On The Road Again

jueves, 28 de diciembre de 2017

Boston "Third Stage"

Third Stage is the third album by American hard rock band Boston released September 23, 1986 on MCA Records. It was recorded at Tom Scholz's Hideaway Studio over a long, strained six-year period "between floods and power failures". Scholz and Brad Delp, the group's vocalist, were the only individuals that remained in the group from its original line-up. In terms of lyrics, the release invokes the themes of aging and working through differing 'stages' in one's life. Lead single "Amanda", the album's first track, became a number one hit and is one of the group's best known songs. The album itself was eventually certified 4x platinum by the RIAA.

After winning a legal battle with Epic Records, Scholz switched his band's recording label to MCA. The album's first track, "Amanda", was actually written in 1980 (when Boston began work on the album) and became the band's only #1 single. It reached and stayed at #1 for two weeks in November 1986. It was followed by the second Top 10 single from the album, "We're Ready", which reached #9 in 1987. The songs "Cool the Engines" and "Can'tcha Say/Still in Love" also got substantial airplay, with the "Can'tcha Say (You Believe in Me)/Still in Love" peaking at #20 in 1987 on the Billboard Hot 100. It remains Boston's last Top 40 hit to date.

Third Stage went to #1 on the Billboard 200, where it stayed for four weeks. It was the first CD-formatted album to be certified gold (500,000 copies) by the RIAA. It was also certified gold in the LP format, making it what is believed to be the first album certified in both of these formats. In all, the album was certified 4x platinum.

The album is the first Boston LP to feature electronic drum samples, the first to feature songs not written by either Scholz or Brad Delp, the first Boston LP without original members Barry Goudreau, Sib Hashian and Fran Sheehan (though Hashian and Sheehan were included in the early recording sessions and Sheehan received a writing credit). Original drummer Jim Masdea (who played on the demos that made a bulk of the first Boston album) plays drums on most of the album. This LP was also the first Boston recording to use the Scholz-invented Rockman guitar processor. No orchestral sounds or synthesizers were used on the album. Critics have noted that the album has a much darker, more somber tone than Boston's previous work.

Track listing

"Amanda" Tom Scholz 4:16
"We're Ready" Scholz 3:58
"The Launch:
a) Countdown
b) Ignition
c) Third Stage Separation" Scholz 2:55
"Cool the Engines" Scholz, Fran Sheehan, Brad Delp 4:23
"My Destination" Scholz 2:19
"A New World" (Instrumental) Jim Masdea 0:36
"To Be a Man" Scholz 3:30
"I Think I Like It" (DeBrigard credited as Jon English) Scholz, Jon DeBrigard 4:06
"Can'tcha Say (You Believe in Me)/Still in Love" Gerry Green, Scholz, Delp 5:13
"Hollyann" Scholz 5:11

Boston "Boston (Japan, Epic Records, MHCP-1331)"

Boston is the debut studio album by American rock band Boston. Produced by Tom Scholz and John Boylan, the album was released on August 25, 1976, in the United States by Epic Records. Scholz had studied classical piano in his childhood and became involved in the Boston music scene in the late 1960s. He subsequently started to concentrate on demos recorded in his apartment basement with singer Brad Delp, and although their previous group, Mother's Milk, had received numerous rejection letters from major record labels in the early 1970s, by 1975, the demo tape had fallen into the hands of CBS-owned Epic Records, who signed the band.

Epic wanted the band to record in Los Angeles with a record producer, but Scholz was unwilling and wanted to record the album in his basement studio, so he hired Boylan to run interference with the label. In an elaborate ruse, Scholz tricked the label into thinking the band was recording on the West Coast, when in reality, the bulk was being tracked solely by Scholz at his Massachusetts home. The album's contents are a complete recreation of the band's demo tape, and contain songs written and composed many years prior. The album's style, often referred to as the "Boston sound", was developed through Scholz's love of classical music, melodic hooks and guitar-heavy rock groups such as the Kinks and the Yardbirds.

The album was released by Epic in August 1976 and sold extremely well, breaking sales records and becoming one of the best-selling debut albums of all time. Boston's style was appropriated by label executives and imitated by bands to create radio-friendly "corporate rock", the creation of which the band was also accused. The album's singles, most notably "More Than a Feeling" and "Long Time", were both AM and FM hits, and nearly the entire album receives constant rotation on classic rock radio. The album has been referred to as a landmark in 1970s rock and has been included on many lists of essential albums. The album has sold 17 million copies in the United States alone and 25 million worldwide.

