Sunday, February 20, 2011

Boston - The Band, Not the City

Today the Boston Globe published a really interesting feature on the band Boston, who's debut self-titled album sold 17 million copies (the second best-selling debut album in U.S. history behind Guns N' Roses Appetite for Destruction). The article mostly focuses on the life and suicide of lead singer Brad Delp, the feud with band mastermind Tom Scholz, and litigation surrounding his death. Read When, suddenly, the sun was gone and Timeline for the band Boston.

Boston was one of the first that CDs I purchased. I was in high school (late 80s/early 90s) and listened obsessively to classic rock radio. What I loved about this album was that not only did the songs kick ass, but the fact that Scholz had an mechanical engineering degree from MIT and used his engineering knowledge to put together his own studio. The demo tapes were so good that the songs were largely untouched for their 1976 Epic Records debut. This was a revelation to me: geeks can make killer music!

Who knew that two decades later this small-town Wisconsin girl would end up living in Boston and working on the MIT campus. Now I need to start a band...

Peace of Mind.mp3
Buy: Boston (1976, reissued 2006)

This is really interesting: rare footage of the original lineup from a gig at Giants Stadium in 1979.



2 comments:

toomuchcountry said...

Among first of CDs you bought? When you were in HS in late 80s? I first got it on 8 TRACK in late 70s - bought it used at a flea market in Tennessee! I played those 4 sections over and over through headphones as I learned how to play my Ludwig drum set. Smokin', Smokin' / We're cookin' tonight, just keep on tokin'

Unknown said...

Yep... I remember those days... 8 track.... they are probably saying... what the heck is that...? Anyway I have all the Boston albums and more..... One of the greatest bands that ever was...!