Boston

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Boston
Boston live in Hinckley, MN on June 13, 2008
Background information
Origin	Boston, Massachusetts, United States[1]
Genre(s)	Rock
Years active	1976 - present
Label(s)	Epic, MCA, Artemis
Associated acts	Alliance, Beatlejuice, Cosmo, Kimberley Dahme, Barry Goudreau, Orion the Hunter, Punch Bug, RTZ, Stryper
Website	http://www.bandboston.com
Members
Tom Scholz Michael Sweet Tommy DeCarlo Gary Pihl Kimberley Dahme Jeff Neal
Former members
See: Boston past member section

Boston is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts that achieved its most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s. Centered on guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and producer Tom Scholz, the band is a staple of classic rock radio playlists. Boston's best-known works include the songs "More Than a Feeling", "Peace of Mind", "Foreplay/Long Time", "Rock and Roll Band", "Smokin'", "Don't Look Back" and "Amanda". They have sold over 50 million albums worldwide,^[2] including 31 million albums in the United States.^[3]

History

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Before 1976 debut album

The band did not form under the name Boston until just before the release of their debut album. While working a day job as an engineer at Polaroid, Tom Scholz recorded in his home studio for years, with vocalist Brad Delp, drummer/keyboardist Jim Masdea and other Boston-area musicians.

In the early 1970s, he was in a regionally popular band called Mother's Milk with Delp, Masdea and guitarist Barry Goudreau.

The roots of the first album were created in Tom's early demo sessions with songs such as "More Than a Feeling," "Hitch a Ride" (originally called "San Francisco Day"), "Peace of Mind," "Foreplay/Long Time" and "Rock & Roll Band." Scholz soon became frustrated with the limitations of the technology at the time and his inability to capture the sound he wanted, so he began building and designing his own equipment.

The first tapes Scholz sent out were rejected by the record labels. But he persisted: In Goudreau's words, Scholz "refine[d] the songs and recordings to a point where they could no longer be denied." In 1975, after years of futility, Scholz and Delp were signed by Epic Records, with the help of record industry vets Charlie McKenzie and Paul Ahern who signed the band to a management contract.

Masdea left in early 1976. In one version of the story, he was asked to leave because the label was displeased with his performance, although according to other sources, he quit voluntarily to pursue other interests. (Some of Masdea's playing did end up on the final version of the first album). Masdea was briefly replaced by David Currier, but Sib Hashian (a long time friend of Delp's) took over when Currier quit in a dispute over money. The label also insisted that Scholz re-record the demo tapes in a professional studio with a full band. According to Scholz, it was only at this point that Hashian, Barry Goudreau and Fran Sheehan joined the band.

With the exception of "Let Me Take You Home Tonight," which was recorded in California under the direction of producer John Boylan, Scholz re-recorded the other seven tracks in his home studio with only Delp & Hashian (with Goudreau making an appearance on "Foreplay/Long Time" and Sheehan playing bass on "Foreplay"). In an interview with Goldmine Magazine(#465 May 1998), Scholz states that it was John Boylan and his engineer Warren Dewey who suggested the name change from Mother's Milk to Boston for obvious reasons. Although Scholz felt it would be read as copying "Chicago," all of his rock music background had come from Boston. Even as a high school student in Toledo, Ohio, he carefully tuned in to Boston's WBZ, a high power AM radio station which played the new influx of British rock, and a collection of groups known in the 60's as the "Boston" sound - and of course, he and Delp lived in the greater Boston area. They decided it was a good fit, although Goudreau later confided that he and his friends "hated the name Boston."^[4]

Scholz brought the multitrack tapes to LA where Delp added all the vocals. Delp had trouble with the LA smog, and had to re-sing one song back in Scholz' studio, after which the tracks were laid back in and remixed.

Originally only Tom Scholz and Brad Delp were signed to the management deal with Ahern & McKenzie and the record contract with CBS/Epic. And it was a few months after that that the other three Boston members were also written in for equal shares in the LP's performance royalties and tour income(according to an article in Musician Magazine 1/1/87 GonnaHitchaRide.com).

Boston (1976)

Brad Delp, the original lead singer. Along with Scholz, Delp was the only other person signed to Epic Records as BOSTON.

