Boston

Vinyl Discography:

Biography:

Boston, the arena rock band behind one of the fastest-selling debut albums in history, was essentially the vehicle of guitarist and studio wizard Tom Scholz, born on March 10, 1947, in Toledo, Ohio. A rock fan in his teens, he began writing songs while pursuing a master's degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After graduating, he began working for Polaroid and built his own 12-track recording studio in the basement of his home, where Scholz and vocalist Brad Delp recorded demos that landed them a contract with Epic in 1975. Although some recording and overdubs were later done in Los Angeles, the 1976 release of Boston consisted largely of tapes recorded in Scholz's basement. (By then, the lineup had settled on Scholz, Delp, guitarist Barry Goudreau, bassist Fran Sheehan, and drummer John "Sib" Hashian.) Boston spawned three hit singles ("More Than a Feeling," "Long Time," and "Peace of Mind") and immediately shot to the top of the charts. It remained the best-selling pop debut in history before being displaced in 1986 by Whitney Houston's first album.

Despite the record's overwhelming success, Scholz worked for over two years on its follow-up, the 1978 number-one hit "Don't Look Back." A perfectionist, he delayed releasing the album due to intense pressure from the label to produce a product. Dissatisfied with the results, he vowed to produce the next album at his own pace; as a result, the chart-topper "Third Stage" didn't appear until 1986, with only Scholz and Delp remaining from the original lineup.

Scholz spent the next few years in court, ultimately winning a seven-year battle against Epic, which claimed Boston had breached its contract by allowing so much time between releases. When the band resurfaced in 1994 with Walk On, Scholz was the only remaining member; Delp and Goudreau had reunited as RTZ in 1992 and released the album Return to Zero. Unlike previous releases, Walk On was a commercial failure. Radio and MTV ignored all attempts at singles or videos, and the minimalist approach of the popular alternative artists of the time made the crystal-clear production and lengthy recording time seem anachronistic.

He took another eight years to work on his next album, first targeting the internet by releasing a single on www.MP3.com in the summer of 2002. The song became the site's number one download, and news of their new album spread quickly. (Delp's return to the group also helped.) Secondly, Scholz aimed his lyrics at political causes. He even went so far as to title the album "Corporate America," emphasizing his contempt for the system he had once been a vital part of. After the album's release in the fall of that year, Boston embarked on a tour that lasted into 2004. Around this time, Scholz began work on the next album, using the same studio equipment the band had used since its inception. Work proceeded slowly, and Delp's suicide in 2007 cast a shadow over the project, but the band's sixth album, "Love Life & Hope," was released by Frontiers Records in late 2013. The album featured vocals from Delp and was something of a throwback to the classic Boston sound of the 70s.

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