You get it from your friends and family.

Yesterday I had to go to the doctor to get a pneumonia shot. You need to get one every five years, and I not only recommend it, I INSIST upon it! Frequently you can get it at your local pharmacy for a de minimis cost. Do it! And keep a record so you repeat the shot the aforementioned every five years.

Everybody in America thinks they’re immune. Unless they’re a hypochondriac, and there are more than a few of those, however not enough to abandon the thought of national health care, fearful of overuse. You see America is based on individuality, baby boomers have dominated the culture since their birth, everybody’s got a smartphone, everybody thinks they’re hip, so it just can’t happen to THEM!

But it does.

Unfortunately, everything your parents say about aging is true. Life goes really fast. Once again, the only good thing about aging is you’re more mellow, more content, you have reduced angst. But if you didn’t save up for retirement, the government won’t solve your problems, you can’t make it on Social Security alone, and no one wants you in the workforce, unless it’s as a greeter at Walmart or an order taker at McDonald’s. And at some point you’re gonna die, and it might be Covid-19.

Up until this year I’ve been amazed at how my brethren refuse to get flu shots. Have they ever had the flu? Just once and you will never be lax in this category ever again. That happened to me in the early nineties. As for the naysayers… It’s dead, so you cannot get the flu from the shot. Yes, occasionally you have a reaction, in addition to a sore spot in your arm for a short while. Said reaction happens maybe once every fifteen years or so, at least by my experience. And it’s not like you’re laid low as a result, that’s the shingles vaccine, the new one, given in two installments. You might go on a wild ride as a result, but it’s nowhere as bad as shingles itself. As for flu shot efficacy? So, it’s not perfect, does that mean you don’t want to increase your chances? Let’s put it this way… If I told you if you wore your seatbelt you wouldn’t be guaranteed to live through a wreck, but your odds of survival would increase, would you do that? Well, we needed a law to make that happen, before that people were worried about wrecking their clothes. As for public transportation, i.e. taxis and Ubers/Lyfts, just because you’re in the back seat that does not make you immune, I’ve got a friend who sustained injuries in the back seat of a limo during a crash, to the point where she needed to engage an attorney. As for eating, handling your health in an engaged way, such as to increase your odds, it seems that only members of the upper classes address this, and few of them do, as for the lower classes…well, there’s a conspiracy to make good food expensive, or bad food cheap, whichever way you want to look at it.

So, I’m talking to my doctor about Covid-19. I cannot help myself. Yes, I’m still paranoid, I have not let my guard down, even though I seem to be the only on in addition to Howard Stern, Irving and my shrink. You see I’ve got an underlying immune issue, which causes my pemphigus, so…I don’t want to get it. And since I’ve got this condition, my doctor assured me during my physical, yes, you should get one every year, you’d be amazed at what could change, like the advent of cancer, my doctor caught that during a routine physical, that I would be at the top of the list for a vaccine, ahead of those trying to use their status to push to the head of the line. As for safety? He said he’d wait until it was approved by California as well as the national government, but then he’d have no hesitancy to get it.

But a month later, yesterday, the story changed. My doctor told me the odds of him getting the vaccine were extremely low, because of its need to be kept at insanely low temperatures, his office was not set up for that. He anticipated there would be vaccine centers, run by the government. As for priority, as for who would qualify at first? WHO KNOWS?

But what he did say was that he would consider you safe after getting the vaccine. Sure, it’s only 90% effective, but the more people who get it…

Oh, that’s right, vaccines kill. You don’t want to be injected. You want everybody else to get one to achieve herd immunity to save your ass. But recently that hasn’t been working for measles. But that’s America, where the internet knows more than any professional, where you can find someone online, a group, to agree with any viewpoint you may have, irrelevant of the truth. Hell, look at the election!

And my doctor said you’ll need either two or three injections. And they don’t know how long immunity will last.

But he does know you get the infection from family and friends.

Of all the patients he has, of everybody who has gotten Covid-19, only ONE has gotten it out in the wild, back in March, a man who was infected before lockdown, everybody else got it from their family or friends, those we consider immune.

Let me tell you about quarantining… Everybody says they’re doing it, but the truth is they’re being nowhere near as vigilant as they say they are. My eye doctor refuses to socialize. He says people talk about social distancing, but as soon as the wine comes out… Just because you know someone, just because they’re a good person, that does not make them immune.

Yes, most cases, according to my doctor, come from those in multi-family housing, essential workers, but once you account for them, infections come from intimate family members who everybody considers safe. Just this week he had a couple who’d driven for a short vacation, and had had dinner with close friends and two other couples, inside, without masks. Shortly thereafter they got a call that one of the attendees was infected, that they needed to be tested, and they were, each at a different location, and they were both infected.

And there’s this belief that youngsters cannot die from the virus, so many are unconcerned with this. My friend’s daughter got it at college, you’d think he’d be freaking out, but… And let’s never forget, these kids at college are coming home for Thanksgiving…

After every holiday we see a jump in infections. Now we’re experiencing the Halloween bump. Soon, we’ll have the Thanksgiving bump. And yes, I sympathize with you, you locked down in the spring, you may not even know anybody who died, I do, and you just see no need to be as vigilant now. BUT YOU SHOULD BE! Screw traditions, the more people you’ve got coming for Thanksgiving, the higher the odds of infection. As for my doctor, he’s cut his attendees by two-thirds, and his Thanksgiving is taking place outdoors, with multiple tables with only three diners at each, who have to wear their masks when they are not eating. Guests will not be allowed in the house. And he’s more liberal than most I know, he believes you’ve got to live your life, otherwise life is not worth living. So, he’ll go to restaurants and sit outside, once a week. He’ll have social distanced dinners outside.

But unless you live in SoCal, chances are you can’t eat outside where you live.

As for my dermatologist…yes, I see a lot of doctors…they are the only people I will see during this time… She’s got two young kids, they’re bouncing off the walls, so she’s taking her family camping in Death Valley, they are going with another couple, but each family is bringing their own food, own utensils and…

My internist does go to the grocery store, but only late at night, off hours.

So, how scared should you be?

I leave that to you. But either we get a handle on this, we all try to reduce infection, or we live in a lawless state where everybody is on their own and infection is right around the corner.

So this is my appeal to you. Wear the mask. Keep gatherings small, if you have them at all. Relief is coming. There will be vaccines, and in January we will get a comprehensive national plan. It’s up to you. Sure, I want you to be safe so you don’t infect me, or others. But the truth is I want you to take this seriously for you, little old you, you’ve got to take care of yourself, and I’m imploring you to do so.

________________________________________

From: Jonathan

Subject: Re: Biden’s Speech

Date: November 7, 2020 at 8:51:44 PM PST

To: Bob Lefsetz

Bob – have read you for over 17 years. Milwaukee vocal cord surgeon at our academic hospital here and former Yale Whiffenpoof. You’ve been kind enough to respond to a few of my prior missives. Please don’t feel like you need to respond back to this but just wanted to thank you. 

The situation here in Milwaukee is rough and dystopian  – record COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, Miller Park home of the Brewers is now a Covid testing center, our state fairground now has a 500 bed field hospital that is slowly filling up (only a dozen patients last i checked but was lambasted by the Republicans as a waste of money – we’ll see) and our state government is hamstrung by obstructionism and no answers. As a physician I feel so frustrated by all of this.

