This appeared in my mailbox the other day and I immediately tossed it in the car cd player. It’s been years since I’d listened to a proper Beastie Boys album since nowadays the albums are all chopped up and stored in a playlist on my iPod or on a self-made best-of mp3 cd in my car. So, for a few days I drove around enjoying the album as it was meant to be heard before deciding that I wanted to post about it on here, and I figured a Friday is the perfect time to write about the Beasties.

Paul’s Boutique was released in 1989.  Coming on the heels of the commercial smash that was Licensed to Ill, it largely disappointed their fan base. Hell, I can remember listening to it for the first time as a kid with massive disappointment. Twenty years later, though, I’m listening with new ears and can fully appreciate the leap the band took with this album. I finally understand and appreciate what the band was trying to achieve and the thought process that was so succinctly summed up by MCA when he said, “Fuck that!! This is the record, with no fucking single!… Fuck “Brass Monkey”! None of that fast-rapping commercial shit!”

Okay, it’s Friday and 200 words is enough, if not too much, for any B-Boys Record, so pick it up on your way home, pour some drinks and play it all night. If anyone complains then they’re probably not a Friday night caliber kind of friend.

Beastie Boys – Shake Your Rump
Beastie Boys – Hey Ladies!
Beastie Boys – Car Thief

Beastie Boys Official Site, Beastie Boys on myspace, Buy the Paul’s Boutique (20th Anniversary Edition)