Beasties juvenile (but entertaining) lyrics don't always jibe, but they were skilled and every song is different enough within their framework. There are seams, but overall, there isn't anything quite like this album. But wait, the 1,001 albums list doesn't include Check Your Head?

Man, this is so much fun. The sample of "The End" in "The Sounds of Science" is inspired. The Dust Brothers suited the Beasties way more than Rick Rubin did.

A perfect record that took sampling to a whole new level.

"There's more to me than you'll ever know. I got more hits than Sadaharu Oh!" (From "Hey Ladies")........."Mello Like Jello, Cool Like Lemonade"....."Like Sam the Butcher brining Alice the Meat, Like Fred Flinstone Driving 'round with Both Feet"........ Favorite songs are "Hey Ladies", "Egg Man" (which has a sample from Friday's album), "Shake Your Rump", "High Plains Drifter" and "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun" I know this will get some low rankings from the group but i own and LOVE this album. I have owned this album since 1989, and i listen to it regularly (about once a month). Prior to having to give royalties for sampling, Beastie Boys has roughly 300 samples on it. if you listen closely, there is a "Superfly" sample. there is also The Band, Beatles, Commodores, Sly and the Family Stone, Donovan, Pink Floyd, Zepplin, Alice Cooper, Ramones, to name a couple. Every time i listen to it, i seem to hear a new one. another tidbit on the album. The cover is the corner of Ludlow and Rivinton st in the lower east side of Manhattan. The album was so influential, NYC passed a proclamation in 2022 (i think) that the area is now officially known as Beastie Boys Square.

I heard the style, and did not miss the point.

This is almost more funk than hip hop. Love the funkiness.

All bangers, no mash. Beastie Boys at their finest.

Discazo. Clásico. Divertidísimo. La producción es una locura no tiene ningún sentido los mil samples que usan y lo que van variando y evolucionando los temas. B-boy es el vibe completamente. Siempre en mi equipo.

cinco estrelas do tico

Oh hell yes

great blast from the past

Beastie Boys imo nie mają sobie równych w kategorii hip-hopu. Białe chłopaki, wokale z wosku, teksty łobuziarskie bardziej niż gangsterskie, a mimo to nie sposób przejść obok nich obojętnie. Mega charakterystyczne brzmienie, które z jednej strony jest nie do podrobienia, a z drugiej strony przywodzi na myśl Public Enemy, gdyby jego członkowie byli biali i wychowali się w rodzinach z artystycznej klasy wyższej. Paul's Boutique to chyba najmniej hitowy album Beastie Boysów, nie ma tam żadnego z ich największych hitów, większość ludzi zna utwory z "Licensed to Ill" i "Ill Communication". A mimo to ten album jako całość to jest BB w najbardziej artsy wydaniu. Sample, beaty, teksty - same perełki. BB to od dawna zespół, który mega cenię, ale tego albumu słuchałem pierwszy raz. Teraz już wiem, czemu stał się kultowy wśród miłośników hip-hopu i sampli.

There is something uniqe in their music and you can't help by be captivated by their charm. What a beasts. What a boys.

A fun listen!

Stupid like a fox

The Beasties can do funk, and it's on full display here. Great album, with so many great grooves and hooks. I put this at the top of a list of great albums by these guys

Outstanding. Total masterclass in layered, literate sampling by the Dust Brothers. The vocals bring slightly less energy but so much more art than Licence to Ill. This is their first "grown up" record.

Perfect album. Couldn’t be created today due to cost of sample clearance

10/10

classic sound, great album

I'm still discovering old songs that are sampled on this album many years after the fact. Absolutely dense and brilliant production on this one. Lyrics are silly and dumb but also clever at the same time. A masterpiece.

I will never not give Beasties 5 stars. Pure hip hop

A huge leap forward for the group on this, their sophomore effort and in turn, a leap forward for hip hop. Beats stuffed with samples and soundbites, a technical achievement as well as artistic. The Beasties rhymes have grown as well, still silly and macho but more clever and thick with entendres and references. To me, its nice to re-visit this one since there is always something more to notice.

