The group first formed in the mind of Tom Scholz, who had long expressed interest in melodic rock and the fine particulars of recording technology. Even as a child, he tinkered with just about anything mechanical or electronic that he could get his hands on. Prior to his musical career, Scholz received both a bachelor's degree, in 1969, and a master's degree, in 1970, in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He then began working for the Polaroid Corporation as a senior product design engineer. Scholz would then reside in Boston.
Creating demos in his own home, inspired by contemporary 70s progressive rock and what came to be known as "album oriented rock" ("aor"), Scholz attracted the interest of Epic Records, who signed Scholz to a recording contract. Vocalist Brad Delp, who was born in Peabody, Massachusetts in 1951 (Scholz is about four years older) to French-Canadian immigrants and was inspired to sing after seeing The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, served as a sort of not-so secret weapon for Scholz's project. Delp's "golden voice" has inspired numerous later rock artists to take up the microphone.
Scholz believed that his demos were good enough to be the released album but Epic told him to rerecord them. Most of the guitar, bass, and keyboards were performed by Scholz, although other players were involved sporadically throughout the recording of the album. Epic did not want the album recorded entirely in Scholz's home as Scholz intended (they suggested using a recording studio), but most of what ended up on the album was ultimately recorded by Scholz in his basement.
'Boston' was first released by Epic Records on August 25, 1976. Few industry insiders thought a guitar-heavy rock record could make much of a dent in the charts as disco ruled the airwaves at the time. The album broke out of Cleveland first, and the following week it had been added at 392 stations. Scholz, then 29, still worked at Polaroid during the first few weeks of the record's success and felt wary, changing his mind when the album quickly sold 200,000 copies. Critical praise also came to the band; for example, Rolling Stone wrote that Boston's "affinity for heavy rock & roll provides a sense of dynamics that coheres magnetically with sophisticated progressive structures."
The album was certified gold just two months after its release, and it sold another 500,000 copies within 30 days, going platinum for the first time in November 1976. With songs that became rock anthems such as the evergreen "More Than a Feeling", 'Boston' is the second best-selling debut album of all time in the United States, falling just short of Guns N' Roses' 'Appetite for Destruction'. Many critics have named it as one of the best American albums of all time. Its popularity was not only huge, but also durable: into the 2000s it was believed to be the only 1970s album that still had every single track in regular rotation on classic rock radio.
With a touring unit coming together around the line-up of Barry Goudreau, Tom Scholz, Sib Hashian, Brad Delp, and Fran Sheehan, the band played to a wide variety of crowds big and small, receiving strong fan support. Feeling an essentially unbearable amount of pressure to come up with another commercial mega-hit, Scholz still desired to experiment with his sound and had a growing sense of perfectionism. 'Don't Look Back' came out on August 2, 1978, viewed by Scholz as a hurried effort but picking up widespread success. It's been certified as multi-platinum, and its title track has become a classic rock staple.
Acrimonious fighting with label Epic Records, which soon became a long, drawn-out legal fight, left the future of the band stalled. Their next work, 'Third Stage' , came out in September 23, 1986, quite a while after their sophomore work. Bad luck and ill-will seemed to trail the group, with floods and power failures halting many studio sessions. Still, the album went to #1 on the Billboard 200, where it stayed for four weeks.
In addition, 'Third Stage' was only the second album to ever be certified triple-platinum in its first month of release, in November of 1986. As stated before, the first was Lionel Richie's 'Dancing On The Ceiling', which did it one month earlier. Nonetheless, Boston seemed to have gotten stuck.
On March 9th, 2007, Brad Delp (vocals) committed suicide at his home in Atkinson, New Hampshire. He was 55. Delp sang all the lead and harmony vocals on Boston's first three albums. Though well known for his "golden" voice with soaring vocals and range, Delp was also a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, harmonica and keyboards. Additionally he wrote or co-wrote several songs for Boston and many other artists.
More than 10 years in the making, Boston came out with a new studio album, "Life, Love & Hope" in 2013. Founding member, Tom Scholz stated, "These are songs from the heart, each of them taking many months of effort to write, arrange, perform and record, always up to the demands of Boston's harshest critic, me. They have all been meticulously recorded to analog tape on the same machines and equipment used for Boston's hits for the past 35 years."
The band, with Scholz and a new lineup, toured extensively in 2016-2017.
