Boston – Walk On (1994)

Boston is an American rock band from namesake Boston, Massachusetts, that had its most notable successes during the 1970s and 80s. The band’s core members on their most popular recordings included multi-instrumentalist founder and leader Tom Scholz, who played the majority of instruments on the debut album, and lead vocalist Brad Delp, among a number of other musicians who varied from album to album. Boston’s best-known songs include “More Than a Feeling”, “Peace of Mind”, “Foreplay/Long Time”, “Rock and Roll Band”, “Smokin'”, “Don’t Look Back”, “A Man I’ll Never Be”, and “Amanda”. The band has sold more than 75 million records worldwide, including 31 million albums in the United States, of which 17 million were from its self-titled debut album and seven million were for its second album, Don’t Look Back, making the group one of the world’s best-selling artists. Altogether, the band has released six studio albums over a career spanning over 46 years. Boston was ranked the 63rd best hard rock artist by VH1.

After Delp’s death in 2007, a number of other vocalists have taken the stage; currently the lead singer is Tommy DeCarlo. Other current[when?] members of the band include multi-instrumentalist and singer Beth Cohen, guitarist Gary Pihl, bassist Tracy Ferrie, drummer Jeff Neal and percussionist Curly Smith.

Walk On is the fourth studio album by American hard rock band Boston, released on June 7, 1994 by MCA Records. It is the first album not to feature vocalist Brad Delp, though he did assist in the writing. Vocal duties were handled by Fran Cosmo, making this his first appearance on a Boston album. Delp and Cosmo shared leads during the album’s supporting tour and the album’s follow-up Corporate America.

After the success of their 1986 album Third Stage, the band began planning a follow-up and writing for Walk On, which began in 1988. However, due to the increased friction and disagreements between guitarist/bandleader Tom Scholz and singer Brad Delp, the latter left the band in 1989 to join original Boston guitarist Barry Goudreau in forming a new band, named RTZ. Soon after, Fran Cosmo was hired and introduced as the new lead singer. Delp returned to Boston to assist in the writing, and shared lead vocals on the subsequent Walk On Tour, though he did not sing on the album. Delp and Cosmo also shared leads on Boston’s next album Corporate America.

After its release, Walk On peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 and yielded the hit “I Need Your Love.” It was certified platinum by the RIAA on September 8, 1994.

The final eight pages of the album’s booklet were titled “Walk On — Against Violence and Cruelty”, and dedicated to preventing domestic abuse and animal cruelty, providing contact information of numerous organizations, including the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Humane Society. It was noted that Delp himself was a contributor to these causes. (wikipedia)

Boston’s long-awaited fourth album, Walk On, which this time took Tom Scholz a full seven years to complete, failed to capture the attention of most AOR fans and became the group’s first record to not spawn a hit single. Perhaps the reason was AOR and classic rock stations began losing their audiences in 1992; more likely, it was because Scholz’s legendary perfectionism didn’t yield the same results it did in the past. Although the production is certainly state of the art and is overflowing with detail, there aren’t any memorable songs or hooks to justify such extravagance. On the surface, the record sounds fine, but there is no substance beneath the layers of gloss. (by Stephen Thomas Erlewine)

Boston 4. Not a bad lp, actually very listenable but the 1st Boston lp without Brad Delp. Replacing Brad would be like replacing Robert Plant in that other group. Besides missing Brad’s vocals, the songs here are not memorable as in the 1st 3 lps but most of the Boston sound is intact. (by Art Moy)

I cannot agree with these reviews. The singer did a really good job and we hear that perfect Boston sound as created by Tom Scholz.

Personnel:
Fran Cosmo (vocals)
Doug Huffman (drums)
Gary Pihl (guitar, clapping)
Tom Scholz (guitar, keyboards, clainet, bass on 01, 02., 08. – 10., drums on 01. + 08., clapping)
David Sikes (bass, background vocals)
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Matt Belyea (clapping)
Bob Cedro (guitar, special effects, clapping)
Tommy Funderburk (background vocals)
Sean Olsen (clapping, guitar, flute)

Tracklist:
01. I Need Your Love (Scholz/Sampson) 5.34
02. Surrender To Me (Scholz/Sikes/Laquidara) 5.33
03. Livin’ For You (Scholz) 4.58
04. Walkin’ At Night (instrumental) (Scholz) 2.02
05. Walk On (Scholz/Delp/Sikes) 2.58
06. Get Organ-ized / Get Reorgan-ized (instrumental) (Scholz) 4.28
07. Walk On (Some More) (Scholz/Delp/Sikes) 2.54
08. What’s Your Name (Scholz) 4.28
09. Magdalene (Sikes/Foulke) 5.57
10. We Can Make It (Scholz/Sikes/Cedro) 5.30

Tracks 4, 5, 6 and 7 are all part of one long song (“Walk On Medley”), but were indexed separately on the CD.
On the LP release, “Get Organ-ized” was split across the two sides of the record, with the portion on Side Two named “Get Reorgan-ized”.
“Magdalene” was originally written by the Pennsylvania band Hybrid Ice.