Always on every playlist

The Beastie Boys don’t give a fuck about your opinions.

One of my favourite albums EVER

I got more stories than JD’s got Salinger when it comes to this record. It hit at the right time for me and was in regular rotation at every party in college. It is a true masterclass in sampling, and I imagine would not be possible today given rights issues for sampled songs. But the creativity mixed with witty lyrics is just outstanding and set a high bar for hip-hop and music in general. Still holds up today.

A bouillabaisse for the ears - packed with flavours, spices, and joy. So many samples - "he thinks HE's the passionate one" was the one that leapt out on this listen

Favorite tracks: Shadrach, Shake Your Rump, What Comes Around, Hey Ladies, B-Boy Bouillabaisse Man do I love the Beastie Boys, and this album is a perfect example of why. They're unpredictable, innovative, and just plain funny. This album is maybe the height of their sampling, and it's near impossible not to groove along with them. I can understand the criticism of their voices and think that it is a bit of an acquired taste, but for me it was acquired a long time ago. Starting a petition to bring back hip hop groups instead of vulgar rapper

Yeah, the vocals kind of all sound the same. Sort of..? But these guys know who they are and damn are they cool.

Loved it!

Essential. Pulled the vinyl off the shelf for this one. Every home should have a copy.

This is one of those albums that slipped under the radar when it first came out, only to be rediscovered and celebrated later for how ahead of its time it was. It’s wild to think that an album like this could never be made today - the sheer number of samples alone would make it prohibitively expensive to produce. I first heard Paul’s Boutique much later in the Beastie Boys catalog. I loved Licensed to Ill, but this one didn’t cross my radar until the late ’90s or early 2000s. It’s a big creative departure, probably thanks to working with The Dust Brothers, but it feels like the start of the real Beastie Boys sound, with that funky, funny, unpredictable energy that defined them from then on. Honestly, if this album dropped today, it would still sound fresh.

The Dust Brothers make this record, and unfortunately because of copywrite laws there will never be another one like it.

so many hits

Got more rhymes than Jamaica got mango's! Sample masterclass with Beastie Boys synergie.

99 stars. No notes.

Dedo no cu e gritaria: O disco. A melhor forma de resumi-lo, certamente. E não me refiro apenas ao estilo vocal do grupo – mas ele certamente ajuda a solidificar o título – mas sim à toda ambientação caótica e apocalíptica deste álbum. Até agora, Hip Hop vêm sendo o gênero mais infeliz pra mim aqui na lista, mas finalmente os Beastie Boys trouxeram o primeiro disco 5 estrelas do estilo. E como fizeram isso? Vou começar falando da minha parte favorita desse álbum, a produção. Ela é excêntrica e maximalista, com milhares de samples empilhados um sobre o outro. Cria-se aqui paredes cacofônicas impenetráveis. Em alguns momentos do disco, eu imaginei que gostaria de ouvi-lo apenas como instrumentais, mas daí os vocalistas entram em campo e o marcam com sua imprescindível presença. Entendo que pode ficar um pouco dissonante aos ouvidos ouvir esses três malucos gritando todas as suas barras, mas não dá pra imaginar outra maneira de entregar ESSAS letras por cima DESSAS batidas. É coisa de outro mundo, uma criatividade inigualável, e ritmos verdadeiramente vivos e movidos. No mínimo, este disco prova que Hip-Hop possui potencial quando se livra das amarras que o prendem, as quais você pode ler a fundo nas minhas outras reviews de outros discos do gênero. Este álbum aqui larga mão de todos aqueles alçapões e foca toda sua energia vital naquilo que há de melhor, samples criativos, instrumentais diversos e ambiciosos, e letras desvirtuadas de qualquer senso lógico ou razão, entregues através de grunhidos enfáticos. Baita de um trabalho. 5/5

Besides 3 Feet High & Rising, this is easily the greatest use of samples ever on an album!

