The Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique

... and then I came here and read the unanimous 5-star reviews and agree with all of them. There's not much I can add that wouldn't be redundant. Except to say that "Paul's Boutique" -- one of my favorite albums -- has always kind of been shrouded in mystery. The album may be dense with information, but there's not a lot of background that I could find. This book changes all that. It is as filled with names and details as the album is full of samples. From Leroy's very well-reported account, we learn the backstory of the Dust Brothers and the mysterious Matt Dike (long rumored to be the main mastermind behind "Boutique") plus, a sampling of the late 80s L.A. scene from which this album emerged; we meet a host of side players like Mario C and Money Mark, and also the ill-fated exec Tim Carr (whose heart and mind, I'm convinced, where in the right place all along); there's the promotional wrangling that went on at Capitol before the release and after the record flopped; and also what was going on with the three main charcaters -- MCA, Ad Rock and Mike D -- who wanted to derail the locomotive of "License to Ill" and almost got crushed under the cattleguard. The book tells the story of the album, and at first I thought it kind of scrimped on the background of the recording of the individual songs, but it closes with a finely detailed track-by-track examination that reveals a lot (but not nearly all) of the samples that helped make up one of the richest, coolest, bangingest records ever made.

Mr. Leroy isn't the only writer in this series to break his coverage of the album into separate parts, but he is certainly among the most successful. The first section is very well researched and supported by many interesting quotes and interviews with producers, Mike D and other friends and collaborators in the Beastie's orbit during the long California vacation that helped create this album. It also manages to cover one of the most compelling stories of the album, it's initial commercial failure and subsequent success very succinctly and convincingly. The second section delves into a short analysis of each track on the album and the b-sides and extra songs that have been released from this era. This section is pretty brisk, none too technical, but again supported by good research. Section two gives as good an insight to the process of sculpting each of these tracks from samples, beats and rhymes as one is likely too find. As other reviewers have said, it's a great book and one I'd suggest for anyone interested in the process of making an album, hip hop or otherwise.

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.

Good books on popular music are, frankly, few and far between. This is one of those precious few. Journalist Dan LeRoy has done a remarkable job of piecing together the details of the creation of this album. Even better, he has written an engaging story. It might be a cliche, but I couldn't put it down.

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!