Boston's debut album was one of the best of its time.  Their self-titled first album was their most popular to date and sold over seventeen million copies.  The writer and producer behind the band was Tom Scholz, who also played every instrument for the band except for the drums.  He was helped by the lead singer of the band, Brad Delp.  The band went on to sell seven million copies for their second studio album 'Don't Look Back' in 1978.  Altogether, the band sold more than seventy-five million copies worldwide and made a name for themselves in the classic rock world forever.  
     All of the songs on the album were written and produced by Tom Scholz, the mastermind who essentially started the band.  Along with lead singer Brad Delp's help on a few of the songs, the pair created a masterpiece that would come to sell millions of copies.  Each song was produced in Tom's basement, which he converted into a makeshift studio.  Tom preferred to take his time on each song and do things at his own pace, which was a leading factor as to why their self-titled album did so well.  Tom didn't have the record label timing him and pushing him to get songs out in a timely manner, he took all the time he needed.  This gave him the space and clarity to come up with arguably some of the band's most famous songs, such as "More Than A Feeling" and "Peace of Mind".  Later albums did not do as well, which could have been due to the record label pushing Tom to create music in a certain amount of time.  This situation later ended up leading to a lawsuit between Tom Scholz and CBS Records, because Tom Scholz and Boston failed to deliver a record album.
     Boston's music is considered classic rock and was influenced by earlier music of that genre.  Boston had many similar elements to other classic rock bands, such as their use of the electric guitar.  Unlike other bands, however, Boston had a unique way of creating their own sounds.  Tom Scholz went to college at the Massachusetts Institution of Technology to get a mechanical engineering degree and later got a job with Polaroid before the band took off.  His engineering background came in handy when making Boston's music because he was able to use his knowledge to create any sound he wanted.  With his prior knowledge, he came up with a bunch of unique sounds which can be heard in any of the songs on Boston's album.  Tom Scholz stated that Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin, James Gang, The Kinks, and The Yardbirds all had a big musical influence on him.  However, his biggest influence was Iron Butterfly, specifically their 1968 album 'Heavy'.  There is a song in that album that stood out to Tom, called "Iron Butterfly Theme".  On the track, you can hear cool psychedelic guitar lines.  The sounds from their guitar and the power that came from their music real stood out to Tom and became and huge influence on him. 
     This album was released in the 70s and is a perfect reflection of that time period.  Smoking weed, finding love, and creating your own path in life are all referenced in this album and are strong topics of the decade.  This is around the time when more people were starting to go to college and pushing to become more than the average person. "Peace of Mind" is a perfect example of that mentality, as people were just trying to do their own thing at their own pace, much like Tom when he was writing the songs for the album.  The song highlighted the fact that people were trying to rush through life instead of taking a step back and enjoying it.  We only get to be here once for all we know, so we might as well make the most of it.  "Smokin'" is another song off of the album, which talks about exactly what the title says.  The song is about weed and getting high. Other songs off of the album, like "More Than A Feeling", "Something About You", and "Let Me Take You Home Tonight" are all about trying to find the right person. "Rock & Roll Band" is a song about the life of being in a band and the reality of it all.  This song is not specifically about Boston's upbringing, but it talks about sleeping in cars and barely making ends meet.  Toward the end of the song, the mentioned band is now famous, and everyone knows their name.  It is a feel-good song that many people know and can jam out to.  "Foreplay/Long Time" is a very unique song off of the album.  