Boston: Making Its Mark

 

Boston’s eponymous debut album deserves its place as one of the great albums of rock and roll’s rich history. Guitarist/keyboardist/producer Tom Scholz’s painstaking efforts filled this album with complex, layered harmonies as well as crushing guitar solos and lyrics that both depress and uplift. His efforts paid off in 1976 when the album debuted, breaking the record for the highest number of copies sold of all time. This was undoubtedly very validating to Scholz, who had been turned down by numerous record labels that did not appreciate his distinct musical style prior to his deal with Epic Records. All he needed was one chance, however, and Epic Records was willing to give him that shot.

Scholz was something of a perfectionist – or he was, at least, a man who knew what kind of sound he wanted. He preferred to work out of his basement studio instead of Epic’s recording studio, due to the fact that he owned equipment he had made himself that the record company did not have. These homemade devices were able to produce a sound that became known distinctly as Boston’s sound, a sound of a unique timbre in both the guitar and keyboard. 

            Boston starts off with “More Than a Feeling,” a plaintive number about a young man and his lost love. The man feels like his whole world is lost, waking up to a world where “the sun [is] gone,” where all he can think of is the girl who “slipped away.” The song has the classic Boston guitar riffs that half-rock half-whine, cutting through the verses with their mournful blaring. The song ends without any redemption, with the speaker still lonely and forlorn. The instrumentation cuts to the core of the listeners, making them feel all that the speaker does.

            The next two tracks – “Peace of Mind” and “Foreplay/Long Time” – are much more positive in nature. “Peace of Mind” follows the typical song form, with verse/chorus/verse. As is typical with many pop songs of the day – but most especially with Boston songs – there is a long musical interlude in the middle where the guitar gets to stretch its legs, giving rock and roll fans something to talk about with Scholz’s freewheeling riffs. The next song, “Foreplay/Long Time,” again illustrates Scholz’s dexterity when wielding a guitar. It is easy to hear the organized chaos, the meticulousness of the composition while at the same time hearing the unrestrained and wild nature of the piece. The chaos subsides and is followed by another well-written song with a hard snare drum in duple meter. “Long Time,” which completes the first side of the record, is far more positive, with the speaker saying that he is “just moving on,” leaving the listener eager to see what comes next.

            The second half of the album appeals directly to the rebellious teen culture that defined rock and roll. With most of the tracks in the standard song form, they speak precisely to the teen audience. They are about rebellion, escapism, and – most importantly – rock and roll, and with lyrics like “just keep on tokin’” in “Smokin’” and “[g]onna…[l]eave it all behind,” in “Hitch a Ride,” Boston makes one thing abundantly clear: this kind of music is not for adults. The last song, “Let Me Take You Home Tonight,” when compared with the first half of the album, shows a noteworthy change in the tone of the album. The speaker is now self-assured and even bold, asking a young woman to come home with him at the end of the night. It is a far cry from the man wallowing in despair in “More Than a Feeling,” leaving off on a note of hope and promise for the future.

            Boston has earned its place in the annals of the rock and roll greats. The album manages to tell something of a story without giving a direct narrative, while simultaneously appealing to wide masses of rock and roll fans. It draws the listener in to its depth while still managing to deliver a performance worthy of rock and roll. Tom Scholz’s genius in creating that futuristic, almost alien-like Boston sound with his homemade equipment is nothing short of incredible. With this album he was able to give the rock and roll community a sound that it had not quite heard before, a sound and form that would be imitated for years to come. With their debut album, Boston was able to make their mark on the history of rock and roll.