Back in August 1976, I was strolling down the main aisle of my favorite record store in Madison, Wisconsin when I saw this really cool Science Fiction cover on a new album. I had never heard of the band Boston, hadn’t read any reviews of their first album, Boston, but I bought the album, took it home, and listened to it. It was a bit uneven, but the album had some hit songs on it like “More Than a Feeling.”
“Boston” reached No. 3 on the Billboard album chart, and by October 1976 the record had sold a half million copies, with another half million added by November. It remained in the Top 10 for 30 weeks, powered by the hit single “More Than a Feeling,” which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a hard-rock anthem. (Mike Meyers, Wall Street Journal, August 17, 2026)
Over the years, I bought. all the Boston albums with their signature SF cover artwork. In 1997, Boston brought out their Greatest Hits album. Some people like Boston, some people can’t stand the band and their songs. Are you a Boston fan? GRADE: B+ (for both)
TRACK LIST:
| More Than A Feeling | 4:44 | ||
| Peace Of Mind | 4:55 | ||
| Foreplay/Long Time | 7:56 | ||
| Rock & Roll Band | 2:59 | ||
| Smokin’ | 4:44 | ||
| Hitch A Ride | 3:18 | ||
| Something About You | 4:19 | ||
| Let Me Take You Home Tonight | 4:12 |
TRACK LIST:
| 1 | Tell Me Edited By – Gary PihlLead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Drums – Tom ScholzMastered By – Larry ClawsonProducer, Engineer, Arranged By – Tom ScholzVocals – David SikesWritten-By – T. Scholz* | 4:05 | |
| 2 | Higher Power Edited By – Gary PihlHarmonica – Curly SmithLead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Drums – Tom ScholzMastered By – Larry Clawson, Ted JensenProducer, Engineer, Arranged By – Tom ScholzRead By [Serenity Prayer] – Kimberly JorgensenVocals – Brad Delp, Fran Cosmo, Tom ScholzWritten-By – D. Sikes*, T. Scholz*Written-By [Serenity Prayer] – Reinhold Niebuhr | 5:07 | |
| 3 | More Than A Feeling Bass – Fran SheehanDrums, Percussion – Sib HashianLead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar – Barry GoudreauLead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Effects [Special Effects], Bass, Organ, Clavinet, Percussion – Tom ScholzLead Vocals, Harmony Vocals, 12-String Acoustic Guitar [Acoustic 12-String Guitar], Rhythm Guitar, Percussion – Brad DelpProducer – John Boylan, Tom ScholzWritten-By – T. Scholz* | 4:46 | |
| 4 | Peace Of Mind Bass – Fran SheehanDrums, Percussion – Sib HashianLead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar – Barry GoudreauLead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Effects [Special Effects], Bass, Organ, Clavinet, Percussion – Tom ScholzLead Vocals, Harmony Vocals, 12-String Acoustic Guitar [Acoustic 12-String Guitar], Rhythm Guitar, Percussion – Brad DelpProducer – John Boylan, Tom ScholzWritten-By – T. Scholz* | 5:04 | |
| 5 | Don’t Look Back Bass, Percussion – Fran SheehanDrums, Percussion – Sib HashianEngineer [Piano] – Dave Butler*Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar [Acoustic And Electric], Twelve-String Guitar, Bass, Piano, Organ, Effects [Special Effects] – Tom ScholzLead Guitar, Slide Guitar – Barry GoudreauProducer, Engineer, Arranged By – Tom ScholzVocals – Brad DelpWritten-By – T. Scholz* | 6:00 | |
| 6 | Cool The Engines Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Grand Piano, Electric Piano, Bass – Tom ScholzLead Vocals, Harmony Vocals – Brad DelpProducer, Engineer, Arranged By – Tom ScholzWritten-By – B. Delp*, F. Sheehan*, T. Scholz* | 4:38 | |
| 7 | Livin’ For You Guitar, Bass, Organ, Piano, Keyboards [Keyboard Strings], Drums – Tom ScholzProducer, Engineer, Arranged By – Tom ScholzVocals – David Sikes, Fran CosmoWritten-By – T. Scholz* | 4:55 | |
| 8 | Feelin’ Satisfied Bass, Percussion – Fran SheehanDrums, Percussion – Sib HashianEngineer [Piano] – Dave Butler*Lead Guitar, Slide Guitar – Barry GoudreauLead Guitar, Twelve-String Guitar, Bass, Piano, Organ, Effects [Special Effects] – Tom ScholzProducer, Engineer, Arranged By – Tom ScholzVocals – Brad DelpWritten-By – T. Scholz* | 4:10 | |
| 9 | Party Bass, Percussion – Fran SheehanDrums, Percussion – Sib HashianEngineer [Piano] – Dave Butler*Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar [Acoustic And Electric], Twelve-String Guitar, Bass, Piano, Organ, Effects [Special Effects] – Tom ScholzLead Guitar, Slide Guitar – Barry GoudreauProducer, Engineer, Arranged By – Tom ScholzVocals – Brad DelpWritten-By – B. Delp*, T. Scholz* | 4:07 | |
| 10 | Foreplay/Long Time Bass – Fran SheehanDrums, Percussion – Sib HashianLead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar – Barry GoudreauLead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Effects [Special Effects], Bass, Organ, Clavinet, Percussion – Tom ScholzLead Vocals, Harmony Vocals, 12-String Acoustic Guitar [Acoustic 12-String Guitar], Rhythm Guitar, Percussion – Brad DelpProducer – John Boylan, Tom ScholzWritten-By – T. Scholz* | 7:50 | |
