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Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique
It seems that since the Beastie Boys had won the fight for their right to
party they decided to go out and create the ultimate party soundtrack for it.
Did a good job too. It is an incredibly funky thing to behold. My personal
favourite moment is the quieter interlude on the track Hey Ladies which is
impossible not to dance and shout along to. The lyrics are worth listening to
because, although still dumb on occasion (though certainly not quite reaching
the depths of Girls) there are a lot of interesting cultural references and some
very good rhyming. Certainly not as rocky as their most well known work (with
the exception of perhaps Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun) but it’s this
variation which has made the Beastie Boys so much fun over the years. A lot of
credit has to go to the Dust Brothers who produced the album (and went on to
make the sublime soundtrack to Fight Club if you’re interested) who’s
constantly brave and inventive sampling is what makes this album stand out head
and shoulders above the competition, taking everything from other hip-hop
artists, old horror film soundtracks and even, if I’m not mistaken, a Bob
Dylan song cutting it all up and putting it back together to create their very
own funky Frankenstein’s monster. You can definitely hear the influence in the
newest breed of DJs, Danger Mouse especially.
8 out of 10