Reviews (page 2 of 14)
A great album, some songs have a truly unique and often bizarre sound, some of which I love, and some not so much.
I really like the beats and the sampling. Looking down the barrel of a gun is my favorite on here. Great production. All that said, the beastie boys schtick is a little too one note for a whole album. One or two songs in a mix, great, but an hour straight gives clownish / musical theater vibes.
Not my favorite Beasties album, but still a solid record that has produced some great tracks, fun wordplay, laid over funky and rocking samples. There's no mistaking the East Coast vibe. Highlights: "Shake Your Rump", "Hey Ladies", "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun"
I really loved this album, and appreciate that it can only really be enjoyed as an album in its entirety, particularly cause of b-boy bouillabaisse tunes. I will revisit and possibly even get on vinyl. Such a banger. Top bops: Shake your rump Egg man The sounds of science Hey ladies Looking down the barrel of a gun All of the B3 tunes
My last reviewed album was Afrika Bamdaataa’s Planet Rock released in 1986. This is only three years later. I mentioned in that review how it was cool that they had sampled Kraftwerk in the first song. It’s amazing how fast music evolved in three years because this album is basically back to back samples. It’s a fun part album most people are already aware of. My only issue with the Beastie Boys is that the Run DMC, finish each other’s lines shtick kinda gets old when it’s every song on every album.
*Famous for its sampling, this is an essential hip hop album.
It's hard to follow up License to Ill, and this album is unfortunately lesser known because of that I think. But it's still an awesome one, you can hear all the inspiration from other genres and the experimentation. Beastie Boys are known and stand out for good reason. 4/5
"I was making records when you were sucking your mothers dick" is a crazy line.
Masterpiece
I wrote a whole thing of listening notes but they disappeared. I enjoyed this one a fair amount i just thing the beastie boys are dumb fun. I enjoy the instrumentals being pretty minimal in that they are typically just drums, bass, and occasional stings from other instruments. Nothing super special lyrically but its so fun to listen to. Another 3.5 graded 4
I spent so long assuming Beastie Boys were the epitome of lazy, transgressive hip hop leading into the '90s but I was ignorant :'( still not a fan of Licensed to Ill, but the production and writing on this album and Ill Communication are just too nice. Highlights: "Shake Your Rump", "3-Minute Rule", "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun", the entire Bouillabaisse series
Banger banger banger banger banger. The Beastie Boys are full of bangers
Beasty
Brilliant. The Dust Brothers are king.
Sadly, found this dated and almost unlistenable.
Bit shit innit?
It sounds too much like edu-rap to me
godawful bilge
Don't get this garbage. A couple of tight baselines but this whiny shouty wannabe cool nasal excuse for vocals drives me absolutely insane
Chaotic and hard to listen to sometimes but still fun
Before today I don't think I really knew what genre Beastie Boys fell into and I had never listened to them before. So this really surprised me with how great it was. It's a wonderful blend of punk and hip-hop with some wonderful samples dotted throughout. I was so engrossed by this album that I accidentally set off the alarm at work and the police were called. I blame Beastie Boys entirely. Favourites: Shake Your Rump Car Thief Shadrach
So much fun
So many little samples. Really playful beats and the rapping fits it perfectly.
liked that one much more than License To Ill, the voices are less annoying here. Samples cool
me amarrei nesse álbum. produção boa demais a mistura de hip/hop com o rock em algumas músicas caiu muito bem, e os samples são muito bem usados tb. gostei muito da energia punk da banda, tanto na entrega dos versos, das batidas e na própria coisas que eles estão dizendo, queria entender as referências mas eu consegui pegar as críticas ao governo e a postura contra o preconceito da época. deu pra ver que é bem inspirado no west coast (pelo fato óbvio que a banda é de nova york). confesso que o flow deles ficou meio repetitivo em algumas músicas, queria ver mais mudanças na cadência e na entrega dos versos deles. curti muito shake your rump, the sounds of science e looking down the barrel of a gun.
incredible album, crazy good samples
Highly rated by critics, but not for me I like how Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun included a lower-sounding electric guitar
A fun concept of a record, but not one that I'll end up revisiting often unfortunately. While I think I liked the Beastie Boys a lot when I was younger, their style of rapping quickly ends up getting on my nerves due to how basic a lot of their bars end up being, especially when comparing them to 80s rap legends like Rakim, Public Enemy, or NWA. That said, I did end up really enjoying the tracks "Johnny Ryall", "Shadrach", and "Car Thief", they have a level of storytelling that feels very real and penetrates through their admittedly pretty douchey frat boy demeanor they exude on the rest of the track list. Also I shouldn't need to say this, but of course the beats on here are absolutely killer, the samples they end up using really elevate the atmosphere of the record, turning pretty meh songs into something that I could end up bumping and tolerating. It really makes you feel like you're on a street in Brooklyn, listening to all of the different tracks being blared from the residents into one singular sound that feels alive. This is especially true on tracks like "Shake Your Rump" and "Hey Ladies", as while I find the bars to be pretty corny and juvenile, the incredible sampling work easily carries and makes them feel a lot more fun and lighthearted. The two interludes, "5 Piece Chicken Dinner" and "Ask for Janice" I could do without, they just end up feeling like filler. Final track "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" is fine too, I understand the concept of them trying to do their own "Abbey Road" ending medley, but due to each part of the suite feeling like undercooked demos of an unfinished full song, they don't gel very well together, something the last half of "Abbey Road" does much more cohesively in my opinion. While this is definitely an important piece of hip hop history, I just can't shake the feeling that I respect what it's trying to do rather than actually enjoying it as its own standalone project.
The Beastie Boys are another band with which I have had next to no experience so this was a pleasant surprise. The production felt surprisingly progressive for its time at parts, no doubt because the Beastie Boys coined the direction hip hop would take after them. When you hear the drumming and some of the guitar lines, you can start to understand why people thought Nu Metal would be a good idea. The lyricism is also irreverent, funny, and holds up better than I thought it might have, and on that note, it is so impressive how in-sync all the Boys are, as if they are in spirit all just one Boy. There are a just a few moments where the music shows its age (The Sound of Science), but sometimes you just gotta settle for a finger roll rather than a slam dunk. Really nice album from some of the best guys the East Coast has to offer.
Rating: 4.9/5 Short Review: Absolute sample-collage insanity. It feels dense, funny, chaotic, and absurdly creative without ever sounding random. Every few seconds there’s another little sound or reference jumping out at you. Favorite Track: Shake Your Rump
3.4/5 innovative but not their best
Complaining that the beastie boys yell is like complaining that water is wet. Good energy, some good lines, enjoyable album. After rating a bjork album 3/5, it feels criminal to give this less than 4*
Great album. Second best to ill communication. They found Thier sound in this album.
4.1
Pretty good. Not all the hits type of album
oh my god
divertido, mas meio repetitivo. me senti nos anos 80, com aquelas caixas de som enormes.
hip hop também não é meu gênero favorito, mas o instrumental, toda produção musical e a junção de samples são bem interessantes aqui
conhecia umas duas do beastie boys e tinha vontade de conhecer mais. esse álbum não aumentou a vontade.
I know this is acclaimed, but let me be honest and say that this was just noise to me.
