Three New Yorkers, two landmark records, and a sample trail that runs from Mountain and the Incredible Bongo Band to Isaac Hayes and The Band.
The Beastie Boys came out of New York and made two records that collectors keep returning to. Licensed to Ill arrived on Def Jam and Columbia on November 15, 1986, produced by Rick Rubin. It leaned on rock records, among them the Led Zeppelin drums under "Rhymin & Stealin." Paul's Boutique followed on Capitol on July 25, 1989, produced by the Dust Brothers.
Paul's Boutique is the one that matters for crate diggers. It is built almost entirely from samples; Wikipedia counts 105 songs sampled across the album. It was a commercial disappointment on release, peaking at number 14 on the Billboard 200, and it was later certified double platinum. The trail leads to records you can actually buy: "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun" rests on the Incredible Bongo Band's "Last Bongo in Belgium" and Mountain's "Mississippi Queen," and our Isaac Hayes post covers the Shaft cue behind "The Sounds of Science."
The group also worked a replayed piece of The Band's "Up on Cripple Creek" into "High Plains Drifter." For collectors the practical news is that Paul's Boutique has been reissued repeatedly, with current LP and 180g 2LP editions in retail, so a first pressing is a choice and not a requirement. Check the Discogs entry against your label and runout before you pay original money.
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