Rapping is best done in harmony

Complex and fresh! Sampes so strange and interesting that they set the bar for hip-hop in this early stage

Probably the only song on here that I am not the #1 fan of is "Hey Ladies." "Paul's Boutique" is probably one of my 2 favorite albums of theirs of all time (that and "Ill Communication".). The amount of sampling that is done for this album is unprecedented, now it would have cost millions to get all of the samples that are on this album. The fact that they went from the frat-rap boys of "Licensed To Ill' to... THIS is just amazing. I listen to this album often, it's definitely one of my go to albums to just make me feel better. Listen to it over and over, great relisten-ability. A classic rap album, without it we wouldn't have rap as established as it it. A Classic album.

I know of this album but I didn't recognize any of the songs so I wasn't sure what I would think. I had a quick read about it and noted they painstakingly put together a record that was their own. Almost like the Beastie's attempt at Pet Sounds. Whatever the case, it is very damn good. Almost seamless and that's something given how many samples they splice together. It just hums along. My favorite tracks were probably Egg Man, High Plains Drifter, and Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun because the samples / beats on those ones are kick ass. B-Boy Bouillabaisse was also pretty slick with some great samples and changes of pace. Some juvenile stuff but also some razor sharp wit; both of which I expect from the Beastie Boys. This album is at least a 4 in my mind, but for what their sampling did for the whole rap genre, it solidifies that it's a 5.

Cool album start to finish - very interesting how dense the samples are. When I went to whosampled.com I was surprised just how many samples were present in every song. Then I learned about the Grand Upright Music Ltd v. Warner Bros Records case that basically killed wholesale sampling in rap. In other words, this album couldn't exist just a couple years later. Although the samples are a little more in your face obvious than later hip hop, the Dust Brothers and Beastie Boys still make it their own. I may not be a big rap fan, but I really enjoyed this album...I'll give it the 5 it clearly deserves. Favorite tracks: Shake Your Rump, Johnny Ryall, Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun (by far my favorite track on the album), Car Thief, and two parts of B-Boy Bouillabaisse: Stop That Train and A Year and a Day.

Such a cool album. Loved the sampling which made for some very interesting beats. I liked the medley type of short songs that ended the album very much as well.

Ground breaking 2nd outing.

Sometimes the white boys got it

Sampling, one of the best Shake your rump Johnny ryall Hey ladies A year and a day

I have a crush on the Beastie Boys!!!!!!!!

Not only is this easily the Beasty Boys' best album, it's one of the best albums if it's era, hip hop or otherwise. Largely thanks to the Dust Bros production it ranks with the greats of the post 808 sample heavy era of the late 80's and early 90's like De La, Tribe, PE, etc. A true masterpiece.

Pretty obvious how ridiculously awesome this record is.

-all bangers

Prettig georganiseerde chaos. Absurd goed samplegebruik voor 1989.

5/5 no notes

Well this album sure is GREAT All those haters do is HATE If you don't like it I suggest you STOP Cuz this right here is the cream of the CROP

its good its great i love it

There's nothing like it, despite it spawning generations of music. It's the sound of a bunch of clever, irreverent and maturing guys making exactly the music they wanted to and a monumental testament to the Beasties' creativity. For a couple of years, this and Ill Communication (slightly superior) were my go-to walking around albums - it's the sound of a city.

Let’s go

Absolute best. Remastered album still slaps. To this day. Maybe it's not worth 5 starts but I listened to it twice and it made my day.

This album’s such a wild ride. Very different from a lot of I’ve heard. The samples are amazing. I’m a huge fan of The Avalanches, so those are the only works I can compare it to. The Beastie Boys have a very distinct and identifiable vocal style, which might be offputting to some but I really enjoy it. Overall, the songs shine in the use of its samples, and the Beastie Boys on top really bring them all together.

219/1089 - The Dust Brothers have a really cool sound. Both this and Odelay have great beats. Wasn't sold on the Beastie Boys raps until the line "I've been making beats since you've been sucking on your mother's dick," which made me smile. I also re-listened to Ill Communication and think it's a 5 now and not a 3. If I think of it as a hip-hop album (which it is) and not a jazz album, my criticism goes out the window. Sure Shot, Root Down, Sabotage, Get it Together and the Scoop are too good for just a 3. As of today, these are the albums with ratings I changed my mind on: The Avalanches - Since I Left You (4 -> 5) Beyoncé - BEYONCÉ (3 -> 2) Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Will the Circle Be Unbroken (3 -> 4) Beastie Boys - Ill Communication - (3 -> 5) Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison (3 -> 2) Iggy Pop - The Idiot (4->5)

One of the classics for a reason

Greatest hip hop record of all times.