I love this album because its quirky, good to dance to and fun to listen to the words. I love the beastie boys because they're different and both their voices are different to each other. my favourites of their song are egg man and car theif because i love listening to the words.
The sheer newyorkness is overwhelming, the second the beat started on the 2nd song I instantly hated New Jersey pizza and was a die hard fan for the Knicks. Music wise tho it was mid only good thing was the samples, still 4
Some of the most innovative sampling in all of hiphop, paired with some of the most tiresome vocals.
I actually really liked this album. Solid 3 stars quite fun
very fun but not something i’d intentionally seek out
I love this album. I thought it might be a 4 because it’s long. But that sampling… is the bomb. I remember the first time I heard it. My brother had bought it fresh off the press. I was passing his room in a teenage daze. And then I stopped and went in his room and just made myself at home. Had to admit, this was awesome. Still feel the same way. Almost 40 years later. 5 Boolean: True
Idk if i was just in the mood for it today, but this was great. Even the extended edition
Yes, the tracks do sound really similar to each other and it gets repetitive. Still, I liked how catchy and energetic this record is, I kept nodding my head along through all of it. I will probably listen to it again!
Bumps. Flows. Flavor. Sounds like a good cruise in the city at dusk or a 90s street dance battle. Hitting the roller coaster like a grind rail in the Tony Hawk Project 8 theme park.
Decent. The samples were what elevated it.
After Licenced to I'll, I stopped listening until Ill Communication. Paul's Boutique and Check Your Head probably are my favorite two albums of theirs now. So many great songs but Sounds of Science is probably my favorite. 5/5
meh, didnt do it for me
Rowdy!
I like hip-hop/rap, but this album just doesn't do it for me. However, it's clearly an innovation of the time and influential. I deserves to be on lists, just not mine. Pitchfork: 10 (20th Anniversary review) Rolling Stone: Top 500 Albums #125
apparently hip hop/rap. their tone is a little goofy. definitely not my thing.
Very good but not my favorite from them.
I'm not in the mood for this. I am annoyed and I have a bad feeling that will taint my opinion. Loved the other album I got by these guys. Hope they can pick me up. -------------------------- I think my mood affected this one - but it didn't quite land like Ill Communication. It's still a fun ride, with interesting samples and vocal delivery. Refined, with carefully cut samples interwoven into their iconic sound punctuated by a pick n mix of percussive delights. A provisional 3 because I'm fairly sure I'd love this more on a different day.
Before I got to the halfway mark I was pretty sure this wasn’t going to be for me and I don’t think it’s an everyday album for me but I would return. Incredible use of sampling (before legality took over and there was still true creative freedom) Playlist add: “Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun” but could’ve also been “What Comes Around”
They sample "The End" by The Beatles in a song!
Some absolute classics. A bit of filler in between.
I wouldn't say this is essential since it isn't the Beastie Boys' best album and it doesn't really innovate in a meaningful way. I like individual songs more than I like listening to the whole album all the way through. I think it really suffers from a lack of diversity, with the obvious exception of 5-Piece Chicken Dinner. The Sounds of Science is my favorite.
i dont know if this is good beastie boys or bad beastie boys it's just beastie boys. i was never under the impression that i didnt like beastie boys. holy fuck one whole album is too much beastie boys. the beats are serviceable (though they do wake up on the second half, the sampling is neat), the raps mentally cost me something to listen to. straight up deals sanity tick damage. at the end of the day they made a unique sound and style and they own it. The Sounds of Science was legit a very cool production that carried a star on its own. solid 2
Rating: 8/10 Sick stuff. It really does some interesting and experimental things with its sampling and hip hop production, pretty immaculately done in that regard, and the record does not age poorly at all. It's a lot of fun and most of the tracks are honestly just good or great, a couple more mid that I can't remember. I'm not usually itching to put on some Beastie Boys but it's good when it pops up like this. The best song of the bunch I think was Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun, love that one
1.7 it lowkey is just a lil annoying sounding to me. But i can tell theyre having fun i just dont love it
They have such an identifiable style and class. Decent album
They really got a vibe, but this one is a bit noisy
Well, the style of rapping is very corny and dated, but I didn't hate this album. Many of the instrumentals were genuinely funky, and while a lot of that can likely be contributed to the original musicians who were sampled, some credit has to be given to creative sampling and well-executed production. The way that they often switch vocalists Every few words in the middle of a passage is very 80s and jarring to listen to. It's almost as if you don't need a whole group just to make rap music.
Random thoughts/observations: a whole album of this stuff is too much (a little goes a long way?); after a while, their voices get kind of annoying; sometimes it's funny (I've always thought that about the Beastie Boys, but never enough to be tempted to buy anything); their New Yorkishness is (for me) about equal parts annoying and charming; the best parts are probably the samples; there was a rhyme they tossed off about Sadaharu Oh that made me smile (and also made me think how dated some of their references inevitably must be). So, anyway, to rate it: it's between a high 2 and a low 3, and, what the heck, I'll give it a very low 3. *Almost* tempted to go back and listen again (almost, but not quite).
I'm tempted to give 1 star. The whiny voices aren't even mixed properly so I can barely hear what they're saying. To say something nice, there's a sensor of humor. It's nice and chill. Beats you can rock to. I had assumed the Beastie Boys were lame and I didn't have my mind changed. Also could say the same about a lot of 90's music; it's just not very cool in my opinion
Sure, you can let the delirious production wash over you, but the more you focus, the more clever it gets. It’s the kind of attention no one was willing to afford the dudes who had made Brass Monkey at the time, but as the years passed, this flop became a foundational masterpiece for good reason.
The production is amazing and - I believe - groundbreaking at the time for its use of samples. Over a whole album though, the issue for me is the vocals lack any dynamic range, depth or hooks. The end result is like some children have scribbled over a renaissance painting.
the sample from "the end" by the beatles in 4th song was really nice. cool sampling, thought provoking.
I like the Beastie Boys as much as the next guys and this is a nice album but sometimes it’s also a bit dull and boring. The opening is a banger though with „Shake Your Rump“ jumping in after the weird intro but I don’t know what to do with songs like „The Sounds of Science“ or „Johnny Ryall“.
Universally loved by music critics, but it is a great album nevertheless. I felt a little sting of disappointment when I got to know that the music wasn't created by the Beastie Boys themselves - in my mind I had always pictures them as a band who wrote their own music. But everything just works so well on this one: It feels fresh and energetic like a live act with the MCs trading bars and the DJ cutting breaks, never playing a record for more than a few bars.
My 2nd favourite BB album, love that this is what came after Licence to Ill. Great samples, funky, funny it really stood out stylistically from the crowd in 1989…. Probably why it flopped commercially. 4.3
It's ok. I've never really been a big beastie boys fan and this album hasn't changed that.
Started off grating ended up kinda growing on me, has a wierd Lonely Island + Death Grips vibe
Favourite songs: Johnny Ryall, Sounds of science
3.7 Definitely worth revisit. DJ is quite comedic though. Random sound clips that don’t really blend into the music, especially that one where it just shifts into high speed country
Probably my favorite Beastie boys album, love the funk, the sampling the energy. A few oddball moments that that keeps it interesting.
Always ridiculously fun.
It had its moments for sure, but not as good as their other two albums on here
A hip hop classic. Still sounds fresh.
