Paul's Boutique

Classic and great!

I’ve came into Beastie Boys on Ill Communication, and had never listened to PB. What a mistake on my part! Absolute banger!

Great. Sounds like a giant party. I had no idea the Beastie Boys were around so early. I hear the influence they've had.

The best at this

Enjoyed the album, nice to find more BB music.

cool

A seminal sampling album with fun lyrics. For some reason, I always thought ‘Shake Your Rump’ was the single, but not only is it not, but it’s not even one of the non-singles with a Wikipedia page. Anyway, this is just a great album that flows well. Why am I constantly getting records that I don’t really have anything to say about?

It’s pretty classic beastie boys! I like the stuff they make so I can’t complain

Love it.

When Public Enemy's Chuck D--of all people--is quoted as saying that the "dirty secret" among the black hip-hop community at the time *Paul's Boutique* was released was that the latter "had the best beats", it speaks TONS about the quality of the music here. Chuck D takes "white" appropriation of Black culture *very* seriously, and he can have very harsh words about it. So him saying such things is the best tribute that could ever be given to the hip hop masterpiece Beastie Boys and their producers The Dust Brothers provided for us in 1989. About the rapping now: well, it is simply, utterly, incredible--a constant display of b-boy fireworks: inventive, imaginative, hilarious, surreal, energetic and cinematic... Summing it up as mere "shouting", as the review currently topping this section does, is pretty unfair--even though I like the funny "concept" of that review, and so can somehow respect this hot take, I guess, as incomplete as it is. I dunno... Maybe that reviewer should take herbal tea and relax a little before trying to listen to the record again... As some critic once put it: "Paul’s Boutique sat at a finish line waiting for the rest of the world to catch up." Without this album, there's no fully-formed A Tribe Called Quest (the encyclopedic nature of the samples, their sweeping between genres...), probably no Wu-Tang Clan as we know it (the fast-pace rapping, the movie soundtrack overtones...), and there certainly wouldn't be any Eminem either. 5 stars. Number of albums left to review: 445 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 258 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 132 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 168

10/10

No notes

Yea I mean easy 5 for me. Great production and one of the last and best sampling albums of all time.

I actually just happened to listen to this yesterday without realizing it was the album of the day. Classic work from Beastie Boys I'm which they push sampling to the absolute maximum. As I understand it this was a commercial disaster at the time of the release, following on the hype from License to Ill. Album kicks off in true form with Shake Your Rump, which is a perfect song to do just that to. Then it segues to a country infused song about a hobo scrounging for money to satisfy various habits. Throughout the near hour playtime they sample tons of material and show all different side of they capability. Some of my favorites are Egg Man, High Plains Drifter, Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun, and Shadrach. This album jams. One of my favorites that I come back to time and time again. Sounds of Science I could do without, but otherwise this one is perfect in my eyes.

Flawless

5 Yep, back-to-back 5’s. Once again, I didn’t anticipate that being the case coming into this album, but holy cow, this instantly became one of my favorite hip-hop albums of all-time and quite possibly my favorite Beastie Boys album. How have I never listened to this before? And why haven’t more people listened to it? I don’t understand how this wasn’t a huge commercial success when it was released, but I’m glad retroactively it gets all the praise it deserves - this feels like a majorly impactful release for the genre. I was really debating a 4.5, but when you genuinely enjoy every single song on an album, is it deserving of anything less than a 5? Every beat, every rhyme, every dynamic between the boys - perfection. I’ve always been a fan of the Beasties, but I really think this album escalated my respect for them to new heights. I don’t want to spend my review paraphrasing the Wikipedia page, but basically, after a period of being written off by both the music industry and pop culture as an annoying, frat boy-ish trend, the B-Boys dropped the rock instruments and talked sample-based songwriters The Dust Brothers into letting them use their music as the basis for their next album, one which they planned to produce themselves (and keep in mind these guys are like 22 at this point). And shoutout to The Dust Brothers, because these beats are absolutely incredible by their own merit, but man, the B-Boys elevate them into absolute musical excellence. I was about to start listing out my favorites here and then realized I would basically be just reciting the tracklist of the album - you really can’t go wrong jumping in at any point. To All the Girls is a great opener (if slightly dated), and I loved that they ended the album in a 9-song B-Boy Bouillabaisse suite. Kinda wish Spotify combined all the segments into one track (as intended), but either way, it’s really enjoyable. (Side note - if you’re like me and curious what a bouillabaisse is, it’s a kind of French fish soup. There, saved you a Google). My biggest takeaway - this is peak hip-hop, and it’s so frustrating that we’ll never hear an album like this again. Once again, not trying to make this a Wikipedia article, but for those unfamiliar with music sampling, this was released in an era before doing so required clearance with the original owner (fuck you, Gilbert O’Sullivan). That no longer being the case, an album like this with 105 different samples on it is likely something we’ll never see again, and I think that detriments the genre so much. Obviously there’s still good hip-hop in the world today, but imagine if beatmakers were still able to explore their full scope of musical ability like The Dust Brothers were able to here. Well, at least we’ll always have a taste of it with Paul’s Boutique.

This album gets better every time I listen to it. And I listen to it a lot.

A classic

Inventive use of samples and lyrics classic!

My favorite (and probably the best) Beastie album.

Legendary.

One of the best albums ever

An all time classic that only improves with age. It’s like a high concept party album.

Listened twice. Never gets old.

Top notch hip hop

This is perfection. One of the greatest albums of all time.

Remarkable spin. I’ve given so many 5s so far but fuck it. Shit slaps. Iconic and groundbreaking mixes and samples. A definitive album of the hip hop genre. RIP MCA.

Excellent. Love this album

🏆

Probably their best album.

Like Sam the butcher I’m bringin Alice the meat

Classic. Absolute hip hop classic. Nuff said bruh

Listened Before? Y Oh dear god. One of the best albums of all time. Especially for me, this one drips with nostalgia and I still can't believe the skill and talent of these three men. So amazing. Added to Library? Y Songs added to playlist: Egg Man, Shake Your Rump

This one is always a good listen. Great work by the B Boys.

Nice soft intro that crescendos right into a fun and lively party song. Everything blends very well together. Lyrics transfer from ridiculous stories and metaphors, party lyrics, but also smaller sprints of deeper meaning. Lots of sampling which make you feel as though you are listening to the radio. The more punk rock feel of "Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun" is a fun departure. Album ends with some less aggressive songs, but also the funky "Shadrach". Album ends with a B-roll of short songs. These are heavily sampled, a little funky, great bass, and little more aggressive. 5/5 Favorites: Shake Your Rump, Hey Ladies, Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun, Shadrach, A Year And A Day, Least Favorites: What Comes Around,

The Beastie Boys's best album. Lots of variety with the sampling and lots of energy and lots of fun. Clever lyrics and a style that you just didn't see in hip-hop at the time. Didn't completely stand the test of time but I'd still consider this a master class in rap music.

