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November 11, 2025

#379 The Best Album of 1989, Round 4 Match #117: Beastie Boys vs. Madonna

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Hey folks!

First pic: A photograph of a street corner in New York. There is a store called Paul's Boutique on the corner, as indicated by the sign that hangs over the sidewalk to the left. Above the store is a tall brick edifice, presumably apartments. On the sidewalk are clothes hanging from awning as a display, as well as a table with all sorts of objects on it, but difficult to identify any one object. There are two additional signs on the building, just below the brick edifice: "Lee's Sportswear" and "Ben's Shoes.”  Second pic: A close up of Madonna's exposed belly and crotch of her jeans. The top buttons of the jeans are unbuttoned. Madonna's hands are on top of her jeans, her thumbs tucked inside. Two long pieces of jewelry hang (presumably) from her neck, strings with various gems and baubles and rings on them. They probably have Catholic significance but I do not know what. If you want to see Madonna's face, cf. Ciccone Youth, THE WHITEY ALBUM.
Beastie Boys, PAUL'S BOUTIQUE vs. Madonna, LIKE A PRAYER

Today’s Best Album of 1989 match is:

#2 Beastie Boys, PAUL'S BOUTIQUE

Listen on Spotify or YouTube

vs.

#15 Madonna, LIKE A PRAYER

Listen on Spotify or YouTube

To vote, follow this link to the Google Form. You will need a Google login to vote. If you can’t or won’t have one, let me know ASAP (either through this newsletter, my email [kentmbeeson@hey.com] or on the Best Album Brackets Bluesky account) and I’ll see what I can do.

Click here to see the current results for the entire tournament, and click here to see the current results for the prediction bracket contest.

Yesterday, #5 Nine Inch Nails, PRETTY HATE MACHINE defeated #12 New Order, TECHNIQUE, 156-139-2. This match now holds the record for the both the most total votes in a 1989 match (297) and the most votes for a losing album (139) in a 1989 match.

Thanks again for the great turnout yesterday!

Kent

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