The Beastie Boys released Paul's Boutique on July 25th, 1989, which means the seminal album turns 26 tomorrow. The groundbreaking masterpiece famously sampled 105 different songs, and although it's long been rumored that those samples weren't cleared, most of them actually were.
The Dust Brothers, who produced the album, revealed that "most of the samples used on Paul's Boutique were cleared, easily and affordably, something that would be unthinkable in today's litigious music industry."
In celebration of the album, and the songs that helped create it, KEXP is diving right into it all day long. DJs John Richards, Cheryl Waters, and Kevin Cole are now meticulously dissecting the album, playing all 15 tracks, along with more than 100 sampled selections. As I type this they're on Donny Hathaway's "Magnificent Sanctuary Band," which was dropped into Johnny Ryall.
They note you can "expect to hear spoken word artist Lightnin’ Rod, the R&B horn band Tower of Power, Bernard Herrmann’s iconic score from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, and the Eagles in close proximity."
On top of the music, they're also airing rare bonus tracks and demos, interviews with the Dust Brothers, and "an exclusive archival chat with the Beastie Boys." They'll be going strong until 6 p.m. PST. You can listen via iTunes, by clicking the below widget, or at kexp.org. For the next 14 days, you can also listen to an archive of the entire show right here.