So I actually knew a good amount about this album before hearing even a second of it. I had heard "Licensed To Ill" and it was good but not mind-blowing and really was carried by the big hits. That made me worry a little bit about this album. Then I read that this was so different from their first album that it was panned by the public. That gave me some hope because making another "Licensed to Ill" would have been a bad decision. I also saw that it was considered sampledelia which gave me even more hope because some of my favorite albums are sampledelia like "3 Feet High And Rising" and "It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back". It did not disappoint in the slightest as this is a 10/10 record. I constantly found myself thinking there is no way they can top this song after song and the consistently did especially on "B-Boy Bouillabaisse". Overall all though the songs on this album were great with some of my favorites being "Shadrach", "Johnny Ryall", "The Sounds Of Science" and "Shake Your Rump". Overall a great album that, alongside the aforementioned albums, truly revolutionized sampling in rap music and completely morphed the genre as well as lay the groundworks for future rap subgenres. 10/10

Oh my this was fun! It had escaped my notice when it came out (and apparently I wasn't the only one) but I had a good time listening today. The use of samples makes it so different from Ill Communication, which we listened to just a week ago. I remarked how many samples I recognized from this 1001 Albums project, as well as how well I thought they were used to make something slightly familiar but also original sounding. It's more fun and less yell-y and so far is my favorite of the Beastie Boys albums we've listened to in the project.

Despite the fact that the majority of the time that you are listening to a Beastie Boys' album you are being shouted at, and I would generally try to avoid such experiences, I do enjoy the Beastie Boys. The highlight of this album really is the sampling...thank you, Dust Brothers. But there is also a playfulness, like they are all just there having fun.

Wowee! This is a super fun jam. Loved it top to bottom.

With one hit and one miss from the Beastie Boys so far on this project, I wasn’t sure where this one would land. Turns out, it was a hell of a lot of fun. Great rhymes, great samples, great music!

This one is fantastic, Beastie Boys were the best at utilizing samples. The way they married the samples with their wordplay was masterful. Yea, I guess their lyrics could be juvenile but it’s still witty as fuck. The variety of the sampling keeps this fresh all the way thru, you have rock, fuck, soul. They really didn’t miss anywhere on Paul’s Boutique, Shadrach could be the best track in their entire catalogue, Egg Man is silly but I’ve always liked the beat on that one. Everything including the cover itself is classic hip hop, easy 5 stars!

So many great songs

Love it

Not understood or respected when it first came out.

Classic Hip-Hop

Astounding. Amazing. Revolutionary. Love love love love love!!!!!

I almost wanted to dock this one star because the vocal flavor of the Beastie Boys can just get a bit too pungent for me, but they always manage to charm their way back into my heart. Couple that with great rhymes, fun times, and genuinely some of the best beats and production I've ever heard, and I see why this is their magnum opus.

The boys are back at it again. The Suite at the end is such an example of the sampling that really shines in therapy production.

A revelation of hip hop and sampling. So much going on in this album. Great lyrics, great samples, great music. Really a Beastie + Dust Bros. mashup.

Own on Vinyl

THE SAMPLES HEARD AROUND THE WORLD!!! lol. The Beastie Boys and Dust Brothers made a masterpiece (the Beasties would go on to make two more with their next two albums). The perfect mix of the inventiveness that was a hallmark of the band and the silliness of their first album.

I never gave this album a shot because ive known their biggest hits for so long. This gave me a new appreciation for their music, insane production for an album from this time period.

A landmark album from one of my favourite acts.

Wildly exuberant, inventive and exciting, possibly the Beasties best effort. Still know most of this inside-out after endless plays as a teenager. 5*

One of the GOATs!

The thought these guys put behind each song is astonishing. I think there was nothing like that back in 1989. They were able to change the immature image from Licensed to Ill and show what they can do. To me, the best Beastie Boys work.

Great album. I feel like they should have mixed different to make the lyrics better understood. Recommend listening with the lyrics option turned on

Бля, это просто идеальный альбом, как по мне. Да, некоторым он может показаться заезженным, если такой жанр им не по нраву, но какое же лютое мастерство продакшна и умение идеально выдержать настроение альбома на всего его протяжении показали бисти бойс. Юморной, драйвовый и очень прорывной для своего времени - использование сэмплов, которые очень чётко подходят как под ритм, так и под тексты, определённо сделало своё дело и конкретно закрепило этот альбом в истории хип-хопа и музыки в целом, а также в моём персональном топе навсегда. DROPPIN SCIENCE LIKE GALILEO DROPPED THE ORANGE 🔥🔥🔥 (9.5)

It’s here… it’s finally here. An album layered with samples, put together in the most disjointed way possible… but it works so well. This is overlayed with the bombastic vocals and absurd lyrics of the B-Boys themselves. A lot of quotables on here, such as: “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair, So I can climb up and get into your underwear” The Sounds of Science will forever be one of the most mental hip-hop songs ever made. All in all, one of my favourite albums ever, this shit really SLAPS my potatoes.

SLAPS CLASSIC BEASTIE BOYS

Loved it.

Hell yeah! The way the Beastie Boys transformed themselves into a more artistic and thoughtful act while retaining their playful adolescent charm is impressive. This album is a true labour of love, friendship, and growth. And even though it’s comprised entirely of samples, it’s somehow a stunningly original and charismatic listen. A true gem, proving the Beastie were so much more than an immature fart joke.

If it helps you, I made a pilgrimage to the corner in the Lower East Side that is on this front cover. Which might give you an idea of how much I love this album. It somehow manages to be incredibly intelligent and stupid as hell at the same time. If I'd known it was going to be this kind of party...

A sampadelic bouillabaisse of hip-hop evolution.

When "Fight For Your Right to Party" came out it was humorous for/as a teenager but honestly still kinda sucked - the kind of joke that worked once or twice then got tired; hard pass on the Beasties for me then. And as an aside I wasn't ready for hiphop at all yet. Then this album hit and a friend of mine bought it and played it for me and .... holy hell - this was completely different. I still found it hard to break from my "traditional" rock roots and pretending to be offended at all the classic samples that were used (e.g. Zeppelin, Isley Bros, Curtis Mayfield, Beatles, etc) so I merely stuck to the immediately-accessible "funny" cuts like "Shake Your Rump" (that BASS) and "Hey Ladies" at first. But damn. This album is awesome. It was a new artform and it sounds idiotic but once I let myself be open to it I loved the entire album almost immediately. The time and creativity spent to craft the beats is almost unimaginable to me - fitting it all together to make 15+ songs that are (mostly) catchy as hell, not to mention the really good and rhythmic raps. The only negatives are I suppose what I'd deem hangovers from their first album - the humour occasionally isn't all that funny; the infantile stuff barely passed back then and now just doesn't work for me. BUT it's almost entirely ignorable because even as they're being young morons :P the beats are so good and funky that I've already forgotten (or just not paid attention to) them, but a small personal deduction for immaturity. Lesson for my younger self: don't be a closed-minded idiot. This is a classic. 9/10 4 stars.

