048: Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique (1989)

June 02, 2020 / Amanda Rodgers

“Working on that record sent me even deeper into crate-digging and made me really appreciate a lot of music from the early ’70s and late ‘60s. You would learn about an amazing bass player or arranger and look him up and go digging even deeper.”

—John King of the Dust Brothers

So you like samples, huh? Well, have all the samples in the world! In our Deltron 3030 episode, Producer Mike waxed poetic that hip-hop “can contain the whole world,” and the Beastie Boys tried to do exactly that on Paul’s Boutique. Seeking to level up as artists, the Beasties broke with Def Jam, moved to Los Angeles, and teamed up with producers and seasoned crate-diggers the Dust Brothers. The result is a miasma of light-speed references and samples, with a sonic palette drawing from ‘70s funk, old-school hip-hop, and whatever else the Dusts had lying around. It blew Mike’s mind as a teenager and budding producer, and this week he’s leading Rich, Phil and hip-hop noob John through a true bouillabaisse of an album, and a great hip-hop gateway drug for rock fans. Shake your rum-PAH!

Miscellany

Content warning: the Beastie Boys still had a lot of growing up to do when they recorded Paul’s Boutique, so we wanted to note that the album contains some instances of racism, transphobia and (especially) misogyny, all of which the group has apologized for repeatedly in years since.
If this episode wasn’t enough for you, paulsboutique.info is an excellent, exhaustive database of every sample used on the record, as well as every reference the Beasties make.
We neglected to mention two members of the Paul’s Boutique production crew: assistant engineer Allen Abrahamson, as well as Matt Dike, who is credited with “ensemble.” In practice, the Dust Brothers worked out of Dike’s apartment as their home base, and his gargantuan record collection provided a wellspring of source material for the album.
Rich spoke of 3rd Bass in a somewhat harsh light, but The Cactus Album is actually very good, with several tracks produced by the Bomb Squad and Prince Paul, as well as acclaimed indie rapper MF Doom’s very first on-record appearance, as Zev Love X on the track “The Gas Face.”
Phil’s passing mention of McGruff the Crime Dog and inhalants is a reference to the 1986 cassette McGruff's Smart Kids Album, where the ‘80s PSA mascot sings songs about alcohol, inhalants, marijuana, and cocaine, but not elephant tranquilizers.
Another Star Trek connection: “Sabotage” appears diegetically (in-scene) in both the 2009 Star Trek and 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, the implication being that the Beastie Boys are among the classical artists still remembered in the 23rd century. At least, in the reboot timeline.
Sadaharu Oh, as in "I've got more hits than" was a Taiwanese baseball player who played in Japan in the 60s and 70s, and who is generally considered on the short list of the greatest baseball players never to play in the Major Leagues. In the 70s and 80s, it was common in sports discussions for people to debate whether the "Home Run King" title should belong to Hank Aaron, who hit 755 home runs in the Major Leagues, or Oh, who hit 868 in his career.
True to the album, our Paul’s Boutique episode contains more than 120 clips, easily our record. If it was going to be any album, it was going to be this one.

Discord & Rhyme Roll Call

Mike DeFabio (host)
Phil Maddox (moderator)
Rich Bunnell
John McFerrin

Paul’s Boutique tracklist

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 The Train
A Year And A Day
Hello Brooklyn
Dropping Names
Lay It On Me
Mike On The Mic
A.W.O.L.

Other clips used

Beastie Boys:

So Whatcha Want
Sure Shot
Sabotage
Intergalactic
Paul Revere
Cooky Puss
(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)
Egg Raid on Mojo
Gratitude
The Move

Others:

