Reviews (page 6 of 13)
And thus this concludes the Beastie Boys trilogy (although not chronologically, I know). I like it that this is sort of a bridge between the other two albums in this collection, with some of the frat-style hip-hop of "Licensed to Ill", but also occasionally more interesting collections of sounds and instruments as on "Ill Communication", but clearly *much* more sample-based than the latter album. They hadn't quite graduated beyond occasionally sophomoric lyrics, but there's a nice groove flowing through the album, accompanied by some of the most dense and satirical lyrics you could ever ask for. I felt like their strongest tracks were probably "Shake your rump", the second half of "Sounds of science", "Looking down the barrel of a gun" (another RATM-sounding track), and "Shadrach", with honorable mention to the concept of "B-Boy Bouillabaisse", even if it doesn't consistently deliver on the concept. I was also really impressed by how this sounded much later than 1989, and doesn't really feel dated in many ways, amazingly (but also glad to read that they were able to clear most of the samples and at affordable rates due to the early date of this album). I had never heard of the Dust Brothers before reading about them in this album's Wikipedia entry, but I'm glad I read about them given how many songs, albums and artists I've enjoyed that they collaborated with. (And I loved finding out that they got their start at Pomona College's radio station!) The Beastie Boys chose well in getting them to work on this album--an amazing collaboration.
I've always enjoyed Beastie Boys singles, but had never really sat down and listened to a whole album. I didn't expect I'd enjoy it, given that it's 80s hip hop and as a rule I tend to find it boring. I didn't find this album boring though, in fact I listened through all the extra 20th anniversary material as well. Great beats, fun vocal flows, music that's sort of all over the place.
Not the biggest rap fan, but sample "The End" by the Beatles and your album automatically gets to 4 stars. Other than that though this album is really good!
I liked this album, but it felt like they were still searching for their unique voice
A disappointing experience for me. This is my favorite Beastie Boys album, so I was very excited when this was revealed as my album of the day. However, it was not the perfect experience I had foreseen; this album has some flaws when listened to from beginning to end. Still a four-star album for me, though.
I didn't go in thinking this was going to be good, but it ended up really impressing me! The songs were pretty varied, the sampling was pretty impressive, and I loved the rock elements that really came in on the second half of the album. 3.7/5 -> 4/5
Ein kreatives, verrücktes und zeitlos gutes Album, das richtig Laune macht! Man kann fast nicht anders als mit dem Groove mitzuschwingen und die Arme gekonnt in die Luft zu werfen. Definitiv ein cooles Album, wenn man sich in Stimmung bringen möchte Unfug anzustellen :D
I love the bestie boys and I honestly wasn’t sure what it would be like to listen to a full album, but I really enjoyed this! It was a teeny bit jarring to listen to in the morning, but the different variety of songs made up for it. I liked the songs egg man, shake your rump, and what comes around. Also 5-piece chicken dinner gave me a laugh and was unexpected. I really loved this and it made me like the bestie boys even more. I love their creative use of sounds and beats and it’s so fun and unique!
I loved this album. The lyrics were so clever from Sadaharu Oh to the Torah and all the satire laced throughout. The production was head an shoulders above any hip hop we've had so far, but knowing what is potentially coming, still not quite a 5.
I still think it's weird that they rap the lines together? Like I know that Run-DMC did the same but it feels weirder when the Beastie Boys do it. Also "Humpty Dumpty was a big fat egg" from Egg Man is the beginning of the best beef in rap
Maybe white guys can rap. lots of shouting but groovy and had some good rhythm/baselines
One of my favorite bands thanks to this project. This album is the most classic Beastie Boys sound. Some strong hits, although the lyrics aren't particularly deep. I prefer later era Beastie Boys when they got more instrumental and funky.
I actually really fw the beastie boys
9/10
They are always fun with a driving beat.
Great album musically, but not for me!
Great album full of interesting samples. Looses energy in the middle a little
What a cracker!
batidas boas, lyrics que ficam na cabeça, energia contagiante. nota 4
the sampling and beatmaking on this record is incredible, hugely influential. another album that gets better as the tracklist goes on, which i always love. however, i think the beastie boys get stronger lyrically in the coming albums, this one is still a lottttt of girls and parties rap. lots of fun but i don't consider this their best- but it's still a damn beastie boys album so it's always in the rotation
i really do hate the whole "you can't make Blazing Saddles today" thing people do, because it's both true (you don't really need to make fun of cowboy movies anymore) but for the wrong reasons (Evil Woke Liberals). however, i say this will all of my heart: you cannot go to Capitol Records, tell them "hey, I want to make a record with these new producers just starting out using 100 samples" and expect them to just let you do it. nowadays they'd ask questions like "do you know how much money it would cost to clear all of that" and "i don't trust these guys, why don't we go with Rick Rubin" and "who the hell do you think you are?" everything just feels so fun and creative here, from the production to the flows (a lot of the bars goof around, but don't fully lean into novelty), and the cover even reflects that. it's messy, colorful, a little grimy, but not scary. just a fun time.
Can't fault it
⭐⭐⭐⭐– 3[.9] of 5 stars. I'm gonna be honest, this thing gives 90's frat party so much. Like seriously. The beats are really goofy and weird, but in a good way. I honestly enjoyed listening to this album, and will probably listen again. Also, I really love their vocal style - it's absolutely iconic. Overall, a really fun-to-listen-to, slightly goofy hip hop album. Favourites: Looking down the barrel of a gun⭐, What comes around, Shake your rump, The sounds of science, The B-Boy bouillabaisse collection. Dislikes: High plains drifter, Hey ladies.
Production is very musically rich when compared to today's hip hop.
One of the rappers is SO annoying but the others are pretty good. Beats are a bit mixed but some are amazing. Favourite songs: shake your rump, 3-minute rule, looking down the barrel of a gun, car thief, a year and a day (this one could be my favourite overall). overall around 7/10
os beat e o uso dos samples aqui são absurdo demais. muito bem produzido e mixado, fiquei supreso. mas é só isso mesmo. não piro mto no hiphop deles não, mas eles mandaram muito nessa produção aqui. o bom uso dos samples carregou o album nas costas papo reto
I'd recommend skipping the song Three Minute Rule because of its' vulgarity but the other full length songs on the album are great listens. Paul's Boutique is a great mix of hip hop, rap, soft rock, hard rock, blues sounds and electronic music with some truly hyper aware, non linear and precise production to carry this wide color palate selection. Many highlight songs such as The Sounds of Science and Shadrach show how these guys dimensions far deeper than the frat boy images their most well known for.I'd say that I haven't heard any rap/hip hop quite as flexibly eclectic as Paul's Boutique and it's a listen that pleasantly surprised me for the most part.
Good stuff
drei bis vier
this was great! i could see it growing into a five star record for me over time
This album was great. This sound sets the foundations of DnB and other dance music
Hvis bare mere Hip-Hop havde Beastie Boys’ legesyge og kaotiske tilgang… Kendte kun Shake Your Rump, men var vældig godt underholdt hele vejen, og konstant nysgerrig på hvad de fandt på som det næste. Objektivt set burde den nasale skingre måde at rappe på ikke være godt, men det fungere bare for dem.
I've listened to a few Beastie Boys albums but not this one for some reason. It's cool that somebody managed to make an album like this before record labels got so greedy about sampling The amount of samples is just ridiculous, I was going to try and pick out as many as I could but I couldn't be bothered. Because of the amount of samples, this feels very dense and pribably needs a lot of listens to really peel back the layers, especially because the vocals are weirdly somewhat low in the mix Some parts can feel a bit repetitive, like Johnny Ryall, as did High Plain Drifter a little bit (the weird moaning sample on that one is pretty annoying) It's probably not my favourite Beastie Boys album, I prefer their punkier style which there isn't much of on here. I did feel a little bit of fatigue too, but that's probably partly due to how dense it is like I mentioned Highlights: Car Thief, Egg Man
this album was a fun ride from start to finish. the boys from NYC really brought their “A game” with this one and it shows. many people consider this to be their best album, and it’s hard to argue with that.