Never been much of a fan of beastie boys from a lyricist perspective, but oh my days the production just more than makes up for it. Masterclass in sampling
# An In-Depth Review of Beastie Boys' *Paul's Boutique* (1989) Beastie Boys' second studio album, *Paul's Boutique*, stands as one of the most radical artistic transformations in popular music history. Following the frat-rap monster success of *Licensed to Ill*, the trio—Mike D, MCA (Adam Yauch), and Ad-Rock (Adam Horovitz)—relocated from New York to Los Angeles, severed ties with producer Rick Rubin and Def Jam, and created a record so dense and unconventional that it initially baffled audiences. Today, it is universally regarded as a hip-hop masterpiece and a landmark of sample-based production. --- ## Music and Production: The Dust Brothers' Sonic Collage The musical heart of *Paul's Boutique* lies in its revolutionary production, helmed by Los Angeles-based duo The Dust Brothers (Mike Simpson and John King). In an era of "wild west" sampling before stringent copyright laws, they constructed a dense, layered soundscape from over 100—by some accounts, over 200—samples. The album is a sonic collage, weaving together obscure funk breaks, soulful grooves, classic rock riffs (Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath), psychedelic sound effects, and snippets of movie dialogue from *Psycho* and *Jaws*. This approach created a maximalist, psychedelic listening experience. Described as a "Möbius strip of funk and soul samples," the album feels more like a richly detailed painting than a straightforward hip-hop record. Tracks like "Shake Your Rump" layer Moog synthesizer basslines over guitar riffs, while the nine-part suite "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" showcases the team's ability to stitch disparate pieces into a cohesive whole. The production elevated hip-hop from a beat-driven genre to a form of cultural archaeology, where sound bites from the past were repurposed to create something entirely new. --- ## Lyrics: From Party Anthems to Pop-Culture Puns The Beasties' lyrical content on *Paul's Boutique* is as dense and playful as the production, marking a significant departure from the simplistic party anthems of their debut. Their verses are packed with obscure references, in-jokes, and the kind of rapid-fire, irreverent humor that became their signature. Tracks like "Hey Ladies" and "Shake Your Rump" are showcases of their verbal dexterity, creating absurdist, stream-of-consciousness routines that are more about clever wordplay and cultural name-dropping than traditional storytelling. This wasn't hip-hop about inner turmoil or street life; it was a "magpie, extroverted" style that was "deeply entertained by just about everything around it". Their creativity on the album wasn't about deep confession but about the "ingenuity and sheer joy" with which they assembled cultural flotsam into a funny, surreal, and uniquely New York–informed narrative, even though it was recorded in Los Angeles. --- ## Themes: A Love Letter to Pop Culture and New York At its thematic core, *Paul's Boutique* is a psychedelic, sprawling love letter to pop culture and a nostalgic ode to New York City. Despite being recorded in LA, the album is steeped in a romanticized, funhouse-mirror reflection of New York's downtown vibe, dense with references to B-boy culture, obscure films, and the era's urban mythology. The album's humor and dense referencing also prefigure a mode of cultural consumption that would become dominant decades later. It "anticipated the giddy, information-saturated possibilities of the internet a good decade before most people really knew what the internet was". It treats all of pop culture as a giant sandbox, mixing The Beatles with hardcore punk and disco samples without a hint of irony or hierarchy. This postmodern sensibility—finding joy in the endless reassembly of cultural debris—is the album's defining philosophical theme. --- ## Influence: A Sampling Milestone and Artistic Blueprint Though initially a commercial disappointment, *Paul's Boutique*'s influence is immeasurable. It is cited as a milestone in sampling, proving that the technique could be an art form in its own right—not just theft, but a creative, transformative act. The album's dense collage style directly inspired a generation of producers and artists, most notably Beck, who worked with The Dust Brothers on his acclaimed album *Odelay*, as well as DJ Shadow. Its critical rehabilitation is legendary; *Rolling Stone* placed it on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (with various rankings over the years, including #156 and later #125). It forced critics and listeners to reconsider the artistic potential of hip-hop, shifting the group's image from frat-boy novelties to serious artists. However, the album's financial failure, exacerbated by its expensive and legally complicated samples, also sounded a death knell for the freewheeling, sample-heavy era of hip-hop, contributing to a landscape of more cleared and costly samples. --- ## Pros and Cons of *Paul's Boutique* ### Pros - **Revolutionary Production:** The Dust Brothers' sample collage is a breathtaking achievement in sound design, creating a dense, psychedelic, and endlessly replayable sonic world. - **Lyrical Dexterity:** The Beastie Boys' wordplay is sharp, witty, and packed with pop-culture depth, elevating their rhymes well beyond the typical rap fare of the time. - **Artistic Reinvention:** The album's drastic departure from *Licensed to Ill* demonstrated a fearless commitment to artistic growth and creativity. - **Massive Influence:** Its experimental approach paved the way for alternative hip-hop and sample-based collage artists, including Beck and DJ Shadow. - **Critical Legacy:** It has become a consensus pick for one of the greatest albums of all time, having "grown" in stature significantly over the decades. ### Cons - **Commercial Disappointment:** At the time, it was a commercial flop compared to its predecessor, confusing fans who expected more party-rock anthems. - **Legal and Financial Challenges:** Its reliance on uncleared samples made the album incredibly expensive to produce and a legal minefield, setting a precedent for the costly clearance system that followed. - **Accessibility:** The sheer density of its production and obscure cultural references can be overwhelming and off-putting for casual listeners on a first listen. --- In conclusion, *Paul's Boutique* is a towering achievement of creative risk-taking. Its initial failure was the consequence of being too far ahead of its time. But its eventual success—as an enduring classic and a blueprint for artistic reinvention—affirms that true innovation often requires the patience of history to be fully understood and appreciated.
Great fun, great use of samples, a gem of an album. One of the few I don’t have a physical copy of from when I was a kid so I hadn’t actually heard all of the songs.
Fuggin classic
Not my favorite Beastie Boys album but the rhymes and lyrics are all pretty good, what else do you want me to say
my favourite beastie boys songs are not on this but still awesome
I had heard their popular songs before and never really enjoyed their voices and lyrical delivery - it always came off as nasally, scratchy, and loud. I did enjoy the instrumentals/sampling on this album, however, so that was a positive for me. I'd personally give this a 3.5, but I'll push it to a 4 cause of the instrumentals.
4,4/5
I mean. The quality of the samples, the energy, the fun, and I love that they have the medley to end the album, a nod to Abbey Road complete with a Beatles sample from the medley. I mean, in one year they basically went from a simple, immature cash grab of an album (Licensed To Ill) to an absolute all-time album. Such growth in such a short amount of time (also like The Beatles). Never thought I’d be making comparisons between the Beasties and the Beatles, but they did pick the name so they’d be right in front of the Beatles at the record store…
2,5
Fun album to listen to. The vocals get a little bit tiring after a while, but some really groovy beats. Something that I'm not very familiar with, but I like what I hear. 6.5/10
RATING: 8.5/10 HIGHLIGHT: Egg Man LOWLIGHT: 3 Minute Rule
Damn good album, nearly perfect.
