Boston (band)
|
|
Boston is a best-selling rock band that achieved its most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s. The music of Boston is often cited as having been influential in the music industry's move from heavy metal in the 1970s to the "power pop" that would dominate the 1980s. The most famous of the band's works include the singles "More than a Feeling", "Don't Look Back", and "Amanda".
During their meteoric rise, the Massachusetts-based group consisted of guitarist and songwriter Tom Scholz, singer Brad Delp, guitarist Barry Goudreau, drummer Sib Hashian, and bassist Fran Sheehan. Much of their first, eponymous 1976 Epic Records release was recorded by Scholz, Delp, and Goudreau in a project studio in Scholz's basement. It was only after the label insisted on seeing the band perform that Hashian and Sheehan were added.
Boston was an immediate success, and ranks as one of the highest selling albums of all time, with more than 16 million copies sold. The group currently holds the record for the biggest selling debut by a group, ahead of Guns N' Roses and Hootie and the Blowfish. The band followed the phenom with Don't Look Back (1978), Third Stage (1986), Walk On (1994), and a "reunion" release entitled Corporate America (2002). The band also released a greatest hits album in 1997, which contained a handful of new songs.
Scholz is often described as a "genius", both musically and technically. During the early 1980s he formed the audio-electronics firm Scholz Research & Development, Inc., which marketed the highly-successful "Rockman" guitar amplifier. These pursuits garnered him at least as much wealth as his work with Boston. Scholz was also, less flatteringly, known as a perfectionist: according to one rumor, he is said to have re-recorded a set of drum tracks more than one hundred times. His autocratic nature and unwillingness to complete albums in a timely manner led to a series of conflicts which culminated in lawsuits filed by fellow-bandmembers and the label, Epic Records.
Boston's music is still in heavy rotation, mainly on "classic rock" radio stations. As of 2002, the band continues to produce new music, though Scholz and Delp are the only original members.
Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, radio conglomerate Clear Channel Communications sent out of a list of 150 songs apparently recommended not to be played. Boston's "Smokin'" was on the list.
Discography
- Boston (1976)
- Don't Look Back (1978)
- Third Stage (1986)
- Walk On (1994)
- Greatest Hits (1997)
- Corporate America (2002)
- More Than a Feeling (album)
See also
External links
- A fan-based website (http://www.bandboston.com/)
- Boston's official website (http://www.boston.org/)
- Boston: Heaven is a Reel to Reel Tape (http://www.chuckthewriter.com/boston.html/), originally published in Goldmine magazine, written by columnist Chuck Miller