I don’t know if Joe Biden can fix it, but I at least feel like he’s going to try as hard as he can. 

So glad that we’ll actually have a grown-up person with the right motivation in the White House again. 

Thanks for your writing – I love it. 

JBMD 

www.wcvb.com/article/tom-scholz-of-boston-returns-to-his-watertown-home/23011956

Hi Bob,

Here’s a 4-5min news video of Tom Scholz returning to the basement where he recorded the Boston album while working for Polaroid in nearby Waltham, MA after college. The news piece is also produced by Mission of Burma bassist Clint Conley, who works for local Channel 5. There’s a vignette about how he came to get half the producing credit for the album from the CBS Records producer.

Thanks,
David Neylon

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Subject: Thank you from the Mothership at BOSTON

Thank you for writing about BOSTON in your newsletter today.

With gratitude,
Gail Parenteau

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The first Boston album changed my life. I was one of those “millions” who burned their way through the vinyl needing to hear those songs, and Brad’s voice, over and over again.

I also had the pleasure of being a member of Boston.

I was the co-lead singer and guitarist right after Brad passed away. I was in the band from 2007 to 2011. I was invited to sing during what most thought would be Boston’s last show – a tribute show to Brad Delp. That took place in August of 2007 at The Bank of America Pavilion in Boston. Tom liked my performance so much that he asked me if I would like to join the band right after the show! That eventually turned into more touring (56 shows with Styx opening) and I was thrilled to be a part of it.

Brad was one of a kind and is irreplaceable. I did my best each night to pay great respects to a voice that inspired me immensely as a singer. There will never be another one like him.

Having seen it first hand from the stage night after night, you are right – the songs on that first album were magical. Seeing the fans react to them from stage is still one of the greatest feelings I’ve experienced as a vocalist/guitarist.

You mentioned that Tom Scholz was not an easy going character. You’re not the first that I’ve heard say that. Oddly enough, I never experienced that from him, at all. I found him to be a an amazing guy and he was always very courteous and professional to me. After 35 years of doing this, I’ve certainly seen my share of egos on the road. He never struck me that way whatsoever.

Thanks for writing about one of the greatest albums in rock history.

Michael Sweet
Stryper

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That LP was a true independent LP. Totally made without label money. Master made and handed over to the label.

The corporate rock tag was unfair and based on the artwork!!

Larry Tepper

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You could be deaf and know that these two songs were hits: “Hold the Line” by Toto and “More Than a Feeling” by Boston. ‘Nuff said.

Bob Paris

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lol That sure is nice Bob.

I LOVE Boston. Period. Great songs-Great records . Scholz rules. Loved Brad too. What a voice!! Got to jam with him once.

Steve Lukather

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I’m glad you took a minute to clarify the band’s true place. At what point does someone’s methodical and meticulous attention to musical detail render them ‘corporate’ or premeditated? Nobody else did what TS came up with. It was original enough and the sound was so dynamic that mentioning Phil Spector wouldn’t be out of line.

I remember the day that Paul Ahern stopped by BCN (I was also music director) to play me the song on a reel to reel. More Than A.. was undeniable. A monster track no less captivating than ‘Do Ya’ or subsequent ELO efforts. We carted it up and it was one of the only songs where the phones lit up immediately to the point where we must have played it four times in a row. For a couple of weeks it was also exempt from our policy of not playing the same song more than one shifts in the same day. Lenny Pietze the promotion guy for Columbia heard it and came running down to the station to get a copy and he ended up as an A&R guy having discovered a Boston legend.

Funny that you mention hearing music in your head. It happens to me all day. Songs pop up that seem to have no bearing on what is happening around me nor are they limited to any genre. The mental jukebox just pushes that button and I start singing.

John Brodey

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I’ll never forget where I was when I heard the first Boston album. I was in David Krebs’ office, of music managers Leber-Krebs fame. They were also the producers of Beatlemania (the show I starred in for them) as well as Mgrs for Aerosmith, Parliament Funkedelic, Mahogany Rush, Ted Nugent, AC/DC and more later. The album sat next to the turntable and I put it on. With a relationship to all things CBS, it had just been delivered to the office with other new Columbia releases.

As the fade-in intro to “More Than a Feeling” built up from the speakers, I was hooked. Then came the chorus, with it’s infectious chords and hand claps. Amazing. I turned to Tom Werman, legendary record producer and visiting at the moment. “Tom! Where have you heard this before, kind of?” He couldn’t place it but it did sound familiar to him.
Then it struck me. The James Gang. The musical chorus/bridge to to Joe Walsh’s “Tend My Garden.”
“That’s it!” agreed Tom. And as interviews would show later on, Tom Scholz’ was a major fan of Walsh himself.

Tom Scholz did indeed take his influences and make them his own.

On a side note, Brad Delp came to some run thru’s of Beatlemania in Boston during 1977 previews. He came backstage and I was in awe. What a voice. When he said, “Man, I wish I could sing like you!” I was floored. And I told him he was already much better than that and we laughed. He was a very nice guy and humble about his talent.

Mitch Weissman

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i was sitting in the legendary harvey leeds office at epic and asked him how they broke boston.without a seconds hesitation,he gave me one of the greatest answers a promo guy could give about a perfect record,”the mailman delivered that record”

Larry Mazer

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Many many Boston stories!!

Harvey Leeds

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Great piece. I knew they were going to break big the first time I heard them play It was at the Agora Ballroom, Cleveland, in September of 1976. I remember seeing Tom’s hack of the Echoplex (where I had worked) with the throttle cable to move the distance between the record and playback heads. Classic Tom Scholtz. Got the call to go out with them on their first arena tour soon after. Must have heard those songs hundreds of times between sound checks and performances. Lately I’ve been thinking about them a lot. First because that was the first “big” tour I went out on. And second because I still have Brad, Fran and their manager, Charlie McKenzie’s bookeeper as my bookeeper.

Thank you for bringing them up. RIP Brad Delp, Sibby Hashian and the old Grey Ghost (The tour Manager, Joe Striegler)
Regards,

Lee Rose

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Tom Scholz was the right man at the right time with the right sound. That first album, born in his basement, was a production masterpiece. It had an unmistakable sonic sheen and arrived at a time when compressed FM broadcast signals made it sound bigger than it already was. Leave it to an M.I.T. grad and tech gear head to get it right. Now, 44 years later, it still sounds terrific because it’s so impeccably produced. Scholz also made a fortune with his Rockman equipment company before selling it in 1995. My favorite story about their debut album came from their then co-manager Paul Ahern. When asked about the band’s follow-up album, Ahern said (half jokingly) “We’re re-releasing the debut album as Boston’s Greatest Hits.’

Dave Logan

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Ah yes—
Being in radio when the music was so good that it wasn’t a question of IF we were going to play the album…
But how MANY songs we were going to play from the album.

Marty Bender

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Oh They will. Lets face it. RRHF is holding on some acts so they can continue the annual awards for their benefit. Because another decade they are going to run out of acts who are worthy. How many bands are qualified from the past 10 years alone to be inducted. Ok I’m putting my bid in for The Archies lol.