Like other songs from the album, this song references trying to find love.  This song, however, is rather unique because the first few minutes of the track is solely instrumental.  Guitar solos and cool riffs are common in this type of music, but I have not found many songs of this era that made a successful track that started out with a good two and a half minute run.  Boston specifically did a great job on this track of keeping the audience's attention by making the instruments louder, quieter, and bringing in a bunch of different sounds to peak interest.  Guitar solos and other instrumental segments are pretty commonly found further into classic rock songs.  Some examples could be Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven", Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird", and Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine". 
     Many people believed that this album was something new and unique that has never been heard before.  Boston and Tom Scholz specifically did a great job at creating catchy music for the decade that was very unique and was still able to top the charts.  Their idea of making unique music paved the way for classic rock thereafter.  Audiences were obviously ecstatic to hear something different because the album did a great number in sales.  Critics raved that the album was a breath of fresh air and arguably one of the best records ever.  
     One of the songs off of the album is very closely tied with the band itself.  "Hitch A Ride" is the sixth song on the album and the song is about suicide.  This topic is closely related to the band because the lead singer, Brad Delp, ended up committing suicide in March of 2007 and left behind a series of notes and some letters.  The notes were found in many different places, and one talked about Brad being a "lonely soul".  Brad Delp is not the only singer who's committed suicide, as it has happened to many other well-known musicians.  This could be because of the pressure of being in the spotlight and always having to be at your best.  Many bands of the time were heavy into drugs and drinking.  Media and Brad's ex wife were implying that Tom might have been a cause of Brad's suicide, and Tom ending up taking them to court with no success.  The court ruled in favor of Brad's ex wife and the media outlets and Tom lost $132,000. Brad left this world years ago but still lives on through his voice, which can be heard on their debut album.  Brad was also the one who sang the vocals for "Hitch A Ride", which came to be closely related to him and his choices. 
     Boston's first album set the standard and groundwork for their later albums.  This first album cover features a bunch of guitar spaceships, each with a city (presumably Boston) sitting on the top, encapsulated in a glass dome.  The colors used on the cover are very vibrant and closely resemble the 70s.  The spaceships are seen leaving a planet which is seemingly blowing up.  This vibrant space world can still be seen at their concerts, as they use the spaceship control room as a backdrop for their concerts.  I went to see Boston in concert back in July of 2017.  The stage lighting was very vibrant, with deep purples and electric blues.  The backdrop was a journey of its own, as you can see the control room of what looks like a spaceship as it moves through outer space.  The backdrop also showed guitar spaceships from the outside view, and they can be seen traveling through space.  There were lots of views of planets, asteroids, and rocks blowing up as they got to certain parts in the songs.  This spaceship and outer space theme can be seen on their later album covers, such as 'Don't Look Back' (1978), 'Third Stage' (1986), 'Walk On' (1994), 'Corporate America' (2002), and 'Life, Love & Hope' (2013).
     Anybody even remotely interested in classic rock can name many songs off of this album, as it houses many of Boston's most popular songs.  Even people who don't listen to classic rock will still be able to recognize Boston's sound, because "More Than A Feeling" is a very popular song that has been used in many different Disney movies. This band did an amazing job on their first album which shot them into the spotlight.  Tom's visions for the background sound and Brad's stellar vocals really helped separate Boston from all the other bands of their time.  

