Paul's Boutique

So it's 20 years since Paul's Boutique, hailed by many as a landmark album in many ways. Firstly, as the Beastie Boys' sophomore effort it justified the praise heaped on them previously. At least for most listeners. Others still felt uncomfortable listening to three white guys rapping, a long time before the massive success of Eminem, when Hip-Hop was still new and exciting.

Although admittedly my knowledge is hip-hop is fragmented (read: virtually non-existent) to the point where I'm aware of a lot of people but I'm not sure why, and I recognise a lot of songs but I have no idea who they are, I am a massive fan of the Beastie Boys.

However, I never really got Paul's Boutique. It was ok, fairly standard Beasties' fare, but not too my mind above their more recent efforts in Hello Nasty and To The 5 Boroughs, with which I had already been enamoured. It wasn't the straight up rap of these, nor was it the rap/punk mix of Ill Communication or Check Your Head. If anything, it came across as, ironically, it was received by many at the time. As a difficult follow up to a massively successful debut, Licensed to Ill.

It took an awesome soundsystem in a branch of now defunct music shop (that I also used to work in back when it was Virgin Megastore) a few weeks back to make me realise what I was missing.

All of a sudden, the amazing depth of sound, the subtle (and not-so subtle) sampling that made the whole album flow so effortlessly made so much more sense to me. "Johnny Ryall" had before been an inane chant. The part of the Beastie's discography you skip through to get to "Sabotage" and "Intergalactic". Now it was the highlight, the centre of the collection and not a record you'd buy to make up a 2 for £10 offer.

I didn't even realise that a month later that it was the 20th anniversary of its release, with a re-mastered version and even a track-by-track commentary availiable.

Basically, rather than writing a review about an album (and a genre) that I consistently show lack of awareness of. There are plenty of reviews about who say it much better than I ever will, but to put it simply: this is simply a must-have, must-listen-to, must-cherish album for anyone who is even vaguely a fan of Hip-Hop or any of the Beastie's output. Then put it in your stereo and turn it up loud.

Honestly.