Yeah, yeah Batty. I'm gonna get around to it tomorrow.
Album: Third Stage
Artist: Boston
Genre: Hard Rock
Suggested by: Trollheart
Familiarity: Only heard singles from their first album, so this one is a mystery to me.
1. Amanda - It's a very good song, but it displays a lot of the 80s cheese that developed in between their second album and this one. Plus, this song doesn't really fit with the concept of the album. It's not bad at all, but it's just not the quality of songwriting you'd expect after hearing Boston's first album. As far as I know, Boston wasn't really in to the music at this point. The members pretty much just wanted to make one album, but ended up having to fulfill their three-album contract.
2. We're Ready - This one is already better than Amanda. I especially love the guitar at the beginning. Unfortunately, they still use the cheesy 80s guitar effect. I don't know, maybe I don't like it as much as I thought. Again, not terrible, but personally disappointing based on my previous experience with Boston. The ending ambience is interesting.
3. The Launch: a) Countdown b) Ignition c) Third Stage Seperation - I love the way the keys are used to produce a beep-boopy sound at the beginning. Really epic guitar work. I wasn't expecting any of their songs to be instrumental, but I think they do work really well as an instrumental band. This is my favorite song so far.
4. Cool the Engines - I don't know why Tom Scholz didn't just break down and make his own instrumental music. He's a very brilliant man. Either way, this is a great song, but Brad Delp's vocals are really killing the vibe for me. Never was a big fan of arena rock, and these guys are going full arena rock right now.
5. My Destination - I've heard this song before. Brad Delp's vocals fit this kind of song perfectly. And while I'm not a big fan of ballads, for some reason this one sounds great to me. Ends pretty abruptly, like the first track.
6. A New World - Awesome instrumental. I would assume it was engineered by Tom Scholz at some point as a companion to the song coming right after it.
7. To Be a Man - OH GOD THE EIGHTIES!!! This hard rock/soft rock fusion that was popular in the eighties is one of my least favorite things in music. Towards the end it actually gets really epic and amazing. Overall, it's pretty cool.
8. I Think I Like It - This one's a bit alternative. This album is like Boston + 80s. It sort of grew on me this time. Really great everything.
9. Can'tcha Say (You Believe in Me)/Still In Love - The vocal intro was cool. The piano was alright, and the ballad-y ness in the beginning was generic. This album is so bloody generic, it hurts. It is still good, but I feel like it's bad because it's Boston. I'll just have to deal with this. This song, for some strange reason, makes me want to do the weird snake dance that that guy in the "You Spin Me Right Round" music video does. The guitar section in the middle was excellent! So many conflicting emotions with this album. The heavier guitars come back in, and I feel like I'm hit by a wave of light. I think the longer you listen to Boston, the more amazing they sound.
10. Hollyann - Another one that has some punky vibes to it. The key solo was very entertaining. Yeah, this album is just fun.
I think that's really what it comes down to with this album. It's nothing groundbreaking. There are moments that shine through, and there are moments that are the most cheesy and terrible hard rock I've ever heard. But overall, this album is nothing to flip your s*** over.
OVERALL RATING: 7/10