Ma-la-de. Le travail de sampling sur cet album est tellement intense et bien fait. Ce n’est pas leur premier, mais c’est le premier d’une série - avec Check your heads et Ill communication - Qui représente la quintessence de ce band.

Album essentiel. Pochette emblématique. L'énergie du groupe est contagieuse. Tout le travail de sampling sur cet album est phénoménal.

Paul’s Boutique is like being invited to a crazy house party by three charismatic hip hop kids whose record collection is impeccable. The choice, range and quality of samples is impeccable and elevates the art-form - something new from something old, respectful of the past making something for the future. The infectious energy of the rap rhymes, the back and forth and swapping verses, the messing with the beats - all a joy, all fun, often missing from Hip Hop. Beastie Boys fair spun the formula around from Licensed to Ill, dropping the rock samples for jazz, disco, soul and funk, alienating early fans, selling badly at the time but becoming a classic. Endlessly listenable, always fresh, brilliant from start to finish.

This album has such great sampling and rhymes. The Beastie Boys make such unique and fun music. Super solid album, it has me listening to more of their catalog today after going through this one. Standout Tracks: Shake Your Rump, Egg Man, The Sounds of Science, Hey Ladies, Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun, Car Thief, Shadrach

10/10 haven’t heard any of the Beastie Boys later stuff but their first two albums are bangin 🔥

great samples, 10/10, no skips

Listened to this in high school.

A collage of sound

Love the Beastie Boys and am ashamed I have never listened to this straight through. I suppose I prefer listening to singular songs as opposed to albums when it comes to them. Still enjoyed this thoroughly.

A really fun album, with really witty lyrics and it has some of my favourites songs from the Beasties.

Obviously, one of the best hiphop albums ever made.

Classic

awesome

Heard before but properly for the first time. Damn you couldn’t make this these days. That Sgt Pepper sample! A shit ton of fun. Proud to be a semi-obnoxious NYer music. Weirdly Stuy

The best masterclass of sampling

Heel cool om weer te horen!

This album was perfect. Something I will listen to over and over. I never really dove into the Beastie Boys in the past but this one got me sucked in!

A landmark hip-hop album whose cost to reproduce today would be astronomical due to the amounts of samples. I didn’t really care for it too much as a kid which just further iterates the point that kids are dumb.

Fizzing with invention, humour and wild feats of imagination. It's got tunes, phat beats and I can bug out to it.

Top 3 Songs: 1 - Shake Your Rump (2) 2 - Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun (10) 3 - Shadrach (13)

My favourite album by my favourite group. Do not expect objectivity from me.

HELLLO BROOKLYNNN!! Upon waking, I was delighted that Paul’s Boutique was my selection for the day. It’s not my favorite Beastie Boys album (Check Your Head), but I knew it would keep my morning good mood flowing. It’s impossible to listen to the B-Boys and be in a crappy headspace. The mix of the boys from Brooklyn and The Dust Brothers heralded this audio masterpiece that’s just so much damn fun. I have so many great memories of amazing times that involved this record. My top tracks: *Shake Your Rump *High Plains Drifter *Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun *Car Thief *Shadrach

One of my all-time favorites.

The Bestie Boys have a penchant for putting together some of the best beats and samples. Their rapping style features a fairly simple flow, but their combative back and forth delivery has become a signature of the genre. Paul's Boutique features a more mature sound than Licensed to Ill and despite its 53 minute length, flows so well that it never becomes unwelcome. This is understandably incredibly critically acclaimed and is one of the greatest hip hop records of all time.

besta b-boys platan imo

Album blows my mind every time time I listen to it. There will never be an album like this again, the Sgt Pepper of the 80's.

Now this shit’s genius. And it was a welcome relief after the License to Ill which I absolutely hated. I remember my buddy saying I had to give Paul’s Boutique a chance back in the day, and was immediately into it. The samples are fantastic and unexpected, it’s fun and funny, and has a timeless groove to it. Probably my favorite Beastie Boys record.

I don't own many Beastie Boys albums on vinyl, but this one sits on my shelf, and is a must - massive tracks like Hey Ladies, and Shake Your Rump are ubiquitous and rightly so. This is guaranteed to get you dusting off your best funky chicken moves - lots of groovy samples threaded throughout. Far less 'angsty' than their earlier work. Anyone who can thread the word 'mortgage' into three syllables earns their place as lyricist extraordinaire! This is arguably their best album

All-time classic

Suburban hip-hop is the best way to explain what I just listened to. It was chaotic and had a similar feel to Run DMC. I enjoyed it!

Un classique. La construction des chansons avec tous ces samplings est stupéfiante.

Barn storming lesson in sampling. This is some album.

fuckin belter. classic.

A masterclass in hip hop and sampling

I loved this album, every time I felt like it was getting a little stale, they brought a completely new idea out of nowhere. I loved looking at all the different samples. Favorite tracks: Egg Man, The Sounds of Science, Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun, and Hello Brooklyn

Excellent. Good samples

Still sounds pretty new and fresh!

This collaboration between the Beastie Boys and the Dust Brothers is a legendary achievement. I highly recommend the 33 1/3 book about the making of this record. I also recommend you check out a playlist or Youtube video that breaks down all the samples. Best track: Shake Your Rump

One of my favourite albums - good fun to work my way through the list of samples in the wikipedia article

Shit yes. Can't give enough stars

Perfection.

Очень энергичный. Не ожидал, что так понравится

Fantástic

YAS LOVE

9/10 Very amazing. incredible beats and rhymes

Outstanding album. I have never fully listened to this one before, and even the songs I wasn't fully familiar with were complete party anthems. What a classic!

Groundbreaking. Love it!

My most-listened to hip hop album of 2021. I love everything about it. The samples are insanely good. They just kept slapping sample after sample and incorporating them ridiculously well. The lyrics are silly, catchy, and exciting. All the songs are solid. There's a crap ton of diversity in these tracks. One ends and the next is a completely different experience but just as intriguing. Not to mention each track is only a few minutes long... meaning each song gets its shine to appreciate before moving on to the next masterpiece. This is one album I need to listen to from start to finish. One time I heard "Hey Ladies" playing in a music store and I just had to pause. Love the cowbells and the screams so much, without a doubt my favorite pick. If I'm looking for fun hip hop, Beastie Boys is always my first And this album, in particular, engages me every minute. There are segments that I can rock, funk, groove, or dance to. There are parts that always impress me. It's hard for me to dislike much about it.

JOHNNY RYALL!

The excellent splicing of samples makes this a glorious listen. Favorites: "Shake Your Rump", "The Sounds Of Science", "Hey Ladies", "Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun"

What a banger - so many excellent samples from before when it was too expensive. Loved it

I don't personally care for the Beastie Boys but this album was fun and the production was superb.