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More from Boston:

The official website:

Various Artists – FM (OST) (1978)

FM is the original AOR soundtrack to the 1978 film FM. In the United States, the album reached the Top Five of Billboard’s album chart and quickly earned a Platinum-certified disc. It reached 37 in the UK charts. The soundtrack also won the 1979 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

QSKY radio station manager/program director Jeff Dugan (Michael Brandon) builds a large fan base by assembling a group of charismatic DJ personalities playing popular rock and roll. He soon finds that corporate management expects Jeff to use the station’s position atop the ratings to sell more advertising time. (Jeff Dugan is based loosely on Mike Herrington, the program director of Los Angeles radio station KMET while writer Sacks was working there.)

The conflict grows until sales manager Regis Lamar (Tom Tarpey) presents him with the chance to advertise for the U.S. Army using a series of cheesy radio ads. When Jeff refuses to endorse the contract, Regis takes the issue to upper management. Jeff is then ordered to run the ads as provided by the Army and on the schedule specified in the advertising contract. Rather than comply, Jeff quits his job.

All of the remaining DJs decide to take control of the station in a sort of lock-in/sit-in/protest. They get listeners to gather in the street outside the station as a sort of protest while the DJs play music without any commercials.

Jeff Dugan wakes up to hear the DJs take control of the station. The crowd is already present when he arrives at the station. The DJs lift him up to the second story with a fire hose as they have already barricaded the front doors.

The lock-in lasts only until the police get an injunction to remove the staff. A tow truck rips off the front doors and the police enter the building. The DJs battle back using a fire hose and throwing tapes and other office objects at the police.

The battle is resolved when Jeff Dugan finds himself fighting a policeman outside on an overhang. Jeff saves the policeman from falling off and decides that fighting is the wrong thing to do. He calms the crowd and announces that the DJs are coming out.

Unknown to him, the company owner, Carl Billings (Norman Lloyd), has watched from the crowd as the events unfolded. He insists that the DJs stay in the station, fires his management staff responsible for the advertising conflict, and then joins the DJs inside the station.

The story unfolds across a background of concerts, broadcast music, appearances by various rock stars, and public appearances by the station DJs. A minor subtheme to the film is the competition between QSKY and another area radio station. The major event of that subtheme occurs when Jeff arranges to broadcast a live concert by Linda Ronstadt that is being sponsored by the competitor’s radio station.

Another minor subtheme is the ongoing task of massaging egos of the various DJs to keep them happy and on the air.

Martin Mull appears in his feature film debut as a zoned-out record spinner. He plays Eric Swan, a libidinous disc jockey with eyes for everyone female. The character is self-centered, smarmy, quick tempered, and overbearingly insincere. During the course of the film, Swan beds a supposed girlfriend, encounters a female fan with a peculiar physical “gift”, and barricades himself in owing to a severe emotional breakdown due to his agent’s dropping him and his girlfriend’s leaving him, all within the confines of QSKY’s studio.

Also rounding out the cast are Cleavon Little, who plays the Prince of Darkness, QSKY’s overnight host (Little had previously played a disc jockey in the 1971 film, Vanishing Point); Eileen Brennan as ” Mother”, the 40-something nighttime DJ; Alex Karras as “Doc Holiday”, the midday DJ with the lowest ratings on the station who is eventually let go from the station; and Tom Tarpey as new sales manager Regis Lamar, the bane of the disk jockeys’ existence.

In addition, the film includes live appearances by Tom Petty & REO Speedwagon and live performances by Linda Ronstadt & Jimmy Buffett. Steely Dan performed the title theme, which became a sizable hit. The Eagles, James Taylor, Bob Seger, Dan Fogelberg, Billy Joel, and Queen were featured on the Platinum-plus soundtrack album.

