A lot, and I really mean A LOT, has happened since the 1989 release of Paul's Boutique. For starters, the Beasties became bigger than ever, surviving what many thought was the end of their career. On the specific topic of Paul's Boutique, Dan LeRoy published his amazing contribution to the 33 1/3 book series, and just recently published a follow-up with Peter Relic, For Whom The Cowbell Tolls (via 6623 Press), both of which are essential reading and explain more than you ever imagined you'd know about the Beasties and Paul's Boutique, while DJ's Cheeba, Moneyshot & Food re-created the album in an amazing tribute, along with some enterprising geniuses who created an immensely entertaining visual tribute, The Paul's Boutique Visual Companion, both to the Beasties as well as the album, along with the original music videos. On top of all of that, lots of audio and visuals have leaked, giving us a chance to experience something we may not have gotten to the first time around. But sadly, we've lost a lot of beloved friends and family along the way, with Adam Yauch aka MCA at the top of that list. Basically, we've gotten a lot of good, and some really bad, but it's better to remember the good, and the good is mighty hard to forget when it comes to the Beasties and Paul's Boutique.
When the album was reissued in 2008, it was initially assumed it would be a huge, deluxe event with b-sides, remixes, rarities and other gems, just like the reissues that came after it. While it's never been completely explained, it's generally assumed that the legal issues surrounding the samples used to create the album kept those tracks from being reissued. As sad as that is, that's most of the reason why I thought The Paul's Boutique Companion was something that needed to exist. And with that, it's time to drop the final and, at least at this point, most complete collection of Paul's Boutique related ephemera to date. So, on September 1st, 2014, I will make Build Your Own Boutique: The Paul's Boutique Companion, available to anyone who wants it. As for what it will contain:
- Demos & Rarities
- Love American Style EP
- An Exciting Evening At Home With Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego EP
- The complete Paul's Boutique album in Instrumental form
- High Resolution vinyl rips of the original 1989 US album and the 1999 Grand Royal reissue
- rare videos of the Capitol Records release party, YO! MTV Raps and more
- a complete collection of every sample used in the creation of the album
There may be a little more added, but right now we're going to leave the content listed as is. There is something very important that needs to be noted though...
While some of this material may have been officially available for purchase at one point or another, most of it is not readily available via current markets. Some may consider this bootlegging, though there is no profit being made whatsoever. At the very least, if you haven't purchased a copy of Paul's Boutique before, you should go and buy one now, because downloading this without doing so isn't supporting the Beasties or anyone else involved in the creation of Paul's Boutique in any way whatsoever. It doesn't matter if you buy it from iTunes or Amazon digitally, if you get the vinyl or CD reissues, or grab the super-deluxe digital package from the Beasties' site (sadly, I don't think it's available any longer), just make sure you buy a copy, because it simply isn't right otherwise.
One more time, to make this clear, DON'T DOWNLOAD THIS COLLECTION IF YOU HAVEN'T LEGITIMATELY PURCHASED PAUL'S BOUTIQUE AT LEAST ONCE! Okay? Yeah, if it was given to you as a gift or whatever, that's cool, but you should know what I mean. We live in an age where a lot of people never pay for the music they listen to. Don't be like that, support what you love. Some people may argue that they pay the artists by going to their shows or by linking to their sites and whatever, or some even like to say how the artists already have enough money. Well, that's not enough and I'm calling bullshit. Going to live shows holds some weight, but the Beasties aren't touring and most likely never will again. Links are not a legitimate payback. And even if you were super rich, wouldn't it piss you off if someone was constantly ripping off your work despite your continued efforts? People rip off works of art even when the artists aren't rich or well off, so if it isn't right there it isn't right ever. Anyway, we're talking about $10, and if you can't afford to pay that, you probably don't care that much about the music to begin with.
Despite that long paragraph, I'll openly admit that the legalities of something like this are questionable. As I mentioned earlier, I'm not making any money by doing this, and neither should anyone else, other than the Beasties themselves. If they could legally release all this content they probably would, but sadly they can't. So make sure you share this with your friends and fellow Beastie fans. This isn't about profit, this is about love, though if anyone deserves to profit here, it's the Beasties and anyone associated with the creation of Paul's Boutique.
So, finally, on September 1st, 2014, you will be able to access Build Your Own Boutique. More information will follow soon, including how you can get a download for yourself. Until then, just remember, one man's ceiling is another man's floor. Peace.
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