Thinking Outside The Box

It is not very often that a band or an artist with class and real talent hit the nail right on the head with the debut album. A lot of times bands have an album or two the helps them on their way and creates the a feel and sound the band takes as their own. Not even some of my favorite bands have had a smash hit debut album. Def Leppard Had two albums to go through before Pyromania and Pantera released four albums before Cowboys From Hell and I don't really like any of the albums so a lot of times a band needs to find its way around a studio and so on before it really clicks. But in 1976 something special happened and that thing was Boston.

I am an 80's guy through and through. I have never had a thing for the 70's and especially not for the rock that started out in the late 60's but somethings in the 70's was truly awesome and important to both me and the entire world of music as we know it. The year 1976 did though give me something special and it came in the shape of Boston's self titled  debut album Boston. I still have troubles sometimes, wrapping my head around how great that album was and how good it sounds. The production value is insane and the songs are so classic they became instant Rock & Roll Hall of Fame songs.

First of there wouldn't have been a Boston if it wasn't for Tom Scholz. In my book he was and still is a genius.He started out as a mechanical engineer who worked at Polaroid but he had always had an interest in music and while he work at Polaroid he build his own studio in Boston, Massachusetts. He started writing some music and recorded it by himself. He showed up at Epic Records with his demo tape and was sure that it was good enough for an entire album but Epic told him that it needed a rerecording. Tom Scholz played both Guitar, Bass, Keyboards and some of the drums on all of the songs and Brad Delp sang the vocals. Some other musicians were featured on the album but non in such a degree that they were signed with Epic records as Boston. Only Scholz and Delp where signed to a record deal and even though Epic wanted the album to be recorded in a "real" studio almost the entire album ended up being recorded in Scholz's home. When it was released in August, 1976, it was a smash hit and turned out to be the single best selling debut album ever at the time. And no wonder because some of the songs on this album are indeed special. Even if you just judge the album on its cover it should be killer cause it looks so fucking cool.

The overall sound of the album is so sharp and there is a clear red threat all the way through and you can just hear that these songs come from the same band and the same mind. The songs are not very different but still that is not a problem because they kick ass. You get a fat wall of guitars mixed with Delp's awesome high pitched voice. The organs kick in from time to time and helps the album ooze classic rock. Scholz was such a perfectionist that the songs are mixed to perfection. Everything is weaved together with the soul purpose: to sound like it was an entire band that played. And it does. Though Scholz played everything it still has the flow and feel of a whole band. By recording everything at his own pace and by himself he didn't have to pay anybody and there for had all the rights to the songs to himself. and he earned a ton of money on the album, which by the way has gone 17 times platinum.

More Than a Feeling is known by every rock fan and a lot of non rock fans. And it is just a fantastic song. It fades in and gives me all I ever wanted and screaming Les Paul that builds up to an otherwise not to heavy song. The chorus is awesome with its great voicings and when Delp hits that high G your mind blows to pieces. Scholtz has a thing for using a mix of acoustic guitars and electric guitars that gives Boston something different. More Than a Feeling gets that feel as well because the buld up to the chorus is so soft and when the guitars really kick in you get blown away because of the thickness and power they bring. A great song.

Smokin' was in GTA San Andreas and is one of the greatest driving songs of all time. It is up tempo and has rocking vocals and killer organ parts. Yet still the guitar parts are so thick and wonderful it binds it all together. You feel like a bad ass when you put this song on and nod your head along with the beat. And I can't think of a song I would rather have a bar fight to.

Foreplay/Long Time is more odd. The intro is a long dive into what an organ can do and how bad ass it can be. Then you get that guitar driven theme that leads to the "real" song and it is yet again kind of soft and the chorus is only backed by an acoustic guitar untill the end and you once again get the magical voicings and the powerhouse of a guitar sound kicking in when it needs to. The lyrics are actually deep. They are about staying true to yourself and always keep dreaming.

Hitch a Ride is maybe the softest of all the songs but it still has the same elements as the others but the one I like the better is Peace of Mind. It has a great chorus and the way it starts out with the acoustic guitars leading into the guitar driven riff is awesome. the verses works so well together with the choruses but when everything dies down and you get back to the intro near the end everything is taken up a notch. This time the Lead guitar playes the chords with power and then the riff comes along played three whole times through the outro with an octave added every time the riff has been played through twice, meaning that a whole time is the riff played twice. The song then fades and you are left with your mouth open, wondering how that could sound so awesome.

Tom Scholtz is a genius and he really created something special back in the day. Boston couldn't capture that same vibe truly again but I am so happy that they did. It is a masterclass on how to think outside of the box and do stuff your way and be true to it. 

Get a life and start listening to better music!