Мабуть мій улюблений у них. Нереальний рівень семплінгу, нереальний рівень зросту порівняно з дебютним. Купа класних пісень, чудова динаміка між трьома учасниками. Тим хто любить мультижанрових Бісті, то звичайно інші альбоми в пріоритеті.

Excellent.

A banger, blending funk, dub and groove with a smashing of hip-hop

I adore this album! So rhythmic and original, a bit in your face, raw and fun.

Eggman

Best tracks (in order of greatness) Car thief Looking down the barrel of a gun Shadrach Hey Ladies Egg man Shake your rump B-Boy Bouillabaisse: Stop that train B-Boy Bouillabaisse: AWOL It's a 5 star album, one of the best, and the best thing is, they followed it up with 2 more great albums, just like Stevie Wonder did in the 70s.

Love this record!

Hell yea

Was pumped to see this come up today, a stone cold classic that I could never tire of. The entire album is a masterclass in sampling, the lyrics are on point, and even the shouty "call-response" delivery gets a pass from me. You could spend an age digging into the samples used and uncovering the old B-sides and minor hits that they were dragged from (some less minor than others I guess, like The Beatles for example). I always find it astounding that this is the Beastie Boys second album and that, although there are some hangovers from their debut, it's largely a huge change in direction from "frat-rock" to "hip-hop". Anyway, a clear five star album.

Paul's Boutique changed everything, and we're not just talking rap and hip-hop. It blew everyone's minds, despite being a disappointment on the charts. The clarity we have all these years later shows us that this was one of the best rap albums of it's day, inspiring generations to come after. It's not even my favorite Beastie Boys record and I still feel this way. Paul's Boutique walked so that artists like J Dilla and RJD2 could run. My favorites from this record are "Shake Your Rump", "The Sounds of Science", and "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun".

One of the absolute greatest rap albums of all time. Groundbreaking sampling.

One of my top five favorite albums. The sampling, layering, and psychedelic production by the Dust Brothers made this a critic favorite when released in 1989 but never found radio success. I love The Beastie Boys!

Classic

The most sampled record ever? Beastie Boys and the Dust Brothers sure dug through some crates. My favorite is: "Humpty Dumpty was a big fat egg/He was playing the wall, then he broke his leg/Tossed it out the window, three minutes hot/Hit the Rastaman, he said, (Bloodclot!)" Also, the story about this number on this album and Beastie Boys eventually getting it ... and setting up a voicemail ... that led to another track on the next album ... is next level.

Brilliant album. I basically enjoyed every muniye of it. Highly energetic, with rapping that reminds of the RATM.

fuck yes

A true masterpiece. Who would've thought that three jewish guys from New York would make one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. From the lyrics to the energy to the sampling, there is no second wasted. A 5/5, if there ever was one

Love this album. They did some insane sampling here. A classic for sure and unique for the time

There's a reason people call this the Hip Hop Sgt. Pepper

So much nostalgia with this album. Plus the story behind all the samples used is wild.

Beastie Boys - one of these groups where my response to seeing them as the album of the day is "hell yeah"

Good job beastie boys you really beastied the boys this time

J’ai adoré ! Du rap/ hip-hop qui met de bonne humeur et qui fait bouger la tête. À réécouter

Awesome use of sampling, and yeah, it's loud. But so is NYC and any other major city. This really is a good album, and groundbreaking for hip-hop.

Beastie boys are the best!

Great album! Never heard it before e

Fuck yeah.

Always been a lover of the beastie boys but never listened to this album. Fuck it’s good, front to back banging tunes, the heavy use of effects add so much stank to all the tracks. Something about the smart ass tongue and cheek lyrics against booming funk instrumentals, my god, best shit ever…

Classic.

psm