BOSTON’s debut album has become a staple of FM radio over the past 50 years, and not just with 1 or 2 songs. The album written and recorded largely by guitarist Tom Scholz, along with singer Brad Delp, with Scholz and John Boylan producing.
Now, I know many may pass over this as an album they’ve overheard, especially with the album’s biggest hit “More Than A Feeling”. But there is no denying this album’s huge sound and impact at the time. And, if you’re a classic rock fan, you don’t know just 1 of the 3 hit singles – you probably know most of the album, as most of it (if not all) occasionally still gets FM radio play, somewhere. The hit singles “More Than A Feeling“, “Piece Of Mind” and “Long Time” are all featured on side one, with “Long Time” being part of the epic piece, accompanied with the instrumental “Foreplay”, rivalling anything Deep Purple or Uriah Heep had done. There is also the classics on side two, most notably “Smokin‘”and “Rock & Roll Band“. Then there’s no less impressive string of songs on that side – “Something About You“, and the softer “Hitch A Ride” and the closing ballad “Let Me Take Me You Home Tonight“. These guys mixed and layered melodic guitars (acoustic and electric), along with vocal harmonies in the choruses, and organ on many tracks.
Boston became the biggest selling debut album at that time. It’s since sold over 20 million copies worldwide. This album has become one of the most recognizeable albums in classic rock, not just with it’s distinctive sound, but with a number of songs from it appearing in lots of movies and TV shows over the years. The album’s cover is also outstanding, IMO, despite it’s artist once calling it “mediocre”; it is easily recognizeable with the upside down guitar, appearing to resemble a spaceship. The upside down guitar theme and logo would become part of the band’s subsequent album covers. Boston is absolute essential ’70s rock listening. The band’s follow up, Don’t Look Back, did not sell nearly many copies, but it was an excellent follow up.
*see below for Press items from that time, and various related links
BOSTON in the press:
BOSTON -Epic PE34188. This highly touted New England group more than lives up to its billing as being able to rock in heaviest metal style while remaining warm and fluid. The uniqueness would appear to emanate from Tom Scholz, an MIT mechanical engineer in product development for Polar- oid who played a mean local guitar in bar bands by night. Scholz was chief engineer and co- producer of this album, which grew at least partially from some phenomenal demo tapes he made in his own home studio. Lead singer Brad Delp and his many overdubs vocalize with a lot more feeling and beauty than the often perfunctory singing often found in even big -name hard rock groups. Scholz and Delp individually wrote all the songs on the album too, again with much more melody and imagination than one usually expects to find on a heavy metal outing. An unusually auspicious debut in an era of particularly high standards for new rock groups. Best cuts: “More Than A Feeling,” “Let Me Take You Home Tonight,” “Smokin’.” Dealers: This is a particular autumn push group for Epic. (Billboard, 09/11/79)
BOSTON — Epic PE 34188 — Producers: John Boylan, Tom Scholz — List: 6.98 Not many hard rock bands show even a smidgeon of the concern for pleasing melody lines and supporting harmonics that are the hallmarks of the Boston sound. An extremely impressive debut effort, “Boston” demonstrates all the essential in- gredients for first rate rock ’n’ roll — glassshattering vocals, molten guitar lines and just enough use of keyboards to make the whole package interesting. Don’t be surprised if you hear a majority of the cuts from this LP on the FMprogressive airwaves. In fact, tunes like the autobiographical “Rock & Roll Band” will also be warmly received by the pop programmers. Boston is a very promising group.(CashBox, 09/04/76)
BOSTON -More Than A Feeling (3:25); producers: John Boylan and Tom Scholz; writer: T. Scholz; publisher: Pure Songs, BMI. Epic 8 -50266 (CBS). Electric guitar-dominated rocker is made commercial with an accessible beat and hand- clap backup and smooth, soaring vocals. (Billboard, 08/28/76)
BOSTON -Long Time (3:03); producer John Boylan.
writer Tom Scholz. publisher Blackwood. BMI Columbia
850329 The group had a top 10 single its first time out and
Mrs lollowup is comparably catchy in its combination of
spacey electronic fills and soaring, lull bodied vocal har
monies. (Billboard, 01/22/77)
LINKS:
Outsider Rock 