Solid
still don't really like this era of hip-hop, but this is a really fun album. really creative production i fw it
brabo
Kaleidoscope sample rich 2nd album from the BBs. A massive landmark in The genre.
I gotta admit that the nasal style wears thin over the course of 53 min, but there's no denying the catchiness of many songs (Shake Your Rump, Egg Man, Hey Ladies, Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun, Shadrach), driven by so many fun samples & beats. So while I personally think this could have benefited from some trimming (or listening in smaller doses), can't deny the brilliance here.
Paul's Boutique has way less rock than I'm used to with the Beastie Boys, though to be fair, most of what I know is Licensed to Ill. Still, a lot of these tracks just make it impossible not to nod along. I'm not about to get up and dance to it, but if you're just kicking back with a beer or something, it's fucking perfect.
Every time I listen to the beastie boys I remember how top tier the production is.
a lot of beastie boys. started while cooking dinner, which was a vibe, but finished before bed and lying down while listening is less of a vibe. anyway, before listening to the album the beastie boys were mainly linked w GOG 3. listening to the album, they're v consistent w their thing - and i like car thief and get on the mic but it's a lot
Great album
Terwijl spotify van het ene nummer naar het andere nummer gaat merk ik dat de kleine pauze in nummers mijn oren goed doet. Alhoewel dit album kennelijk een 'landmark' in de hiphop scène was, met veel bekende samples waar mensen lyrisch over zijn, merk ik dat het gegil me veel afleidt. Misschien zou ik dit wel vet vinden in een film, er zitten absoluut sterke nummers tussen. Vanaf hey ladies durfde ik verder te luisteren dan het gegil en kwam ik er stiekem toch wel in Favorieten: The sounds of science (de tweede helft), hey ladies
3.5
Beastie Boys really confuse me. Like they sound so good, and yet so bad..?
it's the beastie boys, good, happy to start with music I think is good. what came first, samples still used today or the bb?
Not bad, didn’t finish completely
it was very raw and loved the engery in group vocals
Did a whole lot of jolly head banging, some giggling, and no skipping.
I got more stories than JD’s got Salinger - Definitely the album where they changed the game in terms of sampling with almost collage-like backing instrumentals. they’re still one album away from refining their vocal rhythm out of the 80’s; these songs aren’t quite as cohesive and diverse as what’s to come but we’ve got some bangers here nonetheless.
they were so cool
Dug all of the samples , made me think of interesting ways to start using samples when I’m playing music, the synth bass in shake your rump, before the slap bass sample was super cool, and the key change, and the different drum feels from the syncopated ride feel to the Latin drum, back into the 4 on the floor groove with the synth was rad, high plains drifter had that cool (1e bass not that I dug) I need to write a riff in my 404 with that
Mucho se ha escrito sobre este álbum: su imparable reconocimiento a lo largo del tiempo, su avalancha de samples, su influencia, su equilibrio... Beastie Boys son uno de los grandes del Hip Hop y siendo blancos nadie les ha puesto en duda, lo cual ya es un mérito. Licence to ill es el disco que mejor condensa su música, pero cualquiera y sobre todo este rayan a enorme altura. 1989: Stone Roses de Stone Roses, Playing with Fire de Spacemen 3,New York de Lou Reed, Doolitle de Pixies, On Fire de Galaxie 500, Disintegration de The Cure, Paul´s Boutique de los Beastie Boys, Technique de New Order, Freedom de Neil Young, Let Love Rule de Lenny Kravitz, The Seeds of Love de Tears for Fears, Automatic de Jesus and Mary Chain, Love and Rockets de Love and Rockets, Dum-Dum de las Vaselines, Spike de Elvis Costello, Rhythm Nation de Janet Jackson, Mind Bomb de The The, Mothers Milk de los Red Hot Chili Peppers, Full Moon Fever de Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Ojalá Que Llueva Café de Juan Luis Guerra, Shahen-Shah Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, The Raw and the Cooked de los Fine Young Cannibals, Primal Scream de Primal Scream, The Whitey Album de Ciccone Youth, Lōc-ed After Dark de Tone Lōc, 3 Feet High and Rising de De La Soul, 101 de Depeche Mode, Like a Prayer de Madonna, Nick of Time de Bonnie Raitt, No More Mr. Nice Guy de Gang Starr, Raw Like Sushi de Neneh Cherry, The Real Thing de Faith No More, Liquidizer de Jesus Jones, Heart Shaped World de Chris Isaak, Bleach de Nirvana, Velveteen de Transvision Vamp, Pump de Aerosmith, The Healer de John Lee Hooker, Crossroads de Tracy Chapman, Hats de The Blue Nile, All Hail the Queen de Queen Latifah, Done by the Forces of Nature de los Jungle Brothers, Back on the Block de Quincy jones, Me and a Monkey on the Moon de Felt, Ninety de 808 State, Hallelujah EP de los Happy Mondays o Pump Up the Jam de Technotronic, If I Should Fall From Grace With God de The Pogues, Soul II Soul- Club Classics Vol. One, Nick of time de Bonnie Raitt… Y como placeres culpables: Cuts Both Ways de Gloria Stefan, Foreign Affair de Tina Turner, ...But Seriously de Phil Collins y Neither Fish Nor Flesh de Terence Trent D'Arby
This was another good beastie boys record. Dust brothers produced I always thought Rick Rubin did all beastie boys records. I’m going give this 4. That maybe generous but that’s ok.
A masterclass in sampling by the Dust Brothers. The Beasties don't have an armchair ride though - I can't imagine any other act from the time sounding good rapping over wherever the Wheel-of-Sampling landed on. It's goofy, corny, of-its-time, yet nothing else sounds like it.
Solid. Like the development in sound and production post Licensed to Ill. The Bouillabaisse might have been my favorite.
Lotttta B Boys. Kind of cool to listen to these so close to one another - one of the more impressive progressions of a band we've seen. This is the rawest/most intesnse album of the three. Feels more like art compared to the other two. Considerable improvement over their first album and feels like the purest form of the their sound. It is impressive this was made in 1989 and it really shows the possibilities of hip-hop. It also makes we wonder why more artist didn't push the boundaries . We have a few, but compared to this 90% of hip-hop feels lazy. As much as I've enjoyed our Beastie Boys journey I'm ready for a new deep dive.
I enjoy later Beasties more than this one but it is a major achievement. O wonder how many records from this list are sampled on it.
3.75
Favorite Track: Egg Man
Just an absolutely killer record. Some of the flows are a bit redundant, but the production might be the best of the whole decade.
Much better than the other two BB albums. Still don't really like the shouty vocals but the beats/production are real nice on this one. Fave Tracks: To All the Girls, Hey Ladies 3.6/5
Not my first listen. This is some goooooood shit!
i got this and was over the moon when i recognized the isley brother's sample in 'a year and a day' from kendrick lamar using it on his song 'i'. what a great birthday album
That was a tasty listen
So good to listen to the Beastie Boys again. I think many people still think of Beastie Boys as idiots but this is quality. Stunning production, sampling, bass, percussion.
Such an interesting and inventive album. There are a couple of great songs on here that stand well on their own but this is an album that works better as a unit. It's not something I'd want to listen to all the time though.
Decent am sure their other album is better
Really enjoyed it.
