Beastie Boys‘ classic second album celebrated across a range of media by fans.
Of all the albums from the back catalogue of New York trio The Beastie Boys, Paul’s Boutique remains one of the most loved. With 2014 marking the 25th anniversary of the album’s release, a string of fans from around the world are celebrating the album in different ways.
Starting today, July 26, the corner of Rivington and Ludlow in New York City that was immortalised in the album’s cover (see above) will sport a mural paying tribute to the Beastie’s classic. The painting will be undertaken by artist Danielle Mastrion starting at 11 A.M. Eastern time on the outside of Wolfnights, the sandwich shop that currently occupies the space of Lee’s Sportswear, one of two shops displayed in the iconic cover.
The mural was spearheaded by LeRoy McCarthy, a fan of the group who previously petitioned the local community board to co-name the intersection Beastie Boys Square. His petition was rejected nearly unanimously by the board, with chairman Gigi Li claiming that no one could demonstrate that the Beastie Boys had contributed at least 15 years of service to the community, according to Rolling Stone.
Those unable to visit the site in New York can still celebrate the anniversary thanks to two additional fan-led projects being released on the anniversary of the album.
First is the Paul’s Boutique – A Visual Companion, a project undertaken by Italy’s SM&A that pieces together videos, film clips, ads and other footage to create a visual dream of what the album might look like.
According to its creator, Paolo, the project is “our idea of what the record should look like. We did the best we could, with what we had, putting heart and soul into it, but with the inevitable awareness that we could never make it right for everybody. Paul’s Boutique – A Visual Companion is our sincere tribute and homage to the Beastie Boys and everything that went into making that legendary record.”
The film cannot be embedded elsewhere but is free to watch on the Paul’s Boutique – A Visual Companion website.
The second project comes from Dan LeRoy, author of the 33 1/3 book on the album. According to DJ Food’s blog, LeRoy has just released For Whom The Cowbell Tolls, a book that acts as a follow-up with previously lost treasures and information gleaned from a stash of memorabilia he came across.
For Whom The Cowbell Tolls is currently available digitally via Amazon, and should be in physical format soon.
And if you’re still looking for more Paul’s Boutique fun, DJ Food‘s own live mix tribute to the album, created and performed with Cheeba and Moneyshot, continues to tour this year.