Voor ik aan deze challenge begon was ik al een beetje op zoek naar algemeen als legendarisch beschouwde albums en in die zoektocht kwam dit album al naar voren. Het is daarom geen verrassing voor me dat dit album in deze lijst zit. Toen heb ik dit album al geluisterd, nu weer, en m'n conclusie is nog hetzelfde. Technisch vind ik dit een vet album. Geschat wordt geloof ik dat er meer dan 100 tracks gesampled zijn en dat is tof. Ik vind alleen die typische Beastie Boys over-elkaar-heen-roep stijl van steeds een halve zin rappen die dan overgenomen wordt door de ander niet zo tof klinken. En dat is bij dit album een flink probleem aangezien ze dat ongeveer de volle 53 minuten aan het doen zijn. Ik heb ook hele sterke 'Ik zat in tram 5 en m'n lul stond stijf want naast me zat een lekker wijf...' associaties met deze manier van rappen en ik vind dat niet per se de knapste manier van rijmpjes schrijven. Het is dus niet mijn album, maar het is goed dat het bestaat. 2 sterren.
Great sampling and the energy here is so hype. Makes me wanna go out and party and nails this intention completely. Very fun music throughout that holds your attention and keeps it moving constantly.
Syntes dette var bittelitt kjedelig, og fenget ikke helt. Litt fra en annen tid.
WTF did I just listen to. Music was often v interesting but (1) sounds like credit due to Dust Bros rather than Beastie Boys, the former had made some full tracks and the latter just wanted to rap on top?, and (2) the album was generally too stop/start for me, tracks couldn’t develop the full bounce I was hoping for (contrasts unfavourably with Three Feet High and Rising). Rapping is kinda okay, I don’t mind that it’s shouty, I mind more that the flow isn’t precise, and also the gender immaturity side of the nonsense does not appeal. Lot and lots of talk about girls, negligible talk with girls or about individuals, it’s just generic “a girl” or “my girl” as a subject for a rap ie talking to other MCs. This might be part of ironic frat pose but at some stage it’s just boyish attitude even if it claims to be aware. (Intriguing that I have since discovered that later in their career the Beastie Boys were a bit right-on??) Anyway I found it interesting to listen to, I’ll try a couple of tracks again but not the whole album, for me it’s Mix of Good and Bad, 5/10.
all over. different. fun. chill.
The Sgt. Pepper of hip-hop, you say? That's a tall order. Though the monotonous mumbling about various genres of girl gets old pretty quickly, I have to give credit to the smooth keyboard on To All The Girls. I could listen to an entire album of that. And at least this guy doesn't feel the need to shout to communicate an extremely mundane message. Shake Your Rump features multiple excellent yet completely contrasting bass tones – one in the intro/interludes and one in the chorus – that absolutely justify the song's popularity. I know in about 45 minutes I'm going to be tearing my ears off (a normal symptom of listening to the Beastie Boys' vocals for extended periods) but for the moment it's pretty bearable. I like when the guy says "shake your rump-uh". Johnny Ryall doesn't add anything new to the mix, but it's early days, and it isn't actively offensive, other than a bewildering mention of Donald Trump. I guess all the cool kids hated him even back in the 80s. Egg Man is pretty funny (glorifying the throwing of eggs at bald people, and a not-so-subtle Beatles nod*) and again isn't quite at the stage of the album where I begin to hate these guys and myself. I know it's coming, though. *In The Sounds Of Silence, we get another Beatles reference, this time a sample of the tuning-up at the beginning of the Sgt. Pepper's title track followed by the guitars from The End. The song is pretty milquetoast until this point, but I have to give them credit: playing Beatles music will get people's attention in just about any context, even the complete wrong context. High Plains Drifter is the first obvious miss. Swapping the shouting between three or four different vocals doesn't justify it in the slightest. Beasties, you know you're allowed to sing, right? Or, better, not open your mouths at all? 3-Minute Rule is pretty similar: it's *fine*, but the vocals and lack of other melodic instruments really throws off the whole balance. Nice guitar and "tappy" percussion in Hey Ladies. I don't think I'm the target audience of this song, but it's pretty good regardless. Also enjoy the harmonised "baby baby baby baby" line near the end. A banjo-fiddle combo will lighten up any album. (Dang it, why didn't they make 5-Piece Chicken Dinner a full-length track?) Great dark, almost metal-like guitar part in Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun. Similarly great dark synth lines in Car Thief that cut through any of the less listenable aspects of the song. What Goes Around and Shadrach are both fine, irritating though they may be – the former is good on account of its guitar line. The vocals are nothing to get excited about. The entire B-Boy Bouillabaisse saga is a bit confusing, but it has some highlights, including A Year And A Day, Dropping Names, Lay It On Me, and A.W.O.L. To the reviewer confused as to why others are criticising the yelling: ("I’m sorry, are we in a library or something?" – Yes.) Albums have long been established as an artistic medium to show everything an artist/group is capable of. This is to proof it against poor musical decision-making (i.e. "I don't like this, but at least the next song won't do it again"). If that artist incorrectly decides something (shouting) sounds good, and makes it the central element of every song, listeners have every right to complain. 3/5 Key tracks: To All The Girls, Shake Your Rump, 5-Piece Chicken Dinner, Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun
Is sounds weird, not as I expected at all - some of the songs are comlete joke and the full album feels like guys are just messing around
Some of it is obviously really juvenile but I still love the beastie boys. The samples and production are amazing.
It was pretty good, liked the flows and the beats.
No more beastie boys for me after this Better than ill communication not as good as licensed to ill 3/5 Favorites: Johnny ryall, to all the girls, the sound of science
The rapping is nostalgic but let's be honest - it's kinda one dimensional. And by "kinda one dimensional" I mean there are three guys adding half a dimension each, so it's a little more than one-dimensional but... But they have energy, and flow, and they are not overly distinct amongst themselves but they are inarguably distinct together. But really, Paul's Boutique is less about the rapping and more about the beats. And the beats are fire.
No question the BB’s were unique. No one even tried to imitate or come off their heels with any success that I ever saw. Personally, I couldn’t really connect with their lyrics, but the samples, music, and arrangements were always great in their own way.
I really wanted to like the bestie boys because I think they just have an aura of cool about them, but it just didn't resonate with me. Im sure if you lean more into hip hop this probably hits hard though
I’ve never been fully able to get into these guys. I think it’s the delivery of their rhymes. The beats do their fair share of work. And the samples, can’t forget those. Maybe it’s the New York accents coming through? Yep, it’s the accents. I do like this album. They know how to use background tracks and sounds. That’s for sure. It’s always a simple delivery with them. The work off of each other like they have been doing it for years, maybe they have, I just always thought this was their first album which tells me that up until this point they probably had only been together for a year or so. I’m not looking it up. Choice cut: High Plains Drifter
Not for me
Not really blown away by this project. It had some interesting grooves, rhythms, and beats. But, the overall tracklist fell flat in terms of the cohesion.
Les prods / samples sont imaculés. Le reste jsp il y a une vibe mais je trouve ça long sur l'ensemble de l'album. Je préfère 100x Tribe dans le style (qui s'inspirent d'eux quand même j'imagine). Ça reste de la très bonne musique et c'est super original.