Rolling Stone magazine considered the music heavily biased towards musicians who had been managed by Irving Azoff, who was head of MCA Records at the time. Some reference books claim that the TV sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati was based on FM. The physical resemblance between Michael Brandon and WKRP lead actor Gary Sandy and the fact that their respective characters were both based upon KMET programming director Mikel Hunter may have contributed to this speculation. However, WKRP series creator Hugh Wilson asserts that the sitcom was already in development when the film came out. He also states that he was “scared to death” when the film came out, afraid that it would eclipse the CBS show, which made its debut in September 1978. Wilson was relieved when FM came and went from theaters quickly. (by wikipedia)

Appropriately, the soundtrack for the 1978 movie FM feels like a radio play list of the era, collecting songs from Joe Walsh, Randy Meisner, Boz Scaggs, and other ’70s radio staples. Steely Dan’s title track, Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band’s “Night Moves,” Billy Joel’s “Just The Way You Are,” and Boston’s “More Than a Feeling” are some of the highlights from this double-disc set, which also includes tracks from Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Foreigner, and Linda Ronstadt, all of whom also appeared in the film. Though FM itself wasn’t exactly a box-office smash, its soundtrack is a surprisingly durable and entertaining collection of classic rock that is arguably better than many of the ’70s rock compilations available today. (by Heather Phares)

In other words: If you like to celebrate a Seventies party … use this soundtrack and you can´t do wrong !

Tracklist:
01. Steely Dan: FM (Becker/Fagen)  4:52
02.  Bob Seger: Night Moves (Seger) 3:27
03. Steve Miller Band: Fly Like an Eagle (Miller) 3:04
04. Foreigner:  Cold As Ice (Gramm/Jones) 3:20
05. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Breakdown (Petty)  2:44
06. Randy Meisner: Bad Man (Frey /Souther)  2:38
07. Eagles: Life in the Fast Lane (Frey/Henley/Walsh) 4:46
08. Steely Dan: Do It Again (Becker/Fagen) 5:54
09. Boz Scaggs: Lido Shuffle (Paich/Scaggs) 3:42
10. Boston: More Than a Feeling (Scholz) 4:45
11. Linda Ronstadt: Tumbling Dice (Jagger/Richards  4:51
12. Linda Ronstadt: Poor, Poor Pitiful Me (Zevon/Ronstadt) 4:15
13. Jimmy Buffett: Livingston Saturday Night (Buffett)  3:10
14. Dan Fogelberg: There’s A Place In The World For A Gambler (Fogelberg) 5:41
15. Billy Joel: Just the Way You Are (Joel) 4:49
16. The Doobie Brothers: It Keeps You Runnin’ (McDonald)  4:13
17- James Taylor:  Your Smiling Face (Taylor) 2:43
18. Joe Walsh: Life’s Been Good (Walsh) 8:05
19. Queen: We Will Rock You (May) 2:04
20. Steely Dan: FM (Reprise) (Becker/Fagen) 2:54

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This is another item from the great greygoose collection !
Thanks a lot !

Boston – Cleveland (1976)

John “Sib” Hashian, who played the drums on arena-rock group Boston’s first two albums, has died on March 22, 2017. He was 67, TMZ and The Associated Press reported. His son Adam, who confirmed his death to TMZ, said Hashian was playing a set on a Legends of Rock Cruise when he collapsed Wednesday night.

He did not provide the cause of death. The cruise began on March 19 in Miami and was scheduled to make stops in the Bahamas and Puerto Rico. It’s not clear how his death will impact the rest of the voyage.

Hashian was recruited in 1975 to play drums on Boston’s self-titled debut album, replacing Jim Masdea at the request of their record label. He remained with the band for their second album, Don’t Look Back. Masdea returned for the next record, Third Stage. But that was enough time to become part of rock history, playing on hits like More Than a Feeling, Long Time and Peace of Mind. (by USA Today)

Boston – the band behind “classic rock” – a label that had been thrown at Tom Scholz’s group. And not far behind… the excesses of “corporate rock.” But then, guitar virtuoso Scholz, who has a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from MIT, was fiercely independent, taking his time to get the sound right; and the band was a real garage outfit – Scholz recorded his tracks in his basement studio.

Boston’s rise was meteoric and this was before MTV. Overnight they had a hit debut album on their hands and vocalist (the late) Brad Delp was recognised as much as guitarist Scholz. To this day, More Than A Feeling remains a radio staple.

Thanks then to Philip Cohen for sharing the excellent sounding lossless tracks, and we are offering them as high quality mp3s (320 kbps). This is what Philip noted: “This unofficial release was taken from a radio broadcast that was aired locally in Cleveland, Ohio… which was a homecoming of sorts for Boston leader Tom Scholz, who was born in Cleveland. This was recorded by the original line-up while they were touring behind their highly successful debut album.”

