'' is an album by American
Hip Hop group the
Beastie Boys , released on
July 25 ,
1989 (see
1989 In Music ). Though the Beastie Boys' previous album, ''
Licensed To Ill '', had been enormously popular and received generally positive reviews among both mainstream and hip hop critics, ''Paul's Boutique'' was initially considered a commercial failure by the execs at Capitol Records due to the fact that its sales did not match that of their previous record, and they eventually pulled the plug on promotion of the album. Despite this, it still quickly became known as their artistic breakthrough. Highly varied lyrically and sonically, the album did not sell as well as ''Licensed to Ill'', but managed to secure the Beastie Boys' place as critical favorites in the still-dormant field of popular hip hop.
''Paul's Boutique'' is also known for being an album that contained many uncleared samples on it, which was only possible back before the
Landmark Lawsuit against
Biz Markie by
Gilbert O'Sullivan , which changed the face of hip hop sampling. It has been said that ''Paul's Boutique'' would be considered a too cost-prohibitive and risky album to produce in today's music industry climate.
# "To All the Girls"
# "Shake Your Rump"
# "Johnny Ryall"
# "Egg Man"
# "High Plains Drifter"
# "The Sounds of Science"
# "3-Minute Rule"
# "Hey Ladies"
# "5-Piece Chicken Dinner"
# "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun"
# "Car Thief"
# "What Comes Around"
# "Shadrach"
# "Ask for Janice"
# "B-Boy Bouillabaisse"
## "59 Chrystie Street"
## "Get on the Mic"
## "Stop That Train"
## "Year and a Day"
## "Hello Brooklyn"
## "Dropping Names"
## "Lay It on Me"
## "Mike on the Mic"
## "A.W.O.L.
- Beastie Boys - Producer
- Allen Abrahamson - Assistant Engineer
- Mario Caldato, Jr. - Producer, Engineer
- Mike Simpson - Ensemble
- The Dust Brothers - Producer
- Matt Dike - Ensemble
- Ricky Powel - Photography
- Jeremy Shatan - Photography
- Nathaniel Hörnblower - Photography
- Dominick Watkins - Photography
As can be seen by the keen eye in the cover and sleeve art, the address that is supposed to be 'Paul's Boutique' (but can clearly be identified as Lee's Sportswear by the top sign) is on 99 Rivington St., where Rivington intersects Ludlow in
New York City's Lower East Side . Currently in this building is an eatery named 'Paul's Boutique' in honor of the album - the album was not named after an actual place as may be expected.
