Thanks for this Bob.

I am a musician currently recovering from Covid.  I live in Nashville and have been playing live shows here in town 1-2 times a week.  I don’t know how I would pay my bills without the gigs.  There is no safety net for people like me.

By the looks of Downtown Nashville on a daily basis, you would never know there’s a pandemic raging.  There are lines out the door to get into my shows and nobody wears a mask inside.  The culture down there is very much anti-mask, pro-party.

I was hoping for the best until I started feeling like shit.  Got the test and sure enough, I was positive.  So many musician friends of mine have been infected – the majority of the gigging musicians at this point at least in my circle.  It’s only a matter of time until the spike in hospitalizations and deaths is unbearable here in Nashville.

Musicians here are having to make the excruciating decision of taking proper health precautions or risk not being able to pay their bills, being evicted and complete financial devastation.

I am fortunate that I will probably fully recover, however I am on pins and needles monitoring my mom’s symptoms as she was with me prior to me knowing I was infected.  She’s 76.  God help us.

-Jay Bragg
Nashville, TN

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Thanks for this Bob.I would even say that pneumonia vaccine  important for younger Demo as well. I am 36 and had double pneumonia with covid in March and then pneumonia again about 2 months ago and only wish I had gotten the pneumonia vaccine prior. I can only hope this hasn’t left lingering damage to my lungs but only time will tell. I have probably paid my Pulmologist’s office rent this year and still am not out of the woods. The long hauler thing is very real. Its just so unfortunate our asshole soon to be former president “downplayed” it. So many people like myself might have had a chance to better protect themselves if awareness and alarm had been raised back in feb. Most people still don’t understand the severity of the virus bc of the lies he and sycophants spread about it . I also agree with you in that I think every single person I know has been hypocritical when it comes to virus safety. They chastise but  when it comes to themselves I see no sacrifice and a severe lack of common sense from generally smart people. It’s a shame.

Best
Jarred Arfa

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My wife is an RN at one of the major NY hospital systems. The first wave was devastating for not only those infected and their families, but for the frontline workers including my wife. She’d go to work each day and spend 10 hour shifts intubating patients, flipping their bodies and then watching them get carted outside to the mobile refrigeration unit (temporary morgue). The toughest part for her was lending her cell phone to COVID patients to call loved ones telling them they are going to be intubated. Most of the time, it was the last interaction they had with their families. This went on for weeks. Drives me crazy when I hear people talk about the crisis as a hoax and not take it seriously. People are so selfish and misinformed – and the rot starts at the top with the soon-to-be former president and his team of imbeciles.

Here is hoping people take this next wave seriously and we all act as a cohesive unit and care for one another and not just ourselves. Maybe that’s a pipe dream.

Julian Schubach

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I’ve been struggling so much with this part of it, that it’s spreading amongst our close contacts because everyone’s interpreting the guidelines differently.  The idea of not letting my kid see her grandparents and her friends.  We already keep her home for virtual school (one of 3 remote in her 26 kid class – our county votes 70% Republican – wonder if there’s a connection there), and we’re so lucky that she’s excelling, that she’s in kindergarten and never really knew what school was prior to COVID.  We’ve been outdoors all summer, hiking and swimming and playing putt-putt and embarking on every adventure that we can where we can that’s AWAY from others.  But yesterday was the last unseasonably warm day, and it’s cold and dreary and gets dark at 5pm now, and this is our life for the next 5 months.  My business (talent buyer for clubs and theatres with Audiotree in Michigan / Chicago) has been completely obliterated and maybe we’ll come back at this time next year or maybe 2022 if any of us make it that long, but I’m blessed beyond belief to have an owner who’s still paying me to plan for the future, and my wife (dance teacher), it’s not safe for her to go back to work, so we’re just at home, all day.  If COVID doesn’t kill us, those of us in cold weather states may just kill those we live with by the time April rolls around.

