20 years ago this month, one of the finest albums ever made was released to the world – Paul’s Boutique by The Beastie Boys. At the time, it was not widely appreciated. The album was the B Boys follow up to the wildly popular album Licensed to Ill. It was a radical departure from its predecessor, and many critics saw it as a chance to write the Beastie’s off as a passing fad. What they did not know, was that this was the album that would set the stage for the future of the band, and for much of music in general. Far ahead of its time, Paul’s Boutique is quite simply a timeless masterpiece.
When I was in college, this album was a regular part of the soundtrack of my life. Songs like Egg Man, Hey Ladies, and High Plains Drifter take me back to some pretty silly days. Whenever we used to hear 5-Piece Chicken Dinner, we would just all freak out – not sure why, but to this day it makes me smile to think about it.
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the album, the Beastie Boys have put up a special site just for Paul’s Boutique. The site is a lot of fun to navigate. It has classic videos of the band, ping pong, photos from the band, user uploaded photos, a turntable, a cowbell, and you can listen to the entire album right there on the site. They have also issues a remastered version of the album and a whole bunch of other goodies to go along with it. If you go to the site, make sure to turn up the volume knob on the lower left of your screen – this unveils all of the goodies hidden on the site.
So for the best in men’s clothing call Paul’s Boutique.
What did you say?