LOVE THE BEASTIES! Already high on list of albums I listen to so although was gonna try and be objective it's getting a 5

The best album the beasties boys and a gateway drug for us ol indie fellas into hip hop and electronica back in the day. The bass on this album is amazing and some of the crunchiest funniest ever. The lyrics absurd from egg man to the Bouille bass skits at the end. Barrel of a gun is a thumping rock track and joyride just glorious. I have listened to this album many times and it never gets old. 'Some static started in the pool hall, hit the motherfuckers face with the que ball!'

Awesome! Loved this, still do.

Perhaps their best album, absolutely brilliant. 5 stars.

Paul's Boutique is the second (and best) album of Beastie Boys. It is impressive what a step the guys made from Licensed to Ill to this album. The songwriting is still catchy, but the songs are so much more refined. No one dimensional hip hop rock tracks inspired by hip hop legends, but mature songwriters becoming legends themselves.

Five star classic. Both an incredibly fun album and also an incredibly important album in the history of sampling, hip hop, plunderphonics, intellectual property law, etc.

All time favorite. I could write a novel about this band and each of their albums. While not mg favorite of theirs I believe it is their most important work.

Hell yeah! You can't go wrong with Beastie Boys

Already loved it

The Beastie Boys follow up their debut album with a record that goes way harder in an urban, hip-hop sound. With clever, well-crafted lyrics, deeper drum tracks, and the greatest use of sampling for any album ever, this record solidified the rap trio beyond a one-trick pony. Paul's Boutique capitalizes on creating moods and moments rather than just being an in-your-face banger record that its predecessor was, which is why I don't think there are recognizable "hits" to the layman listener. Don't let that fool you from thinking there aren't energetic tracks, some of these tunes have the freshest, most advanced production I think an album could have for the 80's. It feels like the Frankenstein's monster of hip-hop with each B-Boy contributing unique and chaotic writing that translated into something beyond anybody's imagination. It's a record that was simply ahead of its time. The ending "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" suit feels like a fire mixtape within an even fuller album, and anybody that listens to rap or hip-hop that utilizes samples can look to this collection as the influential obelisk. Favorite Songs: Shake Your Rump, The Sounds of Science, Hey Ladies, Shadrach Least Favorite: Egg Man

Had this on cassette back in the day. It's where I really start liking The Beastie Boys. They are transitioning out of their earlier sound into something much more complex. Bursting at the seams with samples. Love the flow of the tracks, almost especially when they suddenly smack up against one another, culminating in the collage-like "B Boy Bouillabaisse." The album moves along at a good clip while covering alot of different moods/sounds, but mostly exuding contagious excitement and fun. Wish more contemporary hip hop had this kind of manic ADD energy.

September 23, 2021 Love this stuff for working!

Best sample record ever!

I mean. Cmon.

I was going to take a star away just because this isn't my favorite Beastie Boys album. However, it has been a while since I've pulled this album from the shelf, and I may have been wrong. This might just by my favorite Beastie Boys album.

Amazing album. I've always loved it.

5.0 + Foists me back in Brooklyn. I’m rummaging through a mental flea market of strange and oblique cultural references. I’m surrounded by cartoonishly menacing characters but I’m drunk and zonked and clowning with my boys and we’re wilding and we’re one with the whole scene. This album is a non-stop troll party. Too many jokes, stunts and memes to appreciate with one listen. As it happens, this was my fifth full listen and I’m only just starting to make headway. Incredible.

5* for what goes around

Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique Love this album 5 Stars

A classic!

Absolutely rocked out to this hard.

Been so long since I listened to this as an entire album. It's better than I remember So many memories...

Excellent album

Yep

Yes.

Never heard a song on this entire album but I was into it the whole time.

Amazing amalgam of thick beats and the boys at their best. Fave: Three Minute Rule

hip hop

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!!

Highly enjoyable and insane production, but there's a few too many ideas not fully refined

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

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 !

3.5

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.

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.

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.

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

Not as many singles but overall a better album than Licensed to Ill

fun but boring at last

Maybe my favorite Beastie album. What a collage of sound. Never a dull moment. 4.25/5.

cool album. 4

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!

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 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.

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.

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.

Best production on any hip hop albums from the 80s far and away. It's crazy how ahead of the curve they were. The Beasties had very advanced sampling techniques and infinite creativity. There is just sample after sample, always something going on in these beats and it's endlessly fun and cool. The lyrics match the vibe, so funny and unique. But let's face it, everyone listens to this for the production and their off the wall energy that matches it.

Amazing samples, yes it may be a bit shouty but that's what the beastie boys are. Great fun album to listen to.

One of the group that expanded the hip- hop. The sampling, the rymhes, the inspiration to the future mc.

Not my favorite Beastie Boys album but I still liked it.

Ну що ж? Принаймні я вже начуваний про їхній стиль)

Without a doubt beastie boys best album and should be a starting point for anyone looking to get into them. As timeless in 2026 as it was when it came out.

I never really gave the Beastie Boys much attention. I heard a song growing up, didn't like it, and moved on. Now, I'm in my mid-30s and gave this a listen. And I must say, it's really built my respect for the band. Their use of early sampling, groovy bass lines, and a mix of genre-bending elements made this a pretty fun trip. This may not be their most well-known record, but considering early hip-hop, this is a milestone venture. This was fun. I didn't think I'd enjoy this as much as I did.

De Beastie Boys houden van een rommeltje. En dan is dit nog een album zonder andere muziekgenres. Ze vinden het niet zo erg om net niet in harmonie op de opname terecht te komen, een woordje hier en daar in te slikken of willekeurig van (muzikaal) thema te wisselen. Voldoende munitie dus om het album af te branden. Maar het werkt ook wel. Het lijkt hun strijd voor een ongeforceerd feestje. Zoals een DJ in de feesttent na 30 seconden weer een ander plaatje start, houdt het het luisteren interessant. Om aan te sluiten bij die feestsfeer, komen geregeld wat kinderlijke melodieën en muzikale referenties voorbij. Terwijl ze in hun spontaniteit ook hele geinige muzikale snippets voorbij laten komen, soms door afwisselende samples, soms door de manier waarop ze elkaar afwisselen. Daardoor zetten ze er toch een handtekening onder die niet makkelijk te vervalsen is.

Hey, de Beastie Boys staan ook in de snoblijst, wat leuk. Met een album dat ik niet ken. Is dit dan het enige album? Nee, we krijgen ook nog Licensed to Ill en Ill Communications. En dat allemaal in de laatste 100 plaatjes. Gek genoeg ontbreekt Hello Nasty, al is dat misschien omdat dat te commercieel is voor de snobs? Dit album heeft voor mij geen bekende hits, maar wel heel veel bekende samples. Uit het verleden, maar ik herken ook iets van de Chemical Brothers en die waren toch echt later. Al zou het best kunnen dat de Beastie Boys dat ook weer gesampled hebben. De lijst op wiki is zo te zien niet volledig, want ik herken toch echt 1 op 1 "Superfly" in het nummer "Egg Man" en dat wordt niet vermeld op de wiki. Dat ze dat nummer hebben gebruikt, geeft al aan dat er veel lekkere funky beatjes en baslijntjes onder de (inmiddels) bekende rapstijl van de Beastie Boys zitten. Het is op dit album ook vnl rap en afgezien van "Looking down the barrel of a gun" horen we amper tot geen gitaren. Wel dus de bekende rap, waarbij ze op elkaar lijken te reageren of elkaar aanvullen. De Staat heeft hier in NL duidelijk de mosterd gehaald bij deze plaat. Voor mij is dit dus het minst bekende album, maar wiki spreekt van de Sgt Peppers van de hip-hop. Dat zijn nogal grote woorden. Ik heb daar veel te weinig overzicht van binnen de hiphop, maar ik vond dit zeker wel vermakelijk om te luisteren. Qua rating vind ik het dan weer lastig inschatten, daarvoor zou ik eigenlijk ook de andere 2 noteringen in de lijst willen luisteren. Ik schat deze nu in op een 3,5 en ik druk op de 4 sterren.