Not my thing.
nah
I like this but I didnt add any
worst kind of rap bro
To all the girls - 3 Shake your rump - 4 Johnny ryall - 4 Egg man - 3 High plains drifter - 3 The sounds of science - 3 3-minute rule - 3 Hey ladies - 5 5-piece chicken dinner - na Looking down the barrel of a gun - 4 Car thief - 3 What comes around - 3 Shadrach - 4 Ask for janice - na B-boy bouillabaisse - 3 a - 59 chrystie street - 3 b - get on the mic - 3 c - stop that train - 4 d - a year and a day - 3 e - hello brooklyn - 4 f - dropping names - 3 g - lay it on me - 3 h - mike on the mic - 3 i - a.w.o.l. - 3
I dunno. I mean it's...fine. I don't mind the shout rapping, I don't mind the beats, I don't mind the flow. It's quite fun without being tryhard and overly skit-filled. But I don't particularly like it more than "it's okay".
Paul's Boutique is such a fun album. I've loved this since the 90s. It's sort of silly at times, brilliant use of samples to make a tapestry of 70s rock songs and the Beasties wit.
i don't like rap and hip hop
"Hell yeah, Paul's Boutique!" - my actual reaction to this album being the play of the day.
those boys sure are beastie
It's true what they say about Paul's Boutique. This absolutely is the Sgt Pepper of hip-hop, in that it takes the listener on this wild ride through various styles and sensibilities. I already had a lot of love for this one, but this particular listening session just blew me away all over again, as I was once again heavily impressed by the way samples were utilised in order to create some truly unique beats. Paul's Boutique paved the way for another band I adore, The Avalanches, and you'd never think to put the Beastie Boys and those guys in the same. Hells to the yeah!
So impressed by how they use three distinct voices, separately and together, to form such a unique and fun vocal performance. And the beats are sick, of course. What’s not to like?
This album was extremely disappointing. I loved "Ill Communication", and expected to have similar feelings about "Paul's Boutique" considering that it is this most critically acclaimed Beastie Boys album. After finally listening, I just don't get it. There were a couple of nice moments, but I felt like this record leaned into the group's worst tendences. I wouldn't characterize the their lyrics as "cerebral" at the best of times, but in other albums the Bestie Boys managed to be clever in their crassness delivering corny lyrics with a tongue-in-cheek style that made it feel like they are in on the joke. This album lacked this self-aware levity. Furthermore, it failed to deliver the singable hooks on par with their more popular releases.
I have a strange soft spot for the Beastie Boys, I find them oddly charming even though I know that’s not the intent of the music. But I only generally enjoy listening to a few of their songs and this only added one or two to that list.
I've tried to listen & appreciate this for what it is. And for no matter how hard I try, I just don't get it.
5 out of 5 stars for this album. If you haven't heard about this album or have even heard anything off of it, I feel sorry for you. This is a classic example of an album that belongs on this list (unlike the 100+ Britpop albums that infest it). I couldn't even count the amount of samples, deep cuts, pop culture references that the Beasties touch upon this album, but if I was going to guess, I'd go for over 500. By far, the best Beastie Boys album, none come close.
Beasties skriker as Første sang inn i Shake your rump var kul
Første eg tenkte når eg så beastie boys var "årh dette giddegkje" Men egt så har de sykt bra musikk... men ikkje så gode vocals:) Det e ein vibe, men ein vibe eg ikkje har så mye te overs for👍 5-piece chicken dinner ka-i😂 Car thief intro🙏💪 cool Get on the mic... bruv eg konne beatboksa d der Beste sang: To all the girls
This album sounds like a party you really need to be at. Favorite track: Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun
5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background
<frantic drum fill> Now, I rock a house party at the drop of a hat, yeah Now, I beat a biter down with an aluminum bat A lot of people they be Jonesin' just to hear me rock the mic They be staring at the radio, staying up all night So like a pimp, I'm pimpin', I got a boat to eat shrimp in Nothing wrong with my leg, I'm just B-boy limpin' Got arrested at the Mardi Gras for jumping on a float My man MCA's got a beard like a billy goat "Ooh-ooh" is my disco call MCA, I'm gettin' rope, y'all Routines I bust and the rhymes that I write And I'll be busting routines and rhymes all night Like eating burgers or chicken and you'll be picking ya nose, man I'm on time, homie, that's how it goes You heard my style, I think you missed the point It's the joint! <weird distorted bass>
Gravitas amiga !
Still not impressed with this group, but this was more tolerable than “licensed to ill” Will not be diving deeper into their discography
I just don't like hip-hop music. This didn't change my mind.
I'm personally always amazed by the number of musical references the Beastie Boys make with their samples. I can spend hours listening just trying to identify everything.
Good album from BB, but not my favourite
Classic Beasties.
So, after my first listen i absolutely hated this. The Beastie Boys’ screaming is a lot to endure for one hour. BUt since i swore to listen to every album at least twice before rating it, i put Paul’s Boutique on again a few days later. And certainly, on my second listen i had a much better experience. The production on this album really is cool and they came up with some great beats and samples. Of course the Psycho sample is absolutely amazing, but its only one of many great production moments. That nasty bass line on Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun? My god, how amazing. Another one i really like is the sparser beat on Johnny Ryall. And yet, the rapping itself is still not my cup of tea. It’s just so screechy at times. On some songs it doesn’t bother me, but other songs like What Comes Around it becomes an issue to me. Their rapping doesn’t really seem to modify that much depending on the beat they are currently rapping on. On Hey Ladies, for example, i really dig the beat and the use of the samples. I just wish the Boys’ delivery would match the smooth and more-laid back, flirty energy of the music. It’s a bit like they recorded a bunch of acapella parts and put them over whatever beat they got. The whole B-Boy Bouillabaisse leaves me a bit puzzled though, i genuinely don’t know what i think about it. Stop That Train has a nice groove! But yes, overall this album is fun and funky. I like it, although i have no desire to listen to the full album again. Maybe if I split the two parts of the album, it will become are more pleasant listening experience, who knows. And I can’t listen to Shadrach again, that vocal sample is too grating.
Very different from what I usually listen to and honestly not my favorite but not opposed to it. It was a very confusing album.
idk dawg the production is gnarly and some of the samples they pull are sick but if you expect me to pull up rap genius or the liner notes to understand more than every fifth word you're gonna have a bad time
A good chunk of this record is great, but a good chunk is also kinda dull. 5 or 6 tracks make it on a best of comp but the rest is unmemorable. 3.75/5.
A masterclass in the art of sampling
Love this album since forever. Heard it with new ears and in order. Its even better than I remember.
Beastie Boys never miss, and this time they made their best album. While listening I felt pure energy the whole way through. It’s raw, savage and constantly entertaining. The samples are wild and creative, and the way their voices bounce over everything just feels unimaginable. There’s a real fire and attitude that never lets up. The production is one of the strongest parts of the record. The Dust Brothers put together a dense, layered sound full of unexpected samples that somehow still feel tight and rhythmic. It has that classic late 80s hip hop quality but with a much more experimental and playful approach. Everything sounds busy in the best possible way. This is the Beastie Boys at their peak. Full of personality, creativity and pure fun. One of those albums that just hits every time.
No huge hits off of the album, but vintage Beasties. Pure chaos from start to finish, a fun listen.