The History of Rock & Roll

     Rock and roll came about in the late 1940s to early 1950s and stems from earlier R&B and jazz music.  R&B music came from gospel and soul music, which was mainly performed by African Americans.  Many believed that R&B music was by American Americans for African Americans.  When classic rock came about, it was believed to be similar to R&B, but instead it was by white artists and for a white audience.  As rock and roll came to evolve, these statements ending up being false, as many African Americans along with white artists were writing and producing great classic rock songs.  Rock and roll was once a very dominant form of popular music.  Around the 2000s it died out and the only form of rock that was topping the charts was pop rock.
     There are many famous artists who shaped classic rock.  Included in this list are The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Bob Dylan, and Chuck Berry.  The Beatles were influential in classic rock because they are one of the best-selling rock and roll bands of all time.  They were gifted singer-songwriters and made a huge impact on the era.  Jimi Hendrix gave rock and roll a new meaning by taking his music to the next level and always putting on a show for his audience.  He was a talented guitarist and a very creative musician.  Led Zeppelin is one of the most successful bands of all time.  They were very influential during the era and still today, as they have influenced countless numbers of artists.  Arguably their most popular song, "Stairway to Heaven" was a big influence on classic rock songs to come thereafter.  Queen has shaped the classic rock genre because of their number of hit songs.  Freddie Mercury was an amazing songwriter and wrote many smash hits for the band.  Along with his amazing songwriting, he had a huge stage presence and Queen always sold out their shows.  One of their most popular songs, "Bohemian Rhapsody" gave a new sound to classic rock.  Bob Dylan was simply an amazing songwriter.  He had a unique way of expression through his songs and shaped the classic rock genre.  As for Chuck Berry, his influence is unique to classic rock.  His 1955 song "Maybellene" was considered as the first rock and roll song. Simply put, many believe that if there was no Chuck Berry, music would have been very different.
     Boston is also seen as an influential band in rock and roll.  Rock and roll all has a pretty similar sound to it, but Boston decided to push those boundaries.  Tom Scholz, the man who started the band and produced most of their music, was an engineering major in college and used that knowledge to his advantage in the music world.  With his background knowledge, Scholz created many different sounds from various instruments.  Any sound he thought of, he could recreate and bring to life.  This search for new and unique sounds separated Boston from other rock and roll artists and gave them a very fresh sound.  Their music was something unique and never really heard before, which was a quality that made them stand out. 
     Rock and roll died with the coming of the 21st century.  However, many forms of rock have stemmed from rock and roll.  Punk rock, heavy metal, glam rock and alternative rock have all been transformed from rock and roll music.  Earlier punk rock bands like the Ramones paved the way for later bands like Green Day.  punk rock is a fast-moving and rather aggressive form of rock music which became popular in the late 70s into the early 80s.  The Ramones are often referred to as one of the first punk rock groups.  Green Day is known for many hit songs, including "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", "American Idiot", and "Wake Me Up When September Ends".  These songs, especially "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", are all very popular and well-known songs in the punk rock genre. 
     Heavy metal has been around since around the late 60s and early 70s.  Black Sabbath was one of the first bands to fall into this heavy metal category, with hit songs like "Paranoid" and "Iron Man".  Metallica is also a very prominent band that falls under this genre with many hit songs.  Even people who don't listen to heavy metal know Metallica from their hit song "Enter Sandman".  Along with that song, Metallica has put out many other great hits including "Nothing Else Matters" and "Master of Puppets".  Heavy metal is still a prominent genre today and bands like Metallica are still creating music for their listeners.
     Glam rock was started around the early 70s when bands started performing with glitter and makeup along with flamboyant looking outfits.  David Bowie was one of the first artists to fall under the glam rock category and is now known as "The King of Glam Rock".  He got this title because he always pushed the boundaries of rock and roll and eventually ended up creating this whole new genre which he basically invented.  Bowie had a huge stage presence and was often seen wearing very flamboyant outfits during his shows.  Artists like Bowie laid the foundation for later artists like Kiss who are known for their monochrome outfits, crazy hair, and bold makeup. Kiss had many hit songs, including "Rock and Roll All Nite" and "I Was Made For Lovin' You".  
     Alternative rock is still a very prominent genre in today's time.  This genre originated in the 80s but did not become super popular until the 90s.  The "alternative" name was given to bands who did not quite fit into the mainstream music.  One of the first bands of this genre was The Velvet Underground, who's most popular song was "Pale Blue Eyes".  Nowadays, bands like Coldplay fall under this category.  With songs like "Viva La Vida" and "Paradise", Coldplay has made a big name for themself in the music industry.  The alternative rock genre is still widely popular and houses a bunch of popular bands.
     Rock and roll has paved the way for many new genres of today's time.  Even though the rock and roll genre itself fell off at the beginning of the 21st century, pieces of it still live on in these other genres that got their inspiration from rock and roll.
     
     

Boston and the 70s

           Boston’s self-titled album is a perfect reflection of the era it was released in.  The band did a good job of capturing the decade as a whole, yet they brought a unique sound to the music industry with their creativity.  The 70s was a decade of rock and roll, drugs, fast cars, independence, and soul searching.  This was also a big time for acceptance and more diversity.  This album perfectly reflects the era by outlining many different aspects of the 70s in their songs. Someone can listen to these songs and immediately be able to tell what decade they’re from, as it clearly shines through the music. 

            This album is a mix of a bunch of different songs, some relating to love, death, and success in life.  Each song uniquely relates to the decade.  “More Than A Feeling” along with three other songs on the album relate to love.  This can easily relate to any decade because love can be found anywhere.  These songs specifically relate to this time in history because people were becoming more accepting and spreading, or trying to spread, more love and happiness.  “Peace of Mind” is the second track off of the album and refers to independence and following your own path in life, which is what many people were trying to achieve in the 70s.  This was a newer mindset of the time, as many people were trying to stray away from the norm and try something different than what their relatives were doing.  “Rock & Roll Band” is a story about an up and coming band and how they made it in the music industry.  The song itself isn’t a story about Boston’s rise in the music industry but does outline how many bands started out and made it big after a while.  With rock and roll being a huge part of the 70s, this song highlights how many of the bands of the time got their start and the struggles they had to overcome to make it big.  “Smokin’” is a song that is all about smoking weed.  This seemed to be a common thing to do back in the 70s.  Drugs were closely tied to rock and roll back then. This can still be seen as true today for Boston, as I went to a Boston concert with my dad back in 2017 and it was pretty obvious that many of the fans were still into smoking weed.  About halfway through the concert, our noses were filled with smell of marijuana in the air.  