But when grandma calls and wants to visit, it’s so hard to say no, you can’t come over, you’re not taking this seriously enough, you’re not wearing masks out and about, you’re still going to church and the weekly car show and your friends’ houses.  Mom, you’re gonna die.  Or you’re gonna kill Dad, or one of your friends.  You’ve got good years left, put a goddamned mask on, stop going out.  That conversation’s hard enough about a normal Wednesday evening dinner.  But with the holidays coming, it’s gonna get REAL dark, and I’m scared about it.  Never mind that they’re big Trump supporters and that conversation is so loaded and emotional right now.

I follow you for your takes on our music business, but I appreciate most your takes on real life.  This one hit home.  Stay safe out there.

Nate Dorough
Audiotree

Hartland, MI

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Hey Bob You can add me to that small list . Thank you for all this latest insight  though. Malibu until very recently has been Maskless Malibu and you are right, mind-blowing how people think they wont get it from close friends .

This one had my attention from having worked with two people who died early to an array of friends artists and colleagues of various broad age groups geograpghy etc and the day to day experiences of some of them has been chilling. Anyway I hope we both make it through and finally get to meet up again after so long best Howard Paar

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Thanks for sharing that. As a singer,  my last gig was March 11th, the day Massachusetts declared a State of Emergency.  I was invited to participate in a private event for cabaret performers in May. I didn’t feel comfortable. One attendee spent 2 weeks in an ICU, and 6 weeks in rehab.

It is not worth it.

But for performers, particularly singers,  this soul crushing, isolating and frustrating.

We need a national mask mandate now.

Jeanne Crowley

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Thank you, Bob, for sharing this with your subscribers. I only hug my 23 year son after his negative COVID tests. I never thought I would write a sentence like that.

Best,
Andrew Gross

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I play in a band in rural Wayne County PA. We moved from our somewhat cramped rehearsal room to a large 2 car garage with doors and windows open and plenty of distancing. At first, since most of us don’t interact with people much,  only our bassist wore a mask because she’s a farmer and had to go to markets in NYC. Now we all do except the singers when singing. It’s gonna suck when it gets cold, but after very few, slowly increasing cases, we’ve had 33 new ones in our county in just the last 10 days, so we aren’t taking any chances-short of not playing anymore, of course. That’s unthinkable.

Pam Arnold (drummer for Beat the Devil)

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I don’t understand how masks became a partisan issue.
I think Trump was a mixed bag of good and bad.
Possibly the worst thing he did was set a terrible example by not wearing a mask all the time.
The CDC and Fauci did not help either. Masks for everyone was so obvious – reduces risk.
Staying home and avoiding crowds – reduces risks.
The whole country needs a lesson on risk reduction.

Another sad story of our times are the special needs children and adults.
My oldest son (severely autistic and blind) used to go to a dayhab that had to close and is struggling to survive.
Fortunately his group home has been able to stay afloat and pick up the slack.
Both are non-profit – which I recommend for anyone with special needs. Making a profit from looking after special needs is not a good business model for the kids or the business.

Regards,
Dave Machanick

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This is so terrible. 1000+ Americans a day are dying of secondhand stupidity.

Paul Gigante

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I have been saying everything that you have covered since the start, and I have a daughter who is also in 100% agreement too, in fact she pointed me to this letter.

I too have a highly compromised immune system thanks to Myasthenia Gravis treatment, consisting of Prednisone & Retuximab. The latter to replace the Cellcept that was reducing my white blood cell count!

I also have all the shots – flu, pneumonia, shingles etc, etc. If it’s offered I take it! Can’t afford not to.

I have not been to a shop, restaurant or bar since the end of February. All shopping done via Instacart. The only place I go is to my local Kaiser facility for any treatment/infusions/blood draws and that’s it.

Our daughter comes to see us because she is exactly the same as us. Sees no one, uses online shopping. The only people she sees are via zoom, including the artist she works for. In person meetings are limited to us, her parents, and she will do nothing to put us at risk.

I hope you stay in good health and that you are getting some relief from the Pemphigus. Ageing is a bitch, but it is what it is. Stiff upper lip, and enjoy every minute! 🙂

Keep up the good work

Regards

Peter Brentnall

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The worst part is reading all of this, agreeing with all of this, and having to go to work where I serve coffee to people who don’t understand they have to keep their mask on the ENTIRE time until they leave the store. If you could hear the customers that come in and call my coworkers and I “brain washed” your jaw would drop. That’s Los Angeles, baby, home of Individualism.

ok, tyler

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Thank you, Bob.

