The layered and ultra-melodic guitar
work is what really made Boston stand out from your average top 40
band. The guitar work in question was that of Tom Scholz, a Boston
based guitarist and MIT-trained engineer. However, Brad Delp's vocal
work was the perfect complement to Tom's compositional and guitar
playing talents. The first Boston album is without a doubt their best.
Or should I say his best? Let's face it, Tom Scholz is 80% of
everything that is Boston. Brad Delp's vocals makes up the other 20%.
Foreplay is just phenomenal and Smokin' is, well, smoking. But we
can't forget the radio favorites like "More than a feeling" and "Rock
and Roll Band". If you don't have a Boston CD, this is definitely the
one to purchase. Unfortunately, each album following this one was
increasingly pop-oriented. But given the brilliance of the first
album, they are still very much worth purchasing as well. In order of
brilliance, I'd have to say they are as follows: Boston (1976),
Don't
look Back (1978), and then Third Stage (1987). The Don't look Back
album obviously contains the song "Don't Look Back" and the Third
Stage album includes the hit song "Amanda". Each of the three
aforementioned albums are well worth buying. |