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SGR · 02-15-2023, 09:12 AM

Now that I'm back from my Super Bowl excursion (How bout those Chiefs!?!), here's my review of the Beastly Brothers.

Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique (1989)

A sophomore slump in sales but not in vision and creativity. The much anticipated follow up to the Beastie Boys’ debut album landed with critical glee - but it also left the public scratching their heads. Where were the party songs? The songs about drinking and screwing, the stuff that played well on MTV at the time? Well - this album has that….a bit - but there’s no obvious barnburner of a hit like “Fight for your Right”.

This album to me is the most impressively produced album of the 1980s. It’s also the best hip hop record of the 1980s (sorry Public Enemy). And to be perfectly honest - that’s probably the biggest reason this album is one of my all time favorites - not the Beastie Boys, their talent or raps, but rather the mindbendingly creative production of the Dust Brothers. Before licensing laws changed, hip hop producers could sample whatever they wanted and get away with it (it changed primarily because of the egregious amount of samples used on this record). On this record, you hear a new sample from a wide arrange of artists and records about every 8 seconds - from the likes of The Beatles, James Brown, Johnny Cash, Curtis Mayfield, Ramones, Sly & the Family Stone and a whole bunch of obscure 70s folk and soul artists you’ve probably never even heard of. The Dust Brothers dug deep in the crates for this record. Hell, you even hear samples of the Psycho and Jaws themes (on "Egg Man"). Find me another rap record that samples the Jaws theme, I’ll wait.

One of my favorite tracks of the whole album is "High Plains Drifter". As soon as you hear that gun cock, and the drum break roll in, you know that it’s on. Not only does this track show the sampling creativity and prowess of the Dust Brothers, but exemplifies the incredibly creative way that the Beastie Boys can weave a hilarious story together, all the while trading the mic off after nearly line - I mean, just listen to that bassline sample and drum break from The Eagles’ “Those Shoes” - it’s just menacingly infectious, even if it is one of the most obvious samples on the record.

Spoiler for High Plains Drifter lyrics:

Or how about the tales of juvenile egg-tossing delinquency on “Egg Man”?

Spoiler for Egg Man lyrics:

Talking about the Beastie Boys for a minute, this is not a record that showcases incredibly complex rhyme schemes or lyrical prowess, but it doesn’t need to. That’s not the point. It’s supposed to be fun - that’s the point here. And it has fun locked down. Like the aforementioned tales of juvenile debauchery, the Beastie Boys are constantly hilarious.

Perhaps the song that is the best example of the Beastie Boys fun lyrical nonchalance coming together with the high form of creative sample-mixups of the Dust Brothers is “Hey Ladies”, that kicks off and is driven by a slowed down sample of the Commodores “Machine Gun” - and has a cutup pseudo-chorus that is woven together with samples from:

Kurtis Blow’s “Party Time”
World’s Famous Supreme Team’s “Hey DJ”
Cameo’s “Shake Your Pants”
Afrika Bambaataa’s “Jazzy Sensation”
Kool & The Gang’s “Jungle Boogie”
James Brown’s “Funky President”
P-Funk All Stars’ “Pumpin’ It Up”
James Brown’s “Aint It Funky Now”

All of this, just for the chorus - it is immense. Oh yeah, the song also samples Sweet’s “Ballroom Blitz” (but not during the chorus). And in verse 3, we learn quite a lot - but it’s all quite disconnected - it’s a beautifully descriptive imitation of so many different ideas, events, and thoughts - all centered on the main idea of “the ladies, the ladies”:

Spoiler for Hey Ladies lyrics:

We learn about: 
A gold-toothed prostitute who knows her trade
A bad breakup that references Vincent Van Gogh’s self-mutilation
A call to an ex in a fit of drunkeness in a nasty phone booth
An act of property destruction against the ex’s house
Suicide after the breakup in a train
A fat mom who serves as rebound sex, happening after the narrator was piss drunk (while referencing the Magilla Gorilla Show theme)
A preference for curvy women with curly long hair
A love of hippy women who are a bit on the self-righteous side

This song is a great representation of the album as a whole - the whole album is the truest musical pastiche that ever existed. And who knew that hip hop was in desparate need for a large amount of cowbell?