Not there best but still really good

great album that doesn't appeal to my personal tastes so much, there are other beastie boys albums I like more than this one and I'm just not obsessed with beastie boys in general tbh

Very good record, absolutely comes off as a historical classic. I think I'd need these tracks to stick a little better in my mind for me to give this a fiver, but it's not at all far off.

Good flow, great production and samples

These guys are just pure, unadulterated fun and goofiness, you can't help but just accept the absurdness of the lyrics; it was refreshing to not take music so seriously for once on this journey. The opportunities to just smile and laugh have been rare on this journey so far, so I gotta give it to the Beastie Boys. The album seems to get better at introducing more instrumentation as time goes on which, in turn, elevates the quality of it too. "Shake your Rump", "Johnny Ryall", "High Plains Drifter", "The Sounds of Science", "Looking Down The Barrel of a Gun" and "Shadrach" were all killer tracks. Then came the B-Boy Bouillabaisse section of the album and, admittedly, I was still super impressed by this. "Get on the Mic" was fun, The instrumentation on "A Year and A Day" was incredible, "Lay It On Me" had a juicy bassline and "A.W.O.L" use of the Chic sample into that grimey beat was great too. Despite all this praise for it, something holds me back from giving it the top grade, as something is missy that I can't quite put my finger on it.

Cool production, great samples, and a style that straddles the line of not-taking-themselves-too-seriously and dropping bombs. This album had a lot to like on it and I'd love to get more from the Boys.

A massive improvement over Licensed to Ill soundwise, love these beats! On the other hand, nothing here is nearly as memorable as the best songs there. But I care way more about the production when it comes to late-80s hip-hop, so that's not too huge a problem, honestly.

I don't think I like this quite as much as Licensed to Ill or Ill Communication. However it is still diverse, catchy and very fun to listen to. Apparently the hook on Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun isn't a sample but a Beastie Boys original. This group is very good.

Despite being a huge hiphop fan, I've never gotten super into Beastie Boys. I know they have some classic tracks, but just hasn't hit that sweet spot for me. Looking at this track list, I didn't recognize many of the hits I'm familiar with. Just "Hey Ladies." "Shake Your Rump" is classic Beastie type flow, with trading off verses word for word. That was their schtick for sure. Love the Mayfield sample in "Egg Man." A few tracks I find mildly annoying. I think it's just their rhyme schemes, which at the point this album came out, are sounding pretty dated--just one syllable rhymes for the most part. I mean, Rakim had already complicated rap by this point, and like Chuck D says, it would never be the same again. Beastie Boys just didn't get the message. But despite this being one of my gripes with Beastie Boys in general--their lack of lyrical prowess--it didn't really bother me much in this album outside a couple of tracks. I think the problm often comes when they have very simple boom bap beats--their lyricism and flow can't really carry them through a near acapella soundscape like it could better rappers. But usually, beats are more elevated than Licenced to Ill. Tracks like What Goes Around show a funkier side to Beastie Boys than before. I love B-Boy Bouillabaisse. 4/5

My unsorted thoughts across this album looked something like this: Man, that ‘Psycho’ score sample on “Egg Man” is so cool. Man, that Beatles’ “The End” sample on “The Sounds of Science” is so cool. Man, this “Hey Ladies” song has crazy sample work, and it’s somehow less misogynistic than “3-Minute Rule”. Man, that Pink Floyd’s “Time” sample on “Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun” is so cool. Man, this is fun to listen to, but I also still sometimes feel like I’m being harangued at at a party. What a shame you can’t sample like this anymore.

Good album, reminds me of my dad :)

For all the groundbreaking beats on this album the rapping and lyrics aren ‘t of the same stellar standard.

Buff, el album raro de los Beastie Boys. Qué joven y qué tonto era cuando me compré este disco. Oído ahora me doy cuenta de que en muchos aspectos el espíritu de "Ill communication" ya estaba aquí. Me he guardado: Eggman, Hey ladies, Looking down the barrel of a gun, Shadrach y de los B-Boy Bouillabaisse: A year and a day, Hello Brooklyn y Dropping names.

It’s all vibes, I couldn’t tell you what any of the songs are about, I even listened hard. But I think it’s just supposed to be little details and verses picked out over amazing samples?

Good hip hop album. The sampling is done really well and the wide variety of genres sampled is nice.

Brilliant

Sampledelia magic

Just a good time. This boys are going places

Very creative

So much in hip-hop depends on matching the sonic environment to the lyrics. This record is a masterclass in sampling.

This was a crazy leveling up, and nearly 40 years later, it remains as vibrant as ever. There are probably hundreds of better rappers, but no one has ever had as much fun rapping as Mike D, Ad-Rock & and MCA.

Great! Daft, funny lyrics. Bit different to my usual go to listening. Must have been an administrative nightmare getting the clearance on all the samples.

I hate being white and falling into the stereotype of enjoying Beastie Boys, it’s just fun energetic hip hop with great flow and iconic beats to suit.

This is a class below their other albums on this list, HOWEVER, the Beastie Boys are just straight awesome. Great sampling, great rapping, and an amazing flow that make for an enjoyable listen.

It was really good I liked the funk style.

The rhymes are more polished and the energy more refined. Sure the presence of Rick Rubin is missed, but these boys are still Beastie.

The Beastie Boys have such an incredibly unique sound. It’s a great mix of genres and styles.

An achievement, and one that would cement the Beastie Boys as more than just a gag.

Paul's Boutique was named after a fictitious downtown thrift store, which was the perfect symbol for what the group was doing musically and stylistically. It was cobbled together from over a hundred different samples, which was absolutely unheard of at the time

The Beasties are top 5 all-time hip hop group (w/ NWA, WuTang, Public Enemy, and fight over the 5 spot). This is their . . . influential album? The fancy one with the samples? I don't know. Not my favorite, not the breakthrough, and not the one with all the hits.

Its the Beast - ie - Boys! I can't complain!