Following up a release such as "Licensed to Ill" is no easy feat. And I'll start off by stating that this does not quite match that debut effort in terms of individual track quality in my opinion. However, I will say that "Paul's Boutique" does feature some truly unique sampling all throughout. Apparently 105 songs are sampled in total here, which is absolutely astounding to me. We're talking samples of classic funk, soul, rock, etc. Now I know that the Beastie Boys are known for their heavy rock influence, but I can't think of another album that incorporates so many diverse song samples. The Beastie Boys really were their own act during this "golden" age of hip-hop, and "Paul's Boutique" showcases that. Looking outside of the plentiful sampling work, you've got the usual goofy storytelling and lyricism from Mike D, Ad-Rock, and MCA. While there are a lot of tracks, it doesn't really feel that bloated. The last "track" (which is basically a ton of bite-sized raps) showcases some of their breakneck & clever rhymes well, but I also enjoyed "Shake Your Rump", "The Sounds of Science", and "Shadrach". Looking forward to getting "Ill Communication" whenever it comes.
Beastie Boys are one of the most FUN groups to ever exist. fun, exciting, funny songs in every album. never boring - you can just feel how much fun they have recording all this stuff. also basically musical geniuses with the samples and stuff
Nunca había escuchado a los beastie boys, no esperaba que fueran Hip Hop, la verdad disfruté bastante
Classic golden age hip hop
This one brought back memories of being in the Navy chipping paint in a fan room listening this Beastie Boys cassette out of a boom box.
Really good
Veel vette beats, samples en raps. Wel veel hetzelfde, en te weinig grote hits
One of Beastie's best, may be the best
Ok. So, it's perfectly obvious to me that NYC in this era was a big bang of culture, creativity, art -- so much life. I'd even call it beauty or magic. But if I'm honest it does kinda feel almost like a religion, where maybe 'coolness' is the god. Or is it just youth? Sometimes I get swept up in it all, but the day after, looking back, I can't help but but have doubts in that god.
For some reason that I can't explain, I was not looking forward to listening to this. I think it is because I feared it would not hold up to Il Communication. Even I was prepared to give it a lesser rating... and because of that it took time for me to get into. But then I did. It is a little more explicit and the lyrics are just as fun, the energy is there, the spirit, the sillyness but still high musicianship... What's not to like?
Had me grooving only the way beastie boys can do
I don’t recall listening to this album as much as some others, but it is classic Beasties. The rhymes are solid and clever.
Twas a fun little album. Does it have the deepest lyrics, no. Is it profound? Also no. But is it just fun to listen to? Absolutely and that’s the appeal. Nobody takes the Beasties seriously, not even them. That’s the joy and what makes this album so fun to listen to.
Very much a Beastie Boys sound
to all the girls- 5 shake your rump- 6 or 7 johnny ryall- i wish i was the leader of the homeless. 6 or 7 egg man- 7 high plains drifter- 6 or 7 the sounds of science- 6 the three minute rule- 5 hey ladies- 6 5 piece chicken dinner- 7 looking down the barrel of a gun- 5 or 6 car thief- 6 what comes around- 5 shadrach- 6 ask for janice- 5 idk if its a 3 or 4
Not their best (yet)
One of the greatest early hip hop records, one which happens to be at its best when the elements of the band's hardcore punk past are seamlessly blended with the new sounds they were experimenting with.
Not my favorite Beastie Boys album, but still a really good/strong album. Exactly what you expect it to be.
Egg Man is a personal highlight
Catchy nonsense! Love it.
Not on Spotify
Супэр. Как альбом лучше, чем уже упоминавшийся в списке Ill Communication. Интересно, как к этой группе относятся хип-хоп пуристы. Лучшая песня - The Sounds of Science.
Great funky beats and rhymes. I've always known a few tracks off of this but it was great to finally listen to it all.
Too good. Not my favorite Beastie Boys, but still amazing.
Really enjoyed the lyrics and the mixing. Fewer hits than "License to Ill," perhaps, but more consistency throughout.
No big hits on this album, but still pretty solid overall
Hip hop rock jazz funk. Te hace mover la cabeza. Este album de ellos no me ha aburrido al final como "Ill Communication". Así que 4.
Pretty cool. Love all the samples. I really like the Beastie Boys and I know this one is a critic favorite but probably not my most favorite.
HEY LADIESSSSSS
good, high energy
no puedo no mover la cabeza. es imposible. automático.
Catchy
The beats are great, and the rapping is on point, but there's some cringey 90s-ness about this that I have trouble getting past for whatever reason. I'm not certain the lyrics aren't problematic in some regard either. Nevertheless, I like it, and might come back to it here and there.
An incredibly impressive feat of sampling wizardry that pins together the Beasties classic style of rapping. There are a few bangers on here with Shake Your Rump, Hey Ladies, and Shadrach. There’s a song that samples Curtis Mayfield, Funkadelic, Psycho, and Cheech and Chong and is about throwing eggs at a bald man, so that’s fun
I have never been a fan of the Beastie Boys, but my friend who is a big fan implored me to listen to this record as it is a "masterclass in sampling." He wasn't wrong. This is certainly the best Beasties I've heard. Their voices still sound like nails on a chalkboard for the most part, but the production quality and their rap content makes it tolerable. The beats are soulful, dingy, and raw. Their raps capture the moment of NYC in the late 80s and carries some of the sounds from that era, while also introducing the transition to the Golden Era of 90s hip hop. This was much better than I expected.
I have (and love) Licence to ill, student days and all that. One of the first albums that got me interested in hip-hop too. But I didn't know Paul's Boutique. I loved it. It doesn't have the hits of Licence to Ill but is more coherent and just sounds great (I love the basslines too). The use of samples is very clever. My only slight gripe is that the vocals are a bit too omnipresent for me (and quite samey). A more restrained use of vocals and a greater emphasis on the music would have been a 5* for me. Still a great album and worthy of the 1001 list.
A romp.
Would have liked them to switch up the flow, but pretty good
It grew on me
B- boys be rockin on and on. It’s no intergalactic…but solid
Production is great. Some of the changing of verses feels a little corny.
The one guy is whiny and annoying but the weave it all in to make it work somehow
Another one from the 1989 club. This is a nice companion to the De La Soul album from the same year; I'm not well versed in the genre but these were a great starting point. Really great production and appreciate the sampling. Very close to a five.
4.5 I think if your a true Beastie Boys fan (im not a fanatic or anything but appricate the work) this album would be your favorite . I remember listening it to it the first time and wondering what the big deal was about. Subsequent listens have improved that opinion. Brett is right it really should be viewed as an enitre album as opposed to a collection of songs.
TLDR; first half is meh, the second half is God-tier good; 4. But why did the Beastie Boys copy Mr Beast when picking their name???????? What I love about the Beastie Boys is their recognisable sound, they're one of those artists you can immediately tell it's them, even if you're not a fan - which I'm not generally. That's not to say I dislike the Beastie Boys, I just never took time to sit down and listen to them outside of a select few tracks which I love (So What'Cha want is such a bop it's unreal) and License to Ill. I genuinely think the first 5 songs or so in this album are a letdown just in terms of scope, I found them a bit plain and uninteresting. The instrumentals on this album are absolutely phenomenal from start to finish. I couldn't stand the first half of The Sounds of Science, but after that, shit got real and the song actually rocked. From there, 3-Minute Rule really started to pick things up for me. Instrumentals picked up, until 5-Piece Chicken Dinner. What the fuck was up with that? Anyways, this album is good. It wasn't a life changing listen, but it's fun, interesting, and honestly I'd definitely throw this album on when going for a drive.
Probably the most fun listen outside of MJ or Animal Collective so far. The samples used for their beats in this one are a real standout. Their style of yelling out one liners you feed the substitute teacher doesn't really grate on my nerves like it seems to with others but can make the album a bit samey in places. I feel like a lot of my favourite songs from this band come from other albums on this list. Highlights Shake Your Rump: ****1/2 Very bombastic opener, maybe their most underrated song. great lyrics and beat throughout Egg Man: **** Goofy ahh song, very catchy despite using psycho of all things as a sample lmao B-Boy Bouillabaisse: **** What even was this? a 12 minute mashup chopped up? its own mini album? I liked how a lot of it felt less over-produced than a lot of the other songs. It was basically a little demo reel of Beastie Boys. It starts a little slower but really picks up between stop that train and hello brooklyn.
