Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique (Free Version) (Unabridged)
The initial success of the Beastie Boys at Def Jam with the rude, crude, and multiplatinum 1986 debut Licensed to Ill had been unlikely enough; a trio of white Jewish kids and their white Jewish producer became hip-hop's biggest stars overnight by offering a primal fusion of metal, rap, and teenage rebellion. But Paul's Boutique abandoned the producer, the label, and the formula, instead smashing apart hundreds of old records and pop-culture references, then Scotch-taping them back together in unexpected new combinations. With a trio of unknowns at the production controls, it was a suicidal way to follow up a number-one hit.
Not only did Paul's Boutique transform the Beastie Boys from frat-boy novelty to hip-hop giants, its groundbreaking collage of rhyme and recycled soundbites made it one of those rare releases that forever alters the course of popular music.
Through interviews with Mike D, the Dust Brothers, and legendarily reclusive producer Matt Dike, among others, Dan LeRoy uncovers the story of this outrageous era in Beastie history.
Dan LeRoy writes regularly about music and politics for The New York Times, Rolling Stone, National Review online, Alternative Press, and Vibe, and he is the co-author of 20 Years of Mountain Stage (2003), a history of NPR's musical variety show. His book The Greatest Music Never Sold was published in 2006 by Backbeat.
33 1/3 is a new series of short books about critically acclaimed and much-loved albums of the last 40 years. Focusing on one album rather than an artist's entire output, the books dispense with the standard biographical background that fans know already, and cut to the heart of the music on each album.
Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique (Free Version) (Unabridged)
The initial success of the Beastie Boys at Def Jam with the rude, crude, and multiplatinum 1986 debut Licensed to Ill had been unlikely enough; a trio of white Jewish kids and their white Jewish producer became hip-hop's biggest stars overnight by offering a primal fusion of metal, rap, and teenage rebellion. But Paul's Boutique abandoned the producer, the label, and the formula, instead smashing apart hundreds of old records and pop-culture references, then Scotch-taping them back together in unexpected new combinations. With a trio of unknowns at the production controls, it was a suicidal way to follow up a number-one hit.
Not only did Paul's Boutique transform the Beastie Boys from frat-boy novelty to hip-hop giants, its groundbreaking collage of rhyme and recycled soundbites made it one of those rare releases that forever alters the course of popular music.
Through interviews with Mike D, the Dust Brothers, and legendarily reclusive producer Matt Dike, among others, Dan LeRoy uncovers the story of this outrageous era in Beastie history.
Dan LeRoy writes regularly about music and politics for The New York Times, Rolling Stone, National Review online, Alternative Press, and Vibe, and he is the co-author of 20 Years of Mountain Stage (2003), a history of NPR's musical variety show. His book The Greatest Music Never Sold was published in 2006 by Backbeat.
33 1/3 is a new series of short books about critically acclaimed and much-loved albums of the last 40 years. Focusing on one album rather than an artist's entire output, the books dispense with the standard biographical background that fans know already, and cut to the heart of the music on each album.
