Boston - Boston (1976)

The term "corporate rock" has been applied to any act, especially a band, that is largely held in contempt by the "cultured" musical press who believe only they possess the right to determine what music people should listen to. These snobs' self-importance includes an overwhelming need to constantly attack the fans of any band they deem unworthy, sometimes even more than the artists themselves.

Back in the 70s and 80s the corporate rock label was used freely to describe bands like REO Speedwagon, Toto, Journey, Styx, and one band I truly despise, Foreigner. (Isn't "I Want To Know What Love Is" just awful?)

Let's assume for a minute that corporate rock is a real thing and these aforementioned groups only played music for fame, fortune and easy access to girls in lieu of creating art. Even if that statement is true we all know that Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" is still a classic while Boston's eponymous debut holds the distinction of winning Bloggerhythms' imaginary award for the greatest corporate rock album of all time. Readers, please take note: this should not considered faint praise!

Boston has an interesting backstory. Group founder, Tom Scholz earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering from MIT then spent years perfecting ways to obtain different guitar sounds out of his homemade, twelve track, recording studio. The band was born out of these efforts.

All of the songs on the album were written or co-written by Scholz with with some help from lead singer Brad Delp, whose soaring, sky high, voice perfectly suited the kind of rock Scholz was laying down in his basement.

Boston is a very loud rock album but Delp's vocals, Scholz's distinctive guitar work, and his ability to write songs that are more melodic and hook-filled than those usually found on many hard rock records made this album a deserving hit.

Highlights include "Rock and Roll Band" about a fledgling group's rise from bar band status to stardom, the long, prog-influenced "Foreplay/Long Time" and of course, the classic rock staple, "More Than A Feeling."

Boston went platinum and became the biggest selling debut LP ever until Whitney Houston topped it a decade later.

Unfortunately, the quintet's status as an arena rock giant didn't last long. Their second album, released in 1978, was a virtual carbon copy of the first one, indicating that Scholz ran out of ideas quickly. Then they took another six years to release their third disc. By that time popular music had changed and Boston's days as a top act were done.

Comments

  1. Jeff Ash11:54 PM, May 08, 2019

    OK, but I still will blast this at top volume with the windows down during the summer.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Peter12:12 PM, June 04, 2019

    I am an unabashed fan of "corporate rock" - My first album was Foreigner's self-titled album, and I was a huge Styx, Journey and Boston fan. REO Speedwagon makes me puke, though. ;)

    I love Boston's first three albums. I don't care that it's the same formula - it's like having a great piece of cheesecake and then ordering the same thing because you liked it so much. I wrote on my blog about "A Man I'll Never Be" being the perfect power ballad.

    Brad Delp could sing out of a phone book and it would send chills down my spine. He is truly missed.

    As usual, well done.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Todd Mason10:18 PM, June 06, 2019

    For me, Foreigner was one of the easiest of the "faceless" AOR bands to take, usually...Journey at their commercial height was my bete noire. Boston was mildly more interesting to me, given the virtuosity of the playing.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

WHAT'S HOT TODAY!

Slower Than Slow: 16 RPM Records

Image
Have you ever heard of a long forgotten vinyl format, the 16 2/3 RPM record? They were half the speed of the 33 1/3 RPM albums that were the traditional standard for recorded music. Most record players in the 1950s and 1960s came with a speed setting to play these long forgotten discs that were considered novelties even during the years they were available. Because most, but not all, 16s had big holes and were 7" in diameter many of them were mistaken for 45 RPMs and at that size the speed allowed for up to 20 minutes of playing time per side. However, there was no true standard size and they were also manufactured to be 9, 10, or 12 inches in diameter, and these larger records played even longer. Just like the other speeds and formats 16s could be played one record at a time or stacked on a changer for continuous play. Radio stations often used the discs for pre-recorded radio shows containing interviews, dramas, and documentaries. More frequen
Read more

Chicago: An Album By Album Analysis Of The Terry Kath Era (1969 - 1977)

Image
The original lineup of Chicago has always been one of my all time favorite bands. My affection for this great horn band is such that I want to discuss all of the albums they recorded before Terry Kath's unfortunate and accidental passing. Their debut album is now forty years old, and it's followup is not far behind, yet their music endures to this day. * * * * * Everyone Must Own * * * * Excellent * * * Good * * Fair * Poor * * * * * Chicago Transit Authority (1969) - Whether they were playing screaming psychedelic hard rock, jazz, blues, or love songs, everyone in the band proved they were worthy of the huge mass success that followed CTA 's release. The band's ability to play anything and play it well is the hallmark of their debut album. The stars are Robert Lamm, Terry Kath, and the horns, and even Peter Cetera demonstrates he can be a rock and roll animal when he wants to be. The standout tracks are Lamm's "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It
Read more

Laurie London - He's Got The Whole World (In His Hands) (1958)

Image
Today we're going to discuss an almost totally forgotten hit record along with a little bit of related Billboard chart history. The inspiration for this post came about while sorting through some extremely old 45s that I didn't remember I owned. I've had "He's Got The Whole World (In His Hands)" by Laurie London - a rare, popular, gospel hit - in my record collection since my childhood, even though it wasn't really mine. The single belonged to either my mother or my grandmother who lived with us. I played it once in awhile because I was always allowed free access to their records, and it was eventually absorbed into my collection. Despite the name, teenager Laurie London (born January 19, 1944) was a boy singer who - at age thirteen - became a one-hit wonder in his native UK and in America the following year. Information about London is sparse. Details vary depending on the particular website you're reading, but according to Wik
Read more

Why Do 45 RPM Records Have Big Holes?

Image
Today we're going to find out why 45 RPM records have much larger holes than 78s and 33s. Believe it or not I often wondered about this burning question when I was collecting hundreds of these little seven inch gems back the 1960s. According to several websites, including Answerbag , the reason for the large hole used by 45s was simple. It was difficult for the old 78s, with their smaller holes, to find their way onto jukebox spindles. The large hole effectively eliminated that problem. Strangely, seven inch 45s were often pressed with the smaller holes used for LPs in many countries outside the United States, especially in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Overseas the inserts (commonly know as spiders) were manufactured into the large holes at the factories but they could be punched out if desired. The Beatles' British single of "Love Me Do," pictured here, is a typical example. Why were the spiders built into English 45s? I was unable to fi
Read more

Louis Armstrong - Louis In London (2024)

Image
Louis In London is a live album of a concert Louis Armstrong and his All-Stars recorded for the BBC on July 2, 1968. It was first aired by the network on September 22, 1968. Armstrong died in 1971 and his health was already taking a a sad turn when this concert took place. It's often been called his last great performance because his health deteriorated significantly shortly thereafter, and his ability to tour was severely limited. When the great tumpeter and singer received a tape recording of his London show he marked it "for the fans" because he was so proud of it. He also made copies on his recently installed high-end Tandberg tape system for each member of the All-Stars. In 1970, nine of the thirteen tracks from this new CD were released on LP as  Louis Armstrong's Greatest Hits Recorded Live  on Brunswick Records in both America and in the UK. The CD was digitally transfered form the original BBC telecast recording and no
Read more