To All The Girls - I identified with the lyrics of this song in a big way. This review goes out to all the Oriental girls. Shake Your Rump - A really fun one, really liked the instrumentals and samples. Johnny Ryall - Another really fun one, really liked the instrumentals and samples. Egg Man - quite wild and even frenetic in parts, but I still liked it a lot High Plains Drifter - not a fan of this one, samples were all kinds of fucked up, and the vocals were not as good as the others so far The Sounds of Science - this song is is all over the place, better after the midpoint. The Beatles guitar sample was an great choice. 3-Minute Rule - loved the bass. I liked the tempo on this one. Solid beats and samples. Lyrics are better than many of the others on this album so far. Hey Ladies - immaculate track, everything going for it. Instrumentals going very hard. Vocals are more my speed. Lyrics are fun and have a great energy. Samples are on POINT. 5-Piece Chicken Dinner - pretty neat I enjoyed it, stick out pretty hard and was quite jarring off the back of Hey Ladies. Looking Down The Barrel of a Gun - HARD. Really cool track. Not sure if I enjoyed this one because of the rock samples they picked or if it was just really well mixed but this was good stuff either way. Car Thief - fantastic instrumentals, enjoyed the lyrics a lot. What comes around - really fun lyrics, but the instrumentals were a bit more lopsided than others, not as sharp as others on this album. Shadrach - I liked the Mario Andretti reference. Track was standard fare otherwise. B-Boy Bouillabaisse - I really liked A Year and A Day, Hello Brooklyn. Didn't really like AWOL. The rest were all pretty good. I've listened to only a couple Beastie Boys tracks before, nothing from this album. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. A few tracks I saved for really hitting the spot. Not a genre that is really my speed but I've got to recognise a great album when I hear it. To summarise, this album is a trip, it's got funky beats, and I can bug out to it!
An interesting treatise from professors emeritus Dr. Michael D. Phd., Dr. ADROCK Phd., and Dr. MCA Md., which asks such thought provoking questions as: which ethnicity of woman in New York is the baddest, What would happen if I threw eggs through the windows of passing cars, and perhaps the most novel question of all, is it possible to sound any more Jewish?
Huh. I dug this more than License. Less shouty and annoying and posturing. Better produced.
Love TBB. While this album has some sweet songs, it’s not my favorite by them. But it’s a great follow up to Licensed to Ill. I could listen to TBB everyday.
Wild and fun!! Those samples and beats were insane, I was bouncing all over the place!! Love the way the b boys play off each other!!
A lot going on, and good samples throughout, but not as enjoyable on the second listen. 3.5
Very fun.
AHHH YEAH. I really, really regret selling this record. I don't care what you say, this shit is BADASS.
Well that was a bit of fun. Innovators? Cultural appropriationists? Beastie’s are complicated but always in yo face. Great mix of old school and what would become their signature guitar-wailing rock fusion. Always love the three-headed flow and absurd lyrics. NYC surrealist hip-hop that paved the way for Nü Metal and a thousand terrible dad raps. Definitely culture shifting. I know top notch MC'ing is always going to have a gross amount of bravado and machismo but the sexist lines do cause 2024 cringing. Made me feel 12 years old trying to smoke home-rolled cigarettes and riding BMX’s into a lake. And you don’t stop...
Cool jams from back in the day
I think one significant benefit to joining this project is learning that there is more to the Beastie Boys than "Fight For Your Right". This is the third lp I've listened to by them and enjoyed them all.
Not my favorite songs by the Beastie Boys, but the production with the layered samples and how well they work together is pretty astounding. This is one of the few albums on the list that I think truly could not be made today, just based on the licensing costs it would incur alone.
Classic
Pretty good. Some very nice moments on here. It’s fun catching samples of other artists (at least one I recognized from a recent album on this project).
The way that hip-hop has opened up and allowed itself to become one with so many other genres is a beautiful thing. And its producers are largely the reason that this has happened. It’s why I have so much respect for those people. Beastie Boys definitely stand out. Because as much as it pains me to admit, white people don’t have the strongest track record in rap history. The ones that have made a name for themselves are few and far between. Vanilla Ice really doesn’t represent us very well. But these guys are different. Three of New York’s rowdiest white boys. Licensed to Ill definitely highlights that rowdiness in a juvenile way. Paul's Boutique doesn’t abandon that aspect of their music. But it evolves their sound in the best way possible. The sample work here is pure excellence. It’s another one of those situations that makes me question why people scoff at sampling so much. This is a precursor to fantastic albums like Endtroducing..... and Since I Left You. It may not be as complex as those, or have nearly as many samples, but they still use them creatively to their fullest extent. And talk about not limiting yourself. The variety of works they are pulling from here is vast. They chose to not be bound by any preconceived ideas of what hip-hop instrumentals should sound like. Especially in the late 80s, where everyone sort of sounded the same, but certain people were finally starting to branch out. This took a little warming up for me, but once it clicked, I was having a great time. It’s crazy how much this impacted the sound of experimental hip-hop. I don’t think artists like Danny Brown or Earl Sweatshirt would have the same style of production if it weren’t for this. It still generally sticks to funk and rock samples, but I’m sure there are dozens I can’t identify just off of one listen. I also love the integration of the samples themselves. Producers create the beats that act as avenues for artists to express themselves over. But they rarely feel like more than just a backdrop. The way the samples, particularly the ones containing vocals, are laid out on this record, and then built upon by all three MC’s with their verses is so cool. Their rhyme schemes often match up with the sample, which implies the instrumentals were made first, and then the lyrics were written to support them. It’s honestly genius. There are less interesting songs here and there. But overall this is pretty great throughout. It’s the perfect example of pure hip-hop ingenuity. And of course it came from the guys with the goofiest sense of humor and lyricism. Rating: 8/10
Despite the fact that a lot, and I mean a lot, of Beastie Boys songs sound very similar to one another, I still find myself loving them. Some of the most genuinely fun music that I can think of. I don't think this is as quite good as their debut album, but nonetheless it's still got some great songs, interspersed with weird interstitial material. This album gets a solid 4 simply for Egg Man alone.
Shake Your Rump, Johnny Ryall, and Shadrach are the Standouts here.
There's a really dirty bass riff in Shake Your Rump that was great. I quite like the beats but some of the rapping takes a bit of getting used to. Constant sampling. The Sounds of Science started off weird but gets going in the second half and 3 Minute Rule has another real grimy bassline, digging it. First verse is particularly good. Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun might be the best track here, menacing heavy stuff. Car Thief also good and the multi part finale is a pretty strong finish. Not everything hits, but this is important stuff.
hmmmmmmmmmm high 3 low 4 76/100
I don't think it has the hooks or "in-your-face-ness" of the other few Beastie Boys albums I've had, but still a very quality listen with tons of hilarious or silly lyrics from the Boys. 7/10
I’m at a 4, which is kinda disappointing, somehow. I dunno, I guess I was really prepared for a 5, but a few tracks here and parts of the big medley at the end just didn’t quite grab me. Regardless of that, I did enjoy most of this album. Other than the revolutionary sample usage here, which is an incredible triumph for 1989 and an incredible tonesetter for rap production in the future… …honestly, I just don't think there's a lot to wax poetic on. Don’t get me wrong; the beats are great, the flow is great, the lyrics are pretty good, and I think for the most part, the energy stays at a good point throughout. This *IS* the Beastie Boys, and they’re doing great work on most of this album. There’s just something about a few tracks that I simply felt weren’t too captivating or engaging enough for me to really like them like that. It could just be fatigue from its length or the fact that there’s not any breaks like on Ill Communication. It’s honestly really weird, because I’d probably normally just look past it, but for some reason, when you just know something isn’t as good as you want it to be, you can just feel it. This album is still very good, but it falls short of hitting that 4.5 mark, and even if it had, I’m not quite sure I could bump it up. Regardless though, it’s no less than a 4 – it’s a super fun album that just kinda fell short for me in a few spots, but it’s a great listen and a great way to cap off 1980s rap.