            One of the songs on the album is about suicide, which became very closely intertwined with the band in later years.  “Hitch a Ride” is the sixth song off of the album and the only somber one. Boston toned down their use of electric guitar and other unique background sounds and instead utilized more harmonies and gave the song a more angelic feel.  This song is strongly connected to the band now because the original lead singer of Boston, Brad Delp, killed himself in 2007. He left many notes for the people who found him, including one where Delp claimed that he was a “lonely soul”.  This song could resonate with many people because depression and suicide are more common than people may think.  Many people suffer from it, and celebrities and singers are no exception.  Brad is an example that sometimes being in the spotlight can be a lonely existence.  Brad wasn’t the only one however, many other singers have also looked for an easy way out. Included in this list is Kurt Cobain, Avicii, Ian Curtis, Chester Bennington, Donny Hathaway, Bob Welch, and Cliff Davies.

            Boston also set the standard for music when they released their self-titled album.  Tom Scholz, the mastermind behind Boston, was an engineering major in college and used this knowledge to create unique sounds for his songs.  Anything he thought of in his mind could be made into a sound.  The sky was the limit with him, and this laid the framework for the future of music.  People could take this idea and run with it.  This helped people think outside of the box and start creating more unique sounds.  The amount of new and unique sounds that Tom came up with gave Boston a completely different sound and set them apart from other bands of the time.  This style obviously caught on, because listeners were hooked from the beginning.  Boston’s self-titled first album was easily their most popular album to date.  

            Boston’s first album was their most successful and paved the way for music thereafter.  The album was a perfect reflection of the decade and important themes during that time. Writing songs about these popular subjects most likely gave Boston more fame, as listeners could relate better to the songs they were hearing.  Along with this, Boston’s unique sounds helped them stand out among the countless amounts of rock and roll bands battling to make it big. 

            Boston’s self-titled first album was their most popular album they released, having sold seventeen million copies to date.  This album was probably the most successful because songwriter Tom Scholz spent the most time on this album.  The albums after the debut were all on a time limit and Scholz felt rushed. He got to take his time with these songs and it obviously paid off, as the album’s success speaks for itself.  The album itself is just over thirty minutes long, but cool guitar solos and stellar vocals are encapsulated in that short amount of time.
            The album cover really captures the feelings that come from this album.  The cover shows three guitar shaped spaceships fleeing Earth, which looks to be exploding.  This guitar ship concept also showed up on later Boston albums. On the top of the spaceships, you can see a city, which I’m assuming is Boston, enclosed in a huge glass dome.  The colors on the album cover were very bright and vibrant, reflecting the decade this album is from – the 70s.  Along with being a reflection of the decade, the cover gives a visual picture to what the listeners might feel while they listened to the music.  The sound of the music is so unique that one might feel like they’re in another dimension.  Just as the cover shows Earth exploding, Tom did a great job of breaking the boundaries and finding unique sounds for this album.
            Tom Scholz is the mastermind who wrote and produced a majority of the tracks on the album.  He had a makeshift studio in his basement where he played all the instruments in the songs, except for percussion.  With the help of Brad Delp and his amazing voice, the duo worked tirelessly to produce arguably one of the best albums of the decade.  There are many sounds heard in the background of the music that is hard to pinpoint what exactly it is.  Tom went to school to become an engineer, which ended up helping him with his musical career because he was able to create certain sounds that he wanted in the music without anyone else’s help.  Because he came up with these sounds himself, Boston has a very unique and distinct sound to their music, which is clearly showcased in this album.
            Boston is an embodiment of the era it was made in.  Drugs were obviously a big thing back in the 70s, so it is no surprise that Boston wrote a song about drugs, infamously called “Smokin’”. People were also big into rock and roll music at the time, and their song “Rock & Roll Band” gives some insight to how rough it can be to start off as a band.  On the flip side, the song also highlights the positives of the music business and becoming successful in the career.  Being Boston’s first album, Bostonis just comprised of Tom’s best songs so far and I don’t believe there’s any bigger picture for this album.  Obviously, the songs are easy to dance to and fun to sing along with, but they have no correlation with one another.  There are many songs about love, so I can assume that Tom might have been going through something with a woman, as about half of the songs on the album reference a love and having difficulty telling that special person how you are feeling.  Along with this, is possible to assume that the spotlight negatively affected Tom, as “Hitch A Ride” talks about suicide and wanting to leave this world, which is something that many people can relate to, celebrities included.  The spotlight can be a bit much to handle sometimes, as seen in the untimely deaths of many celebrities such as Robin Williams, Chester Bennington, and even Boston’s lead vocalist, Brad Delp. This song can resonate with many people because anyone can go through tough times and think negative thoughts.  Boston does a great job at layering the vocals and instruments so there are many harmonies being heard.  This in itself sounds amazing, in addition to the unique sounds and instruments that Tom masterfully engineered himself. 

