Author: Adam Lawton

Paul’s Boutique, Ill Communication + Root Down EP and 
To The 5 Boroughs

On October 4, 2019, a series of limited edition colored vinyl will be released to mark the anniversaries of Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique (30th anniversary), Ill Communication (25th anniversary), including the Root Down EP, and To The 5 Boroughs (15th anniversary). All versions are pressed on 180gram vinyl and can be pre-ordered here.

Paul’s Boutique 30^th Anniversary (2LP Violet Colored Vinyl):
To mark the 30^th anniversary of Beastie Boys’ 1989 landmark second album, Paul’s Boutique will be released as a 2LP set pressed on standard black vinyl as well as limited edition violet colored vinyl. 

Recorded in Los Angeles with a sample-based Dust Brothers production, Paul’s Boutique marked a giant creative leap forward for Adrock, Mike D and MCA. Ranking high on critic’s lists including Pitchfork’s “Top 100 Albums of the 1980s,” Time Magazine’s “100 Greatest Albums of All TIME” and Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time,” Paul’s Boutique went on to sell over 2 million albums. 

Ill Communication 25^th Anniversary (2LP Silver Metallic Colored Vinyl) + Root Down EP (Orange, Red, Blue, Green Colored Vinyl):
Beastie Boys’ multi-platinum selling album Ill Communication will be released as a limited edition, 2LP set pressed on silver-metallic colored vinyl. There will also be multiple limited edition vinyl pressings of Root Down EP, available as orange, red, blue and green, that will be randomly distributed and sold separately.

Released in 1994, Beastie Boys’ fourth studio album Ill Communication debuted at No. 1 and was an unstoppable force, pervading every aspect of pop culture. 

Its charge to the top of the charts was led by “Sabotage” and its legendary Spike Jonze/Nathanial Hornblower ’70s TV police drama tribute, as Rolling Stone dubbed Ill Communication 1994’s “soundtrack for summer.” Crowds and critics alike were floored by highlights “Sure Shot,” “Root Down” and “Get It Together,” as Vibe—in the magazine’s first cover story on a white artist–hailed Beastie Boys as “perhaps the most consistently innovative musicians to emerge out of hip hop.” It was a claim that Ill Communication has justified for years to come, and 25 years later Ill Communication’s impact has resonated with generation after generation.

Shortly after, Beastie Boy’s released the Root Down EP featuring the original album version of “Root Down” off Ill Communication, plus several remix versions. Also included are seven live tracks from their 1995 European winter tour.

To The 5 Boroughs 15^th Anniversary (2LP Blue Colored Vinyl):
Beastie Boys’ self-produced dedication to their home state of New York, To The 5 Boroughs, celebrates its 15^th anniversary with a 2LP, limited edition blue vinyl pressing. 

Released in 2004, the platinum selling To The 5 Boroughs hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Top Rap Albums, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Top Current Albums, Rap Album Sales and Top Album Sales charts. The album features a steady mix of deep pop culture references in tracks such as “Shazam!” and “Ch-Check It Out,” as well as more serious social and political issues with “Right Right Now Now,” “It Takes Time To Build” and “An Open Letter To NYC.” Rolling Stone stated “To The 5 Boroughs is an exciting, astonishing balancing act: fast, funny and sobering,” while Pitchfork proclaimed, “the album’s easy air speaks to veteran, nothing-to-lose attitude of both the city and the group.”

Paul’s Boutique (2LP)

A1          To All The Girls   
A2          Shake Your Rump             
A3          Johnny Ryall       
A4          Egg Man              
B1          High Plains Drifter            
B2          The Sounds Of Science   
B3          3-Minute Rule    
B4          Hey Ladies          
C1          5-Piece Chicken Dinner   
C2          Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun           
C3          Car Thief              
C4          What Comes Around       
C5          Shadrach             
D1          Ask For Janice    
B-Boy Bouillabaisse         
D2a        59 Chystie Street              
D2b        Get On The Mic 
D2c        Stop That Train  
D2d        A Year And A Day             
D2e        Hello Brooklyn   
D2f         Dropping Names              
D2g        Lay It On Me       
D2h        Mike On The Mic             
D2i         A. W. O. L  

Ill Communication (2LP)

A1       Sure Shot        
A2       Tough Guy      
A3       B-Boys Makin’ With The Freak Freak
A4       Bobo On The Corner   
A5       Root Down      
B1        Sabotage         
B2        Get It Together            
B3        Sabrosa          
B4        The Update      
B5        Futterman’s Rule         
C1        Alright Hear This         
C2        Eugene’s Lament         
C3        Flute Loop       
C4        Do It     
C5        Ricky’s Theme 
D1        Heart Attack Man        
D2        The Scoop       
D3        Shambala        
D4        Bodhisattva Vow        
D5        Transitions       

Root Down EP (Vinyl)

A1       Root Down (Free Zone Mix)   
A2       Time To Get Ill  
A3       Heart Attack Man        
A4       The Maestro    
A5       Sabrosa          
A6       Root Down (PP Balloon Mix)   
B1        Root Down (LP)          
B2        Flute Loop       
B3        Time For Livin’ 
B4        Something’s Got To Give

Root Down EP CD

1. Root Down (Free Zone Mix)        
2. Root Down (LP)   
3. Root Down (PP Balloon Mix)        
4. Time To Get Ill       
5. Heart Attack Man 
6. The Maestro         
7. Sabrosa   
8. Flute Loop
9. Time For Livin’      
10. Something’s Got To Give

To The 5 Boroughs (2LP)

A1       Ch-Check It Out           
A2       Right Right Now Now  
A3       3 The Hard Way          
A4       It Takes Time To Build  
B1        Rhyme The Rhyme Well          
B2        Triple Trouble  
B3        Hey Fuck You 
B4        Oh Word?        
C1        That’s It That’s All        
C2        All Lifestyles   
C3        Shazam!          
C4        An Open Letter To NYC          
D1        Crawlspace    
D2        The Brouhaha 
D3        We Got The