Boston

Eventually I will pick an album that I don't absolutely love but so far I've had a hard time pulling those out.  Instead I decided was that I wanted to pull out one of my top ten, no, top five, no, top three albums of all time.  In fact, if I was to be left on a deserted island with nothing but a plate, a needle, a cone of paper and one record album it might just have to be this one.  It's just got too many things going for it: one of the best produced rock albums in history, great lyrics which actually mean something, nostalgia, impeccable musicianship, a lead singer who may have been the best in the business and a lead guitarist who is creative both musically and as an engineer in music technology.  At one time that band was "just another band out of Boston" until they became:

Now let me just say that there's another band out of Boston that most people probably think of first (despite, you know, their name not actually having the word Boston in it... or being comprised only of the word Boston).  I can't seem to understand why Aerosmith is such a huge, mega-hit band, continually churning out music and selling out shows, rockin' with Run-DMC, getting gigs on American Idol etc while Boston sort of faded into obscurity.

My only guess is that it's because Boston simply gave it all away on this, their first album.  And I'm not being figurative here.  I mean they REALLY gave it all away.  With every track on this album I look forward to the next one, and the next one and the next one.  Each song is written, performed, orchestrated and mixed so well it was like all the musical geniuses of the world got together and collaborated on this.  And yet all those geniuses simply live as one in the head of Tom Scholtz.

I found that I actually couldn't type while this record was playing and so I uploaded photos from a recent family vacation instead.  At the end of the album my daughter stood up, flipped the record back over and said "I want to hear that again".  She has since been singing the lyrics to Peace of Mind all wrong and it's making me almost homicidal.  But she's 11, likes the band and is my daughter so I choke back my frustration and gently remind her of the way the lyrics are supposed to go.  She smiles and ignores my attempts.  I bite myself on the cheek in order to focus my rage.  Now she's murdering Mull of Kintyre which isn't even ON this album.  The Seven degrees of separation there is that I was just complaining about Aerosmith who recently had Johnny Depp join them onstage who is working on an album of music with Joe Perry and Paul McCartney who wrote and sang Mull of Kintyre.  How Aria climbed into my head and pulled that one out and yet can't get into my head and get the real lyrics to any song amazes me.  But I digress...

I'll make the history of this one short.  I got this album from my mother's record collection when she decided to get rid of her turntable and records.  Some of those records which became my first record collection was Zeppelin IV, Jethro Tull: Stormwatch, Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon and Boston.  Still my favorite albums to listen to.  And before you go thinking my mom was all cool let me just also tell you that I had to get rid of the Chris DeBurgh, Tina Turner: Private Dancer and Barry Manilow.

My sister at the time (this was around 8th grade, 9th grade) had a cassette tape of the Dirty Dancing soundtrack and she would listen to it every night before she went to bed.  Again, this is not figuratively speaking but LITERALLY speaking.  Don't get me wrong, it is a decent soundtrack and I like many of the songs on it, but I can never, ever hear them again in that order... ever.  Every night I would hear Sylvia and Mickey

"Sylvia!"
"Yes, Mickey."
"How do you call your Lover Boy?"
"Come here, Lover Boy!"
"And if he doesn't answer?"
"Oh, Lover Boy!"
"And if he still doesn't answer?"
"I simply say... Baaa- by"

Every, every, every, every night.  So in response I took my Boston album, recorded it onto a white cassette tape with no label and I, in turn, listened to that album Every Single Night.  What inadvertently happened is that I've now forever linked these two albums in my head but don't worry, I'm currently in therapy for that.

Released in 1976 (I was two) six of the tracks on here were actually written and recorded on a demo by Tom Scholz years before the band actually came together.  The guy is an MIT grad with a recording studio in his home.  He brought in Brad Delp to do the singing and together they wrote a pretty smokin' track titled "Smokin'" (fitting).  Brad Delp then wrote the track that finishes off the album, sort a double time revivalist sounding tune called "Let Me Take You Home Tonight" and the complete opposite of the way the last two albums I've listened to have ended by being probably the most upbeat on the whole album.

Side one

1. More Than a Feeling - I bought a 12 string just to play this song... well and Over the Hills and Far Away and Wish You Were Here... but mostly this one.  This song has a beautiful guitar solo that's not a wanky, pentatonic improv but rather a finely crafted solo that completely fits the song and moves it along on its journey.  Most of the solos on here are like that and many are also harmonized with two guitars, sort of like Allman Brothers but more classically based rather than blues based.  Beautiful.
2. Peace of Mind - These lyrics are speaking to me, I'm just not listening yet but when I do, I'll have Peace of Mind.  I love the use of acoustic guitar throughout this album. It's perfect
3. Foreplay/Longtime - from the awesome walking bass line, great keyboard work and huge build up into the false sense of rest and then blasting into Longtime, the construction of these two songs is, and I really want to punch myself for using this word, Epic.  Funny thing is, Epic is the record label this came out on...

Side two

1. Rock and Roll Band - The vocals on here are killer, Delp was amazing and his death was a huge blow to me as I'd always hoped to see the band perform live someday with him at the helm.  Still planning on seeing the band, just won't quite be the same.
2. Smokin' - I stole part of the arrangement of this for a tune we recorded.  This has the best instrumental break/solo section of any song I've ever heard. Ever.
3. Hitch a Ride - Again, beautiful mixing of the acoustic into the song, great drumming and love the lyrics.  Great one to "leave it all behind to".  The organ leading the way into the breakdown is magic.  Absolute controlled use of feedback into the short dueling guitar solo.  This song is rather hidden here in the middle of the second side but is a terrific songs and deserves its day in the sun. I love all the completely different guitar sounds Scholz uses and this one shows off his very fast, melodic and technical playing
4. Something About You - Love the intro into the harmonized guitar riff.  Just when you think you're getting a slow simmering tune the riff comes in with a pick slide down the low E string.  Vocals are great, think harmony that is all Delp.  Apparently the guy had the uncanny ability to exactly double track his vocals with same inflections, phrasing and pitch.  And the range on that guy.
5. Let Me Take You Home Tonight - What a way to take this one out... we'll miss you Brad.

This album made me want to take out Boston's second album, Don't Look Back and give it a listen.  I don't remember that album being as magical and I'm afraid I'm just not going to like it as much (though the title track is great).  I suppose that's why I'm doing this though so I'll give it a listen, just not now, I'll leave that one for another day.