"I went to this party in Los Angeles," recalled Adam Horovitz, "and they were playing this music, like . . . four breakbeat records playing at the same time." The party soundtrack consisted of tracks by the Dust Brothers, who ended up co-producing this entire second record from the Beasties, providing the rap trio with some of the best samples ever put on wax, including the Ramones, Mountain and the Funky 4+1. Paul's Boutique is also an extended goof on Abbey Road, which was Paul McCartney's boutique -- and like that record, it ambitiously stitches together song fragments in a way rarely seen before or since. (Rolling Stone)

Total album sales: 2.5 million
Peak chart position: 14