The debut album, Boston, released in August 1976, was an enormous success. The record ranks as the best-selling debut album in U.S. history with over 18 million copies sold.^[5]

During the summer and fall of 1976, Boston attracted much publicity due to the unprecedented record sales by an unknown act, its unique sound, singer Brad Delp's abilities, and founder Tom Scholz' unusual scientific background. However, there was "a conscious effort to deemphasize him as the total mastermind behind Boston."^[6] After opening for Black Sabbath, Blue Öyster Cult, Foghat and others, the band embarked on a headlining tour in the winter & spring of 1977 to support the album. This helped establish Boston as one of rock's top acts within a short time.^[7] Boston was the first band in history to make their New York City debut at Madison Square Garden.^[8]

The album spawned one #2 single, "More Than a Feeling," chosen in 2009 as the quintessential song of the 70s by video site Ryeberg, and two other Top 40 hits, "Long Time" and "Peace of Mind". Additionally, the album peaked at #3 on the Billboard charts. Eleven years later, Boston would reappear in the Billboard Top 200, reaching #101, and again in 2006 following the release of Scholz' remastering of the original recording.

Don't Look Back (1978)

Following the first headline tour, Scholz built another studio in the basement of a tiny suburban house outside of Boston. Despite having problems with manager Paul Ahern, being caught in the middle of a fight between Ahern and McKenzie, and having to wear many different hats with Boston and do most of the recording work alone,^[9] Scholz completed the second Boston album two years after the debut album's release. Album #2, Don't Look Back, was officially released by Epic in August 1978.

At the time this was considered a long gap between albums, but Scholz still considered Don't Look Back to be a rush job and was unhappy with the album's second side in particular. This was confirmed many years later on the Third Stage episode of the popular radio program In the Studio with Redbeard when he said that "CBS had no confidence in a second Boston record and was trying to cash in on the success of the debut album". Although it sold four million copies in its first month, overall Don't Look Back sold about half as well as the extraordinarily successful first album, eventually topping 7 million.

Another tour followed, and the album's title track became a Top 5 hit. Additionally, two other singles, "A Man I'll Never Be", and "Feelin' Satisfied" went Top 40 and Top 50 respectively. Despite the success, Scholz's relationship with Ahern completely deteriorated. Delayed by technical renovations to his studio, Scholz eventually began the process of working on Boston's third album, determined to complete the album at his own pace and up to his demanding standard.^[10]

Boston Under Attack (1979–1983)

In late 1979, Scholz began writing new material, but Boston's former co-manager, Paul Ahern, argued that, according to an agreement Scholz had signed years earlier with Ahern, Ahern owned a percentage of all songs Scholz wrote from that point on. Delayed further by the dispute, Scholz suggested, in the meantime, the individual members should work on whatever other projects they might be considering. Goudreau then decided to record a solo album which featured Boston members Delp and Hashian, and which was recorded with the help of an engineer and producer familiar with Scholz' studio techniques. The album, released in 1980, was titled simply Barry Goudreau and featured a minor charting single "Dreams". There was a bit of tension when CBS marketed the album as "The guitar sound heard on twelve million Boston albums," a somewhat misleading assertion since Scholz had played most of the guitar on the Boston albums.["Boston" Remaster CD booklet, "Don't Look Back" Remaster CD booklet] Scholz objected to the ad copy, but it became irrelevant when Epic dropped promotion on Goudreau's album citing lack of interest. Goudreau ended up leaving the band in 1981. Delp continued to work on some material with him, but stayed with Scholz helping to record the third album, and eventually tour in 1987 to promote it.[CBS vs Scholz]

CBS lawsuit (1983–1985)

While Scholz and Delp were recording new material for the third Boston album, CBS filed a 60 million dollar lawsuit against Scholz, alleging breach of contract for failing to deliver a new Boston album on time.

Scholz was also sued by Sheehan and Hashian after they were dismissed from the band. (Goudreau did not join his ex-bandmates' lawsuit since he'd already settled with Scholz earlier and was bought out of Boston). Sheehan and Hashian eventually settled their suit out of court, with no rights to Boston's name.