In the late 1960s, Tom Scholz began attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he first began writing music. After graduating with a master's degree, he began working for the Polaroid Corporation in the product development division. By night, he played keyboards for bands in the Boston bar and club scene, where he collaborated with keyboardist/drummer Jim Masdea. The two—who shared a concept of the perfect rock band, one "with crystal-clear vocals and bone-crunching guitars"—viewed themselves as only part-time musicians. Despite this, the duo built a small studio near Watertown, Massachusetts to record ideas. Scholz recorded for hours on end, often re-recording, erasing and discarding tapes in an effort to create "a perfect song." Both musicians later joined Mother's Milk, a band featuring guitarist Barry Goudreau, that vied for recognition in the Boston music scene. Scholz quickly went from keyboardist to lead songwriter, and the band went through dozens of lead vocalists before Brad Delp auditioned. Delp, a former factory worker at a Danvers electric coil company, spent much of his weekends in cover bands. Delp drove to Revere Beach, where the three-piece were performing at a club named Jojo's. Delp was impressed that the band had recorded a demo tape and were still recording, and earned his position in the band after auditioning the Joe Walsh song "Rocky Mountain Way". Mother's Milk became an early version of Boston, with Goudreau on lead guitar.

By 1973, the band had a six-song demo tape ready for mailing, and Scholz and his wife Cindy sent copies to every record company they could find. The songs on the demo were "More Than a Feeling," "Peace of Mind," "Rock & Roll Band," "Something About You," "Hitch a Ride" (under a different title) and "Don't Be Afraid" (which would be eventually released on Don't Look Back). The group received rejection slips from several labels—RCA, Capitol, Atlantic and Elektra among the most notable—and Epic Records rejected the tape flatly with a "very insulting letter" signed by company head Lennie Petze that opined the band "offered nothing new." The tape that received the most attention contained embryonic renditions of future songs that would appear on Boston's debut album. Financial reality encroached the dream for Delp, who departed shortly thereafter because "there just wasn't any money coming in." By 1975, Tom Scholz was finished with the club scene, concentrating exclusively on the demo tapes he recorded at home in his basement. Scholz was renting the house and spent much of his funds on recording equipment; at one point, he spent the money he had saved for a down payment on a future home on a Scully 8-track. He called Delp to provide vocals, remarking, "If you can't really afford to join the band or if you don't want to join the band, maybe you'd just want to come down to the studio and sing on some of these tapes for me." Scholz had given the Mother's Milk demo to a Polaroid co-worker whose cousin worked at ABC Records (who had signed one of Scholz's favorite bands, the James Gang). The employee forgot to mail the tape out and it sat in his desk for months until Columbia began contacting Scholz, after which he sent the tape to ABC.

Charles McKenzie, a New England representative for ABC Records, first overheard the tape in a co-worker's office. He called Paul Ahern, an independent record promoter in California, with whom he held a gentleman's agreement that if either heard anything interesting, they would inform the other. Ahern had connections with Petze at Epic and informed him—even though Petze had passed on the original Mother's Milk demos. Epic contacted Scholz and offered a contract that first required the group to perform in a showcase for CBS representatives, as the label felt curious that the "band" was in reality a "mad genius at work in a basement." Masdea had started to lose interest in the project by this time, and Scholz called Goudreau and two other performers who had recorded on the early demos, bass player Fran Sheehan and drummer Dave Currier, to complete the lineup. In November 1975, the group performed for the executives in a Boston warehouse that doubled as Aerosmith's practice facility. Mother's Milk was signed by CBS Records one month later in a contract that required 10 albums over six years. Currier quit before he knew the band passed the audition, and Scholz recruited drummer Sib Hashian in his place. Epic had signed an agreement with NABET, the union representing electrical and broadcast engineers, which specified that any recording done outside of a Columbia-owned studio but within a 250-mile radius of one of those studios required that a paid union engineer be present. As such, the label wanted the band to travel to Los Angeles and re-record their songs with a different producer. Scholz was unhappy with being unable to be in charge, and John Boylan, a friend of a friend of Ahern, came on board the project. Boylan's duty was to "run interference for the label and keep them happy," and made a crucial suggestion: that the band change their name to Boston.

The album soared, with three singles becoming Top 40 hits. All eight of the songs on the album still receive regular airplay on classic rock radio to this day, across the country. Taking a mere three weeks to earn an RIAA Gold Record Award (500,000 in unit sales) in 1976, and a Platinum Award (1,000,000 in unit sales) after three months on November 11, 1976, it was the fastest selling debut album for any American group. It has continued to sell very well, accumulating 9 million in sales by the 10th anniversary in 1986, reaching diamond in 1990, and 17x platinum by 2003.

Boston has been described as a pivot in the transition of mainstream American rock from blues-based proto-metal to power pop, "combining some of the ebullience of the rock era's early days with the precision and technology that would mark rock record productions from then on." All eight songs—most commonly the album's A-side—are in constant rotation on classic rock radio. Boston's success ushered in the next wave of "producer" rock, and critics accused the band of creating the “corporate rock” sound. Following the album's success, its sound became imitated by several other prominent rock bands of the era. The record created a reference point for production values and studio technology that would stand for years.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Tom Scholz, except "Smokin'", co-written with Brad Delp, and "Let Me Take You Home Tonight", written solely by Delp..