Tuesday, 11 October 2011

Great Rock Albums of the 70s: Boston

If I could point to any one album back in my naive teenage days which opened my eyes to the world of heavy rock, it would have to be the first album by Boston. When I first heard the song "More Than a Feeling," I was completely blown away and made sure whenever that song played on the radio in late 1976 and early 1977, the volume would get turned up to full. Boston was the major turning point leading me out of relying on the top 40 played on AM radio to more harder rock persuits.
Track Listing:
1. More Than a Feeling
2. Peace Of Mind
3. Foreplay/Long Time
4. Rock and Roll Band
5. Smokin
6. Hitch A Ride
7. Something About You
8. Let Me Take You Home Tonight
While "More Than a Feeling" is the most popular Boston song of all time, (it appears on many compilation albums including three of mine) many of the other tracks can stand alone in their own right. "Peace of Mind" and "Foreplay/Long Time" also both made the top 40 charts and I know that "Let Me Take You Home Tonight" also received play on the radio. Furthermore, all of the other tracks also feature on classic rock stations and back in the late 70s, many thought that "Rock And Roll Band" should have also been released as a single, I was one of them.
Boston is:
Tom Sholtz- guitar, organ, electric piano, accoustic guitars, clavinet
Brad Delp- vocals
Sib Hashian- drums
Barry Goudreau- lead guitar
Fran Sheehan- bass
Boston's first album is the second largest selling rock album of all time, only "Appetite for Destruction" by Guns and Roses has more sales. This album while a good rocking album is quite melodic as well, which is why it works on so many levels. After 35 years, this album continues to set a standard for great rock.
Next Post: Jeffereson Starship: Spitfire
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