Boston - Boston (1976) (LP) - €5,00

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Boston is the debut studio album by American rock band Boston, released on August 25, 1976, by Epic Records. 

It was produced by band guitarist Tom Scholz and John Boylan. 

A multi-instrumentalist and engineer who had been involved in the Boston music scene since the late 1960s, Scholz started to write and record demos in his apartment basement with singer Brad Delp, but received numerous rejections from major record labels. 

The demo tape fell into the hands of CBS-owned Epic, who signed the band in 1975.

The album was released by Epic in August 1976 and broke sales records, becoming the best-selling debut LP in the US at the time, and winning the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) Century Award for the best-selling debut album. 

The album's singles, "More Than a Feeling", "Peace of Mind" and "Foreplay/Long Time", were major hits, and nearly the entire album receives constant airplay on classic rock radio. 

The album is often regarded as a staple of 1970s rock and has been included on many lists of essential albums. 

It has sold at least 17 million copies in the United States alone and at least 20 million worldwide, making it one of the best-selling debut albums of all time.

The styles of Boston have been categorized as hard rock and arena rock (though the latter had yet to have been coined at the time of the album's release). The tracks are described as "anthemic" and make use of layered melodies and vocal harmonies.

Boston is composed mainly of songs written many years before their appearance on the album. Scholz wrote or co-wrote every song on the first album (except for "Let Me Take You Home Tonight," written by Delp), played virtually all of the instruments, and recorded and engineered all the tracks. The "Boston sound" combines "big, giant melodic hooks" with "massively heavy, classically-inspired guitar parts." 

For Scholz, the idea of beautiful vocal harmonies was inspired by The Left Banke. The guitar-driven aspect was influenced by the Kinks, the Yardbirds, and Blue Cheer. 

Another signature element of the "Boston sound" in terms of production involves the balance between acoustic and electric guitars. 

To this end, Scholz was inspired by his childhood listening to classical music, noting that the "basic concept" of setting the listener up for a change that is coming in the music had been explored for hundreds of years in classical compositions. The record also makes use of multiple-part harmonized guitar solos and baroque melodic devices known as mordents.

"More Than a Feeling" is an ode to daydreaming and contains a guitar solo reminiscent of "Telstar." The track was inspired by Scholz's love affair years prior while in school. "Walk Away Renée" by The Left Banke was popular at the time, and it caused Scholz to pine miserably over the girl. 

"More Than a Feeling" unintentionally incorporates a chord progression from that particular song following the line "I see my Mary Ann walking away." 

Scholz initially felt it was his best shot at a lead single but became depressed when doubts got the best of him. 

Ahern loved the track and was sure it would receive maximum airplay. "Peace of Mind" was penned about Scholz's Polaroid superiors and recorded around the fall of 1974. "Foreplay," the extensive introduction to "Long Time," was composed many years prior in 1972. 

"Rock & Roll Band," a track that dates back to the band's Mother's Milk demo, was inspired by Masdea's experiences performing in various bar combos and was written just as "pure fantasy." The album version still features Masdea's drums from the demo tape.

"Smokin'," was written and recorded in 1973 and called "Shakin'." "Hitch a Ride" was originally titled "San Francisco Day," with lyrics starting in New York City and then planning to hitch a ride to "head for the other side." 

This was the first song Delp re-recorded after the original Mother's Milk vocalist left. To create the special effect of a bent note on the track's organ solo, Scholz slowed down one of the recording reels with his finger. "Something About You" was originally "Life Isn't Easy" and was written around 1975. As the last demo, it was the penultimate track.

The trademark sci-fi theme of the record cover was Scholz's concept: "The idea was escape; I thought of a 'spaceship guitar.' " The original spaceship was designed in 1976 by Paula Scher and illustrated by Roger Huyssen with lettering by Gerard Huerta for Epic Records.

Side A

A1.  More Than a Feeling - 4:44

A2.  Peace of Mind - 5:02

A3.  Foreplay/Long Time - 7:47

Side B

B1.  Rock and Roll Band - 2:59

B2.  Smokin’ - 4:22

B3.  Hitch a Ride - 4:12

B4.  Something About You - 3:48

B5.  Let Me Take You Home Tonight - 4:44

Boston

• Tom Scholz – lead and rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, special effects guitar, bass, organ, clavinet, percussion, producer, engineer
• Brad Delp – lead and harmony vocals, 12-string acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar, percussion
• Barry Goudreau – lead and rhythm guitar, guitar solos on "Long Time" and "Let Me Take You Home Tonight"
• Fran Sheehan – bass on "Foreplay" and "Let Me Take You Home Tonight"
• Sib Hashian – drums, percussion

Additional musicians and technical personnel

• Jim Masdea – drums on "Rock & Roll Band"
• John Boylan – producer
• Warren Dewey – engineer
• Deni King, Bruce Hensel, Doug Ryder – assistant engineer
• Steve Hodge – assistant in mixing
• Wally Traugott – LP mastering
• Toby Mountain, Bill Ryan – remastering
• Tom "Curly" Ruff – digital transfer

Additional personnel

• Paul Ahern, Charles McKenzie – art direction
• Kim Hart – design consulting
• Jeff Albertson, Ron Pownall – photography
• Paula Scher – cover designer
• Roger Huyssen – cover illustration
• Joel Zimmerman – reissue design 

Notes

Release:  1976

Format:  LP, Vinyl

Genre:  Hard rock, Arena rock

Label:  Epic Records

Catalog# EPC 81611

Vinyl:  Lichte Gebruikerssporen

Cover:  Gebruikerssporen

Prijs: €5,00