Disco de Beastie Boys: “Paul's Boutique (20th Anniversary Remastered Edition)”

I consider this one of the greatest albums ever made, and because of that, jumped at the opportunity to purchase this.

I'm still a bit "old fashioned" and bought the CD, and I still play the original CD periodically. So I guess doing this is the best way to notice any improvements. While it's not like night and day, the improvements are noticeable, especially at high volume levels. Are they noticeable enough to shell out $15 on the same CD I already own and have played nearly to death? I'm not 100% sure.

If you're going to buy the CD just to buy it, it's probably not worth it. If you're going to buy it to put into your Alpine and re-terrorize the neighborhood (like you used to), then this is a definate purchase. Both you and the album deserve that.

This is not a review of the album per se (this is a great album if you don't already know), but a review of the re-released anniversary edition. That being said, for an anniversary edition I would expect some new liner notes, and some bonus material, none of which is here. For the track by track interview information you have to go to [...] and download it, but the directions on how to get this, (included on a card in the CD) are nebulous. So the 3 rating is for the anniversary edition. The album, of course, gets a 5!

Twenty years later, this still stands as one of the most creative CDs of all time. Paul's Boutique elevated hip-hop and rap into an art form with bits and pieces like an old Andy Warhol painting of sound with everything but the kitchen sink. There are sound bits from the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper, Abbey Road, Johnny Cash, Isley Brothers, Sly Stone, Curtis Mayfield, Loggins & Messina and more. If you don't like what you're hearing just wait five or ten seconds..it will change with another surpise. Question: Is that shrieking noise on "Egg Man" from the movie Psycho or Nightmare on Elm?" This one never gets boring. Highly recommended.

Paul's Boutique is still one of the greatest hip hop albums ever, what else needs to be said. It's one of the most sonically brilliant rap albums ever made, and since the genre has largely regressed to either pure stupidy (not to mention boring) or technically self induglent, this album sounds as great as it did in 1989. With tons of samples (ranging from Beatles, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Mountain, Psycho, Aliens, Ramones, and tons more), hilarious lyrics, awesome voices, and loads of lasting appeal, this album is not overrated one bit. Other Beastie Boys albums are great as well, but nothing as remarkable as this, being The Beastie Boys were once a godawful garage "punk" band.

Now remastered, it sounds a lot better than it did previously on album. The first album was outdated, and it shows being that it was released in 1989 on cd (according to the album and amazon.com). I have both albums, and the first album certainly showed age. Many songs were low, there wasn't much bass, and it sounded tinny, somewhat bad because the sound collages were dense and well done. SOme of these songs sound the way they do because of the sound that was recorded on the album. For example, High Plains Drifter still sounds like an old drum machine, but that's because it was recorded with that particular sound. The album may not have been re-made, but everything is much louder, clearer, and more oopmh in that bass. That's the reason why this remaster version is worth getting. The music behind has held up well enough, and to see it remastered and cleaned up is a joy.

I think the double dip was worth it for me, since the album is groovier and rhythmatic that before. However, if you still have not been blessed with hearing this album, this is the only version that's even available. Recommeded to everyone, newcomers or veterans.

10/10

That's about it. No extras, no bonus, just a downloadable commentary that anyone can get if they go to the website. Don't get me wrong, I love the CD, and am happy that it sounds better, but if you already own the old one, this is not a "must have" if you don't care about sound quality. Plus they broke B-Boy Bouillabaisse up into like 8 different tracks, so you'll either like that ... or you won't.