Beastie Boys ‘Paul’s Boutique’ cover location at Ludlow Street in Brooklyn is to get a make-over.
It was 25 years ago today that the Beastie Boys released their classic album, Paul’s Boutique.
The group’s second album, it is now seen as a major career milestone for the Beastie Boys but, at the time of its release, it was considered a commercial failure. Their first release, 1986’s Licensed to Ill, was a number 1 album and spawned such classics as (You Gotta) Fight For the Right (to Party), No Sleep ’til Brooklyn and Brass Monkey.
On the other hand, Paul’s Boutique didn’t connect with the group’s fans anywhere near as well as they upped the ante with heavy use of sampling and an updated style through the production of the Dust Brothers. It only made it to 14 (worst of their career not counting the all instrumental The Mix Up) and sold a comparatively small two million copies compared to Licensed to Ill’s nine million. Commercial reaction was so bad that Capitol Records eventually stopped all promotion on the album.
History, though, would prove different as the album has become known as a modern classic, being named to numerous all-time greatest albums list including those of Blender (#37), Rolling Stone (#156) and VH1 (#74) and is on Rolling Stone’s list of the Essential 200 Rock Records.
The cover of the album and the gatefold was a picture of Ludlow Street in Brooklyn as taken from Rivington Street. While a recent initiative to have the corner renamed “Beastie Boys Square” has failed, the man behind the cause, LeRoy McCarthy, has spearheaded the repainting of the side of the building on the album with a new mural. Artist Danielle Mastrion will begin her project tomorrow (July 26) morning at 11 AM and will continue to completion.
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