Thanks Bob,

Frank Ball

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At the end, Brad used to sing at the local roadhouse (Sit ‘n Bull) in Maynard, MA with his Beatles cover band. And then he was gone.

Thank you for recalling Boston.

Best,

Fred Bement

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Bob…. Thanks! Had one of those trippy moments today when your e-mail hit my inbox….. at the exact time I was texting with someone about great albums and we were discussing Boston. You’re so right, always a classic!

I’ve enjoyed you the last month… your passion for and reality of the state of the nation is right on… thanks.

Trist
The Manhattan Transfer

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Great piece on Boston Bob.
I knew Brad. He sang backgrounds in the studio for me on some tracks one time.
he said his vocals on the first album were all out of tune. what ears. what a genius genius. he could mimic all the Beatles singing . and i mean DEAD ON.

When I first heard it … it was like science fiction music.

crazy different.

Anthony J. Resta

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I enjoyed your Boston piece – saw them in 1978 at the Montreal Forum.

Michael Craig

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Did you catch the first episode of last season on Ray Donovan? The scores a a whole scene with “foreplay/long time”. Incredible.

Tim Lefebvre

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I do the same thing, Bob, when I’m feeling good — I put on the SACD of the self-titled Boston album, close my eyes, and I slip away…

Fun fact — invert the first few signature chords of “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” and you get “More Than a Feeling.”

Mike Mettler
The SoundBard

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Amen Bob,
I’m grateful that I was on that wave when it broke.

Jay Craik

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When I was a kid growing up in Maine in the 70s/80s we had a farmhouse which we rented to students from Bowdoin college. Each summer, when they left town, I would scour the boxes of things they left behind and this is how I bolstered my early record collection. These discarded carloads of records were gold mines for a kid with no money or way into town, but a growing musical curiosity. I was only 9 or 10 years old and had little concept of the arc of rock music and my interest was mostly peaked by whatever art was on the album’s cover. Kiss, Ted Nugent, and the Tubes, I remember, had provocative covers, but the music didn’t grab me. Boston’s “4” album cover seemed cool with it’s flying saucer vibe, so I put that on and those strangely likable first chords floated out into the air. One by one, each song took me away. It was simple music, but just like you said, so so good. That worn out record stayed with me all the way though my own college years, when I tacked the cover to my wall, somewhat ironically. I bought the CD version to listen to in the 90’s and probably left it behind in some rental house where I hope a kid like me picked it up and dug it just as I did back then.

Arthur Bradford

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There was nothing generic about the guitar intro. It was completely unique. When it came on it blew your hair back. You actually articulate the reason why later in your post. Scholz invented that sound. He had a BA and Masters from MIT and worked for Polaroid. He wasn’t simply a tinkerer. The band also wasn’t “passed by”. The interesting part of the story was how he gave the label the finger and was able to because he went on to found Scholz Research & Development, Inc and the Rockman was born. It was then used ubiquitously on record after record perhaps most famously by the mentioned Mutt Lange on Hysteria.

-Tag Gross

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Thanks for that
For some reason I found myself smiling at the end. Good story
All my best

Jeff Harris

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Boston saved me from the Disco Era.

Yours truly,

Bob D’Eith

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“Foreplay” (sans “Long Time”) was the b-side to “Peace of Mind.” “Peace Of Mind” as the a-side did pretty well to the best of my recollection, although the single version is edited to a considerable degree.

— Greg Debonne

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Always a pleasure to see the same feelings in you, as I had and have about music. Thanks from germany.

Thomas Bopp

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Great narrative on a classic album, but I cannot believe that you overlooked the fact the Boston literally created the power ballad genre with, “Amanda”! That chorus screamed louder in perfect Boston unison, than any of their tracks imo. JR

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I’m 53 and to this day, whenever a Boston song comes on I crank it. I could listen to it anytime on the streaming services, but there is something about an unplanned listen that is just fantastic. What a great album and a great band. The guitar and vocals were just incredible. Thanks for the write up!

Tim Stevenson

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Greatly enjoyed your column on Boston. After all these years I still get a kick out of
Foreplay/Long Time.

You might be aware of this group, The Lexington Lab Band. They do a great job of recreating
classic rock tunes. Here’s their take on Foreplay/Long Time:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UGQeqYA0_g

Thank you for your columns.

Sincerely,

Steve
AZ

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When I first met my wife, also a music fan, we spent some time grilling each other over our tastes and dislikes. One of the things we were in sync on completely was that neither of us had ever tuned to another station if a Boston song came on in the car…ever. We’ve now been married 25 years and that is still the rule. They are timeless and still awesome.

Cheers,

Bob Ferguson

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Their first album was 8 songs, 38 minutes. It was their greatest hits record, and a debut. Never been done before, never will happen again.

Great letter!

-adam berberich

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Nailed it. I’ve never been afraid to include the debut among my list of best albums ever. It’s truly a perfect record and still sounds great. And also spot on as to why they never followed it up.

The story of Boston was always about the illusion of a band that was really Scholz creating the magic in the studio.

I remember reading an article about Def Leppard “Hysteria” album where they were overdubbing single notes of chords much like the way Scholz constructed some of his recordings.

Mark Brut
Denver, CO

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Thanks for inspiring me to break the first Boston album out again today. For my money, the glorious chorus to “Something About You” bests anything Boston’s so-called “arena rock” contemporaries ever did.

-Carlos Ramirez

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Absolutely still to this day, one of the greatest rock albums ever recorded. That 1 social media post still goes around asking the question of 5 albums you need if you’re stranded on a desert island. The first Boston album, followed by The Eagles Hotel California, Led Zeppelin Houses of the Holy, Deep Purple Machine Head, and Queen News of the World. All 70’s.

Leni DiMancari

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Thanks for the thoughts on Boston. Nailed it! I was in high school during that time and remember hearing those Boston songs for the first time-they were so unique, fresh and unlike anything we’d heard before. Made for some great cruising nights in rural Kansas.

Bruce Dyson

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FYI
Riccardo Formosa”s guitar solo on that LRB tune was cut in one take while he was sick as a dog and just wanted to go home to bed. The oddest things can inspire performance.

Sidney Cooke

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The guitar solo in ‘Hitch A Rid’e is likely the most underrated guitar solo in Rock. Fucking phenomenal!

Best Regards,

Eric Seifert

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That organ – the Hammond M3

Jonathan Mendez

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That sound came out of FM radio at just the right time. I was young, but the first album hooked me. My first concert was my dad taking me to see Boston at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in 1979on the Don’t Look Back tour. They lost me after that, but that first album still is really fun to listen to. And I have loved live music ever since.

Neil H. Bookspan

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There are lots of videos of Tom Scholz explaining how he became an engineer and a musician that are just wonderful

Entire album was recorded in his basement studio

Tom Scholz: The Start of It
youtu.be/UXYO77Xb-Mk

Tom Scholz: Sound Machine
youtu.be/R1c0Bx_StvE

Tom Scholz interview – Boston/More Than A Feeling
youtu.be/mrEzoa9-I8g

Its really a fantastic story.