I hate the beastie boys
Usually find the short tracks between songs super annoying and distracting and useless, but I liked these ones. 3 or 3.5
Gran álbum. Sonidos muy interesantes y el humor de los Beastie Boys siempre presente.
at first it was like okay, hip hop, nice. at one point it got repetitive, and i got bored and i took it out
Malo malo e. Lo puse para un viaje en auto y le tenía que bajar el volumen seguido. No sé, por la primera canción pensé que me iba a gustar, pero en general no me gustó.
what a way to start an album
I do love the early hip hop beats and samples
I actually really enjoyed this album. It’s the second time I’ve listened after my dad sent it to me some time ago. Enjoyed it significantly more the second time around. Fun to listen to.
Cruder and less interesting than their other albums.
Enjoyed this a lot more by listening to the full album as opposed to picking out individual tracks. Shake Your Rump remains a highlight but there are stronger Beasties albums
it’s good, very good in fact and probably the most coherent of their albums, that said IMO it’s a fair bit weaker than LTI all be it with some clear standout moments (Egg man). Some really great production moments too
I just don't get the Beastie Boys hype. It just seems over the top and kind of cosplay. Maybe I just don't understand the impact felt at the time. But it definitely doesn't feel timeless like some of the other rap albums of this time. It feels like a US SNL sketch you would see as a British person and not really get or find that funny but all the comments on the video the Americans are saying how funny it is. I felt it started interesting but it then just falls into the classic beastie boys "YO TRYNA TAWLK SHIT MANNN" that just hasn't aged well in my opinion.
My heart sank when I saw it was these lads again. I just don’t get it, it doesn’t appeal to me and I can’t understand why I’ve had to listen to three albums of it. Hopefully this is the last one.
Really enjoyed this! 4/5
Once again, the Beastie Boys rule. I'm quite enjoying the samples used throughout this album. Very creative
Not my favorite Beastie Boys album. Solid but not great. The back half of the album was a fun change up to the rest of the album.
Typically don't love the Beastie Boys but this one was fun. Enjoyed the sampling a lot.
On a technical level this is a great album. It has fantastic production and innovative use of samples, but I feel like they only really found their groove on a handful of songs here. A lot of this album feels like it fades into noise for me because the Boys' abrasive and unrefined rapping drowns out the production. I feel like they got a lot better at this aspect in their later albums, but then of course those had entirely different production styles. I wonder what this album might have sounded like if all these songs had been given to them to rap over 5 years later. I think it would have turned out better, but maybe that's just me. Favourite tracks: Egg Man, Sounds of Science, Hey Ladies
Somehow dumb and genius at the same time
By no means their best offering, and extremely varied/erratic, but good fun, signposting the kind of creativity to come. Some classics like Shake Your Rump, Shadrach and Hey Ladies hold this whole thing together.
Такой классный продакшен. Но зачем они кричат в микрофоны? Нахуя?
Que chatice sem fim
a swan song for the pre-Golden Age of hip hop. i don't quite get why it doesn't quite click with me. it has everything! creative and witty lyricism, high sample density, plenty of bass, Mike D, .... maybe my problem is Mike D. deserves to be one of the 1001? it does, yeah
Looking down the barrel of a gun Sonuva gun Sonuva bitch Gettin paid Gettin rich
One of my most favorite albums ever. I have listened to this regularly for over 30 years. The importance of the Dust Brothers' influence on the Beastie Boys cannot be over emphasized.
My all time favorite record!
Non-stop fun with beats that go hard af
I was very into Beastie Boys back in middle school, so this is a nostalgic listen but not something I would listen to these days. My brain has been too fried by all the experimental and industrial hip hop I listened to in high school for this style of rap to really do much for me. Great production though.
I have always loved the "Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego" chanting from "Shadrach." So funny, and it makes me think of the BBs hanging out in the fiery furnace. "Get on the mic, Mike!" Someone put together a nine-hour playlist consisting of the songs from this album, each immediately followed by songs that it sampled. The one I found is on Amazon Music, although I wouldn't be surprised to find something similar on other platforms.
This has always been my favorite Beastie Boys album, due to all of the samples and the mix of several styles that add up to a fun buy analytical album. It wasn't until much later that I learned the Dust Brothers did the music, which made it all make so much sense. I think it still holds up in a lot of ways and deserves 5 stars.
The Mix Up, their only instrumental album, is remarkable. And the music here shows some of what’s to come. But you know where this is going- the American brat vocals are so annoying they ruin it all.
WAIT I think i liked it better than the other rap album I listened to
I just listened to this for the 246,896th time, I looked for flaws. Found none.
This album really shows off the perfect harmonies between MIke D, MCA and Ad-Rock. Almost like the Hip-Hop variant of the Beach Boys. However I do prefer License to Ill since it is shorter, simpler and features two of my favourite songs. This does not have as many memorable tracks and I find the overabundence of sampling makes the tracks seem to blend together. However heavy sampling can work when there is a central theme, like in Public Enemy's Fear of a Black Planet. So I don't hate this album but the songs don't stay in my head for that long.
Overall: 9/10 This album is a genius example of the power of sampling. Every song im here is the equivalent of Frankenstein's monster, using every sound they could pick out of any random song they heard and turning it into something completely new. On top of that, the 3 Boys are on top of their game lyrically. I find myself laughing at so many lines on this album. There are definitely moments that make me question why they felt the need to put them on the album, but for the most part this is a masterpiece and something that everyone should listen to at least once in their lives. Fav Song: Shake Your Rump
Woah
This album is still really good. You can tell they had a fun time making it. Amazing 🤩
Vinyl listen yay! I love this album and I grew up on it. It's masterful, I mean it's pretty unbelievable how much they can do on this album. It's fun, it's interesting, and most importantly it actually holds up. Lots of the stuff on this godforsaken list is so of its time it becomes almost nauseating. Not this.
Great stuff.
No private session used for Spotify. I love everything about this album.
Beastie Boys sendo Beastie Boys, nao tem como errar
It is a top-5 (at least top-10) all-time album for me. Desert island album for sure. It is the best Beastie Boys album, and ground breaking in so many ways.
I wish I could give this 10 stars out of 5.
This was a fun album. I really enjoyed them using samples to end their lyrics. 4 stars for the variety of styles and tempos. I liked hanging out with them for an hour, but that's enough for one day. The Beastie Boys have nailed their style and delivery. The Sounds of Science was my favorite!
No mi estilo pero me re sorprendió lo bien q suena hermano
Some lovely moments
no se por que esperaba algo completamente distinto. igual banco ponele
Heard before?:❌️ Will listen again?:❌️ 1.5 Some songs on their own are good (or bearable) but listening to this album front to back is absolutely miserable
Production was great, songs were ok
A full album of the beastie boys is just too grating to me - their flow and voices just bother me, kinda like eminem
Banger
Enjoyment: 5/10 Replayability: 4/10 Cohesion: 4/10 Flow/Pacing: 5/10 Artistic Merit: 4/10 Weighted Average: 4.45/10 Review: I never really bought into the appeal of the Beastie Boys. Their songs are sick rager party music - but that's about it. If you've heard one, then you've heard them all. I will say the samples they used were creative and interesting, but that's about it for me. Liked Song(s): Shake Your Rump, Car Thief, What Comes Around, B-Boy Bouillabaisse: A Year And A Day Disliked Song(s): The Sounds Of Science, Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun Recommend? Yes Heard Before? No
Just abysmal.
Fínt, en ég er ekki nógu mikill rapphaus þannig að þetta skilji eitthvað eftir.
