The Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique (33 1/3) [Paperback]

Dan LeRoy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2006

Derided as one-hit wonders, estranged from their original producer and record label, and in self-imposed exile in Los Angeles, the Beastie Boys were written off by most observers before even beginning to record their second album - an embarrassing commercial flop that should have ruined the group's career. But not only did "Paul's Boutique" eventually transformed the Beasties from a fratboy novelty to hiphop giants, its sample-happy, retro aesthetic changed popular culture forever.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Title entry in Publishing News

'The idea was simple: to ask a group of authors to each write a book about a classic album. What emerged became Continuum's 33 1/3 series. Without guidelines or rules, each author embraced their own favourite album and chose exactly how they wanted to write about it.As a result, each book is by turn anecdotal, obsessive, technical and personal, but always passionate.' (Swell Music, December 2006 )

Extract in Word, April 2007

"...recognized as a cultish, kaleidoscopic classic...a frequently illuminating and entertaining tale..."- Stevie Chick, Mojo (Mojo )

"Just how the hell did three snot-nosed party boys from Brooklyn go from fighting for the right to party to creating 1989's hip-hop masterpiece Paul's Boutique? The album, with its thousands of samples, is an aural encyclopedia of musical landmarks, served up in a funk stew of arrogance, attitude, and ultimately, adoration for the components from which it comes. LeRoy has done a great job capturing the surroundings, the people involved, and the reaction then. The insights as to how the record was constructed, from the mighty foot of John Bonham to the scratchy guitar of '70s funk, are illuminating. Fire up Paul's on the iPod, crack the spine of this little tome, and "Shake Your Rump."—The Big Takeover (James Mann )

“…recognized as a cultish, kaleidoscopic classic…a frequently illuminating and entertaining tale…”- Stevie Chick, Mojo (, )

"Just how the hell did three snot-nosed party boys from Brooklyn go from fighting for the right to party to creating 1989's hip-hop masterpiece Paul's Boutique?  The album, with its thousands of samples, is an aural encyclopedia of musical landmarks, served up in a funk stew of arrogance, attitude, and ultimately, adoration for the components from which it comes.  LeRoy has done a great job capturing the surroundings, the people involved, and the reaction then.  The insights as to how the record was constructed, from the mighty foot of John Bonham to the scratchy guitar of '70s funk, are illuminating.  Fire up Paul's on the iPod, crack the spine of this little tome, and "Shake Your Rump."—The Big Takeover  (, )

About the Author

Dan LeRoy is the Director of Literary Arts at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School in Midland, PA. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, Vibe, The Village Voice, National Review Online and Alternative Press. Mr. LeRoy is the co-author (with Michael Lipton) of 20 Years of Mountain Stage, a history of the National Public Radio show, and his book The Greatest Music Never Sold will be published by Backbeat in autumn 2007. He is also a contributor to But Prince Don't Moonwalk, an anthology of music writing to be published in 2008 by Crown/Random House.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Continuum (March 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826417418
• ISBN-13: 978-0826417411
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 6.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #85,362 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book. The entire 33 1/3 series should be this solid., June 11, 2006

By 

D.X. Ferris - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique (33 1/3) (Paperback)

LeRoy does an excellent, thorough job covering everything you'd hope he'd cover about the making of Paul's Boutique: The people behind the disc, including musicians, producers, and record-company types. The circumstances that led up to the album. The story of the Beastie's protracted legal complications with Def Jam. How the tracks came together. The stories behind the songs. The Beasties' relationship with Capitol. The disc's initial disappointing commerical reception. Its eventual recognition as a masterwork. A song-by-song look at the disc. The promotional campaign (or lack thereof). A rundown of B-sides. Actual conversation with a Beasite. Actual scenes. It's all there.

33 1/3 is a decent series, but in too many of the books, you learn as much about the writer as you do about the album -- sometimes more. You get a bunch of "I was in college when this disc came out, and it STILL reminds me of my ex-girlfriend! Awesome!" or a collection of lengthy, speculative interpretations of the lyrics. Like a true pro, LeRoy writes about the subject and keeps himself out of the book. He even includes a full-on works cited list.

This is the best book I've read in the series.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meticulously researched, masterfully written, February 25, 2006

By 

Big Daddy Cat "Big Daddy" (Pixberg, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique (33 1/3) (Paperback)

One of the best books ever written detailing the inspiration, creation, and on-going influence of a work of popular music. Leroy's thorough (almost obsessive) research and reporting, combined with his razor-sharp skills as a creative writer, offer a fitting tribute to one of the most interesting works of modern popular music of the late 20th century. If you don't own this book and the album it celebrates...well, YOU SHOULD!

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quick, enjoyable bit of legit rock journalism, May 3, 2006

By 

Erik Ketzan (Germany) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique (33 1/3) (Paperback)

Paul's Boutique may be my favorite album of all time, but I'd never known much about its creation. In this excellently written (and never over-written) little book, Dan LeRoy has constructed the most complete narrative we'll probably ever get regarding the Dust Brothers, the Beasties, and their once-in-a-lifetime creative synergy.

This is from a series of books by 33 1/3, each one devoted to a landmark album in the history of pop music. Paul's Boutique is the first I've read, and although I've heard mixed reviews on others, particularly those that emphasize the author's subjective theories and interpretations of the albums, this one is pure journalism-- lots of well-researched facts and entertaining memories from most of the people involved: the Beasties (mostly Mike D.), their producers, managers, promoters, and friends.