-Barry Ritholtz

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“Foreplay/Long Time” since it dropped has been my go to cartridge, speaker, amp test track. The range, the depth and the joy.
Andrew Forsyth
Dundas ON. Canada

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I certainly agree with you! Boston came in like a hurricane around January 76″ with airplay of “Foreplay/Long Time.” that kept me mesmerized both in my car and at home with headphones cranked up. As the year progressed, we finally hit the next level after rockin out to Frampton for the 1st have of the year!

I finally got to see the 1st Tour, October 3rd 1976 At Chicago’s Uptown Theatre and of course blown away with Tom & Brad! Tom Scholz was not just a front man, he was a great player and really had to classify him in the category of: Todd Rundgren and Skunk Baxter with being a brain in technology and music production. As in all bands, the trick is to survive and sustain the decade..

Thanks,

Marc/Chicago

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Listen to the record! The third best liner note after A splendid time is guaranteed for all and And nobody played synthesizer. Thanks Bob PS Can’t believe you didn’t mention Peace of Mind

jeffsackstennis

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Spectacular album!!! Extra props to the author of the album liner note. So over the top but the prose matches the energy of the album.

DJK
Decatur, GA

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“Bob goes to 11” :-). Your clearly genuine connection to this record is inspiring. As in, inspiring me to revel in this gem once again, for the umpteenth time. Thanks always!

Jeff G.

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Thank you Bob…

I remember hearing it the first time at my friend’s indy-record store… Rainbow Records…

Right across the street from my Grandma’s house… It was after the store closed…

He played it on a Technics Turntable through a Marantz system with JBL stereo monitors… The kind the studios used…

He designed the room as a listening space to host album debut parties in a day when a new album was something to be excited about…

I can still smell the mixture of sandalwood incense and weed…

And you just described it perfectly… like you were having sex with it… Like the way we remember our first meaningful lover…

Best,
Keith Miller

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Excellent piece. And, like a track off of Boston’s debut, just the right length.
I was 13 when that album came out, and the intro to MTAF was a key reason I wanted a guitar.
You’ll get a lot of emails saying the same thing I bet.
Scholz’s electric tone was so incredible, he put it in a box and sold it!
But the acoustic guitars provided texture, dynamics, and warmth—humanity!
I still play and write, still love the guitar, and still love that first album. Always will.
Cheers,
Rob Hargadon

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100%!! I turned 9 the day before Boston’s first record came out. I had been into rock music for about a year after having discovered The Beatles thanks to my best friend’s three older brothers, who collectively had everything from Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers going forward to the present day in their collections. Boston was on the radio constantly back then, and they sounded so good! I’m pretty sure every song on that record got airplay on the local rock station, even the non-singles. The local record stores, we had two in my small college town (the store closer to my house and the campus was called “Hot Wax, New Licks” – always loved that!), had the giant posters and other Boston swag on display. The guitars/spaceships cover art! I was just getting into Sci-Fi then too, so double the impact on me. A few months ago I came across the isolated vocal track from More Than A Feeling on YouTube. So good I cried listening to it.

youtu.be/bZ_0_CWFk4c

Dave Nelson

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I was a young one when Boston was filling the enormo-domes and football stadiums across the USA, and wanted nothing to do with the dinosaurs of the 70s as I “matured”, but in my later years, I grew to appreciate Tom Scholz’ songs that celebrated the transportive power of rock-n-roll. “Feelin’ Satisfied”, though off the difficult second album, was the ultimate anthem, Brad Delp’s vocals urging YOU to “COME ON!!!…PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER!!!…COME ON!!!…YOU KNOW IT’S NOW OR NEVER…TAKE A CHANCE ON ROCK-N-ROLL!!!” Hell, the whole lyric sheet is filled with the power of ROCK. All about what you spoke of: turning it up, turning you off and getting lost in the music. We need more tunes like this today and forever!
Warmest Regards, Brian Friel

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Such a perfect record. Worked in the headphones, worked in the car, worked outside in the summer.
Played to death, and everyone in the clubs wanted every band to play it, but no one could do the vocals.

Brad was awesome and left us too soon. But Utica’s own Fran Cosmo (Migliaccio, lay it on him if you ever interview him) has stepped into the breach. He and his two brothers had the Royals, later Celebration, contemporaries of Ronnie (Padavona) Dio and the Prophets, Eric and the Chessmen, Wilmer and the Dukes – do you know of these iconic upstate NY bands? All three brothers had voices that started in the stratosphere and went up from there. Fran had his own group, Orion the Hunter, toured with and eventually joined Boston, still touring.

Best regards,
Darryl Mattison

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Hey Bob, Absolutely loved that first Boston album too and still get a bit nostalgic when I hear it. When I was 7 or 8 an Air Force buddy of my dad’s was being sent overseas and needed to travel light or something. He brought me a box of all his vinyl and gave it to me. This was around 1976 or 1977 and there were probably 30 albums in the box. Coolest gift ever. Zeppelin 1 and 2, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here and first Boston album plus Bitches Brew and Love Supreme to name some of them. It’s been about the music ever since. I wore the grooves off that Boston album. It’s Been Such a Long Time…

Thanks for sharing.

Dan Herrington

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Loved the first album and was lucky enough to work it a radio. They were on Epic not Columbia.
Alan Oreman

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They were on Epic Bob I know because I was working for CBS Records when the 1st album came out I was a Inventory clerk It was amazing to come into a store back then a week after it came out And have the Record Department Manger scream at you that he needed another 60 LPS ASAP I was 21 @ the time I never had seen anything like that happen for a Band that wasn’t even a month old @ that point CBS had 22 Sales Branch Offices @ the time That kind of depth in the Market place allowed them to be able to sell over 7 million on Boston’s Debut album Then Epic followed the same game plan and sold I think 7 million on Bat out Of Hell Then Cheap Trick Live

What I great time to start a career in the Music Business In July of 1978 Epic made me their Local Promotion Manger based in Buffalo It was my big break into be a Promo Guy I was 22 years old back then A month into it I got a call from Sandy Beach the PD @ WKBW Buffalo He was screaming @ me “Where’s My New Boston Single ” I said excuse me but I’m not aware that there is one yet Turns out Sandy Beach heard the song on a Toronto Station who got a advance copy early Knew no one else had So they were pounding it I had to call the NY Office and Ask if this song “Don’t Look Back” was in fact was the New Boston Single from their 2nd Album Their question why do you want to know ? I told about the Sandy Beach phone call I got They put me on Then came back on the line and told me they were going to send me 20 Acetate of the Single It was going to be on a US Air flight that would arrive that night That was my official Baptism By Fire as a Epic LPM who’s territory was within ear shot of Toronto Radio Turns out somebody in Canada what to jump the Worldwide Release date for the 1st Single from the 2nd Boston Album So they gave it the Canadian Radio station in Toronto The shot heard round the world

Kevin F. Sutter

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I heard a ref the Boston record for the first time at a party during the Columbia Records convention in LA in 1976. As soon as the needle dropped the room fell silent. It was that powerful. Still is.
Phil Brown

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Scholz also had a beautifully liquid, sweet guitar tone that massaged your ears instead of assaulting them. We had a discussion once about why red LEDs are the best distortion elements ever for overdrive effects boxes 🙂

Craig Anderton

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every morning I go on walkabouts.. I’m always listening to music that’s apart from my usual forte…
And this morning it twas’ Boston… swear to god!
And then I remember many Summers ago we went to see them in concert.. you had VIP passes and we had a great time….

