On July 24, 2015, KEXP played Paul’s Boutique. Really played it. They broke down the Beastie Boys album track by track. In the process they played all 100+ sampled tracks in their entirety. For good measure, they also threw in some B-sides, interviews with the Dust Brothers and other rarities. A Herculean effort, indeed.

I was busy doing something important that day, so I missed the whole thing. Fortunately, all 12 hours was available for a time in KEXP’s archive. It’s no longer there, but the full list of samples is available thanks to the Internet Archive: KEXP Steps Inside Paul’s Boutique broadcast is available to stream.

Like many, I came late to Paul’s Boutique. When Licensed to Ill hit, I wasn’t much of a fan. A few years later, it seemed like every place in Boston–shop, store, bar etc.–was playing Check Your Head. This piqued my interest, so I found a copy of Paul’s Boutique and played the shit out of it. To this day, it is one of my favorite albums.

It’s great to hear the KEXP DJs give this album, and all of the music that went into it, the attention it deserves. KEXP rocks for this and so many other reasons. If you enjoy listening, please consider donating to KEXP.

Photo from KEXP