1. girlz - 0 2. rump - 1 3. johny - 2 4. egg - 2 5. high - 1 6. zcience - 0 7. rule - 2 8. ladiez - 1 9. chicken - 0 10. gun - 2 11. thief - 2 12. around - 2 13. zhad - 2 14. janice - 0
I’ve had my time with the Beastie Boys and even then I was never very keen on this album. It’s famously made from scads of samples, and whether due to that or not it feels pretty disjointed to me. They’re pretty good about having a strong production sound for each album that makes each song feel right in the set, but this one feels like a collage. In the context of the BBoys career, this was the massively expensive follow up to their surprise mega-hit debut, License to Ill. It feels like without the lightning rod of Rick Rubin’s vision for their sound the boys are grasping a little for their own identity. Bring on Check Your Head.
So many samples! A true licensing nightmare. The results: funky.
On first listen: Samples are so random and funky; the vocals sound like cacophonous Bob Dylan Months later: Quirky sample-heavy hip hop. Goes beyond their frat-rap sound for more abstract ones.
quintessential hip hop album, i really really enjoy it!!
This is widely recognized as innovative and creative. I'd say along with their debut, it's essential listening. They did some interesting stuff with the production and it's a good listen. I could do without the filler tracks and what seems like a lack of direction at times. It's one of those records that suffers from it's length, honestly. They easily could have trimmed off the filler and not hurt the impact of the record.
Sampledelia.
It's a good sign when you're already hovering over the 5 star button at minute 1:55 of song #2. As good as I remember it from the 90s. And the 2000s. People might wonder how the Beastie Boys got so much love from the hip-hop community. It's because they made bank on License to Ill and followed up with Paul's Boutique instead of the album churn the industry wanted them to hit repeat on.
It's a great Dust Brothers album and an ok Beastie Boys album. Their vocals are mixed so low you can barely tell anything they're saying - it's pretty fun when you can though? I think the Beastie Boys are fundamentally very silly and this album is very cool which kinda means you lose some silliness. Like you could actually put a lot of these tracks on as background in a bar or something and it wouldn't be that distracting, but there are a lot of other artists better suited to be played in the background at a bar. Shake your rump is truly great though super energetic and chaotic and disjointed I wish the whole album was more like that. Production is really great throughout though 5 stars for them.
Malísimo. Ni bien escuché que se iba a tratar de un album corte rap dije bueno, a ponerle bola igual, pero ni así me gustó. Realmente cero disfrutable, un caos que no se detiene en ningun tema, muchas canciones de menos de un minuto de duración que están de onda, puros sonidos desordenados. No logro entender la calificación mundial que le dan, quizás yo sepa muy poco de esto...
Now this is a perfect example of an album that justifies the existence of this list. It's fun, it's interesting and unique. Quite revolutionary in its day. All the Beastie Boys sound like they were meant to work together, with their voices complementing and playing off of each other. The sound is rich and layed groundwork for albums by other artists (Endtroducing... & Since I Left You being amongst them). Highly recommend.
Det er vel knapt noen som har vært så frempå med lyriske og musikalske referanser som Beastie Boys er på Paul's Boutique. I '89 må planetene ha stått på linje og musene vært på et forlenget besøk i Brooklyn. Dette kunne lett forblitt en intellektuell lytteopplevelse, men det er alltid fornøyelig og til tider goat. Spesielt Egg Man og The Sound of Science står for meg som noen av de absolutt råeste musikalske prestasjonene noensinne.
Er svak for samples, men PB har aldri vært min favoritt av BB.
A lot better than I remember- and I remember a good ass album. This is one of the most entertaining hip hop albums I've heard in a hot minute. Not a second feels wasted. While I do have some gripes, most are minor. This is just one hella tight album. Ludicrously entertaining. It just... it sounds so GOOD in my EARS!!
5-piece chicken dinner was the best 23 seconds of this album. I prefer licensed to Ill tbh, but not bad.
One of the better rap albums on the list, with deep beats that draw you in to listen closely. I love the way their voices interplay constantly, and the lyrics are strange in a good way.
Highly enjoyable and insane production, but there's a few too many ideas not fully refined
Razumijem zašto se drugima sviđa ali nikad nisam bila veliki ljubitelj njihovog zvuka, čak ni onih najpopularnijih pjesama.
I really like a lot of their singles. I have never wanted to listen to a full album of theirs, and this experience confirmed a lot of those feelings. Hugely influential? Yup. Great samples and witty lyrics? Absolutely. Quickly wearing out its welcome? You bet and that’s the unfortunate problem.
The Beastie's incredibly annoying voices are placed perfectly in the mix on this record - to the back, under the samples, far away from my ears. So already that makes this the best Beastie Boys record I've ever heard. .....actually this is pretty excellent. The layers and layers of samples is really fun to listen to. And "Five Piece Chicken Dinner" made me laugh out loud. Well-crafted backing tracks and some pretty entertaining rhymes. I can see why this has such a reputation. I dig it. FOUR STARS
Not my favorite
I really thought I would enjoy this more. Not sure why not but I don't think it has the power as some of their other albums. Sampling is masterful but needs more.
Some of the greatest samples in hip hop, for sure. The lyrics are fun and irreverent, and the music is varied enough not to get samey (even though the vocals do, to some extent).
This is when they really start to cook. Obviously, the star here is the production more than anything else, the wild, crazy incorporation of samples, the interplay of different styles of music, the pure funky drive of it all. A 25-year-old rap album is always going to sound dated, but this is still incredibly fun to listen to. It’s still not flawless, mainly because of the topics. Obviously, the casual sexism and Playboy nonsense in this is something that they would abandon in later years, but it’s also not out of place in the genre, even if it’s not my thing. What really doesn’t work for me is the songs where there posing as tough guys, talking about toting guns, robbing people, etc. For most hip-hop acts, this is a fantasia and not a reality (and it often ends in tragedy when it *is* a reality). But, as I think I said in my review of License to Ill, while the Beasties come by their love of hip-hop honestly, any pretension towards being gangstas just rings as incredibly inauthentic (e.g., “High Plains Drifter” “Looking Down the Barrel Of a Gun” “Car Thief”). Perhaps that takes a shine off it a little bit, perhaps a little bit of the extremely old-school cadence does as well, but it’s still fantastic. The very best songs (“Shake Your Rump” “Hey Ladies” “Shadrach”) really hold up, as do many stretches of “B-Boy Bouillabaisse.” When the sample from “That Lady” comes in? Mindblowing, still.
JL : 5, Shadrach A : 4, Sounds of Science
Had never heard any of the songs on this one. I liked it!
one of my faves of all time
Bra! Minnen från förr typ. En tid när musik skapades av personer som tyckte livet var kul och sket i vad andra tyckte. Kreativt och kul att lyssna på. Det känns nästan som man är i New York i slutet av 80-talet när man lyssnar och om det är något jag vill slippa just nu så är det samtiden. Detta album är ett bra steg i detta. Väldigt förtjust i detta!
Très très bon ! Du très vieux hip-hop (à l'échelle du genre) riche en samples, hyper énergiques, chaque rappeur apporte son grain de sel et les échanges entre chacun sont très dynamiques, j'adore ! Peut-être qu'au bout d'un moment, ça tire un tout petit peu en longueur, mais en vrai, je comprends son statut culte !