Kindest Cheers,
Jeff Laufer

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Love it! Selling-out doesn’t mean “selling records”. It means making music or supporting a message you don’t believe in…just for the money & attention.

In the 90’s I asked Ed DeGarmo from EMI/CMG if he liked the demos for our new album. He said, “Who cares what I like? Don’t make music trying to impress people. Only release the songs you believe in. Because if the the company, the critics, radio and the fans don’t like your songs…and YOU don’t like them, then NOBODY likes them. You have to live the rest of your life with that. But if YOU believe in them, and nobody likes them, well you can live with that. Now, go make music YOU believe in that we can sell to millions of people!”

Steve Wiggins

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Spot on as always, And not to add to your moral confusion, but Trump’s lawyer Jay Sekelow has a band that did a killer cover of “Foreplay/Long Time”: www.youtube.com/watch?v=om-oM-gXPEs

Jeff Curran

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Listening to music really is a form of time travel.

I’ve been arguing for years that “More than a feeling” is one of, if not the best rock songs of all time. It’s a song about listening to music and that making everything else alright.

It takes me to the cornfields of Iowa and October of 1999, I’m driving with my best friend and we are cranking this cd, the only cd we have with us, in the rental car. My buddy is singing along and hitting all the Brad Delp notes to my shock.

Two weeks later my friend dies in a freak accident and for the rest of my life “More than a feeling” will serve as a time travel device to transport me back to that weekend with my best friend when everything was alright.

~Bobbo

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When you testify like this I LOVE IT! While I agree that DON’T LOOK BACK was largely a rush job (I liken it in some ways to VAN HALEN II in that manner), I think “Used to Bad News” is incredible, and THIRD STAGE has some great moments on it too!

Any thoughts on the soundalike singer they discovered via MySpace (of all places) in Tommy DeCarlo?

Stay well, sir!

– Doug Odell (formerly of Muze)

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Bob – loved this. I was a high-school senior when the Boston album came out, and it was huge. I played it until you could see through the vinyl. What a great record, and I still turn it up when it comes on the radio (or my Deezer Hifi shuffle.)

As for “Feels Like the First Time,” I still remember what curve I was rounding in my little town in Upstate NY when it first came on the radio. AM. It sounded AMAZING through those tiny speakers. A friend and I found out Foreigner was going to play nearby (Hartford Civic Center) – opening a 3-way package with 38 Special and Lynyrd Skynyrd. We stuck around for the headliners, but we were northerners – it was Foreigner we were there for.

Thanks,
Jeff Calvin
Camp Hill PA

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Corporate rock. Does Boston qualify?

I’d say yes to that question. I also have to say that Corporate rock is among my least favorite genres of music ever … lumped in with 80’s hair metal bands. I never cared for much of any of either of those genres. Boston was always one of my least favorite bands, and still are. Boston, Styx, Kansas, etc., etc. They have more recently been elevated a slight notch above the bottom of the pile for me by Florida-Georgia line, and some of the other of what passes for country on mainstream country radio these days. I guess you’d lump it all into bro-country. Still Boston, et. al., don’t reside very far above that still to my ears and soul. Nothing against any of the players personally or their musicianship, I just can’t really stand to listen to any of it. It all sounds kinda corporately manufactured to me.

Al Moss

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No lengthy rebuttal but Boston sucked then and it sucks now. Plastic music. The music equivalent of USA Today. Soulless.

Harold Love

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Beautifully written – and I could not agree more – you have reflected my feelings exactly. This first Boston album continues to be one of my top 5 or 10 albums of all time.
And there is an emotional uplift to is that is always there. Hitch A Ride is probably my favorite song on the album and I’m glad you mentioned it. I might add that the 1st Foreigner album was also magical in its own way as you mentioned.

You have redeemed yourself for elevating Depeche Mode – which I continue to maintain is pure shit!

Derek Morris

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You nailed it Bob! Just when I think you’ve gone ‘too far’ with certain topics and I’m gonna ‘unsubscribe’ from your emails… you pull me back in with a piece like this. JUST LIKE ROCK N ROLL!

Thanks Bob!

Kevnn Robinson

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I’ll bet you get filleted for this one. But that debut is one of the best ever, period. I always loved “Hitch a Ride,” but I’m a guitar player. That record is brilliant, and I’m not sure if it’s nostalgia, I was 8, and I actively played it recently, after avoiding it for years. I know every word, on every track. 44 years later. Not a ton of new records I can say that about.
dp aka
David Cameron

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My first experience with Boston was as a “dorm dad” at UMass in Amherst from 1976 to 1979 where my ex-wife was head of residence of one of the dorms in the Northeast Campus. Students would put their stereo speakers in the windows of their dorm rooms, all tuned to the station that was playing entire Boston album sides, likely WMUA, and party outside in the quad. Given there were 11 dorms, with a central grassy area, this was quite a social and sonic experience.

Though I was more interested in Weather Report, Bob Marley, Elvis Costello or Archie Shepp in those days, I learned to appreciate the booming sounds of Boston as appreciated proudly by the native settlers by sheer repeated exposure alone. Those minutemen were responsible for more than a few items of furniture hurled out the window after a beer too many! We knew when the music started what was going to happen. (FWIW my daughter commemorated the dorm in these moments with a hand drawing featured across 2 pages in the UMass yearbook!)

One thing is for sure. There was never any other band that satisfied these students the way Boston did.

Ken Shain

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Nice work Bob.

I remember the fall of ‘76 and that period well. 7th grade/jr high for me, just turning 12. All anyone could talk about was Foreigner & Boston. Before, during and after class. Man, what we wouldn’t give to have that music back again eh!
You mentioned the 1st album vs the rest. You’re pretty much spot-on. They’re not alone in that regard. Isn’t it interesting how most bands can rarely replicate their best work, usually on their debut album? Not always, but frequently.
I wonder if it’s just our perception? Or is it just too hard to have that many great ideas? At a minimum, as time goes by it becomes harder and harder to “capture lightning in a bottle” again. ( Fleetwood Mac – Rumours would be the best example I can think of)

I will say, we saw Tom, Brad & Co do the entire Third Stage album live on the ‘86 tour and it was off the charts. Very good. We all miss Brad, as they were a great band. They’re still worth paying to see howler. Every time I see them live, even to this day, I love to watch Tom. He’s so fully invested in his craft and the fine technical details.

Thanks for all your work & thoughts each week Bob.

Brooke Smith
Salt Lake City, UT

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1976 was the year I graduated high school, and that first Boston LP , you are spot on, there was nothing quite like it on the radio, and hearing More Than A Feeling for the first time on the radio, well it is hard to put into words how amazing it sounded and how unlike anything else out there sounded like at the time. I harken that radio moment to the first time I smoked actually got high smoking pot in the back seat of my childhood friend, Bob’s Ford Mustang. When he put on Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love and cranked with his 6×9 Jensen speakers installed in the back window, it felt like a religious experience with Page’s guitar and Plant’s vocals jumping from speaker to speaker. Also agreed with your assessment as to why more bands did not pick up on the whole acoustic guitar to electric guitar thing as Zep did so well back then . Tom sure got that right!