Darryl Hirschler, reviewing the CD on his Unofficial Boston site adds: “This concert is one of Boston’s earliest concerts. The band had only been on the road for just over a month and it shows. Their performance is raw and unrefined with an occasional mistake. Brad is especially enthusiastic in his vocal performance. The highlight for me was the very early version of A Man I’ll Never Be. It is not to be missed. The chorus is totally different from any other version of this song anywhere. We are so lucky that this concert was recorded if not for anything else but that song. Sib’s drumming is also noteworthy, especially on Peace of Mind.

“This concert was recorded for broadcast on WMMS in Cleveland, OH back in 1976. Parts of it have been occasionally broadcast to this day. The sound quality is top notch. It rivals that of the King Biscuit CDs and may even be a tad better… The reel to reel masters have survived 20-plus years remarkably well. The odd (but beautiful) thing is that I know that the reel is presently damaged with about 3.5 seconds missing from More Than A Feeling, but source used for this CD must’ve been digitally recorded 10 years earlier – before the damage, and before 10 additional years of degradation (hiss).”

And here´s not only a tribute to John “Sib” Hashian but to the band “Boston”, too …  the perfect masters of the “adult orientad rock” (AOR) of the Seventies … and of course I have to mention Tom Scholz … the mastermind of “Boston” …

Personnel:
Brad Delp (vocals)
Barry Goudreau (guitar)
Sib Hashian (drums)
Fran Sheehan (bass)
Tom Scholz (guitar, organ)

Tracklist:
01. Rock & Roll Band (Scholz) 3.44
02. Help Me (Shattered Images) (Scholz) 3.54
03. Peace Of Mind (Scholz) 5.06
04. Something About You (Scholz) 4.32
05. A Man I’ll Never Be (Scholz) 6.39
06. Smokin’ (Scholz/Delp) 8.04
07. Foreplay (Scholz) 2.40
08. Long Time (Scholz) 6.38
09. Don’t Be Afraid Of Love (Scholz) 5.01
10. More Than A Feeling (Scholz) 9.49
11. Television Politician (Scholz) 3.54

John Thomas “Sib” Hashian
(August 17, 1949 – March 22, 2017)

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Boston – Same (1976)

Boston is an American rock band from Boston, Massachussetts, that achieved their most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s. Centered on guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and producer Tom Scholz, the band is a staple of classic rock radio playlists. Boston’s best-known works include the songs “More Than a Feeling”, “Peace of Mind”, “Foreplay/Long Time”, “Rock and Roll Band”, “Smokin'”, “Don’t Look Back”, and “Amanda”. They have sold over 31 million albums in the United States, of which 17 million were from their self-titled debut album and seven million were for its second album, Don’t Look Back. Altogether, the band has released six studio albums.

Tom Scholz first started writing music in 1969 while he was attending MIT, where he wrote an instrumental, titled “Foreplay”. While attending MIT, Scholz joined the band “Freehold”, where he met guitarist Barry Goudreau and drummer Jim Masdea, who would later become members of Boston. Vocalist Brad Delp was added to the collective in 1970. After graduating with a master’s degree, Scholz worked for Polaroid, where he used his salary to build a recording studio in his basement, and to finance demo tapes recorded in professional recording studios.

These early demo tapes were recorded with (at various times) Brad Delp on vocals, Barry Goudreau on guitar, Jim Masdea on drums, and Scholz on guitar, bass and keyboards. The demo tapes were sent to record companies, but received consistent rejections. In 1973 Scholz formed the band Mother’s Milk with Delp, Goudreau, and Masdea. That group disbanded by 1974, but Scholz subsequently worked with Masdea and Delp to produce six new demos, including “More Than a Feeling”, “Peace of Mind”, “Rock and Roll Band”, “Something About You” (then entitled “Life Isn’t Easy”), “Hitch a Ride” (then entitled “San Francisco Day”), and “Don’t Be Afraid”. Scholz stated they finished four of the six by the end of 1974, and they finished “More Than a Feeling” and “Something About You” in 1975. Scholz played all the instruments on the demos, except for the drums, which were played by Masdea, and used self-designed pedals to create the desired guitar sound. The violin-like sound of the guitars was created in the early 1970s by Scholz, and it was a truly distinctive innovation in American music.