More groovy.
I enjoyed this album all the way down to the same of the Eagles. Definitely surprised me. 3.6 with the benefit of rounding up to a 4!
This is their best one so far
I enjoyed this album. It is good beats and fun. Tailed off a bit at the end for me. Thought it was bonus tracks but it was not -1
I really enjoyed this album. There's just an originality factor that I love.
The beats are great.
The sample work absolutely out does (and probably hides some of the inadequacies of) the lyrical content and style of the whole album. What a masterpiece of beat manipulation, and I guess it suits the three styles that the actual Beastie Boys have. The dust brothers must’ve spent an eternity creating this stuff, and it’s really great. Their rapping style is a real “you like it or you don’t”, but I did find it growing on me, like it does for all their other albums. It always takes me 2 or 3 songs to get in to it. I do love how they pass off the mic to each other within the verses rather than trying to do individual ones like so many other groups do, and they’ve always done it this way. “Car Thief” is my favorite here, and in addition to the way they rap it, the best lines are in it too (“The godfather of soul in the belly of the beast/smokin that dust at St. Anthony’s feast”). The B Boy suite might as well be a different album, and I feel like it’s the cuts they didn’t want to make in to a full song but were too good to drop. I like “Hello Brooklyn” the most out of it though the fast paced nature of it makes it all good. None of it feels over cooked for that reason. Fun record to revisit.
Feels incredibly transitory from old "party" beastie boys to their next evolution. Very good.
Hi quality beats manufactured in NYC.
I don't fully know what this is but it was a lot of fun. Favourite track: Johnny Ryall.
Absolutely incredible. This came out in the 80s?
Catchy for sure
8.5/10
Highlights: Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun
the beastie Boys are, you'd never guess it, pretty irritating to listening to for an album length period of time. but Paul is pretty good ain't he. some of the most masterful lectures in creating punchy, sample-based bangers hip hop ever produced
Thanks to the 1001 list, I think I realize that I'm a fan of the Beastie Boys. However, I don't think this is their best album (as the Wikipedia page appears to argue) since it's too unorganized and doesn't look coherent. Not all albums in the world should be coherent, but all the Beastie Boys albums I got here were, so it's a problem for me. An expectation problem, but still. Great album, though!
Changed the game.
Beastie Boys are a treat as usual, could see this becoming 5 star with repeat listens
Amazing album! But very hard to listen to all in one sitting, I've never tried that before. I'm impressed by just how much they have managed to put together with the samples and sounds here. Quite a few I've heard before, and so many completely new ones!
Few do it like the Beastie Boys. This oozes cool, great listen
Free flowing, full and funky. One of the Beastie boys best be sure.
I loved this.
enjoyable album kinda my shit i cant lie 3.8/5
such a fun album i'm obsessed. egg man especially, what an experience. the sounds of science has to be a fave (although i must say his voice does get to you after a bit...) overall a delightful listen but i don't think may of the songs I would just casually listen to
I've heard the beastie boy's first album and thought it was impressively mediocre- while each of the members are outspoken activists nowadays, 'Licensed to Ill' was just a bunch of clearly-talented edgy white kids spewing misogynistic vitriol That said, this album is leagues better- a massive improvement on all fronts. I genuinely think this is fantastic, and might be one of my favourite hip-hop albums of the 80s. Is it entirely devoid of the misogyny of the first album? Certainly not- though it's vastly vastly more muted, and they wouldn't really move towards making amends for another half a decade. However I do think that especially with the context of growing up, apologising (famously) and decades of activism since, this album stands Very well on its own. 4 stars
Actually some good tracks here
Not as good as Licensed to Ill but still solid overall.
Certainly not my favorite Beastie Boys album, but still good
It’s a trip, it’s got a funky beat, and I can bug out to it.
Super creative.
4.5 If you made a top 25 list for Hip Hop, the Beastie Boys would be an honorable mention.
Solid album
a classic
I am somewhat hesitant to admit that I have never heard this entire album. I quite liked the first two-thirds, but it got a bit raucous towards the end. I would definitely listen to this again!
a tad grating to thine ears at times, but mostly surprisingly enjoyed
While I'm listening to Rush and Genesis in middle school, my friends were listening to Kid N' Play and Technotronic (if anything at all). Beastie Boys' License to Ill was an album that united us. I was surprised my dad didn't need much convincing to buy the record for me at Jamesway; I think this Air Force veteran was just happy to see that there was a plane on the cover. A couple of weeks later, my sister tried to get me in trouble for owning the album; as evidence of its inappropriateness, she showed my father the inner gatefold image where Mike D wore a pin that said "Oh Shit!" and the album sleeve showing the Boys and Rick Rubin dumping what looked like beer on their heads. I got a talking to, but ultimately could still listen . . . but I kept it on very low so it wouldn't be heard outside of my bedroom. Fast forward to 1989. I have my own money now, and the local BX carried Paul's Boutique on CD in the full cardboard sleeve (often times I would have to special order the music I wanted from them and wait some weeks for it to come in, but it was worth it for $10.25 per CD). Right there front and center, they slapped one of those new Parental Advisory stickers onto it. The idea at that time was that stores would not sell an album bearing that sticker to someone under 18 years old. I NEEDED this album (and to be the first in the crew to know all the new lyrics), but how would I convince some random stranger to buy this for me in the electronic department while my folks were in another department? Certainly after the License To Ill fiasco, my parents wouldn't buy it for me, especially now that it had the Parental Advisory sticker. Obviously my sister wouldn't be any help. Could I peel the sticker off?? It's just a sticker on shrinkwrap. Long story short, I go to the counter and attempt to buy it as is, heart racing and feeling like a criminal. It was a transaction like any other; no request for an ID or an adult. I was in the clear, and my parents didn't question what I bought when we left together. Owning this CD was a bit of a secret, and I kept it hidden in the very back slot in the CD drawer. I made sure to only listen to this on my headphones. What was THIS?? Certainly not License To Ill rhymes over metal guitars and bombastic drums. And they are openly cursing, talking about dicks and drugs. But also . . . breaking the beat for out-of-time samples, soulful backup singer vocals, banjo pickin' and rodeo calls, droppin' science, Disco Dave's new wave guitar sounds, Donald Trump and Donald Tramp living in a men's shelter, and somehow finding a way to rhyme with Horowitz. The last track is "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" but this whole album is a bouillabaisse mixture of everything from everywhere. I didn't care for the adult content where I couldn't openly listen to it in front of my parents--or even now, in front my kids--but I seemed to enjoy it before the rest of the world. It didn't matter that I learned the words, none of my friends had this album. MTV dropped "Hey Ladies" from their rotation and didn't touch other videos from this album (which I didn't know existed until the YouTube playlist). This album came and went but somehow earned its deserved respect in retrospect as the Beasties kept reinventing themselves on subsequent albums, adding punk and relaxed instrumental grooves to their growing bag of tricks. At the time I didn't see this as a workshop on cultivating and layering samples from a wide array of genres and media; I just liked all of the sounds at face value and not what they represented or the deep reference from where it was pulled. Over the years since, I would catch glimpses of some of these samples in the originals on the radio. (I actively sought out the opening sample, and discovered a love for the jazz of Idris Muhammad.) It's funny, listening back now to "59 Chrystie Street," I have a different interpretation of this song of a girl with long brown hair undressing before them. I've always thought the unmentioned thing they saw when her pants were removed was a vagina (shock-factor enough for middle school me), but now late-40's me interprets it as a penis. Does this say something about the times, an expansion of worldview, or just about me personally?? Personal favorite is "High Plains Drifter," but there's really not a miss on this album; Paul's Boutique keeps the groove coming with enough funky and trippy sidesteps to keep your attention. A needed departure from the rude and disrespectful drunk-party-boy collective persona presented on License To Ill, Paul's Boutique reasses what these three are capable of and sets them off in the right direction for the remainder of their career.