And perhaps there were some folks who did not know Lou Gramm and Mick Jones, well I did not know anything about Lou but the buzz was big in my Midwest town for that first Foreigner LP , because we all had been ardent Spooky Tooth fans so Mick’s guitar was a known commodity to us. I might point out that for me , the highlight for me on that album was At War With The World which kinda reminded me of Spooky and could easily have fit in as one of their songs. Also the ballad Fool For You Anyway, a fantastic song that I always played for any new girlfriend. Love your musical passion Bob, I share it as well as many of your loyal readers . Keep it up!

Chuck Steffen

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In the early summer of 1976, late May or early June, my buddies, John Block, Lee Putnam and I we’re at the home of a friend, Ann Reilly, whose parents were rarely home. Ann’s father Bill, worked for RCA records, had a gold album of John Denver’s greatest hits and a gold Country Roads single framed in his music studio room, which also had a baby grand piano. The shelves of his music studio were lined with thousands of albums, most of which I had never seen, as I was only 15 years old, and mostly purchased only 45s.

We were thumbing through his collection and playing random albums on his turntable based specifically on the artwork alone. I happened upon the coolest cover art I had ever seen, the city of Boston encased in a bubble, on a guitar shaped spaceship! We marveled at the cover art of this promotional copy alone for a good five minutes before removing the record and placing it on the turntable. The intro was so soft that we turned it up loud enough to hear it come in, and as it built, the walls rattled. We played “More Than A Feeling” at least three times before we advanced to another song.

We sat through the entire album at least once and a few songs twice, Foreplay/Long Time and Hitch A Ride. The next day, those familiar but too unfamiliar songs still lingering and partially branded on my mind began to haunt. I made my way back over to Ann’s house only to see John walking up to her house coming from the opposite direction, we were hooked and wanted more. We sat on the floor reading the liner notes and listening to the album at least twice more. Neither of us had the know-how or cable savviness to make a wired copy this album over to cassette tape, but that didn’t stop us.

I loaded up my royal blue Panasonic “take n tape” cassette player/recorder with a Maxell high bias 90 minute tape, pressed Record and Play simultaneously, and dropped the needle on side one. We walked out into the backyard so we could get our wireless recording without our background noise. When side one ended I flipped the tape, rewound it and recorded side two. We made multiple copies and passed them around the neighborhood to friends who wanted and envied ours. By mid June I knew every lyric, keyboard stroke, guitar lick, bass lick, and drum roll on every song.

On the day “More Than A Feeling” made its debut appearance on the radio, I felt like my new friends had hit the big time. I still listen to this album frequently, own several copies of it on album, cassette, CD, and even once had an 8-track tape that included some instrumentals that were not on the album that filled the gaps to balance out the tracks.

Enjoy!,
Bruce Avera Hunter

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Klaatu still listening to the lp on original vinyl

David Kessler

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WOW! I didn’t think I’d ever see that name (Klaatu) in print again.

You gotta do a piece on them. PLEEEEEEEZE !!!

baxley2

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My ears perked up when I saw you mention Klaatu. Did they get the full page newspaper feature articles in the US like they did here? or I wonder if they were bigger here because it all started ( & ended). in Toronto?

Reminded my of a couple of entries in my old twitter scrapbook thread

twitter.com/slappyshalom/status/1166107664784547840?s=21

twitter.com/slappyshalom/status/1166108409554505732?s=21

Steve Cole

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Maybe it’s my odd sense of humor but I always found it wonderfully ironic that Boston is considered the most egregious example of” corporate” rock even though the whole thing was recorded in some guy’s (Tom S obviously) basement.

Michael Eigen

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Hello Bob… I take offense at your comment suggesting that Klaatu was phony. We were anything but. We made the music we wanted to hear on the radio and not all of it was Beatlesque! We certainly vied away from the cheesy ‘Arena Rock’ that defined “Boston”. Unique, ground breaking songs like this were what we were doing:

youtu.be/Jm2MB14JTSM

Cheers… Terry Draper. Klaatu member and co-author of “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft”.

They could only do it once, but oh how well they did it.

Corporate rock. Does Boston qualify? Some would say they were the progenitors, giving the public what it wanted, but I don’t put the band in that category, sure Tom Scholz distilled what he was hearing on the radio to create something palatable to everybody, but that does not make it inherently phony, especially when it was done on such a high level, this was not Klaatu, this was not an imitation, it may have only pushed the envelope a tiny bit…BUT IT WAS SO DAMN GOOD!

They used to break records on the radio. That’s where you heard them first. You’d be driving along and something would jump out of the speaker and you’d look into the distance and start to smile. You’d hear something so transcendent that you had to go to the record store and buy it, like the Little River Band’s “It’s a Long Way There,” a rock epic, forget that the act was ultimately known for its soft rock hits, “It’s a Long Way There” was transcendent. Same deal with “Feels Like the First Time.” The first Foreigner LP might have had a mediocre cover, Mick Jones and Lou Gramm might not have been household names, but the track jumped out of the dashboard, twisted and turned and infected your soul, the band never equaled it until they ultimately worked with Mutt Lange on “4.” Sure, “Feels Like the First Time” was more of a distillation than a groundbreaking cut, but putting all the elements together to create something new, that jumps your game piece beyond everything else on the board, is oh so hard to do.

So, if you were alive in the fall of 1976, you remember that guitar intro, you remember hearing “More Than a Feeling.” And, honestly, I did not love it, because at the time I felt it was too generic. But eventually they played another cut from the LP on the radio and I purchased the album, two months after it was released, and I heard “Foreplay/Long Time.”

The organ intro. It was akin to ELP, but not the guitar flourishes, they didn’t sound like that band that did not even have a lead guitarist. Meanwhile, the organ keeps noodling, moving all over the landscape and then the dynamics change, the track is blown up, they’re operating at 10, the rest of the band is participating. And then, of all things, there’s a bit of a bass solo, and then the entire band starts wailing on this journey again, but then the organ and guitar slow down, they start to sigh, however loudly, and then like silent meditation in a house of worship it all goes quiet and then…when you’re deep in reflection, the drum starts to kick, the guitar starts to wail and you’re shot into outer space, on the ride of a lifetime, smiling all the while.

“It’s been such a long time

I think I should be going”

He’s gone, but Brad Delp had a pure rock and roll voice, the honey on top of the guitar riffs that sweetened the sound.

But the hook, the key element, what put the track over the top, was the chorus.

All of a sudden, an acoustic guitar replaced the electric, a Led Zeppelin trick that no other band ever picked up on, and there were handclaps and even “oos” and then the entire band kicked back in electrically and you were blown into hyperspace once again. HOW DID THEY DO THIS? They just took standard parts off the shelf, but reconstructed them in such a mellifluous way.

And it didn’t stop there. You’d left the planet, you were holding tight to the rocket ship, you were along for the ride. The only way to get off was to lift the needle, and you weren’t about to do that!

And it went on and on, not a moment too long, just the right amount of time. “Foreplay/Long Time” is a masterpiece, don’t ask the rock critics, ask the millions of people across this great land of ours who burned through their vinyl, needing to hear it over and over again.