And another more lyrical example of the idea of the pastiche can be found in the track “Shadrach” - in just the first verse, we find references to Batman (Riddler), AC/DC, the classic hymn “Amazing Grace”, a verse from the New Testament, drug highs, idiomatic cliches, God, and three Judean prophets from the Book of Daniel:

Spoiler for Shadrach lyrics:

The song comes with an addictively delicious vocal sample from Sly & The Family Stone’s “Loose Booty” - sampled and looped in a way that might make 90s house DJs blush. And of course, the track is fittingly accompanied by a trippy impressionist hand drawn art collage - the pastiche continues:

When I was a teenager, I used to have a summer job that was a little under half an hour away (driving). So this album became a constant companion - as every time I’d drive to work, I’d finish half the album - and on the way home after the work day, I’d get through the entire second half right as I was pulling into my parent’s driveway (perhaps this is why I like side 2 of the record a little bit more, but side 1 always provided the energy I needed to motivate myself for the day).

This album is denser than a neutron star - and nothing before and nothing since is quite like it. Nothing ever will be, at least not on a commercial level. While it is a pastiche - the album somehow manages to imitate/sample so many different things, it becomes something totally and wholly unique. It is a complete musical chameleon.

So yeah, this album is a sentimental favorite. It always will be. Two years after their debut, the Beastie Boys, with the help of the Dust Brothers, proved that they were not a one-trick pony, they were in fact a creative musical force that had to be taken seriously. I suppose you could say that they did indeed have to fight for their right to party.

9.5/10 (trying to be objective, I think “What Comes Around” is just a little bit weaker than the rest of the tracks)

02-15-2023, 09:12 AM	#668 (permalink)
SGR No Ice In My Bourbon Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: /dev/null Posts: 4,326	Now that I'm back from my Super Bowl excursion (How bout those Chiefs!?!), here's my review of the Beastly Brothers. Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique (1989) A sophomore slump in sales but not in vision and creativity. The much anticipated follow up to the Beastie Boys’ debut album landed with critical glee - but it also left the public scratching their heads. Where were the party songs? The songs about drinking and screwing, the stuff that played well on MTV at the time? Well - this album has that….a bit - but there’s no obvious barnburner of a hit like “Fight for your Right”. This album to me is the most impressively produced album of the 1980s. It’s also the best hip hop record of the 1980s (sorry Public Enemy). And to be perfectly honest - that’s probably the biggest reason this album is one of my all time favorites - not the Beastie Boys, their talent or raps, but rather the mindbendingly creative production of the Dust Brothers. Before licensing laws changed, hip hop producers could sample whatever they wanted and get away with it (it changed primarily because of the egregious amount of samples used on this record). On this record, you hear a new sample from a wide arrange of artists and records about every 8 seconds - from the likes of The Beatles, James Brown, Johnny Cash, Curtis Mayfield, Ramones, Sly & the Family Stone and a whole bunch of obscure 70s folk and soul artists you’ve probably never even heard of. The Dust Brothers dug deep in the crates for this record. Hell, you even hear samples of the Psycho and Jaws themes (on "Egg Man"). Find me another rap record that samples the Jaws theme, I’ll wait. One of my favorite tracks of the whole album is "High Plains Drifter". As soon as you hear that gun cock, and the drum break roll in, you know that it’s on. Not only does this track show the sampling creativity and prowess of the Dust Brothers, but exemplifies the incredibly creative way that the Beastie Boys can weave a hilarious story together, all the while trading the mic off after nearly line - I mean, just listen to that bassline sample and drum break from The Eagles’ “Those Shoes” - it’s just menacingly infectious, even if it is one of the most obvious samples on the record. Spoiler for High Plains Drifter lyrics: 'Cause I'm the high plains drifter, and I'm the drifter The high plains drifter, and I'm the drifter They can't catch me, they're never going to find me They're never gonna know that I'm the high plains drifter Pulled to the river, to take a rest Pulled out a pair of pliers, pulled a bullet out of my chest Fear and loathing 'cross the country, listenin' to my 8-track I reached behind the seat and snatched a Kool from the pack I'm long-distance from my girl and I'm talking on my cellular She said that she was sorry and I said, "Yeah, the hell you were" Check the rear view mirror, check the gold tooth display Check the odometer and I was on my way 'Cause I'm the high plains drifter, the best that you can get A strapped shoplifter, a pirate on cassette Bust a Travis Bickle when I feel that I'm getting pushed Don't step to me 'cause you could be getting mushed I'm doing 120, plowing over mailboxes Radar detector to tell me where the cops is Spend another night at the Motel 6 It's five dollars extra to get the porno flicks And then I concoct a black and tan in my brandy snifter I'm a kleptomaniac K-mart shoplifter Cash flow getting low, so I had to pull a job Found a nice place to visit but a better place to rob I left my car outside and the engine still revvin' Takin' care of business at 7-eleven And then I went inside to make my withdrawal I saw what he had had but I had to take it all Knucklehead deli tried to gyp me off the price So I clocked him on the turban with a bag of ice 'Cause I'm mellow like Jell-O, cool like lemonade I made my get a way and then I thought that I had it made I feel like Steve McQueen, a former movie star Looked in the rear view mirror seen the police car Ballantine quarts with the puzzle on the cap I couldn't help to notice I was caught in a speed trap Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry, on the run from Dirty Harry Stash the cash in the dash, but my gun I did carry I'm seeing blue and red flashing deep in the night I got my alibi straight and I pulled over to the right The cop knocked on my window and said, "Boy, where's the fire?" You got a mailbox on your bumper and a bald front tire" "Outta the car, longhair!", your goose is cooked Read me my rights, fingerprinted and booked Making like a DT, driving a grand fury Wherever I hang my hat's my home and my past is kind of blurry Every dog will have his day, mine will be in front of a jury High plains drifter, you know that I'm never in a hurry Read me my rights as if I didn't know this Threw me in the tank with a drunk called Otis With his 5 o'clock shadow he smelled of 3 day old beer My man turned to me and said, "Why are you here?" I said, I'm charming, I'm dashing, I'm rental-car bashing I'm phony-paper passing at Nix Check Cashing I went before the judge he sent me to the Brooklyn house of D He said, "You behave or we'll throw away the key" Houdini'd out the cuffs, kicked the screw in the knee I took the Bailiff's wallet and went straight to OTB I had a good feeling, easy come, easy go I bet on one horse to win and your mother to show And sure enough, that nag came in Brought my ticket to the window and collected my win And then I broke into my new car with a wire coat hanger Hot wired hot wheeled and, "Suzy is a headbanger" Or how about the tales of juvenile egg-tossing delinquency on “Egg Man”? Spoiler for Egg Man lyrics: Ah yeah I looked out the window seen his bald head Ran to the fridge and pulled out an egg Scoped him with my scopes, he had no hair Launched that shot and he was caught out there Saw the convertible driving by I loaded up the slingshot, let one fly He went for his to find he didn't have