Album #7: Boston (1976)
Boston
Genre: Rock & Roll
Dedicated to MB Member: Boo Boo
This album is great; It came out summer after my senior year of high school and it’s all we requested from the radio for weeks while we drove around the back roads getting drunk in the back of a Ford pick-up truck. Even smoked grass with the cops listening to “More then a Feeling”. This is ultimate summer time music; energetic, heavy and pure and simple straight forward rock and roll. They never came close after this enigmatic eponymous debut; but Boston still has a place as a quintessential Classic Rock band and this as one the “genres” best works.
I am going to try and keep this brief as it’s time to speed these reviews up. (Got about 10,000 more albums still to review after all) Most of you know the album anyway. “More then a Feeling” is a fantastic opener and one of the best songs with clapping in it ever. The slow build sets the albums powerful, dramatic mood. Brad Delp had the perfect voice to front this band and it’s on full display throughout the opening track as are Tom Scholz violent screaming guitar riffs and fills. Those two were the unquestioned nucleus of the band and drove its success in 1976 and even through just recently with Delp’s unfortunate suicide. The second track “Piece of Mind” is sort of rock out while sticking it to the man stuff that made being stoned and unemployed in the 1970’s fun. So gas is two bucks a gallon and you got to wait hours for it and call only fuel up on odd days, at least we can were tight jeans and tell our bosses to take this job and shove it. Awesome stuff.
The first three tracks of the album are the three best, Foreplay\Longtime is a progressive rock instrumental opener followed by a ballad-like single. Good times people, good times. Smokin’ is four minutes and twenty seconds long hmmm that’s a weird coincidence. “Hitchin’ a Ride” was inspired by that scene at the end of Lou Ferrigno’s Incredible Hulk…just kidding it’s a Green Day cover of course. They also have a song called Rock and Roll Band…get the idea these guys had a little fun. The lyrics include “Love, Music, yeah, yeah, yeah” Again, you’d like to be these guys in 1976. The last song “Let me Take You Home Tonight” is a good song, but so ridiculous when you evaluate lyrically.
“Now Im not like this, Im really kind of shy” – Just as shy as most guys who sing shirtless in front of 25,000 people.
”But I get this feeling whenever you walk by” - That’s called a boner
”I dont wanna down you, I wanna make you high” - Heavy stuff man
”Let me take you home tonight, Mamma now its alright
Let me take you home tonight, Ill show you sweet delight.” - Straight from the heart to be sure.
Anyway great album.