Paul's Boutique - a life changing piece of art

What can be said about Paul's Boutique that hasn't been stated a million times already?  We all know that because of the amount of samples used the album could not be made today, not only would the band be sued for millions but it would be the most expensive album ever made due to licensing costs alone.  It is also well-known that it flopped upon its initial release only to find a cult audience in the years that followed, this fact makes perfect sense as this record still sounds incredibly ahead of its time.  This is definitely an album that only gets better with repeated listens, I remember getting this when it came out and absolutely hating it, I wanted License to Ill part 2 and the closest thing to that on this album is the leadoff single "Hey Ladies", the rest sounded like a muddled mess initially.  My opinion soon changed as it did for my entire generation as this has become more than a simple record but a cultural landmark.  Probably one of the most listened to albums of my entire life (only equaled in spins are probably: Rubber Soul, Revolver, and London Calling).  This album never loses its edge, its humor, its cool, as well as its utter sense of fun no matter how many times I hear it.  I have probably heard and played "Shake Your Rump" at more parties that I can name and I still go back to that track as one of the greatest party anthems of all time.  This album never went out of style, no matter how many musical phases I have gone through Paul's Boutique was always involved either directly or indirectly.  In middle school I worshipped it, the same time I was obsessed with Nirvana and The Pixies.  In high school no matter how many punk and hardcore bands I liked, I always played Paul's Boutique at times as a sharp counterpoint.  In college when I was obsessed with indie rock, I distinctly remember Paul's Boutique being played during my first week of freshman year.  It has always been there, friends and I have quoted the album to death and the jokes are still funny.  Songs that didn't stand out are now my favorites, it just destroys everything in its wake.  Very few albums have this much vision, this much energy, and this much staying power.  It is intense.  While The Beasties went on to do some great work after this, there is no fucking way they could ever top it.  We all knew it too, I remember riding my bike to get Check Your Head the day it came out in 1992 and loving it but knowing no matter how many times I listened it would just never compare to the way I felt about Paul's Boutique.  The pop culture references galore, the endless creative samples, the driving beats, the layers and layers of sound; I feel I've said enough, this is just simply one of the greatest albums ever made.