And on side two, there was the melodic “Hitch a Ride.” In its own way just as good as “More Than a Feeling” and “Foreplay/Long Time.” It too had the dynamics, and even a jolt back to the stratosphere, and exquisite guitar parts. This was back when a band could be both hard and soft, oftentimes in the same song, Boston was anti the Active Rock format of today, it wasn’t for somebody, but EVERYBODY! Yes, at this point everybody was paying attention, you can read the AM radio charts, but they did not reflect what was truly going on.

And some records you have to cherry-pick. There are the hits and the dreck. But not “Boston.” The second side was just as satisfying as the first. And all the tracks were played by the same band, but that did not mean they sounded exactly alike. But the building blocks, Scholz’s guitar-playing and Delp’s vocal, those were the elements that put it over the top. Today’s bands think they can make it with a substandard vocalist, but no way back in the heyday.

But Tom Scholz could never repeat the magic. “Don’t Look Back” jumped out of the radio, but the album was not as good as the debut. “A Man I’ll Never Be” was an epic that paid rewards when listened to through its movements, but the initial LP captured and distilled the zeitgeist, “Don’t Look Back” did not. But Epic insisted on it. They withheld royalties from the debut until the follow-up was delivered. But that was not the way Tom Scholz worked. He was an outsider who needed to do it his way. It had taken him years to write the songs, to lay them down in his studio, he needed to get his head in the same place, he needed time to replicate the magic. And ultimately he never could, his confidence and belief were broken by the business. He was on the right track, the label was not. And there were more albums thereafter, intermittently, all anticipated, but the game had changed, now it was about videos, now the new wave had solidified its presence, that mid-seventies sound still lived, but it was out of fashion, out of time. But not the debut, never.

And Scholz was not an easygoing character. He wanted to do it himself, screw all the band members but Delp. And he wanted to invent studio gear. And time passed him and the act by. But the debut is still embedded in the landscape.

Maybe you’ve got to exist outside the system to beat it at its own game. Maybe you’ve got to need it that bad to deliver. Tom Scholz was not part of the firmament, he was living in his own bubble, but when his music was exposed to the masses, it instantly resonated.

We’ve still got people who do it this way today. But their productions don’t reach the entire nation instantly, ultimately they reside in niches. And what is pushed and purveyed is oftentimes made by committee, as opposed to by one person, alone in the studio, getting it right. The act always knows best. You’ve got to follow the act. This is not the movies, where a substandard section can be overcome by a stellar section, a legendary track must work throughout, must function at a 10 level throughout.

So why Boston, why today? It’s not like I haven’t written about the band in the past. But the truth is when I’m in a good mood, which usually happens when I’m alone and inspired, when I start to smile, I think of the music I can play. Scratch that, I start to hear songs in my head. And today I heard “Foreplay/Long Time.”

And it wasn’t nostalgia, I was not eager to go back to ’76 and ’77, when it was ubiquitous, rather I wanted to transfer that magic to today, I wanted the track to boost my good mood even higher, I wanted the music to take over my brain, squeeze everything else out, and make me feel thrilled to be alive.

That’s the power of music.

That’s the power of rock and roll.

That’s the power of Boston.

I guess you had to be there. For the mind-set. The sixties were cruising along as an extension of the fifties and then came the Beatles. They didn’t do it to become rich and famous, their goal was to stay off the factory floor as long as possible. These were not the sons and daughters of upper-class denizens, their playing was not just a stop before graduate school, this was their lives, it meant EVERYTHING!

And what was everything? It certainly didn’t include drudgery. Well, when they went on the road, there was more than a bit of that, but those are the dues you’ve got to pay to engage with your fans, and if it’s more about you than them you don’t even have to go on the road at all, can you say STEELY DAN?

So everybody in America’s got a crew cut. And then the Beatles come along and WHAM, BAM, THE FIFTIES ARE OVER! The Beatles wiped the map of everybody but the Beach Boys and the Four Seasons, everybody else had no chance, because they were entertainers, the Beatles were more than that, THEY WERE OUTSIDERS!

Yes, they look cuddly in retrospect, but that’s not how the older generation saw them, never mind the preachers and believers who burned their albums after John Lennon’s famous statement. Then again, that was John Lennon, unfiltered. Wasn’t that the point of being an artist, doing it your way, not beholden to rules, and then the public resonated with you and your music?

Now what are left are mostly the trappings.

I almost turned the damn show off. It started with Dave Grohl. He’s the last rocker standing, so he always gets the gig, but we’ve learned that Kurt Cobain was the outsider, not Grohl. Grohl can exhibit the irreverence endemic to rock, but he’s part of the firmament, whereas the real rockers never were.

And then Luke Bryan starts to testify about the Doobie Brothers. I mean at least he’s a musician, and I’m a fan, but he’s bland and young and wasn’t there any true fan that could have read those words, Ted Templeman, anyone with gravitas, who could testify as to the impact of the Doobie Brothers such that we would believe it? And at this point, I was truly wincing, Dave Grohl and then Luke Bryan? Who next, Anne Murray?

The Doobies started in a biker bar. far from Hollywood. They were not dependent upon their education, they were foraging, going their own way as part of the music explosion in the wake of the Beatles. Never forget, after Ed Sullivan and the ensuing hits everybody picked up an instrument, EVERYBODY! Boys talked about amps the way kids today talk about mobile phones, we needed to get closer.

“You get me closer to God”

And this is when the show switched, when it started to get good, with NIN.

Sure, Trent Reznor now scores movies, but no one would ever categorize him as an insider. And that’s what he talks about, being alone in Pennsylvania, needing to make music to connect with his tribe. And after the initial whirlwind of fame, he questioned his status, whether he had anything left to say. That’s part of being an artist. If you’re not questioning your worth, if you’re not banging your head against the wall at times, if you’re even-keeled, be an accountant. Rock and roll doesn’t need you. You see rock and roll is a band of outsiders.

There, I said it.

That’s the opposite of the ethos today. Everybody is a member of the group. To the point where they’re anxious about saying what is uncomfortable, for fear of ruffling feathers. Hell, there are even books you can’t read in college, there are trigger warnings, how in the hell did we get so far from the garden?

Back then if you didn’t fit in, if you were a square peg in a round hole, you could not go online and find your people, YOU HAD TO LISTEN TO MUSIC! And the makers of such, the ones in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, were not only skilled, they had messages, they made you feel like you belonged.

And then the whole thing became corporatized. With corporate rock and then disco and then the whole scene imploded, ultimately revived by MTV and the videos it aired, but since then, after hip-hop, the only innovation in music has been the internet, the pipe, the distribution, was far more interesting than the music. Now music is a vehicle to become a brand.

Then again, that paradigm was introduced by the rappers, that’s why the segment on Biggie is so damn good. His life was crap. He had a dream. Most people did not believe, but he did. And when he broke through he needed to be the best. That’s a thing about hip-hop, unlike rock, it’s a competition. When you come from nothing, when you have nothing, you’re entitled to all the perks, all the trinkets, the victory lap, because society was conspiring to keep you down, now more than ever. But two-odd decades later, it’s only about the trappings. Biggie believed in the music.