The legal trouble slowed progress toward the completion of the next album, which was now being recorded in much the same way the original tapes were: in Scholz's basement studio. Joining Scholz in the album's development again were Delp and Jim Masdea. In 1985, guitarist Gary Pihl left Sammy Hagar's touring band (when Hagar joined Van Halen) to work with Scholz as both a musician and an SR&D executive.^[11]

As CBS v. Scholz played out in court, CBS opted to withhold royalty payments to Scholz, hoping to force him to settle on unfavorable terms. However, Scholz's new high tech company was profitable— and in any case his expenses were low because he owned his own recording studio and because he did not live the usual extravagant rock star lifestyle.

With the help of lawyer Don Engel, Scholz was able to show that he never stopped working to produce the album for Epic, even though a severe back problem should have sidelined him. The lawsuit's first round was decided in Scholz' favor. This allowed him to shop around the third album to other record companies.^[12]

CBS let it be known that if another major label wanted Boston's contract, they would demand a $900,000 buyout, plus $0.25 per album. The MCA label decided to take on the album, which would be entitled "Third Stage." CBS brought a new case against Scholz and MCA, asking for a preliminary injunction to freeze the deal. The judge decided against CBS and Third Stage then belonged to MCA.^[13]

Third Stage (1986–1988)

Despite the adversity, progress continued to be made on the third Boston album. A tape of one of the songs, "Amanda", leaked out of the studio in 1983 and was widely bootlegged throughout the fan community who were eager for new material. The song was also played by some radio stations before CBS ordered them to "cease & desist".

"Amanda" became the lead single when Third Stage was finally released in September 1986^[1] after the band signed with MCA Records. The band was marketed as a duo of Scholz & Delp for this album, although Pihl, Masdea and other musicians contributed.

The album is loosely built around the theme of life's "third stage" (the onset of middle age). During Boston's subsequent tour, the new album was played in sequence in its entirety. Third Stage was the strongest charting Boston release to date. The album and lead single "Amanda" both went to #1 on Billboard, and subsequent singles, "We're Ready" and "Can'tcha Say" were Top 5 and Top 30 respectively.

The group headed off on tour to promote Third Stage in 1987 and 1988. Third Stage was played in sequence in its entirety during the shows, with expanded arrangements of some cuts. For the tour the group was joined by David Sikes (ex-Aldo Nova) on vocals, bass & keyboards and Doug Huffman (drums, keyboards, backing vocals), both of whom stayed with the band into the mid-1990s.

The CBS case took seven years to run its course, and in April 1990 Scholz won. A jury awarded him millions in unpaid royalties and punitive damages. The unanimous decision was summed up by one of the jurors on her way out of the courtroom, "They should have just waited for him to finish." Scholz has stated on numerous occasions that this process left him extremely wary of record labels.

Delp departs; Walk On (1989–1995)

By Spring 1990, Scholz was back in the studio working on an album with the working title Boston IV. Later that year, Delp told Scholz he wanted to concentrate on other projects, and might not be available for some time.^[14] Scholz was now the last remaining original member. Before he left, Delp co-wrote the song "Walk On" with Scholz and David Sikes, which eventually became the title track of the new album.

Delp subsequently joined Barry Goudreau's new band, RTZ. Scholz eventually replaced him with Fran Cosmo, who had previously been in Goudreau's previous band Orion the Hunter.

For the second album in a row, and for the second time in a decade, Scholz's work was unavoidably delayed by renovations to his studio. He was further slowed down by the CBS lawsuit and Delp's absence. In the end, eight years passed between Third Stage and Walk On (released in June 1994). Walk On went single platinum but only reached #7 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. It failed to chart in the Top 5 like all their previous albums. It produced one hit single, "I Need Your Love" which was widely played on some rock radio stations.

Delp reunited with Boston at the end of 1994. Their first appearance was for two benefit shows at the House of Blues on December 12 & 13th, 1994 in Cambridge to promote two Christmas charities. The band also handed a check of $5,000 to Globe Santa and another $5,000 to Operation Christmas in Fall River. Unfortunately, Delp, who was fighting a cold, woke up the morning of the second show with total laryngitis. That night, Cosmo and David Sikes did their best to cover lead vocal duties, while the audience sang along with the entire set.

The group, with Delp now permanently back on board, toured in the summer of 1995 with Delp magnanimously sharing some of the lead vocal spotlight with Cosmo on stage. By this time drummer Huffman had been replaced by Curly Smith (ex-Jo Jo Gunne).