I think this is their best--still find it exhausting to be hollered at by three dudes for an hour, but the beats are 100% dope on this one.
Aye these boys can rap! I never listened to a full Beastie Boys project because it just never crossed my mind to. I came not expecting much and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this music. Especially the B-Boy Bouillabaisse section of the album. It kinda showcased their ability to rap on a variety of different beats. Solid project!
eins der Drei grossen BB Alben, aber nicht Top-1
I've never really gotten into this one, but have always been intrigued by the critical acclaim. Listening to it again now, I can see why it's considered so influential. It has great production and samples, but the lyrics are still painfully immature in places. It's a big improvement on Licenced to Ill though. Shake Your Rump, Egg Man Shadrach and A Year And A Day are definitely the highlights for me. Hey Ladies is definitely a lowlight. I had a second listen on my good headphones, and the quality of the production and sampling is incredible for the time, considering it would been all analogue (I think). It's amazing that they were able to secure some of these samples..."Sounds of Science" for example, contains multiple Beatles samples. The production bumps this up to a 4 for me - would be a 5 if the lyrics were less sexist and cringe.
Still fun, still in your face. Wonderful in small doses
3.75
The Sounds Of Science really kicked in this album for me. dude this album GOES places.
eu não faço a menor ideia do que eles tão cantando mas o instrumentais são detalhados de uma maneira q meu amigo
I love the Beasties. Like with most of my listening, I have rarely sat down and listened to their albums. Paul's Boutique is interesting. They've done their "we want to be punks" thing and have realised hip hop is where it's at for them. So this very distilled hip hop. Like they're trying to find that balance of their particular brand of noise. I really enjoyed it. Very lo-fi, they sound like they are loving the process of it all. It's not wall-to-wall bangers, but it's a very good album.
Solid album. The cadence of all 3 guys it’s truly cool. No bangers, but solid songs.
I know this album well and like it a lot. It’s a classic but I’m lopping a star off because some tracks don’t feel that essential.
I’ll admit, back in the day it took me a while to get into this. After repeated listens it really grew on me and is now one of my favourite albums by them…
Gotta love the beastie boys
un'altra mina hip hop. ho adorato le tracce con le basi rock/punk, sapendo che loro erano un gruppo punk che si è spostato verso l'hip hop ha molto senso ed è super efficace. bello bello bello.
Bel sound + ironia. Ci sta. Non mi dispiacerebbe essere loro amica, sembrano simpatici.
How did I not have this album committed to memory when I was in high school? Great stuff.
4-
As far as Beastie Boys albums go this sounds like what it is: a transition album. But it also has its own huge merits. It is quite unique in that this is the one record where they pushed themselves to experiment with sampling as far as they could at the time. And far they went. There is no way this record could be done today, with this amount of sampling. It would cost a fortune (which apparently it did, by the way!). These are a bunch of snotty kids from NY, raised on bad jokes and underage drinking, and this sense permeates the record. It's funny, full of energy, it's all over the place, it's often really dumb (Johnny Ryall?), inappropriate (Hey Ladies?), and it borders on chaos. But it's also incredibly tight and cohesive, sonically speaking. It is relentless in its experimentation. It is urban music. Chaotic, hot, loud. It often feels like standing on a street corner and having all the sounds of city swirling by you. People run around, bump into you, everywhere you look there is something interesting and weird going on, and many stories are happening at the same time. Characters come and go, say one word and disappear. It's as disorienting and attention competing as modern life. It's also sunny and unthreatening. And there are the Boys, trying their best to help us keep up with their experience in this world. There is a deep love and reverence for the music that brought them here and the characters that opened to them the doors to this strange and fascinating world. After this one they went back to their instruments and brought back their hardcore roots into the mix, finding the sound they came to be most known for. But they would build on the seeds planted here, where they positioned themselves as serious artists in their own right. This here is a classic. I have been visiting for close to 30 years and will definitely be back.
Fantastic album
Vibrantly creative and full of bravado, this album is so much fun to listen to. Snotty and irreverent and smarter than it has any right to be. This is about as rich and eclectic an album as you will find in hip hop, with some of the most nimble uses of sampling ever recorded. Fave Songs: Shake Your Rump, Egg Man, Hey Ladies, Shadrach, Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun, Car Thief
Not their best, still decent
Honestly a damn good record. Loved the sampling and even though i hated the shouting or rapping , it came around to me eventually
some of it is great. it loses me in other places gets a bit wacky.
Yeah this was quite good. Early hip hop album I guess and it all works quite well
This is a really good album , i really enjoyed it
Ton of fun, not deep in any way but it doesn't need to be. Just guys having a good time and I had a good time with them
I enjoyed this much more than I expected to- many memories!
Always fun
Really enjoyed this album, especially the samples and grooves. Although the delivery can be grating at times, the vocals are on the whole enjoyable and the interplay between vocal parts is cool. Fav tracks: shake your rump, hey ladies, looking down the barrel of a gun, shadrach Rating: 4/5
innovative and very enjoyable to listen to!
Lacks any real hooks or truly memorable moments, but has a distinctive style/flow.
It's not the best Beastie Boys album, but it's good. It's definitely them from beginning to end. Tons of energy, in you face lyrics, and a lot of whimsical interjections.
Feeling generous giving this one 4 because I can’t stand how the Beastie Boys sound, however the use of samples on this album is absolutely fantastic. Made me forgot for a good portion how utterly awful the vocals sound.
Een verlate review, maar dit album is zeker niet even snel beluisterd. Hier is de tijd voor genomen, want dit album is van top tot teen een sample tempel. Van James Brown tot de Beatles tot Sly and the family Stone, de Dust Brothers en de joodse boys hebben aardig lopen cratediggen. En daar ligt voor mij ook het voornaamste plezier in dit album: het ontdekken en opzoeken van alle gebruikte samples. Los daarvan komen de stemmen weer keihard op de nummers met raunchy en ruige teksten. Dat het album geweldig in elkaar zit is mij duidelijk geworden. Wat ik echter niet verwacht had is dat ik eigenlijk Ill Communication nóg iets beter vind. Het luistert net wat makkelijker weg, en heeft net wat meer punk geluid dat vaak naadloos overgaat in de hiphop. Dat is hier wat minder, dit album is een frankenstein: een aan elkaar genaaide monster van een plaat. Rating: 8,5/10 Highlights: Shake Your Rump, Egg Man, Looking Down Rhe Barrel Of A Gun
Zondag organiseer ik een fietsevenementje Ik heb DJ Youri gevraagd daar wat plaatjes te komen draaien. Als hiphop 'connaisseur' heb ik hoge verwachtingen van de plaatjes waarmee hij op de proppen zal komen om de taaie heupjes van al die wielrenners toch wat te laten bewegen. Ergens zie ik een soort Beastie Boys show voor me waar DJ Youri de ene rock-sample na de andere door elkaar mixed en lekker scheutig is met scratcher. En waar hij over de beats heen schreeuwt zoals Adrock naar Mike-D. Ik weet dat het wat teveel gevraagd is, maar tijdens het luisteren van Pauls Boutique staat dat beeld op mijn netvlies gebrand. En toch is het een bijzonder knap werk van de 3 witte joodse jongens uit New York. 8/10
The Beastie Boys make some of the most restless music I've ever heard. They rip through samples of other songs like kids in a candy store. I thought the sample of "Superfly" was bold on "Egg Man" but then they top it by sampling The Beatles on "The Sounds of Science." So much fun to listen to these songs and get constant whiplash. I'm enjoying reading about the making of the album on Wikipedia. The Dust Brothers are apparently the geniuses behind the music and they apparently thought the beats would be too dense for anyone to rap over. The lyrics are the usual goofball antics from The Beastie Boys but the vocals are all about attitude and style. And the music is so consistently interesting and exciting that I don’t care if the lyrics are silly and juvenile. 4.5
What an impressive fade in to start track 1. I'm not listening on headphones (and low volume sounds are more prominent on headphones than speakers naturally) so unless I'm missing something there, it doesn't really have audible sounds until around 30 seconds which is a crazy long amount of time. Then it gives you a smooth jazz type groove to start? That is such an interesting but fun idea. The production is so good, the performances are so good, the lyrics are so good. But the one facet that stands out to me every time I hear this band is their energy. It's more than their coolness, their swagger, their volume. It's this bubbling excitement that threatens to appear in the verses and then explodes in the choruses. It's just easy to get pumped up when this music is on. For me it's a hard rate because I think it could be either a 4 or a 5 and it probably lives somewhere in between those two points. It's one of the better rap albums around but to me it's obviously not as monumental as "Licensed to Ill", which is my favorite of theirs. So if that is a 5, then this is like a 4.5. Still a bonafide classic.