Boston's web site is at www.bandboston.com
02 We're Ready
Boston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The feelin' now that I'm beside you
We'll open the door
Do anything that we decide to
And I know that there's something that's just out of sight
And I feel like I'm finally seeing the light
Holdin' on girl I know it's right
I know it's right
You and I
We'll find a reason
To simplify a change of season
And I feel like it's time we were off on our way
We can go so much farther than we've come today
Holdin' on girl and come what may
Come what may
We're ready! C'mon
We can find a way
We're ready now
Catchin' a wave to ride on
Steady now
Headin' where we decide on
And I know that there's something that's just out of sight
And I feel like we're trying to do something right
Come on make it if we hold on tight
Hold on tight
We're Ready! C'mon we're ready
We're ready
We're ready, one, two, three, four
We can find a way. We're ready now, ooh we're ready now.
We're ready now.
The lyrics to Boston's song "We're Ready" express the excitement and anticipation of embracing change and taking on new challenges. The singer feels empowered by the presence of a partner who is equally ready to embark on this journey, and the two of them are determined to explore new horizons together. The lyrics suggest that the singer has been waiting for this moment for a long time, and finally feels like they are seeing the light and breaking free of old limitations. The repetition of the phrase "We're ready" throughout the song emphasizes the sense of confidence and readiness that the singer feels.
The first verse sets the tone for the rest of the song, with the singer expressing a sense of liberation now that they have found a partner who shares their sense of adventure. The second verse emphasizes the idea that the two of them can tackle any obstacle that comes their way, regardless of how challenging. The chorus, with its repetition of the phrase "We're ready," speaks to the confidence and determination of the singer, who is ready to take on anything that comes their way.
Overall, the lyrics to "We're Ready" are optimistic and forward-looking, expressing a sense of excitement and enthusiasm for what lies ahead. The song encourages listeners to embrace change and take on new challenges with confidence and determination.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm ready for more
I am eager for more opportunities and experiences in life
The feelin' now that I'm beside you
The feeling of being next to you is making me excited for what lies ahead
We'll open the door
We are willing to explore new possibilities and opportunities together
Do anything that we decide to
We are confident in our ability to make decisions and follow through with them
And I know that there's something that's just out of sight
I have a feeling that there are greater opportunities and possibilities to be discovered
And I feel like I'm finally seeing the light
I am starting to understand or realize something important
Holdin' on girl I know it's right
I am committed to this partnership and confident that it is the right decision
I know it's right
I am certain that this is the right decision
You and I
We are in this together
We'll find a reason
We will discover a purpose or motivation that drives us forward
To simplify a change of season
To embrace the changes that come with the passing of time
And I feel like it's time we were off on our way
I believe that it is time for us to start our journey
We can go so much farther than we've come today
We have the potential to achieve much greater things than we have accomplished thus far
Holdin' on girl and come what may
I am committed to this partnership, no matter what happens
Come what may
I am prepared to face any challenge that may come our way
We're ready! C'mon
We are prepared and motivated to take action
We can find a way
We have the ability to overcome obstacles and achieve success
We're ready now
We are fully prepared to take action
Catchin' a wave to ride on
We are taking advantage of an opportunity to propel ourselves forward
Steady now
We are focused and determined to achieve our goals
Headin' where we decide on
We are in control of our destination and path
And I feel like we're trying to do something right
I believe that we are on the right path and making the right decisions
Come on make it if we hold on tight
We can achieve success if we remain committed and steadfast
Hold on tight
Stay committed and focused
We're Ready! C'mon we're ready
We are fully prepared and motivated to take action
We're ready
We are excited and prepared for what the future holds
We're ready, one, two, three, four
We are fully prepared and in sync with each other
We can find a way. We're ready now, ooh we're ready now.
We have the resilience and motivation to overcome obstacles and take action towards our goals
We're ready now.
We are prepared and motivated to take on new challenges and opportunities
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: TOM SCHOLZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
M@
The most accurate cover i've ever heard. Every subtle detail is in there. Great job! Is there a tab location which you recommend? Thanks for posting!
SayonaraSixString
Thank you M@! I didn't find many good tabs for this song so I did it mostly by ear. The one on songsterr is not bad, but I changed a few things. The solo/harmonies section took me a bit of time to figure out all the voicings! Thanks for watching!
stringbender11672
well done my friend i have been obsessed with song lately. So i wanted to check a few other guitarists on youtube and you sir nailed the heck outta this gem!!! Great job on layering the solos!!! Really nice!!! :)
SayonaraSixString
Thank you Stringbender! Yes it is a great song with fantastic dynamics!
frogdog
You sir, can freaking jam out. That was bad ass!!
SayonaraSixString
Thank you frogdog!
Mark McGranahan
NIce to actually see a true guitarist on Youtube. Good work man.
Frank Cassidy
Hi
Great playing!!
Quick question.
At 45 seconds, the chords are E to A to E to B to A..
and then you play a passing chord ......what is that?
Frank
bourbon red
Nice effects; also, your tone is subtle enough to separate itself from the source, and nice bump come the solo cascade!
SayonaraSixString
Thanks for the kind words Bourbon!