I recently finished another selection from the 33 1/3 series, Paul's Boutique by Dan LeRoy. Again it was another comprehensive look at a seminal album. This one is noteworthy since The Beastie Boys essentially re-invented themselves, record executives probably consider it a flop, a sophomore jinx in relation to the success of their previous album. However, artistically it is a significant achievement-one that couldn't be produced today due to laws regarding sampling. I was unaware of the influence of Matt Dike and the Dust Brothers Mike Simpson and Jon King on the album. hey helped tailor the sound with their inventive choice of samples and overdubbing helped create the revolutionary sound. But that is not to say that the Beasties themselves didn't make significant contributions either-it was an extraordinary growth session for them as well. They had time to slow down and did it at their pace after touring excessively with License To Ill. Their break with Rick Rubin also probably helped them take their music in a different direction. There are some entertaining stories about their antics and squandering large amounts of Capitol Records money on frivolous endeavors. It is a very well researched book that does a good job of explaining how it was recorded. I guess i would have liked to hear more about the impact of songs, unlike Frank Bruno in Armed Forces, and it seems as though the author is more objective and emotionally distant form the subject compared to Alex Green's The Stone Roses-I don't really know how this record affected the author. Le Roy is a journalist and that probably explains the tone. Interesting and worthwhile for anyone that has the seminal album.
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