But I’ve learned that those who will not wear a mask by now, just will not do it.

Sad that this guy didn’t keep well via mask-wearing.

Hopefully your post helps.

Fran D

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60 Minutes recently covered how the vaccine(s) will be distributed via the US Army, and I gotta say… it instilled a heck of a lot of confidence in me. I encourage you to give it a watch as you (and hopefully way, way many more people) stay vigilant as ever until the (literal) cavalry arrives.

Jennifer Carney

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Hi Bob. To quote you…what kind of crazy fucked up world do we live in?  How can people take medical advice from Joe Rogan. What are his qualifications?  I’ll take science over uninformed option everyday.

Craig Marlow

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Thank you for sharing this, Bob.

If only EVERYONE could get past the Joe Rogan mentality and come to realize that saving lives is just about as UN-‘pussy’-like as one can get.

So…mask up, everyone…let’s get this DONE.

(And then, maybe we can get to work on our language. As in, a new word for ‘pussy’ perhaps?)

Alice Barstow

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Correction to the letter from mrpunaway: Joe Rogan is 100% in favor of mask use and has been extremely clear he wears one whenever he goes out. The “masks are for pussies” line was a JOKE. He is a COMEDIAN and people using that line to smear Rogan are doing so in bad faith.

Jonathan Steigman

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Great advice. And don’t forget about shingles, which I thought were for roofs. It’s no joke. Any of us olds who had chickenpox has a chance of getting shingles. It’s an awful, painful rash. I know someone who nearly lost his eyesight from it. Get the shingles shot.

Jeff Hillery

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My brother, a full-time doctor who teaches Public Health at university on the side, says the vaccine will be given to health care professionals first, then to those in nursing homes, then to those with immunology issues, then to those over 65, and then to the rest of us.  Hope this eases some people’s fear of its side effects.  Can’t wait to see our world enter the next “new normal.”

Susan Rosenbluth

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Social Distancing…I keep having to tell my wife that four feet isn’t six feet.   Six feet is a lot (and may not be enough, but it’s pretty good).  This fall so many people have become lazy.  The next wave is going to be a bitch.

Michael Alex

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Spot on Bob…Build up that IMMUNITY at all costs especially if your 50+.

I’ve had all the goodies as needed,here in Canada. I’m 70 with hypertension, therefore considered high risk.

* Super Flu vaccine for those 60+ and it’s Free. Everyone under 60 get the regular flu vaccine, Free. Same vaccine that Australian’s use. We Canadian’s produce once their winter season ends.

* Premium Shingrix Shingles vaccine DBL dose CDN $350, 85-90% effective for first 4 years.

* Prevnar13  for Pneumococcal Pneumonia. Free if over 65+ or high risk. Only shot required indefinitely, unless government issue an advisory.

 

Click to access PSA617300-01_Fact_Sheet.pdf

Stay safe!

Olie Kornelsen

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I lived in Asia and Latin America in the 60s and in Africa in the 70s and the idea that we could travel without the whole range of vaccines available (and sometimes mandatory) was simply not an option. I even had to get cholera jabs (they’re painful), even though we knew they were mildly efficient.

Vaccines have saved millions of people in Africa, Asia and other parts of the world and helped get rid of endemic diseases.

So when the Covid vaccine will be available, I know what I will be doing.

And so should everyone.

Emmanuel Legrand

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COVID has become an incredible time for experimentation and thinking outside of the box as bands think about making money and building culture.

A group that I work with spent 11 days doing just that this past September and October as they embarked on their first-ever run of outdoor gigs. It was a mix of public backyard shows (where anyone could buy a ticket), private backyard shows (where hosts controlled the guest list), and even some traditional promoter gigs with promoters who host outdoor shows. The DIY-fan hosted shows made up the bulk of the dates and it’s the model they’re bringing to the entire country next summer.