Its aight, its beastie boys, if you like them you love them so
Two Beastie Boys in a row?? Fuck me
Day 4. I remember I recieved a Beastie Boys cd at some point in my life, listened through it twice and lost it somewhere. For the second time of this challenge the thing autoplayed after the album was more enjoyable than the album itself (Digable planets)
3.5
4/10 They really don't make white boys like this anymore.
Was prepared to not be super into it but this rules
Me cuesta creer que este álbum fue hecho por gente blanca. Muy divertido, si bien puede parecer repetitivo cada canción tiene su toque especial. Hacen un uso de los samples espectacular que le da a cada tema una vibra única. Además esa mezcla de géneros para construir un hiphop es espectacular.
In what parallel universe do the Beastie Boys get at least 3 albums, which all sound pretty much the same, and are all mediocre and other artists get hardly a look in. Some serious list pruning required, methinks.
Let me check… nope, still don’t like hip hop
First songs were good the others just gave me the feeling of being shouted at
Ruim
4 out of 5. Having only listened to License to I'll before this album came as a pleasant surprise. I can now hear why their use of sampling was so influential.
sympa pr l’aspect historique, le reste c’est bof, fondateur cependant 3-/5
Take this review with a grain of salt as I was dozing in and out on the couch while listening to this. No clue how I was able to nap with the Beastie Boys playing in the background, but there you have it - I’m officially old. This was what I imagined it would be. Decent beats, some good samples, great rhymes (those I heard). It was a fun listen.
The Beastie are one of a kind. Although this album doesn’t stand up to License to Ill, it’s still pretty damn good. Beasties use rock beats to support their nasty rhymes. The album is fun, easy to listen to, and serious all at the same time. A collection worthy of being on this project.
The Beastie Boys album that everybody waited for and then nobody wanted. “Critically acclaimed “ translated as “not very popular”, at least in this case. The rhymes are still on point but the ‘innovative’ samples and the listless meandering of topics don’t really hold up for me. Not a memorable track to speak of on this one. 2.5 but I’ll round up.
Good album, couple great songs that always get me bopping. The beats are amazing throughout, it has the feel of a Dust Brothers album with the Beasties rapping over them. Which it kinda is, and that's not a bad thing, but loses a bit of the Beastie edge as a result. Definately didn't need the 12 minute Bouillabaisse suite, that pushed the album into the too long category and brought it down to a 3.
Just wasn't feeling this
Review - a lot better than the last Beastie Boys album I got (which I didn't realise was their debut). Have listened to this before and it holds up really well, great production for its time. Score - 7.5/10 Need to listen? YES
💿 favourites -Shake Your Rump -Car Thief This sort of sound isn't my taste, but I understand how iconic the Beastie Boys are and why people may gravitate toward their music. I like the cover art of this album.
Not as many singles but overall a better album than Licensed to Ill
I don't really like The Beastie Boys and this album is no different
An unrepeatable masterpiece. I'm not sure any group has ever made as big a leap from their first to second albums.
its got a flow. made me giggle a few times. overall though after a while just feels like nails scratching on a chalkboard mixed with the feeling of being wildly hungover. like you have big sunglasses on trying to eat the most simple carb and drink electrolytes without vomiting. and like everything is too loud like not sound wise but like the sound just pierces too far into your skull. but then they would say some weird shit like "HHHhhHEEeeeEEEYYYyyyy LLLlAAAadddDDiiiieeeesssSS" and im like cool cool ok.
fun but boring at last
Probably another 3, but a high one. Never in danger of less; flirted with more. Shake Your Rump is an absolute banger.
Not really a fan.
Silly
Just enough about it in places to make a 3
buernadium
Man, beastie boys are NOT for me
Maybe my favorite Beastie album. What a collage of sound. Never a dull moment. 4.25/5.
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
Once again, I am baffled by the amount of positive attention this group receives. Once you've heard one Beastie Boys song it feels like you've heard it all. I love hip hop and rap so this isn't a genre-phobic thing, it feels like there are similar flows and delivery across the entire thing. I will say that the beats are slightly better than Licensed to Ill - I do LOVE sampling - but the repetitiveness drives me up a wall. I'd give 1.5 stars if I could, but very fine with just bumping this down to a solid 1.
cool album. 4
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
max top 925 of this list bs: Hey Ladies ws: B-Boy Bouillabaisse get on the mic
Beastie Boysin toinen levy oli melko hyvä, vaikkakin pidän Ill Communicationista vielä paljon enemmän. Paul's Boutique on kestänyt aikaa yllättävän hyvin eikä tunnin kestokaan kauheasti vaivannut. Sampleja löytyy Beatlesista Psykoon.
Beastie Boys shouting tone can get a bit tiresome at times Fave track: Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun
Viewed as a classic. It shouldn’t be. 2.5/5
I only kinda get the charm here, not my kind of music
Man this grinds on you.
#39 You can tell these guys had a lot of fun making this album. Lots and lots of samples used throughout. Maybe a little too long, it starts to sound a bit repetitive after a while. I could see myself re-visiting at some point.
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.
10/10
- The samples and groove are fun. - The voices get tiring - I just don't really like nasal voices in my music, and this is sooo nasal. - I was going to give it a 3, but I got so tired of it by the end. It's very one-note in terms of the vocals (no variation in anything - tone or cadence) that I just wanted it to be over. I also am not very into jokey music, so this went on way too long for me. - I like their hits as much as the next person, but a whole album is a lot. - Also, fuck off with the sexist lyrics.
Дебютник круче будет, но биты заебись
The Beastie Boys usually sound pretty good and this one is no exception. Solid album.
Will return to this!
Twas alright, went on too long for me
Super fun sample-based hip hop. I hadn’t heard this in forever, but I was quick to remember how this became “the” Beasties album over time.
I’m still shocked at how good this sounds.
I don't know if I've ever done a proper front-to-back listening of this album, though I'm definitely familiar with every song. It's a fun ass album and (as commonly recognized) groundbreaking in its use of samples. I try to avoid the "it all sounds the same" critique when discussing genres that I don't listen to a lot, because I know it takes time to develop a distinguishing ear, but I can't help think when listening to the Beasties, "Would it kill them to try using a different cadence?" But then I catch myself. It's that cadence that makes the Beastie Boys the Beastie Boys. Saying they should change it is like saying Green Day should change their guitar tone. So that got me musing . . . In punk, the instrumental music sounds similar, but it's the vocals that tend to draw musical distinctions from song to song. Whereas in rap - at least Beastie Boys rap - it's the opposite. The vocals are the same, and the music does more heavy-lifting to make the songs sonically different.
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.
I'll never get over how creative these boys from Brooklyn are. The beats, the rhymes, the samples are all just top-tier. They're unexpected and fun. I love albums that are just fun. So many great songs here, but "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun" was my favorite.
2,8/5
Not a huge Beastie Boys fan (or a big fan of rap). Not clear if this is a cohesive album but just a collection of songs by the same artist. 2 stars for me. Feel like I would not miss anything if I never listen to the album again.
Honestly better than I thought after all the memes but still really odd and just a rip of black culture.
The vocals get tiring after the second song it would be lower if it weren't for the beat in the back
Marginally better than Eminem
I like the Beastir Boys and I like this album. I think Licenced to Ill remains my favourite due to it coming out when I was a teenager but this isn't bad.