Very funky.

very fun but would love it to be less repetitive, and i especially liked the b-boy bouillabaisse songs

Strong 3,5

Well that's a lot of fun

Fuck yeah this album is so much fun

Good album from some of the all time goats! 7.6/10

Ladies and gentlemen, here to lay down some old, old, incredibly old school beats: The Beastie Boys! Leela: Impressive. They're busting mad rhymes with an 80% success rate. Bender: I believe that qualifies as ill. At least from a technical standpoint.

Really important hip hope record. It’s the Dust Brother’s work that really sets it apart but the Beastie Boys add a lot of fun to it. Rating: 4.0

Great album through and through.

surprisingly good for hip hop made by white guys ! reminds me of public enemy the way they play off each other.

This was a really good one that I will definitely come back to. It's a high four stars for me, and one I could see hitting five with more repeat listens. The beats and production are incredible, and the Beasties' rhymes are as fun as they always are.

I truly and honestly do not think this is the Beastie Boys best album, I think Ill Communication is better, but the one thing this album does have, is the best samples. The production is INSANE. lol at people thinking they just shout.

3 white dudes from NYC created one of the first experimental hip hop albums, sampling from all over the place to create the songs. It never hit the level of [[License To Ill]] but as time has gone on, this album keeps getting better.

Have I listened to this album before? No How familiar am I with this album? I know a couple songs How do I feel about this artist? I’ve been wanting to listen to more Beastie Boys lately Favorite song(s)? Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun, High Plain Drifter Overall Thoughts: I love fun, energetic music like this. I don’t care if they’re shouting at me I like it. Apparently this is the style of hip-hop that I like because I also like Run-DMC. The various samples were super fun.

Amazing, start to finish, all killer no filler. And so many samples, but it doesn’t feel like too much. Well done, boys!

Somehow, despite years of listening to the Beastie Boys, I have never listened to this album. While I would not call it their best, it was definitely important in their quest for hip hop domination. Their unique stylings and group dynamic are all present here with fun beats and humorous lyrics. They truly were a unique group. We miss you MCA!

This is so much fun. I don't understand the hate the Beastie Boys get sometimes. It isn't complex or anything, but it is so fun. It knows what it is and it is so fun and not serious! "5-Piece Chicken Dinner" is so funny Liked Songs: "Shake Your Rump" , "Egg Man" , "High Plains Drifter" , "Hey Ladies" , "5-Piece Chicken Dinner" , "Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun" , "Car Thief" , "Shadrach" , "Get On The Mic" , "A Year And A Day" , "Hello Brooklyn"

This album changed my opinion on the Beastie Boys… I thought they were an angry NSYNC, when they are actually funky-but-ignorant Rage Against the Machine. I much prefer the latter. The run of songs Car Thief/What Comes Around/Shadrach singlehandedly bumped this from 3 to 4

While some of their more popular songs show an immature quality the Beastie Boys Albums rarely disappoint and this one is a classic. While not the pure intelligent rhyming of a Public Enemy, Tupac or Ice Cube they have an energetic quality that makes music fun. This one is a 5 if ever there was one for fun white boy rap but in the history of music I couldn't justify a 5.

Gnowwatamsayingd

Loooove it

Lin Manuel Miranda listened to this album and then wrote Hamilton. This fact is not real but they sound like Hamilton. Anyways it’s really fun and silly little album

"The best in men's clothing Call Paul's Boutique, ask for Janice The number is 718-498-1043 That's Paul's Boutique, and they're in Brooklyn"

A lot of fun I'm going to listen to this one again for sure

Now that is some original stuff right there. Such a refreshing contrast compared to the Eminem crap of the previous release this list served up for me. This is a pretty good unicorn chaser to follow that.

I have a lot of respect and love for Beastie Boys. I've listened to them a ton at my teens, and it's always a blast to hear them again. Very cool, very innovative, and still feels fresh - even after all those years.

Though it does start to sound repetitive after a little while, this is undeniably great. Intense and full of energy, you can't help but get caught up in how excited they were to be doing what they're doing. Once again, wish I could have been into this at the time. But they still sound like obnoxious pricks on this album. 3.51 stars.

Every time I listen to a Beastie Boys album I think that I should really listen to them more often. This isn't my favorite of there's but damn it's good.

Such a fun listening experience, it's sample overload! So many layers to the production, and it's quite experimental mixed with their raw and fun energy. Best song: Egg Man Worst song (excluding interludes): 3-Minute Rule Cover check: Looks like a messy store you can find anything in, just like the music

Beastie Boys ei lase mööda. Siit on tulnud nii palju inspiratsiooni muule hip-hopile ja tüübid oskasid teha lugusid nii, et lihtsalt tekib vaib koguaeg kaasa õõtsuda. 4.1/5

“Shake Your Rump” and “Hey Ladies” are both classic songs on this second album by Beastie Boys. “Where It’s At” by Beck reminds me of “Hey Ladies” with how the samples are set up.

Man, I love me some Beastie Boys. I have owned several BBs albums and am not above quoting some of their songs. That being said, I don’t know that I’d ever heard this album. It has that iconic Beastie Boys sound and I’d probably listen to it again. But I don’t think it’s as strong as some other albums by them. I believe this was more about the influence the album had and about the evolution of a specific sound. Album 36, April 3, 2026

Я бы с радостью послушал инструментальную версию альбома, ибо семплирование здесь на каком-то запредельном уровне.

Hip-hop, sampledelia.

So good.

I did not expect the Beastie Boys to make this type of music. I am unfamiliar with their game.

Dejligt

Что-ж, ещё один альбом Beastie Boys в рамках челленджа "1001 альбом". Я скоро буду бить музыкальных журналистов комично огромным молотом, за их способность нарекать каждый десятый коллектив "вторыми" Битлз, или, как в случае с "Paul's Boutique" нарекать альбом "Сержантом Пеппером от мира хип-хопа" ... Господи, иисусе... Впрочем, это не вина коллектива, но для вступления решил все же об этом сказать. Альбом достаточно неплохой, хотя Ill Communication показался мне более оригинальной, интересной и состоятельной работой. В этом же случае, достаточно интересный прецедент, который позволил парням использовать семплы многих легендарных записей почти за бесценок. В частности, как раз таки, семпл из Sgt. Pepper по крайней мере в одной песне. Уважаемые музыкальные журналисты, ЕСЛИ В АЛЬБОМЕ ИСПОЛЬЗУЕТСЯ СЕМПЛ ИЗ СЕРЖАНТА, ЭТО НЕ ЗНАЧИТ ЧТО АЛЬБОМ СРАЗУ ЖЕ ОТ ЭТОГО СТАНОВИТСЯ "СЕРЖНАТОМ ОТ МИРА %жанр_нейм%" Спасибо! А так, нормально. 4 из 5.

Aside from the weird opening track (which feels a bit problematic to modern ears), this is a banger of a record. Favourite tracks: Shake Your Rump, Johnny Ryall, High Plains Drifter, the Sounds Of Science, Car Thief.

It's such a musical leap forward from Licensed To Ill that it is kind of unbelievable. So much more colourful, varied and clever. Excellent.