The interesting thing is that for a developing band, it’s possible for them to potentially get paid more from setting up their own show and ticketing them than playing a traditional 250-cap venue. I also feel like we’re going to see more grass roots community come from these shows, even if everyone had to stay masked, seated, and six feet apart for the entire night.

The wrote a little piece about it and I thought you might enjoy it: https://tallheightsmusic.medium.com/our-band-found-a-way-to-tour-during-the-pandemic-7a90acb865aa

Have a great day!

Mark Jourdian

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Thanks for that Bob! People need to hear that stuff. It ISN’t going away in a blink!

I live in SW Florida where a HUGE % STILL believe this is a hoax & lean right into your face maskless… just to piss you off & watch you squirm.

I’m a performing musician. (& RN who quit when music got busy)

Like most of us, every festival & gig I had booked was cancelled. Some were virtual. We’re doing zoom shows.

BUT many of us are being asked to do live shows again. Most of us are declining.

We just don’t want to be responsible for spraying goobers out into audiences.

Like the donald.

It stinks, but a year or so of wearing masks & distancing is worth the burden…

Especially when I hear horror stories of the alternative from my former medical colleagues!

Stay safe. Buckle up.

No, you’re NOT hallucinating!

Thanks for spreading the word

Annie Wenz RN/Musician

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I love your writings Bob – the musical and the political. We have opposing views politically but your style is compelling as a someone that relishes a world view, I read your missives with pleasure.

I caught had COVID in mid March when returning from a ski trip in the French Alps. As a healthy 55 year old I am in the low risk category. Like a nasty bout of flu it wasn’t pleasant. But like everyone in my age category without any underlying health conditions I came through unscathed.

Wearing masks to stop the spread of infection has merit. Although I see the other side of the argument. Comparing countries or even States that have strict mask rules against those who are more relaxed, the data suggests there are no differences in the infection rate.

But the question is not whether masks stop the infection, it’s whether the cure is worse than the disease. I can understand those in the higher risk categories fearing infection and welcoming tougher restrictions such as mask mandates and a stricter lockdown. But they are far outweighed in numbers by the younger and the healthier in our societies and it is their futures we risk stealing.

Mrpunaway writes that he has had his COVID-19 for two weeks and it sucks. I get it. But faced with that or a future saddled with $ trillions in debt, waiting for a vaccine that may out may not work, I would rather take the former.

I get that you may not want want to publish my email Bob or whether you are even allowed to but one thing I do know, having been a fan of yours for so long, is you are prepared to listen to those of us with views that differ from yours.

Stay safe, stay well.
Andrew Grahame

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Thanks as always for writing, Bob. It’s good to hear your perspective.

I can’t help but to chime in here. My paranoia about the vaccines is the first hand witness accounts of nurses and parents saying their kids became autistic from a vaccine.

It isn’t fair to say that anything you read on the internet can’t be true if it doesn’t come from an accredited news source. I just had this argument with my dad the other day. We are in a new era now and the Internet can spread the truth faster than the media in many instances, and it can be a tool if you know how to read thru the bullshit. Just look at Jeffrey Epstein for example: no accredited news source would publish a story on him for years! Did that make it a conspiracy? Well, it was a true conspiracy.

I ask all my doctors about vaccines. I ask them about the autism. Of course they’re going to say there’s no scientific evidence proving that. Their business is medicine! They make money from prescribing drugs. You can’t tell me that you don’t know how messed up the medical industry is in this country. That as much as we are lucky to be in this country the insurance system is messed up, drives up prices and makes the cost of care astronomical. My gynecologist swears birth control is good for you, but it also keeps you coming back once a year for a new prescription, if not for any other reason. Just like a drug dealer! But most women I know under 30 who are educated or ‘woke’ and live in coastal cities like NYC or LA have told me their lives were significantly improved by getting off of birth control. It’s almost impossible to find legit scientific articles about this because the medical industry and the pharmaceutical companies don’t want you to.

I’m all for looking at the scientific evidence. Like climate change. We have to be realistic. However you also have to look at the motives of the people writing the prescriptions and of the industry as a whole.