Greatest Hits and Corporate America (1997–2006)

Boston released a compilation album in 1997, entitled simply Boston: Greatest Hits. The album featured all of the band's hit singles except "We're Ready", along with three new songs, "Higher Power," (the first new Boston song with Delp on vocals since 1986), "Tell Me" (with bassist David Sikes on vocals) and an instrumental version of the "Star Spangled Banner." Smith and Sikes left the band in late 1997 after the "Greatest Hits" tour.

Tom Scholz, the band's founder and lead guitarist

Scholz headed back to the studio in 1998 to begin work on a fifth album, which eventually turned out to be Corporate America. Two tracks were leaked in 1999, but the album did not come out until 2002. The title track of "Corporate America" was uploaded by Tom Scholz to MP3.com under the pseudonym of "Downer's Revenge" in early 2002 in order to test the album's appeal to a younger demographic.

November 2002 marked the official release of Corporate America on the independent label Artemis Records. This album featured the largest Boston lineup ever; returning members included Delp and Cosmo on guitar and lead vocals, Scholz on lead guitar and organ, and Gary Pihl on guitar, along with the new members: Anthony Cosmo (Fran Cosmo's son) on rhythm guitar, Jeff Neal on drums and Kimberley Dahme on bass and vocals. Dahme, Delp and Cosmo all contributed lead vocals to the album. The group embarked on a national tour in support of the album in 2003 and 2004.

Also in 2006, the first two Boston albums appeared in remastered form.

Death of Brad Delp (2007)

Boston lead singer Brad Delp took his own life March 9, 2007 at his home in Atkinson, New Hampshire. Police found Delp dead in his bathroom. Police Lt. William Baldwin called the death "untimely" and said that no foul play was indicated. Delp was alone at the time of his death according to the police report. According to a New Hampshire TV website, Delp was preparing for a summer tour. The Associated Press reported that his death was a result of suicide and that he was found by his fiancée. The AP also reported that, according to the New Hampshire medical examiner, Delp's death was the result of suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning (from 2 charcoal grills) as evidenced by carboxyhemoglobin. Delp's last concert with Boston had been at Boston Symphony Hall on November 13, 2006 at a concert honoring football great Doug Flutie.

Tribute to Delp (2007)

A concert in honor of Delp named Come Together: A Tribute to Brad Delp occurred on August 19, 2007 at the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston. The concert included, in order of appearance, Ernie and the Automatics, Beatlejuice, Farrenheit, Extreme, Godsmack, RTZ, and finally the current version of Boston.

All of the living members of Boston were invited to perform in the concert on August 19. The singers for Boston included Michael Sweet of Stryper, former band member Curly Smith, band member Kimberley Dahme, and a Boston fan from North Carolina named Tommy DeCarlo, who was chosen to sing based on his performances of Boston cover songs on his MySpace page.^[15] Another former Boston vocalist Fran Cosmo was unable to sing because of a ruptured blood vessel in his throat but he did play some guitar. Jim Masdea, Fran Sheehan and even Barry Goudreau joined Scholz and the rest of the band on stage for the finale, "Don't Look Back". Sib Hashian was conspicuously absent. Curly Smith and Kimberley Dahme split the lead vocal on the finale.

Present Day (2008-)

The ongoing conflicts between the surviving band members spilled over to the 2008 Presidential campaign. Barry Goudreau and Fran Sheehan appeared with Mike Huckabee (who is a musician himself) and played with him at some rallies in New Hampshire. Barry claimed on YouTube to be currently "of Boston" and said "We Like Mike" arguably implying that he and Sheehan were part of the band and that they were speaking for the band as a whole. Huckabee used "More than a Feeling" as a campaign theme song.

Scholz, a self-described "Obama supporter", sent an open letter to Huckabee in February 2008 stating that the band had never endorsed any candidate, and that he had never authorized the use of "More Than a Feeling" as Huckabee's theme song. Scholz made a point of saying that he, and not Goudreau or Sheehan, actually played all the guitars on "More Than a Feeling" as well as most of Boston’s songs.^[16][17] After the open letter was published in the Rolling Stone magazine, Laura Huckabee, Gov. Huckabee's daughter-in-law, called on behalf of the Huckabee campaign to apologize to Tom Scholz, and Gov. Huckabee did stop using "More than a Feeling" as a theme song.