Very Good.

Kind of interesting to think about these guys' place in rap history. In the same era of rap as Run-D.M.C., Public Enemy, and Eric B. & Rakim, you have four white guys sampling The Beatles. I still prefer all 3 of the former, but it's not a super distant 4th place. What these guys have over all 3 of them is how dang creative they are with the beats. Nobody else was making 12 minutes worth of throwing random records on a turntable and making it work in one song in 1989. I feel like they were going for recognizability in the sample choices over anything else, but that could very well be because they're white and their record collection reflects that so it's all they had. I loved the samples in Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun, it was Rage Against the Machine-like for when it came out. The lyrics in basically all of the songs weren't really much to write home about, but I liked the three guys passing the bars around a lot.

If you played all but one song, maybe two, from this album them on their own they wouldn't do much for me, but when I play the whole album it provides an excellent vibe that I really enjoyed. As some have mentioned, the sampling on here is pretty amazing and if I understand right they actually got the rights to use most of it. This is an excellent album.

Some of the most annoying voices ever recorded, but the production is just so insanely good.

4/5

Classic

Amazing

A lyrical banquet. Delicious.

#relisten

The more mature Beastie Boys. Some complain that this is too far from their gritty rap roots, but I disagree, as this to me feels like they've grown into their sound and are choosing more varied styles to sample. It shows they've leveled up, so to speak.

"A year and a Day" is an example where this album shows its age a little but largely that theme is almost entirely absent.  Its relevant today as it was then and the feast of sampling overlayed by the "Scooby Doo" rap actually works really well.  Unlike Licenses to Ill its much more refined and less like a hip-hop jack hammer.  I have unusually been drawn to the Beastie Boys mainly because they were significant operators in the 90's but also they had a more heavy / rock infused sound which I gravitated towards. I was surprised how much there was in this.  The sounds are so diverse and found myself amused by the lyrics as odd snaps caught my attention.  "Humpty dumpty is a fat egg" and "Which came first, the chicken or the egg? / I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg".

I really enjoyed this, loads of samples that I recognised that have been used in other songs. It's albums like this that have gone on to influence some amazing music, whilst also being a great album in its own right. 4/5 for me.

White A Tribe Called Quest

Fun album and great era for the Beasties. Favorite tracks: Shake Your Rump, Johnny Ryall, Hey Ladies

The only good white rappers

Pros: - Great production - Sample abuse - Nice flow/vocals - Ahead of its time/Influential Cons: - Completely terrible mixing Rating (out of 10): 8/10

Just a fun album, the Boys are maturing their sound compared to the snot-nosed punks that released License to Ill, incorporating samples from just about everywhere, from The Beatles to Led Zeppelin to the Isley Brothers and even 20 seconds from the Deliverance soundtrack. Copyright law sure was played fast and loose in the early days of hip-hop wasn't it?

One of the dumbest openers in musical history gives way to Andy Samberg and that other guy rapping about their lazy Sunday. That's what this is, right? Sometimes when something has been parodied, the lines between parody and original begin to blur. This phenomenon worsens when you possess the brain of a dementia-addled octogenarian with the attention span of a caffeinated toddler (me). This album possesses the sincere silliness that the anxiety-ridden youth of today would refer to as "cringe." I did find myself uncomfortable occasionally as well. Earnest expression is out folks. Caring? Forget that. Don't you want to be uninterested in life and cool until you die having experienced or achieved nothing?? We're all on a conveyor belt to the grave. A simple step to the left or right would spare you that fate, but the person ahead of you on the belt might laugh. Choose wisely. Where was I? IS there better hip-hop? Absolutely. Still, this album is incredibly heavy and frankly, extremely likeable. I kind of thought they were annoying to start but this grew on me in a major way. Trailblazing beats/samples, lots of energy, and boundless creativity. YUCK! Give me apathetic soundscapes disguised as "vibes" and string up my LED lights. While you're at it, maybe fashion me a noose. 3.5-4 HIGHLIGHTS: Johnny Ryall, Hey Ladies, Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun,

I wouldn’t say I dislike hip-hop, but I do find it difficult to stay engaged with a full album; it usually works better for me a few songs at a time. Because of that, I only own a handful of hip-hop records, including the Beastie Boys' "The Sounds of Science" compilation. For me, that's how I enjoy them. "Paul’s Boutique" is certainly well-produced; it’s clear, funky, and the samples are genuinely interesting. The music underneath is consistently strong, especially the Beatles samples on the track "The Sounds of Science"- very cleverly done, but the repetitive nature of the rapping eventually wears me down. It’s a fun listen, and a very good album but it doesn't quite reach a five-star rating for me. Side A 1 "To All the Girls" (4/5) 2 "Shake Your Rump" (5/5) 3 "Johnny Ryall" (4/5) 4 "Egg Man" (4/5) 5 "High Plains Drifter" (3/5) 6 "The Sounds of Science" (5/5) 7 "3-Minute Rule" (3/5) 8 "Hey Ladies" (5/5) Side B 9 "5-Piece Chicken Dinner" (3/5) 10 "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun" (5/5) 11 "Car Thief" (4/5) 12 "What Comes Around" (4/5) 13 "Shadrach" (5/5) 14 "Ask for Janice" (3/5) 15 "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" a. "59 Chrystie Street" (0:57) (5/5) b. "Get on the Mic" (1:14) (3/5) c. "Stop That Train" (1:59) (4/5) d. "A Year and a Day" (2:22) (4/5) e. "Hello Brooklyn" (1:32) (3/5) f. "Dropping Names" (1:03) (5/5) g. "Lay It on Me" (0:54) (4/5) h. "Mike on the Mic" (0:48) (3/5) i. "A.W.O.L." (1:46)" (4/5) Total - 92.00 Average - 4.00 254/1001 138/254 albums reviewed were new to me

It took me a long time to appreciate the Beastie Boys. I’m glad my first listen to this album was now and not back when I was a hater. This deserves repeat listens with the lyric sheet nearby.

I wanna give this a 3, but it's a 4.

Sonically interesting, would have been 5 stars for an instrumental version of the album.

Great hip-hop album with funky seventies samples.

3.9/5 Stars Top Songs: Shadrach, Egg Man, Johnny Ryall

Beastie Boys at their best. Excellent production, the samples are excellent, the beats are great, and their vocal delivery is on point in their own, very recognizable way.

There is something to say about how wild this production is. It is also a perfect transition fro m 80's styles / aesthetics to the 90's with the crazy scratching/sampling.

Album muito interessante do Beastie Boys

headboppers, i liked it.