As you mentioned about our food being complete shit, in so many words, everything really is a ‘conspiracy’. If you believe the republicans are trying to keep people uneducated and gullible in order to be more easily taken advantage of – as Trumps team utilized in the last election with Cambridge Analytica – then it’s not that hard to believe that doctors and the government don’t always have our best interest at heart either. The rise in autism is also linked to our food being complete shit in this country. As you mentioned most people either can’t afford to eat ‘organic’, if there even really is such a thing, or they aren’t ever taught how important it is. Do doctors make an effort to educate us on this? Not really because then we would need them a lot less.

The saddest part about the election is that no one talked about fixing the food in this country. That’s the real root of so many problems. I hate to say it but it almost seems like many of the issues the media focuses on are just a distraction to keep us focused on other things, ensuring these huge corporate conglomerates can keep profiting off of our mental and physical downfall.

I don’t disagree with your point about the herd mentality. I myself am guilty of the same thing. I don’t want to be the first one to get the vaccine, or even get it at all to be honest. But that’s because of my basic human instinct of self preservation. Survival of the fittest, or I suppose in todays world the most ‘educated’. If I’m skeptical something may have long term negative side effects, if I have a deep rooted distrust of the system, why in my right mind would I line up for the vaccine? I’d almost rather stay in my house for the rest of my life than do something that doesn’t sit right in my gut. Im not anti vax by any means, but I also have to weigh the pros and cons. I’m terrified of a government mandated vaccine. The whole thing just seems too suspicious.

The sentiment of distrust of doctors and the government is shared by more and more people, especially under the age of 30. There IS usually an agenda if there is something to be gained. Look at all the ‘conspiracies’ that have been brought to light simply by people having social media and cell phones on their person all the time. What if the medical industry ‘conspiracy’ is the next police brutality? You can deny it because you don’t want to believe it until the evidence is undeniable. Over time more of this will come to light, unfortunately for all of us.

Leah Haxhi

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Thank you for writing this.
The more influential people pass on this message, the higher the chances someone will listen.
Have been following you for years, I lead the data operations in a Swiss NGO focused on diagnostics for infectious diseases, and it just breaks my heart to see on one side thousands of professionals dedicating their life trying to make things better for the majority who just ignores the basic recommendations thinking they are above everything else and thus immune to all of this.
What kind of a world is this where personal freedom must prevail at all costs?
I might not always agree with your musical taste but please do this again.
Stefano Ongarello

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I had Covid 19 in July.  In the morning I had no temperature, felt fine, and did some work at home (I’m an accountant).  In the afternoon I felt tired and decided to lie down.  I was in bed for the next 11 days, sleeping 20 hours a day.  I had intermittent fever and chills (temperature never over 101), a mild dry cough, a bit of trouble when I tried to take a deep breath.  On the third day I could barely smell anything and on the fourth day my sense of smell was gone completely.  At which point I started to grieve as if I had lost a dear friend.  Because – and this was the worst part – from the evening of the first day I was horribly, clinically depressed.  Everything seemed bleak, hopeless, doomed … it was dreadful.  That is not my nature and I have never felt that kind of depression except for once, about 35 years ago, when I had a case of bacterial pneumonia that got really bad because the doctor I saw thought it was viral and didn’t give me antibiotics till I was almost gone.

I couldn’t eat anything, therefore lost a lot of weight and became very weak.

Then, on the 17th day after I came down with it, I got up to get a glass of water and – the depression was gone, I looked around the kitchen and thought, Man, I need to clean this place up!  Just like that.

A couple of days after that I developed very bad edema in both legs/ankles.  I went to urgent care, they sent me flying off to the emergency room because they thought it was a symptom of heart attack, and after the requisite six hours and test after test after test they sent me home with the info that I was in excellent health and they had no idea what was causing the edema.  (I got some detox tea at the health food store and it was gone 48 hours later).

Since then I have had some recurring issues – fatigue, depression (but more like malaise, not that awful feeling of thinking about death and dying all the time), and a couple of times I’ve keeled over for no apparent reason, which I attribute to possible sudden drops in my blood pressure.  I did get a month ago – the test confirmed that I had had COVID and I do have antibodies.

My sister (who lives in Spain) also had it, back in late February or early March, same symptoms but milder.