In the spring of 2008, Scholz and Sweet introduced a new Boston lineup, which subsequently did a North American summer tour, playing 53 dates in 12 weeks (on a double bill with Styx).^[18][19][20] Scholz was the only founding member of Boston to play on the tour, although longtime member Gary Pihl was also part of the band. In addition to Scholz, Sweet and Pihl, the new lineup also featured Tommy DeCarlo, Kimberley Dahme and Jeff Neal.

In January 2009, Greatest Hits was rereleased as a remastered disc, and a new album is in development, expected to be released in 2009.^[21] Tommy DeCarlo is expected to be amongst one of the main vocalists for the album.^[22] Michael Sweet of Stryper, and other musicians will be part of the album personnel.

Innovations and style

Guitarist and primary song writer Tom Scholz' blend of musical styles, ranging from classical to 1960s English pop, has resulted in a unique sound, most consistently realized on the first two albums (Boston and Don't Look Back). This sound is characterized by multiple lead and blended harmonies guitar work (usually harmonized in thirds), often alternating between and then mixing electric and acoustic guitars. Scholz and Brian May are well regarded for the development of complex, multi-tracked guitar harmonies. Another contributing factor is the use of handmade, high tech equipment, such as the Rockman, used by artists such as Journey guitarist Neal Schon, the band ZZ Top, and Ted Nugent. Def Leppard's album Hysteria was created using only Rockman technology. Scholz' production style combines deep, aggressive, comparatively short guitar riffing and nearly ethereal, generally longer note vocal harmonies. A heavier, lower and darker overall approach came in the next two albums (Third Stage and Walk On). The original track, "Higher Power," on the Greatest Hits album exhibits a near Germanic, almost techno influence with its sequencer-sounding keyboards, a sound most fully realized on Corporate America's title track.

Singer Brad Delp, who was strongly influenced by the Beatles,^[23] is also credited for helping to create Boston's sound with his signature vocal sound, one that associates him with Boston as closely as Freddie Mercury is with Queen, Mick Jagger with The Rolling Stones, Steve Perry with Journey, Roger Daltrey with The Who, Richard Sinclair with Hatfield & the North, Elliot Lurie with Looking Glass, Dennis DeYoung with Styx, Andy Fairweather-Low with Amen Corner, and Steve Walsh with Kansas - all fellow classic rock bands.

Boston's albums are played on heavy rotation on Classic rock radio stations, with an emphasis on the earlier works.

Band members

Current members

• Tom Scholz: lead guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion, backing vocals (1976-present)
• Michael Sweet: lead vocals, guitar (2008-present)
• Tommy DeCarlo: lead vocals, keyboards, percussion (2008-present)
• Gary Pihl: guitars, keyboards, backing vocals (1985-present)
• Kimberley Dahme: bass, vocals (2001-present)
• Jeff Neal: drums, percussion, backing vocals (2002-present)

Past members

• Brad Delp (d. March 9, 2007) lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, percussion (1976-1989, 1994-2007, he'd been working with Scholz since the early 1970s)
• Jim Masdea: drums, percussion, keyboards (1983-1988, but also worked with Scholz in the early and mid 1970s)
• Barry Goudreau: guitars, backing vocals (1976–1981, also worked on early demos with Scholz in the early to mid 1970s)
• Sib Hashian: drums, percussion, backing vocals (1976–1983)
• Fran Sheehan: bass, backing vocals (1976–1983)
• David Sikes: vocals, bass, keyboards (1987–1997)
• Doug Huffman: drums, percussion, keyboards, backing vocals (1987–1994)
• Curly Smith: drums, percussion, harmonica, backing vocals (1994–1997)
• Fran Cosmo: lead vocals, guitar (1993–2006)
• Anthony Cosmo: guitar, backing vocals (1997–2006)
• Anthony Citrinite: drums (2001–2002)
• Tom Hambridge: drums (2002)

Discography

Studio albums

See also

• Best selling music artists

References

External links

• Official Site
• Boston: Heaven is a Reel to Reel Tape, originally published in Goldmine magazine, written by columnist Chuck Miller
• Interview with Tom Scholz at JUST CAUSE Magazine.