This final demo tape attracted the attention of promoters Paul Ahern and Charlie McKenzie. Masdea left the band around this time. According to Scholz, the managers insisted that Masdea had to be replaced before the band could get a recording deal.[4] Years later, Delp told journalist Chuck Miller: “[Jim] actually told me he was losing interest in playing drums. I know Tom felt very bad when the whole thing happened. And then, of course, we started getting some interest.” Scholz and Delp signed a deal with Epic Records after Masdea’s departure, thanks to Ahern & McKenzie. Before the deal could be finalized, the band had to do a live audition for the record company executives. The duo quickly recruited Goudreau on guitar, bassist Fran Sheehan and drummer Sib Hashian to create a performing unit which could replicate Scholz’s richly layered recordings on stage. The showcase was a success and the band agreed to put out 10 albums over the next six years.

In addition to the firing of Masdea, the record label also insisted that Scholz re-record the demo tapes in a professional studio. However, Scholz wanted the record to be recorded in his basement studio so that he could work at his own pace. The label agreed, and offered to split the producer’s royalty with Scholz. Upon request of Tom Scholz, Masdea played drums on the track “Rock and Roll Band”, and the instrumentation was recorded in Scholz’s studio. The multitrack tapes were then brought to Los Angeles, where Brad Delp added vocals and the album was mixed by John Boylan. It was then that the band was named “Boston”, by suggestion of Boylan and engineer Warren Dewey.
Boston (1976)
Brad Delp, the original lead singer. Along with Scholz, Delp was the only other person signed to Epic Records as Boston.

The debut album, Boston, released on August 8, 1976, was an enormous success. The record ranks as one of the best-selling debut albums in U.S. history with over 17 million copies sold.

During the late summer and early fall of 1976, Boston attracted much publicity due to the unprecedented record sales by an unknown act, its unique sound, and singer Brad Delp’s vocal abilities. However, there was “a conscious effort to de-emphasize Scholz as the total mastermind behind Boston”. After opening for Black Sabbath, Blue Öyster Cult, Foghat and others in the autumn, the band embarked on a headlining tour in the winter and spring of 1976-1977 to support the album. This helped establish Boston as one of rock’s top acts within a short time, being nominated for a Grammy award as a “Best New Artist”.Boston was the first band in history to make their New York City debut at Madison Square Garden.

The album spawned three singles, “More Than a Feeling”, “Long Time”, and “Peace of Mind”, all of which made the national charts. Additionally, the album peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the charts for 132 weeks. (by wikipedia)

Boston is one of the best-selling albums of all time, and deservedly so. Because of the rise of disco and punk, FM rock radio seemed all but dead until the rise of acts like Boston, Tom Petty, and Bruce Springsteen. Nearly every song on Boston’s debut album could still be heard on classic rock radio decades later due to the strong vocals of Brad Delp and unique guitar sound of Tom Scholz. Tom Scholz, who wrote most of the songs, was a studio wizard and used self-designed equipment such as 12-track recording devices to come up with an anthemic “arena rock” sound before the term was even coined. The sound was hard rock, but the layered melodies and harmonics reveal the work of a master craftsman. While much has been written about the sound of the album, the lyrics are often overlooked. There are songs about their rise from a bar band (“Rock and Roll Band”) as well as fond remembrances of summers gone by (“More Than a Feeling”). Boston is essential for any fan of classic rock, and the album marks the re-emergence of the genre in the 1970s.(by Vik Iyengar)

Personnel:
Brad Delp (vocals, guitar)
Barry Goudreau (guitar)
Sib Hashian (drums)
Fran Sheehan (bass on 03. + 08.)
Tom Scholz (guitar, bass, keyboards)
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Jim Masdea (drums on 04.)

Tracklist:
01. More Than A Feeling (Scholz) 4.46
02. Peace Of Mind (Scholz) 5.02
03. Foreplay/Long Time (Scholz) 7.47
04. Rock & Roll Band (Scholz) 3.00
05. Smokin’ (Delp/Scholz) 4.22
06. Hitch A Ride (Scholz) 4.12
07. Something About You (Scholz) 3.48
08. Let Me Take You Home Tonight (Delp) 4.45

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Brad Delp committed suicide sometime between 11:00 pm on March 8 and 1:20 pm on March 9, 2007. The local police discovered his body after a 911 call from Pamela Sullivan. They found him lying on a pillow on his master bathroom floor of his home on Academy Avenue in Atkinson, New Hampshire. Two charcoal grills were found to have been lit inside the bathtub causing the room to fill with smoke. A suicide note was paper-clipped to the neck of his T-shirt, which read: “Mr. Brad Delp. ‘J’ai une âme solitaire’. I am a lonely soul.” Delp left four sealed envelopes in his office addressed to his children, his former wife Micki, his fiancee, and another unnamed couple. He was 55 years old.

The official cause of death was listed as suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning