Beastie Boys “Paul’s Boutique” released 35 years ago on July 25th, 1989. I had every intention of writing about the Beastie’s second LP on the anniversary, it was marked in my calendar and everything, but non-vinyl life got in the way that day. While considered commercial flop in 1989 as compared to their debut Licensed to Ill (1986), it went on to be listed as one of the best albums of the 80’s and of all-time (a Rolling Stone writer called it the “Sgt. Pepper of hip-hop”). It hit #14 on the US charts and went to #44 in the UK. In ’89 I still had a strong distaste for the Beasties (based on their dude-bro asshole fans, mostly) but by the time I first heard Paul’s Boutique sometime around ’91 or ’92, my stance was softening. It’s now one of my favorites from their catalogue (along with their 1994 Ill Communication) and contains some of my top tracks. Most especially that’s “Shadrach” which is one of the best ass-shakers ever. While the song references a Biblical story (a head-scratcher to this not-religiously raised girl but has one of my favorite lines “Because I got more stories than JD’s got Salinger” – that I understood), it’s funky beyond measure and samples Sly Stone’s “Loose Booty,” Black Oak Arkansas’ “Hot & Nasty,” and Trouble Funk’s “Say What” (they got sued for that last one). Also booty-shaking from Paul’s Boutique are “Shake Your Rump” (I mean, obviously), “Johnny Ryall,” “Egg Man” and “The Sounds of Science.” That’s just Side One! “Hey Ladies” is also on Side One and was the only single from Paul’s Boutique that charted (#36) and is definitely funky (they sample James Brown, among many others). Side Two is almost as strong ( (let’s put aside the weird-ass and thankfully brief “5-Piece Chicken Dinner”): heavy metal-tinged “Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun” has funk with head-banging and the epic 12+ minute “B-Boy Bouillabaisse” which really can be considered nine separate tracks, of which “Stop That Train” and “A Year and a Day” are the most funky/ass-shaking.