Great hip-hop album. Really fun and great production. A classic for a well deserved reason. 4/5
80s white rap? Kinda? This doesn’t seem like music I should enjoy, but I did. The voices should sound annoying, but they never bothered me. To be honest, the whole album sounded like one song, but it kept me engaged the whole time. I can’t quite pinpoint what made it so much more enjoyable than Limp Bizkit. The layering is really interesting and diverse. Very fun album. I don’t know what the B-Boy Bouillabaisse are supposed to be though.— After finishing the album, they’re short raps over cool beats— Standouts: Johnny Ryall, High Plains Drifter, 3-Minute Rule, Hey Ladies, What Comes Around, and Shadrach.
Hey Ladies, that’s one fun ride! Crafty and clever, liked it from start to finish. I think I heard more than one guest appearance by The Pest… (3.6*s)
I dug it. A little all over the place but a lot of fun. I'll always give credit to BB for doing something original and carving out a niche that worked for them. Love the various sampling sprinkled all over the place. I've been exposed to plenty of Beastie over the years through pop culture but I should definitely give the rest of their collection a good listen. This only piqued my interest in them further. 3.51 stars
Classic nostalgia from the 90s
Beastie Boys are always a fun time. I don't necessarily have a favorite song, but I love their sound. Favorite tracks: - Shake Your Rump - Johnny Ryall - Egg Man - The Sounds of Science - Hey Ladies - Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun - Shadrach
I always considered myself to be an `Ill Communication`/`Hello Nasty`-era Beastie Boys fan, and a recent listen of `License To Ill` actually cemented that view even more. I enjoyed this listen of Paul's Boutique much more than I thought I would and also more than I remembered from my last listen (which would have been some time ago). Easy 4 star rating - could edge into a 5 on the right day!
not as good as other albums, but still solid. listened 3x. 4.0/5
Hip hop rock jazz funk. Te hace mover la cabeza. Este album de ellos no me ha aburrido al final como "Ill Communication". Así que 4.
Not their best album, but I am not objective about the Beastie Boys and they would never get lower than a 4 from me. Great album!
It’s a great album. 4
Super fun record. So many cool samples. Production absolutely slaps on a decent stereo with subwoofers. A few tracks I'd throw on at a party but tbh probs won't listen again front to back any time soon.
Nostalgic. Fun. 4/5
I really like the samples here, they're really cool. The only thing I dislike about this album is that is repetitive sometimes and a bit of the shouting. Cool album.
favourite song: looking down the barrel of a gun i enjoyed this quite a bit but the only drawback is that it gets fairly repetitive
Best Beasties album. It's Leo pointing at the TV except it is actually just Ricky yelling out classic rock samples. Vinyl is definitely worth it for the production quality of this one. 4/5
Tough one. The mixing is amazing. Fantastic use of sampling makes some tracks really fun to listen to. It's a shame I just don't gel with their style of "shout-rapping" and reminds me why I could never really get into the Beastie Boys. I gave this album two listens and definitely really enjoyed some songs. I was originally going to go 3 stars but I think by the end of the second playthrough I'll go 4.
"Humpty dumpty was a big fat egg". What a fun and unique album. Definitely embodies a unique sound of the 80's.
Such an innovative album.
One gets why it wasn't quite the hit that earlier albums were. But it's still pretty impressive, esepclally with the layered samples (the Superfly Curtis Mayfield on "Egg Man" is a highlight, as are the Beatles, Incredible Bongo Band and Mountain drops) and silly-to-genius name drops (DJT, Yosemite Sam, Ben Franklin, Scorcese, Gabe Kaplan, Chuck Woolery, Dicken, Mario Andretti, Saduhara Oh, anyone?) if too-clever-by-half at times. It's accurate, if overly flattering of Beasties, to call this the White album of hip-hop. Maybe the London Calling is more apt. "The Boullabaise" is the top section.
Went into this knowing I would hate the album. Came away tapping my foot. Not too bad.
It’s the boys! Like come on! Pauls is not my favorite album from them, but it is rising. Used to be a bottom 3 album, it’s a top 3-4 for me now
Goes hard but a bit too aggressive for listening to it for hours
Ferocious from start to finish. Star of the album was the sounds of science - can’t say I’ve heard a song quite like that before. Trev Tench went to see them play a Co headline show with Run DMC at Brixton when he was younger. 4/5
4.5 A masterclass in sampling. In a time before the digital age, you can only imagine how on earth the Dust Brothers put together this album. It’s jam-packed with creativity, flowing from one song to the next, which the Beastie Boys pair with excellently. Then just as you think they can’t fit anymore into a densely filled album, they drop a 12-minute song, split into 9 sections that have 24 samples spread across it. HOW DID THEY MAKE THIS?!
This IS great
Typical beastie boys fashion but without the banger lyrics. Still, rhymes are tuff and the beat is to be jammed to. Always loved their style and always will but it’s so good it’s hard to judge. Under the right advertising this could’ve been one of the most influential albums of all time, but it isn’t. I couldn’t imagine giving them a 4 but also I can’t give it any criticism so maybe it deserves it 4.3/5 AMAZING album Favorite track: HEY LADIES, Johnny ryall Least favorite: prettt much non Thé sampling is crazy good LOVED IT
Not very familar with beastie boys, but enjoyed the album. Egg Man favorite song on the album.
fun to listen to, unexpectedly good, but there’s music i like better out there. 4.5/7
Really great. I like check your head better but this was revolutionary when it dropped.
Well, it's Beasty Boys, hilarious at times, always groovy, and just fun to listen to... Maybe not my favorite album of theirs, but still really good.
When I first heard this as a teen I was expecting License to Ill, which this album was not. The older I got, the more I appreciated this album, when it came up today I had no complaints about a re-listen. Much like Paul’s Boutique itself, there are so many quotable lines and riffs on this album. High Plains Drifter is a weaving lyrical masterpiece. Hey Ladies and Barrel are fun and gangster at the same time. The only reason this is not a 5-Star is the massive Rick Rubin overproduction is not my personal preference (favorite B-Boy album is Check Your Head). Some say it is the one of the best albums of the Golden Age of Rap. I can’t disagree that it might be.
I like the bass, it has an interesting beat, not a fan of their voices tho :( I already had listened them years ago and kinda knew I wouldn't listen the entire album :S I really liked High Plains Drifter and Looking down the barrel of a gun :)
It’s a classic!
4/5 The beats are great. The lyrics, meh. Not as catchy as other stuff but the music hits.
We already heard this.