The talking heads were not appropriate until Irving Azoff’s segment. Of course Don Henley should be the ringmaster. Why in every other clip did they not employ someone equally close to who was being honored? And not only were we exposed to all of Irving’s accomplishments, we were left with two main points, Irving’s belief in and defense of artists, and his irreverence.

The artists come and go at the label. Stop selling and you’re history, those people who were your best friends will become unavailable. The artists complain, but Irving stands up for them, if nothing else with Global Rights, the artists deserve MORE!

As for his irreverence… Irving was himself, his closer, referencing his children, was the cherry on the sundae. They only made one of Irving and he never compromised, which is why he’s survived. Too many others gained some success and sold out, forgot who they were, where they came from, but not Irving.

Quite possibly the “In Memoriam” segment was the highlight of the entire telecast. Eddie Van Halen got his due. But instead of Slash, I wish they had Jeff Beck, or Jimmy Page, or Allan Holdsworth if he didn’t die. Someone truly in the pantheon, who could talk not only about impact and technique, but the challenge of having an upstart doing your act, imploring you to push the envelope or get out of the way.

But Slash was light years better than Charlize Theron. I mean she had that thing with Stephan Jenkins, but she’s a movie star, not a rocker, she was eye candy to get looky-loos to tune in. Why? We expect that of the Grammys, not HBO, where ratings are irrelevant. The more true you are to the subject, the more people are entranced and bonded to you and salivating to come back next year.

And the truth is this show was so superior to any prior telecast they should never broadcast the awards ceremony ever again. Where the inductor frequently has nothing to do with the inductee (thank you Steve Miller, unlike all the youngsters, you’re not afraid to bite the hand that feeds you, you’ve still got your rock and roll spirit). The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the private dinner, used to be an insider affair. And we all know what happens when no one is looking is much more interesting than if everybody is. A raucous party, that’s what they had. Now they do it in an arena, for the ticket revenue, Peter Grant would never allow that, then again, these are the same people who feel it necessary to include a far too long advertisement for the museum in the middle of the show. It was like Neil Portnow’s Grammy speech, time to get up and pee.

As for Whitney Houston… They did a good job of portraying her career arc, but she’s as far from rock and roll as Debby Boone. She was not an outsider appealing to other outsiders, she was not irreverent, she was a voice. Sure, she led the lifestyle and got off the rails, but so do finance and techie bros who make too much money. Rock and roll is a very small stage. You can get inside the tent, but to be on stage, we need very few people. That’s what the Spotify complainers just don’t get. WE DON’T WANT TO LISTEN TO YOU! After all, we can listen to the Doobies, NIN, Depeche Mode…

KROQ was an addiction, it was a club, either you were a member or you were not, to the point it literally caused the previous number one rock station, KMET, to change format. Talk about David slaying Goliath…

But KMET wouldn’t play “Don’t You Want Me.” And “Tainted Love.” Rock has to reinvent itself, or it dies. Which is why it’s on life support right now, there is no reinvention, just people riffing on what has been done before. And KROQ was the home of Depeche Mode.

“I just can’t get enough”

To hear this coming out of the dashboard of your car…it was the antidote to not only corporate rock, but the America that had suddenly become Reaganized. The Americans may have sold out, but not the English, they were testing limits. And the Depeche Mode sound was so infectious that the band could sell out the Rose Bowl, AND IT ALL STARTED WITH KROQ AIRPLAY!

That was the power of radio. That was the power of Rick Carroll’s KROQ format, the Roq of the 80s, Top Forty for a culture where the past was whacked and anything went if it was creative enough. You may think Soft Cell was a one hit wonder, but if that’s the case you were not listening to KROQ, where “Sex Dwarf” was in regular rotation, and oh-so-different from “Tainted Love,” back when the goal was not to repeat yourself.

But, once again, as good as Eddie Van Halen was, the star of the “In Memoriam” segment was the Queen of Rock & Roll, the progenitor, the man who was there at the beginning and was always in character and never truly faded away, the one whose music still radiates.

LITTLE RICHARD!

Forget the singing, when he shimmies his hips he puts Elvis to shame. Talk about sex incarnate.

You see rock and roll owes its soul to the Delta Bluesmen. Who definitely didn’t do it to get rich and famous. As a matter of fact, many who survived, legends, ended up getting straight gigs, their names were in the phone book, such that when college students wanted to feature them in the sixties, they could call them right up.

And the English cats, who also had little, who’d grown up just after the war, hoovered up those original blues records, twisted them and fed the result back to the U.S. And then U.S. musicians were infected and put their own spin on the sound. That is the story of rock. Made by outsiders who couldn’t do anything else wanting to be heard. They got that right in this show too, it’s not about the money, it’s about the art, that’s the goal of every true artist, to expose more people to their creations.

So, if you watched this HBO show you were ultimately sucked in. You looked past the non-musicians testifying who were out of place. And as a matter of fact, almost nothing said was worth listening to other than the words of the musicians, who created this music, who oftentimes didn’t even speak so well, because you see the music was their statement.

Music doesn’t work on TV, at least not today. Sure, back in the sixties, the seventies, when it was rare, it was a thrill to see your favorite on the screen. But the truth is you just can’t feel the sound, it doesn’t inhabit your body and soul, you can look but you feel the distance, whereas live, these acts cannot be denied.

So, the scripted parts were almost all bad. Even if the words were close to right, they were not expressed with the passion of a fan.

But that footage, those stories…

These people had no CV. They didn’t have rich parents. They truly took the road less traveled. They hung it all out for rock and roll. And this is what we loved about them, this is what drew us to them. They were not hawking perfume, all they were selling was themselves and their music, and that was more than enough. Yes, they had the C-word…CREDIBILITY! If you can’t say no, you can’t truly be a rock star. Rock stars have an inner tuning fork, and it’s based on feel, not books. They channel their emotions, and once they betray them they’re done, forget what the agents and label people tell you, the audience can tell the difference, they can SMELL the difference.

And all of the acts in this program, as well as Irving and Jon Landau, embodied this spirit. Irving and Jon were addicted fans, they needed to get closer.

Those day are through. Which is why I’ve argued for eons that the halls of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should be closed, or at least time-limited. The Museum of Modern Art in New York, one of our nation’s great treasures, with more foot traffic than it can handle, does not include Michelangelo. Once again, rock is a big tent for the listener, but not the creator. You’ve got to earn your stripes. And when you hear Whitney Houston talk about having more number ones than the Beatles you do a spit take. It’s not the same game, it’s not the same era, it’s not even the same charts, never mind the same distribution and listening avenues. Sure, they may still call it the “Hot 100,” but back then if you were number one, EVERYBODY KNEW WHO YOU WERE!

Not that everybody knew who Marc Bolan was. Truly he only had one big hit in America, the utterly infectious “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” But he was HUGE in the U.K. He and Bowie dominated the magazines and the charts in 1972, talk about influence.

But, once again, isn’t that just the point. It’s about the work, not the reach. It’s not really something you can quantify, just something you can feel.

And too many have been left out of the Rock Hall.

And too many don’t deserve to be inside, which Don Henley references.

But I must admit, somewhere in this endurance test of a TV show beat the heart of rock and roll. Sure, I could see it, but mostly I could hear it, and feel it, remember who I was and where I was when music was my only way of getting through.