| 11 | Amanda Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Grand Piano, Electric Piano, Bass – Tom ScholzLead Vocals, Harmony Vocals – Brad DelpProducer, Engineer, Arranged By – Tom ScholzWritten-By – T. Scholz* | 4:16 | |
| 12 | Rock & Roll Band Bass – Fran SheehanDrums – Jim MasdeaLead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar – Barry GoudreauLead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Effects [Special Effects], Bass, Organ, Clavinet, Percussion – Tom ScholzLead Vocals, Harmony Vocals, 12-String Acoustic Guitar [Acoustic 12-String Guitar], Rhythm Guitar, Percussion – Brad DelpPercussion – Sib HashianProducer – John Boylan, Tom ScholzWritten-By – T. Scholz* | 3:00 | |
| 13 | Smokin’ Bass – Fran SheehanDrums, Percussion – Sib HashianLead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar – Barry GoudreauLead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Effects [Special Effects], Bass, Organ, Clavinet, Percussion – Tom ScholzLead Vocals, Harmony Vocals, 12-String Acoustic Guitar [Acoustic 12-String Guitar], Rhythm Guitar, Percussion – Brad DelpProducer – John Boylan, Tom ScholzWritten-By – B. Delp*, T. Scholz* | 4:20 | |
| 14 | A Man I’ll Never Be Bass, Percussion – Fran SheehanDrums, Percussion – Sib HashianEngineer [Piano] – Dave Butler*Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar [Acoustic And Electric], Twelve-String Guitar, Bass, Piano, Organ, Effects [Special Effects] – Tom ScholzLead Guitar, Slide Guitar – Barry GoudreauProducer, Engineer, Arranged By – Tom ScholzVocals – Brad DelpWritten-By – T. Scholz* | 6:41 | |
| 15 | The Star Spangled Banner / 4th Of July Reprise Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Drums – Tom ScholzProducer, Engineer, Arranged By – Tom ScholzWritten-By [4th Of July Reprise] – T. Scholz*Written-By [The Star Spangled Banner] – F.S. Key*, J.S. Smith* | 2:44 | |
| 16 | Higher Power (Kalodner Edit) Edited By – Gary PihlHarmonica – Curly SmithLead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Drums – Tom ScholzMastered By – Larry Clawson, Ted JensenProducer, Engineer, Arranged By – Tom ScholzRead By [Serenity Prayer] – Kimberly JorgensenVocals – Brad Delp, Fran Cosmo, Tom ScholzWritten-By – D. Sikes*, T. Scholz*Written-By [Serenity Prayer] – Reinhold Niebuhr |
To be honest, the only songs of theirs I really remember are “More Than A Feeling” and “Foreplay/Long Time”—but they’re both good songs, and when I hear them, I transported back to my late teens (I was 19 in 1976) and a musical world tottering on the verge of disco.
Deb, Boston only put out six studio albums:
BOSTON (1976), Don’t Look Back (1978), Third Stage (1986), Walk On (1994), Corporate America (2002), Life, Love & Hope (2013)
BOSTON has 1.2 billion streams on Spotify alone. According to industry data tracked by ChartMasters, the band’s catalog still generates roughly $194,600 in streaming revenue every month from on-demand audio.
I remember few of their songs, but I liked the ones I remember. Don’t remember hearing much about the band itself and couldn’t name any of the members
Maggie, the most famous member of BOSTON is chief songwriter and composer Tom Scholz.
PS. Just noticed the time shown on my response as 9:23. It’s 7:23 here and a 3 hour time zone difference??
Maggie, yes, the East is three hours ahead of the West.
But they showed 2 hour difference
Maggie, maybe it was an effect of the Lunar Eclipse…
George, your blog is an hour off at the moment. I noted that (but didn’t comment) a day or so ago.
Todd, I’ll see if WORDPRESS can fix it.
The only Boston song I know is “More Than A Feeling,” so not qualified to judge.
Jeff, BOSTON had a small body of work but a very loyal fan base.
I recall “More Than a Feeling” from drive-time radio back in the day, but otherwise this is one of many groups that I never followed.
Fred, I was an early BOSTON Fan.
They’re just another hair band with a good song or two that I never paid much attention to!
Bob, yet BOSTON still makes almost $200,000 a month from just streaming revenue.
I’m afraid I don’t contribute to that revenue stream! I have nothing against them, I’m just from another era!
Bob, I listen to streaming musical occasionally, but I prefer listening to music CDs on my stereo.
My family had moved from Alaska (my parents met in Fairbanks, both working for the FAA there) to Oklahoma City for a summer in 1969, then to the Boston burbs till ’73, and then to Hazardville CT (very Hammett) and then to Londonderry, NH in the further out Boston burbs in time to hear the band’s debut on local radio in ’76…never bought their records, but they were among the better AOR bands of the time. Then off to Honolulu, then Kailua, Hawaii, in latest spring of ’79. Heard a lot of new music on the radio, at least new to me, when I could switch the station away from terrible 101 Strimgs-style Easy Listening (not so easy) stations my folks inexplicably preferred in the ’70s, though they had been jazz and to some extent rock fans at one point, my mother more the rock and my father more the jazz.
Todd, you sure have moved around!