I enjoy this album. When I was in New York Sept '23 the street corner from this album was dedicated "Beastie Boys Square." Was a great time
Listened before. Enjoyed it, iconic. Defiantly hear the influence in later music
За интересное звучание
Nearly a 5 for me, this album is a party and a sampling heaven bringing forth a new level of sound to the time. It released in '89 but was helped usher in that new decade.
Good stuff. Love BB. Love the 80s/90s hiphop.
They like saying fun and making surprisingly catchy songs.
I love me some Beasties. This i not my favorite Beastie’s album but is still phenomenal. It still has the “party rap” feel that was prevalent in their earlier work.
So swag 💪 Beastie Boys don’t miss
Somehow, this might be my favorite beastie boys album despite having never heard of it before now. Licensed to ill is great but this one feels a lot more experimental and quirky with endless random samples making each song sound distinct from each other. I don't have much else to say except that I really liked johnny ryall, a year and a day, and hello brooklyn.
Mixes the juvenile energy of licensed to Ill and shows them warming to the stronger aspect of musicianship of Ill communication, and the record shines in the more clean-cut runtime. Their best, even if the shouting wears a little on the listener.
Not my personal favorite album, but this one has left an indelible mark on all genres of music - like it or not.
This album, and Public Enemy's Fear Of A Black Planet, are the reason why certain sampling laws were introduced and why records like this can't be made in the current day and age without being bankrupt before release unfortunately. And it's a shame. https://kottke.org/19/12/every-sample-from-pauls-boutique-by-the-beastie-boys
I only know a handful of songs by the Beastie Boys, but this album has their standard sound: punk rap, with voices like Nelson Muntz. They have surprising samples sprinkled throughout. They just seem to be having a blast when they make music. I’m not a rap guy, but I’d listen to this again. Mid 4 for the fun!!
Classic
I wasn’t Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun when I listened to this one, but To All the Girls, I ain’t no High Plains Drifter. Just setting the record straight.
Not my favorite Beastie Boys album but certainly nothing to scuff at by any means. Absolutely a masterpiece of sampling and pushing boundaries during the time in which that was much much more difficult than today. Really breakthrough stuff but again nothing super catchy or hooky enough to reel you in, like latter albums do IMO.
Classic. At once dense and sprawling. Liked it more this time than the last time I listened.
Great album, you can hear how the BB’s matured a bit and went outside the box to allow their sound to evolve. Love the album cover!
I don't really listen to Hip Hop and Rap, but when I do, it's old-school. This is great. A bit long, but great.
Enjoyable nostolgia
This is an album that demands and rewards multiple listens, preferably with a guide to the samples. There is so much going on here at so many levels, with samples used in surprising and unexpected ways, paired with some incredibly dense lyrics full of allusions and niche references. I can see why this wasn’t as commercially successful as their first album but it’s much more satisfying. It really does live up to its reputation as the Sergeant Pepper of Hip Hop!
This is great. Think I still prefer Ill Communicado
I was more familiar with the "Ill" records, but Paul's Boutique is another Beastie Boys masterpiece. The samples are particularly insane, once you start to pay attention to the music behind the voices. Their flow is still the same (and either you like it or you abhor it; I'm in the first category), the music is a bit more funky with less obvious "rock" part, really a good album. Although perhaps a tiny bit too long since it's very dense.
this thing is so fun, they dont make white boys like this anymore
This is a fun record full of brilliant use of samples, cool grooves and immature lyrics. I prefer hip hop when it has some depth to its lyrics, but I liked this one a lot more than I expected to.
# Playlist track - Shake Your Rump # Notes - I believe this album shaped the 90s is ways that I don't fully understand. - Experimental, creative, fun. - Misses here and there, but overall a great listen
Tío, que cacho de disco. Estamos a finales de los 80, los grupos negros de rap están ahí, construyendo su propia música que hasta ese momento era una anécdota, algo más parecido a una broma. Y aparecen tres blancos esmirriados que vienen del punk y hacen algo que no es rap, pero tampoco es punk. Y hacen esto, lleno de rabia, buen humor, reivindicación, historias... Tío, mola, aún sin ser el mejor disco de beastie boys
Fantastic classic hip hop/rap album. Pleasantly surprised, as I’m not familiar with the genre
The album that changed sampling forever. The beats is pretty much entirely made of sampled music and definitely a turning point in hip hop, also can’t beat the harsh vocals of Ad Rock, Mike D & MCA
Iconic. So much attitude and vibe. I do always find that old school hip-hop gets a little tedious after a full album though.
Hip-hop for a broader audience, minimizing the violence and gangster focus of earlier offerings. Interesting and creative with scores of nods to earlier rock artists across multiple genres. I'm not a big hip-hop fan but this record opened my eyes to a segment of the genre I was unaware of and find pretty interesting -- though I will still be unlikely to listen to it regularly.
3.5
I generally don't like hip hop, but that was a nice departure from my normal music to listen to.
Swingende beats. Goede flow in de rap. Alt vibe. Heel leuk. Meer klassiek aan pak aan rap hiphop muziek
Don’t know many Beastie Boys songs (none on this album), interesting with a lot of low-hanging rhymes but then something much more sophisticated. Album seems sample heavy but works in the genre. Unsure how B.B. is regarded within hip hop, but they have an undeniable sound. Imagery is comical. B-Boy bouillabaisse set is a totally different sound. Think my fave was either “egg man” or “looking down the barrel of a gun”
Хайповое фанковое хип-хоп звучание, но однообразно и довольно быстро надоедает, но спокойствие хорошо подходит под фон или что-то типо того, но цепляет не сильно
Hard not to jump around and see big along. Samples on point. Young Rick Rubin at his finest.
Wasn't sure how I would feel about an hour of Beastie Boys but I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of the album. That being said by the end of it I was ready for something else. Favorite songs: Shake Your Rump, Hey Ladies, Egg Man
Eclectic and smoothly flowing
It felt kinda repetitive but sometimes the lyrics and the way they say it make me crack up. For example this made me laugh in the middle of listening: "Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair So I can climb up and get into your underwear" Sometimes it's funny and I'm vibing but sometimes I'm not -7/10
Liked this one better than the last beastie boys album. Not 100% my thing but still good 7.9/10
Likes: awesome blend of organic instrumentation and samples. Boutique is a great album title, because the beats, melody and flow are so lush and mellow it feels like a luxury good. Beasties also always had this way of using their voices as instruments with certain sonic value which enhance the instrument. Absolutely iconic album, wont accept less than 4 stars. Dislikes: Uh maybe, the use of the banjo lick in 5 piece chicken dinner. But even that was pretty cool.
b e a t s
Kan ikke fatte hvad de siger fordi de råber sådan men der er fandeme gang i det! Og fede samples. Idk det rykker bare haha
Still just as fun nearly 40 years later. 4/5
I've heard most of these songs either individually or on other albums (compilations, soundtracks), but never this album on its own in its entirety, I don't think. I like it as a whole; I think the era of Check Your Head and Ill Communication was when the Beastie's were the most on my radar, and I kind of lost interest around Hello Nasty. This album has a rougher production feel than any of those, even rougher than License to Ill. I liked most of the songs and the overall production (I can tell my headphones are not doing the ridiculous amount of bass justice, lol).
I prefer the funky instrumentals from Check Your Head and Ill Communication, but this is still excellent, a brilliant use of sampling throughout and a worthwhile evolution from their legendary first LP. Definitely essential. B+
Such a fun album. I love playing "identify the sample". Not an every day listen for me, but a great LP nonetheless.
that sure was a beastie boys album
I know this group is primarily just fun to listen to, but they really did have some legitimate musical chops to them. There are way more actual punk elements to them than just their overall demeanor. The deep groove on High Plains Drifter is flat out addicting.
Very fun album! Never listened to them before and really enjoyed this.
Awesome. What a great vibe.
Fun hip hop. Love these guys.
I've probably listened to a dozen or two songs that were obviously in the style of Beastie Boys, but I don't think I've ever actually listened to Beastie Boys.