Artist: BOSTON
Album: BOSTON REMASTERED (CD)

Year: 1976/ 2006
Media type: CD

Boston is the debut album by American rock band Boston. The album broke fast, with several blockbuster hard rock hits. All eight of the songs on the album still receive regular airplay on classic rock radio. Taking a mere 2 months to earn an RIAA Gold Record Award in 1976 and then a Platinum Award (1,000,000 in unit sales) after 3 months, it was the fastest selling debut album for any American group. In the subsequent 10 years of its 1976 release, the recording continued to sell very well reaching 9 million in sales in 1986 and has continued to receive multi-platinum awards through the present, reaching diamond in 1990 and eventually going 17x platinum in 2003.

Tom Scholz started off jamming in a makeshift band that included future Boston members Barry Goudreau and Brad Delp. Unsatisfied with the live sound, the perfectionist Scholz disbanded the act and instead made demos in his home studio with Delp on vocals. The demos eventually attracted the attention of Epic Records.

Scholz was satisfied with the demos to the point that he wanted to use them as a final album, but Epic said no. "The material had to be recorded in a 'professional' studio in exactly the same way!" Scholz later wrote. Scholz insisted on doing the rerecording in his basement. Epic producer John Boylan (produced Little River Band among many others) made a deal with Scholz. Boylan would have the rest of the makeshift band record some studio arrangements in Los Angeles, Delp and Sib Hashian (with Barry Goudreau joining toward the end) to "create a diversion" while Scholz made his multitrack recordings at home.

Most of the guitar, bass, and keyboards were performed by Scholz and recorded at his basement studio. Most of Delp's vocals were recorded in Los Angeles with Boylan. Only two tracks include all the musicians who ultimately toured under the name of Boston, "Foreplay/Long Time" and "Let Me Take You Home Tonight."

This album and the group's second (Don't Look Back) were remastered and re-released on June 13, 2006. The re-releases were digitally remastered personally by the band's leader, Tom Scholz, after he heard (not directly) that the remastering project was to be handled by Sony's team. This was unacceptable to him, and he took it on himself after negotiations with Legacy. "I've always wanted to make those albums sound good on CD, and the chance arrived," he said. The re-masters have received very high praise from magazine critics, and especially from the die-hard fan base.

All songs written by Tom Scholz, except where noted.

TRACKLIST:

"More than a Feeling" – 4:46
"Peace of Mind" – 5:02
"Foreplay/Long Time" – 7:47
"Rock and Roll Band" – 3:00
"Smokin'" (Delp, Scholz) – 4:20
"Hitch a Ride" – 4:13
"Something About You" – 3:48
"Let Me Take You Home Tonight" (Delp) – 4:43

LINE-UP:

Bradley Delp – vocals, guitar
Tom Scholz – guitar, keyboards, bass guitar
Barry Goudreau – guitar
Fran Sheehan – bass guitar
Sib Hashian – drums, percussion
Jim Masdea – drums, percussion (on "Rock and Roll Band")