one Put him in check, correct, with my egg-gun The egg, a symbol of life I go inside your house and bust out your wife I pulled out the jammy, he thought it was a joke The trigger, I pulled his face, the yolk Reached in his pocket, took all his cash Left my man standing with the egg mustache Suckers, they come a dime a dozen "When I say dozen, you know what I'm talkin' about, boy" Talking about the Beastie Boys for a minute, this is not a record that showcases incredibly complex rhyme schemes or lyrical prowess, but it doesn’t need to. That’s not the point. It’s supposed to be fun - that’s the point here. And it has fun locked down. Like the aforementioned tales of juvenile debauchery, the Beastie Boys are constantly hilarious. Perhaps the song that is the best example of the Beastie Boys fun lyrical nonchalance coming together with the high form of creative sample-mixups of the Dust Brothers is “Hey Ladies”, that kicks off and is driven by a slowed down sample of the Commodores “Machine Gun” - and has a cutup pseudo-chorus that is woven together with samples from: Kurtis Blow’s “Party Time” World’s Famous Supreme Team’s “Hey DJ” Cameo’s “Shake Your Pants” Afrika Bambaataa’s “Jazzy Sensation” Kool & The Gang’s “Jungle Boogie” James Brown’s “Funky President” P-Funk All Stars’ “Pumpin’ It Up” James Brown’s “Aint It Funky Now” All of this, just for the chorus - it is immense. Oh yeah, the song also samples Sweet’s “Ballroom Blitz” (but not during the chorus). And in verse 3, we learn quite a lot - but it’s all quite disconnected - it’s a beautifully descriptive imitation of so many different ideas, events, and thoughts - all centered on the main idea of “the ladies, the ladies”: Spoiler for Hey Ladies lyrics: She got a gold tooth you know she's hardcore She'll show you a good time then she'll show you the door Break up with your girl it ended in tears Vincent Van Gogh go and mail that ear Call her in the middle of the night when I'm drinking The phone booth on the corner is damp and it's stinking Said come on over it was me that she missed I threw that trash can through her window 'cause you know I got dissed Your old lady left you and you went insane You blew yourself up in the back of the six train Take my advice at any price a gorilla like your mother is mighty weak Sucking down pints until I didn't know Woke up in the morning with a one-ton ho 'Cause I announce I like girls that bounce With the weight that pays about a pound per ounce Girls with curls and big long locks And beatnik chicks just wearing their smocks Walking high and mighty like she's number one (She thinks she's the passionate one) We learn about:  A gold-toothed prostitute who knows her trade A bad breakup that references Vincent Van Gogh’s self-mutilation A call to an ex in a fit of drunkeness in a nasty phone booth An act of property destruction against the ex’s house Suicide after the breakup in a train A fat mom who serves as rebound sex, happening after the narrator was piss drunk (while referencing the Magilla Gorilla Show theme) A preference for curvy women with curly long hair A love of hippy women who are a bit on the self-righteous side This song is a great representation of the album as a whole - the whole album is the truest musical pastiche that ever existed. And who knew that hip hop was in desparate need for a large amount of cowbell? And another more lyrical example of the idea of the pastiche can be found in the track “Shadrach” - in just the first verse, we find references to Batman (Riddler), AC/DC, the classic hymn “Amazing Grace”, a verse from the New Testament, drug highs, idiomatic cliches, God, and three Judean prophets from the Book of Daniel: Spoiler for Shadrach lyrics: Riddle me this, my brother, can you handle it? Your style to my style, you can't hold a candle to it Equinox symmetry, and the balance is right Smokin' and drinkin' on a Tuesday night Not how you play the game, it's how you win it I cheat and steal and sin, and I'm a cynic For those about to rock, we salute you The dirty thoughts for dirty minds we contribute to I once was lost, but now I'm found The music washes over, and you're one with the sound Well, who shall inherit the earth? The meek shall And yo, I think I'm starting to peak now, Al And the man upstairs, well, I hope that he cares If I had a penny for my thoughts, I'd be a millionaire We're just three MCs and we're on the go Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego The song comes with an addictively delicious vocal sample from Sly & The Family Stone’s “Loose Booty” - sampled and looped in a way that might make 90s house DJs blush. And of course, the track is fittingly accompanied by a trippy impressionist hand drawn art collage - the pastiche continues: When I was a teenager, I used to have a summer job that was a little under half an hour away (driving). So this album became a constant companion - as every time I’d drive to work, I’d finish half the album - and on the way home after the work day, I’d get through the entire second half right as I was pulling into my parent’s driveway (perhaps this is why I like side 2 of the record a little bit more, but side 1 always provided the energy I needed to motivate myself for the day). This album is denser than a neutron star - and nothing before and nothing since is quite like it. Nothing ever will be, at least not on a commercial level. While it is a pastiche - the album somehow manages to imitate/sample so many different things, it becomes something totally and wholly unique. It is a complete musical chameleon. So yeah, this album is a sentimental favorite. It always will be. Two years after their debut, the Beastie Boys, with the help of the Dust Brothers, proved that they were not a one-trick pony, they were in fact a creative musical force that had to be taken seriously. I suppose you could say that they did indeed have to fight for their right to party. 9.5/10 (trying to be objective, I think “What Comes Around” is just a little bit weaker than the rest of the tracks) Last edited by SGR; 02-15-2023 at 09:20 AM.