
Hey Ladieeeeeessss!
Here's my, "Christ, I'm OLD!" moment for the day: 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the release of the classic Beastie Boys' album Paul's Boutique.
It's hard to believe that the album was originally considered a failure, but the Beastie Boys' shift from the sound of Licensed to Ill, which was a huge commercial success, to the sound of Paul's Boutique was something of a shock at the time. The Beasties wanted to scratch their collective creative itch and were able to do that with the help of a little production duo known as the Dust Brothers.
Undoubtedly, Capitol Records, the Beasties' label, felt that the departure from the already proven formula was too risky, and stopped promoting the album. However, the critical praise was too strong and the album is now hailed as one of the greatest albums of all time by Ego Trip, Rolling Stone, Time, and so on.
Paul's Boutique sold steadily, if slowly, and was finally certified as double platinum in January 1999, nearly ten years after its release. A remastered version in honor of the 20th anniversary is now available. You can opt for the $11.99 digital download, or you can spring for the $129 commemorative package that contains a CD, vinyl, posters, tshirts, and the digital download. (Psst! Beastie Boys! The economy's bad and everyone's broke. Just a heads up.)
Now, please...shake. your. rump-AH.
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And it's STILL better than 99% of the hip-hop out there. Yeah, I said it.
Posted by: Jason, aka PetCobra | February 04, 2009 at 12:58 PM
I had this tape in my car in the cassette player for about 6 months straight! my man mca's got a beard like a billy goat! woo woo!
Posted by: Maria | February 04, 2009 at 01:46 PM
YES! I love the peg leg at the end of my stump-ah.
This is tricky. We already have most of the Paul's Boutique tracks in our mix-and-match collection. Do we shell out for the remaster?
Posted by: Robyn G | February 04, 2009 at 02:13 PM
I've been on a bit of a Beasties kick lately, with this album at the center of my fixation. Some of their best songs -- Shadrach, Shake Your Rump, Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun etc -- and just overall a joy to listen to.
ps: i'm fucking old as shit.
Posted by: Sweetney | February 04, 2009 at 02:15 PM
No, it can't be 20 years. Jesus. I love this album.
Posted by: Hilary | February 04, 2009 at 02:17 PM
Long live the Beastie Boys....one of my all time fave's!
Posted by: Isabel | February 04, 2009 at 04:01 PM
One of the best albums of all time.
Posted by: margemayhem | February 05, 2009 at 12:13 PM
you have to give it up for the guys who rhymed "cellular" with "the hell you were." Kickass. Just kickass.
Posted by: jacki | February 05, 2009 at 12:53 PM
Remember that people freaked when it first came out? Like, what are they doing?
SO AWESOME.
Posted by: baltimoregal | February 05, 2009 at 03:16 PM
AWWW HELL YEH!!! I am now OLD!!! I remember when this came out and was played 24-7 by me.Its funny I havent heard this in years but this 45 year old still knew all the words.My 18 year old just discovered this and thinks I have maybe 1 ounce of cool now LMFAO!!
Posted by: indycitygirl | February 06, 2009 at 06:36 AM