Jethro Tull - Beastie
“Weird Al” Yankovic - Twister
Alphonse Mouzon - Funky Snakefoot
Louis Bellson, Shelly Manne, Willie Bobo and Paul Humphrey - Super Mellow
Ronnie Laws - Tell Me Something Good
Afrika Bambaataa - Jazzy Sensation
Harvey Scales - Dancing Room Only
Funky 4 + 1 - That's the Joint
The Sugarhill Gang - 8th Wonder
Afrika Bambaataa & James Brown - Unity (Pt. 2 - Because It's Coming)
Rose Royce - 6 O'Clock DJ
Rose Royce - Born to Love You
Rose Royce - Yo Yo
Gentle Giant - The Advent of Panurge
David Bromberg - Sharon
Donny Hathaway - Magnificent Sanctuary Band
DJ Grand Wizard Theodore and Kevie Kev Rockwell - Military Cut
Jean Knight - Mr. Big Stuff
Kurtis Blow - AJ Scratch
Paul McCartney - Momma Miss America
Phil Collins - Another Day in Paradise
John Williams - Jaws: Main Title
Bernard Herrmann - The Murder
Curtis Mayfield - Superfly
Tower of Power - Drop It in the Slot
Sly and the Family Stone - Dance to the Music
Lightnin' Rod - Sport
The Commodores - I’m Ready
Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Pump It Up
Public Enemy - You’re Gonna Get Yours
Public Enemy - Bring the Noise
Eagles - Those Shoes
The Fatback Band - Put Your Love (in My Tender Care)
The Ramones - Suzy Is a Headbanger
Loggins & Messina - Your Mama Don't Dance
Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan's 115th Dream
The Beatles - When I'm Sixty-Four
The Beatles - The End
The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
Isaac Hayes - Walk From Regio's
Boogie Down Productions - My Philosophy
James Brown - Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved
Pato Banton - Don't Sniff Coke
Sly and the Family Stone - Brave & Strong
Fancy - Feel Good
The Commodores - Machine Gun
Jeanette "Lady" Day - Come Let Me Love You
Roger - So Ruff, So Tuff
Kurtis Blow - Party Time
World's Famous Supreme Team - Hey DJ
Cameo - Shake Your Pants
The Sweet - The Ballroom Blitz
Kool and the Gang - Jungle Boogie
P-Funk All Stars - Pumpin' It Up (Special Club Mix)
Crash Crew - High Power Rap
Fab 5 Freddy - Change the Beat (Female Version)
James Brown - Ain't It Funky Now
James Brown - Funky President (People It's Bad)
Hamilton - Winter's Ball
3rd Bass - Sons of 3rd Bass
The Incredible Bongo Band - Last Bongo in Belgium
Ocean - Put Your Hand in the Hand
Pink Floyd - Time
Mountain - Mississippi Queen
Funk Factory - Rien ne va plus
Trouble Funk - Drop the Bomb
Faith No More - Midlife Crisis
The Jackson 5 - I'll Bet You
Max Yasgur - Speech at Woodstock
Donovan - Hurdy Gurdy Man
Ratt - Round and Round
Gene Harris - Put On Train
Led Zeppelin - Moby Dick
Alice Cooper - It's Hot Tonight
Johann Sebastian Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 6: II. Adagio ma non tanto
Sly and the Family Stone - Loose Booty
Rose Royce - Do Your Dance
Black Oak Arkansas - Hot and Nasty
The Sugarhill Gang - Sugar Hill Groove
Ballin' Jack - Never Let 'Em Say
Trouble Funk - Say What
James Brown - Funky Drummer
Burundi Black - Burundi Black (Rusty Egan First Remix)
Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced?
Lovebug Starski Starski - Live at the Disco Fever
Scotty - Draw Your Brakes
Southside Movement - Save the World
The Isley Brothers - That Lady
Tower of Power - Ebony Jam
Led Zeppelin - When the Levee Breaks
Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues
Pink Floyd - Breathe
The Meters - Hey Pocky A-Way
Sweet - Into the Night
The Crusaders - The Well's Gone Dry
The Chemical Brothers - Block Rockin' Beats
Kool and the Gang - Let the Music Take Your Mind
Chic - Good Times
Trouble Funk - Good to Go
The Avalanches - Close to You
Beck - Where It's At
Idris Muhammad - Loran's Dance

Band/album personnel

Beastie Boys – production
Allen Abrahamson – assistant engineer
Mario Caldato Jr. – engineer
Mike Simpson – producer, turntables, ensemble
The Dust Brothers – production
Matt Dike – ensemble
Ricky Powell – photography
Jeremy Shatan – photography
Nathaniel Hörnblowér – photography
Dominick Watkins – photography

Credits

“Discord & Rhyme (theme),” composed by the Other Leading Brand, contains elements of:

Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf
Amon Düül II - Dehypnotized Toothpaste
The Dukes of Stratosphear - What in the World?? ...
Faith No More - Midlife Crisis
Herbie Hancock - Hornets
Kraftwerk - Autobahn
Talking Heads - Seen and Not Seen
Beastie Boys - Johnny Ryall (this episode only)

You can buy or stream Paul’s Boutique and other albums by Beastie Boys at beastieboys.com, your local record store, or at the usual suspects such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Amazon. Follow Discord & Rhyme on Twitter @DiscordPod for news, updates, and other random stuff. Editing is by Rich, and special thanks to our own Mike DeFabio, the Other Leading Brand, for production and original music. See you next album, and be ever wonderful.

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