Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #203434 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 129 pages

Review
"'A brilliant series of pocket-sized books focussing on a classic album. Each one a work of real love.' NME"

About the Author
Dan LeRoy writes regularly about music and politics for The New York Times, Alternative Press, The Hartford Courant and National Review Online. His work has also appeared in Vibe, Gene Simmon's Tongue and the All Music Guide and he is the co-author of 20 Years of Mountain Stage (2003), a history of National Public Radio's musical variety show.

Customer Reviews

The best in the series
Absolutely THE best in the 33 1/3 series and pretty much a guide to how the series should be done.

LeRoy does everything right - interviews the artists, writes clearly and entertainingly, focuses on the album at hand, doesn't get adademicy with it, does thorough research.

Most importantly, the album and the group take center stage, whereas in a lot of the 33 1/3 series, the writer and the writer's opinions become the main focus (when really, you bought the book to read about the album and the artists, not what some random writer you've never heard of thinks about music and life).

The only bad thing about reading this book is you wish LeRoy had written the majority of the others!
Some of the albums have had such poor 33 1/3 books (the ones on OK Computer and Tribe's first album spring to mind), that it seems like a waste for what is such a good idea for a series of books.

33 1/3, take notice! This is how it should be done!! Great for any Beastie Boys fans, and also a great read in its own right if you're interested in music at all