And, my partner had it around the same time I did, again, same symptoms but quite a bit milder & shorter duration.

I hope this gives an idea of what some of the non-severe (i.e., not requiring hospitalization) effects of the virus are.  The scariest part of being sick was not knowing what to expect, how long it would go on, if it would keep getting worse or get better, or whether or not my sense of smell would come back (it did, after about a week, but food still doesn’t taste the same as it used to).

Take care Bob and don’t get the virus – we need you!

Stephanie Zill

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You’re so right, Bob.

And the murderer-in-chief owns this. Along with those who let it supported him in letting it rage out of control – McConnell and the brood.

We live in a country where millions of people have malfunctioning decision criteria – people who say they won’t believe Covid is real because they can’t see it -unless someone they know personally dies of it and even then they aren’t sure BUT – will believe in a supernatural force in the sky they say controls their every waking moment, even though they can’t see it and it doesn’t answer their prayers.

No wonder we’re having a tough time.

I’m with you, mask, hand wash, stay away from me, and I wish we had your weather so we could eat outside this winter.

John Parikhal

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I feel very bad for Matthew. He obviously did the best he could but it just shows you the power that somebody like Trump and the right has the power to change the narration. Changing a narration  changes peoples lives and not for the better either. Yet there are still people out there even though there’s a raging pandemic in the Midwest And other parts of the country who still believe masks are bad and the virus really isn’t anything. What the fuck happened to this country? You can have medical experts that truly are geniuses and Nobel prize winners and these freaking idiots don’t believe the science. It is truly astounding and it is something that I don’t know if anybody has the answer for except to say that if they all get sick so be it because they were warned. We need to start the education system way earlier and drop it into young peoples heads about science and the legitimacy of it based on the facts. Because as Kellyanne Conway says they deal with alternative facts,

I send my very best to Matthew and hope he gets through this and it just heightens my awareness of what I have to do to keep me And the circle of people around me safe.

Peace, Jason Miles

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Thanks for sharing your story, Matthew. Some advice from someone who’s been in the business a long time: Get rid of the guy. He’s probably not very good anyway, and even without him putting your life at risk, it sounds like you’d end up finding other reasons to want to smash his fucking skull in.

Fingers crossed that he ends up being a long hauler and suffers for the rest of his life for his selfish fucking stupidity. Shit, maybe he’ll die. LOL. Anyway, fuck that guy!

Wade Mosher

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thanks for sharing this Bob

i’d love for you to share as many of these stores as possible because i know you have a ton of Trump voters who read your posts.

its just so simple and this story is very clear…

MASKS WORK

Jean Sievers

From: mrpunaway
Subject: Re: Covid/Health Update
Date: November 11, 2020 at 1:18:34 PM PST
To: Bob Lefsetz

I’m still recovering from my COVID-19 infection. Let me tell you, Bob, as a healthy 35 year old with no pre-existing conditions, this sucks. It knocked me on my ass for about 8 straight days and I’ve had symptoms for over 2 weeks now. Sore throat and congestion aren’t going away yet. Hopefully soon.

I have been incredibly vigilant. Back in March I didn’t leave my house for 6 weeks straight except to go to the grocery store twice. But when I realized the rest of the country wasn’t locking down, I had to choose if I wanted to get on with my life or not. I still wore a mask 100% of the time indoors, and wouldn’t go to any establishment unless there was safe outdoor seating. The one concession I was making was band practice. Music is my life, after all (it’s why I follow you!) My bandmate never took this seriously. He’s a gym rat. His entire gym leans right and listens to Joe “masks are for pussies” Rogan. Well, needless to say, his entire gym got infected.

I wore a mask during practice, but he refused to. Singing in a small room turns out to be a great way to spread it. My mask protected them from me but not me from them. The drummer and I both got infected by our singer. The drummer then infected his wife and daughter. But because I wore a mask everywhere, socially distanced, and only went to outdoor establishments, none of the 5 people I interacted with in the next two days before I knew I was sick became infected themselves. Masks work. We need a national mask mandate (and I consider myself a libertarian!)

Stay safe, Bob.
Matthew Dunaway

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”.