           This album overall is very easy to jam out to and perfect to listen to in your car with the windows down.  Boston’s sound is very unique and they were definitely stepping out of the boundaries for the era they were in.  The album took a lot of hard work and ended up working out for them, as this album shot the band to stardom and gave them the opportunity to produce more music for their fans.

Boston - Boston (1976)

Boston is a classic rock band from Massachusetts who came out with many hit songs in the 70s and 80s.  Boston is known for their unique sounds and harmonies in their music, along with many guitar solos. Their debut album, Boston, is their most popular album as well as being one of the best selling albums in US history during the 70s. This album showcases their outstanding vocals and instruments. 

More Than A Feeling

This is a classic song heard in many Disney movies.  Hearing this brings me back to the days where I used to listen to my Boston album religiously on the radio in my room.  This song has a very nostalgic feel to me, as I distinctly remember hearing this when I was very young.

Peace of Mind

“Peace of Mind” is probably my favorite song from the album because I can clearly relate.  The song highlights how everyone is striving to get to the top, yet no one takes time to breathe.  The song is talking about taking a step back and gathering your “peace of mind”.  Not everything in life has to be rushed and they did a great job conveying that through this song. 

Foreplay/Long Time

This has before been mistaken as two separate songs.  That is because in the title, it basically breaks the song into two different parts.  The "Foreplay" part of the title refers to the first two and a half minutes of the song, which is solely instrumental and very complex. Many different instruments and rhythms are heard during this part and is a very nice build up to the actual lyrics.  The "Long Time" part of the title refers to the second half of the song, which is when the music kicks in and the singing occurs.  I believe that giving the instrumental part of the song its own name gives it more of a meaning than just calling the whole song "Long Time".  This shows that the band has put more emphasis on that part of the song and it can be just as important as the other half.    

Rock & Roll Band

“Rock & Roll Band” talks about the struggles of trying to make it in the music world.  They start the song off by highlighting that they were a dime a dozen, coming out of Boston like many other bands such as Aerosmith and The Cars. The chorus of the song is super catchy, and I always find myself singing along.  I like how honest this song is, talking about how the band sometimes had to sleep in their cars while trying to make it in the music business.

Smokin'

This song is about marijuana and rock and roll. The two seemed to mix very well, as almost all artists of that era seemed to smoke.  The song is very catchy, upbeat, and easy to dance to.  

Hitch A Ride

“Hitch A Ride” is about depression and suicide. In the chorus, he’s contemplating suicide and leaving this world behind by using metaphors.  I didn’t know this song had such a dark meaning until listening to it a little closer.  This has always been one of my top Boston songs and I now have a deeper appreciation for it after learning the actual meaning of the song.  I remember being a little disappointed after seeing Boston in concert because they didn't play this song.  Instead, I listened to it on the way back home from the concert with my father.

Something About You

This starts out with a very calming and almost heavenly sounding voice.  This song then kicks in with a similar beat as the beginning of “Peace of Mind” and I often get the two confused when I first hear them.  This song is talking about a girl and how he’s having trouble expressing his feelings to her.  This song is very catchy and easy to song along to, like many of Boston’s songs.  

Let Me Take You Home Tonight

“Let Me Take You Home Tonight” is a very relatable song about having a crush and being shy to talk to her.  The song is a story about wanting to talk to a girl and almost being afraid to approach her.  This is the only song that I didn't listen to prior to this analysis, so I still haven't completely warmed up to it yet.