1 post tagged “boston”
I don't think much has to be said of this album. It's one of the fastest selling debut albums ever for a reason. Chances are if you grew up listening to classic rock, you've heard every single song off this album. It could honestly be labeled "Greatest Hits" and most people wouldn't even complain.
Everything about this album just comes together perfectly. Brad Delp had a phenomenal voice, Tom Scholz is pretty much just a genius (wrote the songs, played most everything aside from the drums). It winds up being the perfect length too, clocking in at 8 tracks.
None of Boston's other albums really met this standard, although there are a few fun tracks here and there. As much as I think their self-titled debut is one of the best rock albums ever released, I can't even really bring myself to listen to the entirety of any of the others. Still, this album did so well and helped define so many expectations of 70s rock that I think it's safe to say they don't have much to feel bad about. Unfortunately, Delp committed suicide somewhat recently any waning interest I had in the group's future is basically gone.
This album was recently remastered twice. The first version, if you were unlucky enough to get it, was pushed out by Sony a couple of years back. Scholz complained and got the rights to remaster the album himself, which is the version you'll find in stores now.
For me this created a lot of confusion as Boston isn't exactly on the "Hot Shit to Watch" list. It was very difficult to figure out who was talking about which version because they were titled exactly the same. Luckily the good one has a big sticker on it telling you these are the Scholz remasters, so there shouldn't be too much confusion (unless you're buying stuff used). It sounds pretty damn phenomenal. It's not immediately obvious if you're blasting the tracks out of a stereo (even the old CD releases sound good), but if you have really good equipment (or really good headphones) the difference is pretty staggering.
Rock Band has almost the entirety of this album too, aside from the final track (which is apparently on a different master). I bought it instantly and don't regret it, although I'm constantly surprised by how many people in my age group don't know any of these songs. Such is life.
