Just Another Band Out of Boston

Author. Christmas Ball 1977.

It was the fall of 1976. I was entering my sophomore year at the home of the Mighty Milton Panthers in Milton, FL. I was asked to serve “cokes” at the Christmas Ball at Baghdad Elementary School. It was my first ever dance—although I was too afraid to actually get on the dance floor—but I was able to watch all the pretty girls from the safety of my vending booth and listen to music in stereo. The truck only had one AM speaker and one could not really appreciate music from its tinny monaural speaker but Paul Harvey sounded great. It was here at this dance I fell in love with “just another band out of Boston”. I heard “More Than a Feeling” for the first time and it remains my favorite Boston song to this day.

Debut Album Cover.

At the time I knew what “sounded” good but did not fully appreciate music. Through the years I began to understand why Boston “sounded” so much different than other great groups of the time such as Eagles and Lynyrd Skynyrd. It was the harmonizing vocals, the layered guitars, and the manner in which they recorded their songs. Tom Scholz, the founding member studied classical piano as a child and later earned both a BSME and MSME from MIT—those are two engineering degrees—undergrad and graduate—in Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (His son would later graduate from MIT with a BSME.) He wrote most of the songs on their self-titled debut album Boston. He played most of the instruments and recorded them individually on their own “tracks” then layered them to achieve the sound we easily recognize as Boston.

L-R Barry Goodreau, Tom Scholz, Sid Hashian, Brad Delp, and Fran Sheehan, in 1977.

Accompanying Scholz was a local singer and guitarist (who also played harmonica and keyboards) Brad Delp. If Scholz was responsible for the music behind Boston, Delp was the voice out front. His range from soothing harmonizing to the “wow, he must have some tight britches” high tenor, help redefine rock music. With their long lists of hits from the iconic ‘More Than a Feeling’, to ‘Foreplay/Long Time’, the band Boston rewrote the book on lyrical composition, musical instruments (layered guitars), and technical recording equipment.

Through each of their successive albums, their sound is easily recognized. Many thought there would never be another Boston album after Delp’s death (suicide) on 09 MAR 07. But even before his death, Delp and Scholz were in the basement laying down tracks. On 03 DEC 13, Boston will release a new album Life, Love & Hope. In a recent interview, Scholz described how he stayed true to the Boston sound. “They (songs) have all been meticulously recorded to analog tape on the same machines and equipment used for Boston’s hits for the past 35 years. Sometimes even the same amps and instruments”. (Incidentally, Scholz who is infamous for his basement recordings invented The Rockman, which allows musicians to record at home and not spend money on expensive studio time while still achieving studio sound quality results. He sold the company years ago for a nice profit. He is credited as one of the pioneers in home recording technology and making the process of cutting an album less costly and easier.)

The first single "Heaven On Earth" has been released on their website and

Heaven On Earth Album Cover.

YouTube to give you a taste of the music on the album. Based on this taste, I cannot wait to get more. For me, the song provides a musical link between today and the sounds of the 70s—the time of my youth. As I have mentioned in past writings, certain songs or artists bring to mind specific people. When I hear Jackson Browne or Chicago, I think of Kim Watson. Foreigner’s “Hot Blooded” reminds me of Kerrie Shaw and all the times we danced to that song. (I finally overcame my fear of the dance floor with a little help from a Gentleman from Tennessee, Mr. Jack Daniel. He, however, takes no credit for my movements that some have described as a cross between a dying snake and a frog’s leg attached to a battery.) Christopher Cross’ “Sailing” is all Suzy Timmons. Songs and artists from the 60s like Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” and Peter, Paul, and Mary’s “Blowin’ In The Wind” brings Patti Peacher to mind. Lynyrd Skynyrd reminds me of Jeff Roberts and his "Smokey and the Bandit" Black Trans-Am Firebird (strange how all other songs remind me of girls and this one of Big Un). However, when I hear Boston, it is all Jill Garlock. Needless to say, I love Boston. 

Click on the YouTube video for the new single and in the words of Boston….

Turned on some music to start my day

I lost myself in a familiar song

I closed my eyes and I slipped away

It’s more than a feeling…

My Top 10 Boston Songs

9. “Amanda”

    “Hitch a Ride”

8. “A Man I’ll Never Be”

7. “Smokin’”

6. “Rock & Roll Band”

5. “Peace of Mind”

4. “Foreplay/Long Time”

3. “Let Me Take You Home Tonight”

2. “Don’t Look Back”

1. “More Than a Feeling”

For additional information, please visit the Boston webpage.