Uit mijn comfort-zone, maar ik vind de rock en hip-hop mix leuk klinken. De oudere klank vanuit de jaren '90 klinkt ook goed met hun stemmen. De eerste liedjes vond ik leuker, vervolgens werden het te vreemde teksten. De laatste korte nummers waren leuk om te luisteren, maar ze hadden niet veel replay-value. Op dit moment (track 13): 7-

To All the Girls - 3.5/5 Shake Your Rump - 4/5 Johnny Ryall - 4/5 Egg Man - 4/5 High Plains Drifter - 3.5/5 The Sounds of Science - 4/5 3-Minute Rule - 4/5 Hey Ladies - 4.5/5 5-Piece Chicken Dinner - 3.5/5 Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun - 4.5/5 Car Thief - 4/5 What Comes Around - 3.5/5 Shadrach - 4.5/5 Ask for Janice - 3.5/5 B-Boy Bouillabaisse - 5/5 It's a surprisingly fun time when a group of the whitest boys you know (no not the comedy group) casually drop rhymes that include NPB legend Sadaharu Oh. The sampling is also incredible, laying the groundwork for future albums to mix and match sounds like they have. Overall: 4/5 Favorites: Hey Ladies, Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun, Shadrach, B-Boy Bouillabaisse

Back in 1989 I was very active in the album collecting phase of my life. I was also active in reading about new releases and very interested in what the critics said were the albums I needed to listen to. Paul's Boutique was one of those albums. I strongly disliked Licensed to Ill, so I was suspect about picking this up. I did get it and listened. I respected what they were doing, mainly musically and in the overall production of the album. I still found that they were annoying at times, but much less so than on their debut. I was looking forward to jumping into this today, and mostly I was glad to give it another listen after all these years. I laughed at many of the same rhymes as I did back then, and it was great to hear some of the references from back then. They were very witty and the production holds up as top notch. It did get a bit tiring towards the end, but not to the point where it took away from my overall enjoyment of the record. It wasn't a five star album for me back then, and still isn't today, but it's a solid four.

This is pretty damn fun. The beats and basslines are pretty awesome. Respect to the emcees for the gift that they have bestowed on us

Memories

Now I am suddenly feeling the urge to breakdown and rebel against the system!

Was jokingly going to say "hip-hop for middle class white kids" but that would be a disservice to the Beastie Boys here. This is an excellent album with immaculate sampling. I know a lot of people dislike their shouty-NY style, but it works for me for some reason.

The boys took their earnings from Licensed to Ill and bought themselves a Minimoog and a 909. :-) I remember when this came out we all were surprised that it actually had some depth, as opposed to the white youngin' party rap of the previous. Infectious grooves and some sweet sampling, and what I consider to be one of the best recorded examples of what a Moog filter sounds like. Anyhew super fun.

Absolutely gas, not the most lyrically deep but some great tracks and fun instrumentals.

Well, I'm Mike D, and I'm back from the dead! I love this album/band so much when I was in NYC I made a pilgrimage to Beastie Boys Square where the album cover photo was taken. Samples and shouting yeah that is what makes up this album and it totally rules. The album itself is just end to end fun. While Licensed to Ill has the hits and individual tracks that I listen to more I prefer Paul's Boutique as an album experience. Playlist track: Shake Your Rump

Very solid BB record. Not a favorite of mine but a historic one at that.

Surprisingly a lot mote nuance than you'd expect. Arguably better than their debut.

these white boys have swag

As has been said 4 billion times the production on this is unbelievable and makes this such a fun album to listen to. My favorite moment is when you hear 'Mississippi Queen' for .5 seconds in 'Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun.'

Not quite as iconic as License to Ill, but a worthy follow-up. You can really hear how they've refined their sound. It's much more polished in this album. Hey Ladies is still one of my favorites, and will be making the playlist.

Solid offering from the Boys.

Game changing. I slept on this for years because I hated License to Ill so much. I could not fathom that those Jabronis could make a genre defining monster of a record. The Dust brothers were so good at the sample game that they ended up breaking the whole system.

Oh hell yeah. The Beastie Boys are back again with another certified banger of an album. Ok, there are quite a few interesting things about this album that I want to bring up, and I want to mention them all real quick. First, this is an album made mostly hand in hand with The Dust Brothers, an artist that I’ve already rolled once for this project and thoroughly enjoyed listening to. They mostly work within the bounds of the Electronica genre, so seeing them collab with the Beastie Boys was quite surprising to me. The album is mostly comprised of an overwhelming amount of samples. This gets to be so ridiculous on some tracks that looking up a list of samples on some songs like “Egg Man” shows an entire list that contains a mix of The Beatles, and songs simply including the word egg in them. That’s extremely funny and clever to me, because they still manage to make it work out fairly well. Next, I’m very familiar with the Beastie Boys. Licensed to Ill, which I’ve already rolled for this project, and Ill Communication, which I’m really excited to roll, I am very familiar with from top to bottom. I’ve never heard of a single one of these songs up until today, and I can’t fathom why. Is this album as good as the previously mentioned albums?? In my opinion, no, it’s a little too bloated and the songs aren’t all that memorable, but it’s still the Beastie Boys, and it’s still a high 4. The songs might not all stick with me, but I love a good album of just deep cuts. It’s not a bad thing. This is still better than a grand majority of albums I’ve heard on the project so far, but it’s not without flaws either. My favorites on this one are “Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun” and my winner for best on the album goes to “Car Thief”. I’m not entirely sure what they were going for with the last 9 “B-Boy Bouillabaisse” tracks, they sound just like the other regular songs on the album. I don’t know exactly why they gave them a unique moniker, but they’re all pretty good. Again, not the most memorable, but good. Going to give this one a high 4.8, and I want to give it a 5 just because I love the Beastie Boys, but I just can’t do it. Don’t get it twisted though, this album still kicks a whole lot of ass.

Im less into this than ill communication or license to ill but it has that charm. These guys just love making music and it shows. They have alot of fun. That being said, its pretty messy. There are a ton of good tracks but there are also some stinkers or just songs that dont work. They change it up too often without any real rhyme or reason. One song to the next is just a wild swing sometimes. I did save a bunch of these tracks but there are for sure ones id much rather never hear again. But at th end of the day its better than alot of records. Even if it doesnt stick the landing every time. If your into eclectic shit then eclectic shit is what you get and enjoy it

t’s loose, weird and funny so that is why I probably like the Beastie Boys as much as I do. You catch new sounds every time. Just playful and free. It’s not an everyday listen, but when it clicks, it really clicks. Starting a Friday with it makes sense: it doesn’t just kick off the weekend, it opens it up.

Gotta say, I think this album gets a little too much hype. The singles on this album are great, and the whole album is a lot of fun. The beastie boys are amazing, but it always seems odd that this is known as their best work. They've got some other killer albums.

Classic. Felt like it was the pivotal album for them to show their artistry.

Layers upon layers in this album. With all the blended samples, at times dense and referential lyrics, and many songs not featuring consistent hooks it's easy to get overwhelmed. To catch everything would take going line by line. I can visualize it as a stereographic image: either you see the schooner or you get a migraine. That's also what it makes it an enjoyable listen. So much more depth than their earlier work. More risks were taken. There is more to discover. Summed up in their own lyrics: "The music washes over and you're one with the sound." "Expressing my aggressions through my schizophrenic verse words" Hey Ladies Shadrach