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
Foreplay
Boston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Instrumental Long Time
It's been such a long time
And time doesn't wait for me
It keeps on rollin'
Sail on, on a distant highway, yeah
I've got to keep on chasin' a dream
I've gotta be on my way
Wish there was something I could say
(Well, I'm takin' my time) I'm just movin' on
You'll forget about me after I've been gone
(And I take what I find) I don't want no more
It's just outside of your front door
Ah yeah yeah yeah
It's been such a long time
It's been such a long time
Well, I get so lonely
When I am without you
But in my mind, deep in my mind
I can't forget about you
Good times, and faces that remind me, yeah
I'm tryin' to forget your name
And leave it all behind me
You're comin' back to find me
(Well, I'm takin' my time) I'm just movin' on
You'll forget about me after I've been gone
(And I take what I find) I don't want no more
It's just outside of your front door
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
It's been such a long time
It's been such a long time
Yeah!
It's been such a long time
I think I should be goin', yeah
And time doesn't wait for me
It keeps on rollin'
There's a long road, I've gotta stay in time with, yeah
I've got to keep on chasin' that dream
Though I may never find it
I'm always just behind it
(Well, I'm takin' my time) I'm just movin' along
(Takin' my time) Hey, just movin' along
(Takin' my time) Takin' my time
(Takin' my time) Yeah
(Takin' my time)
(Takin' my time)
(Takin' my time)
(Takin' my time)
The song Foreplay by Boston is an instrumental piece that serves as the opening track to their debut self-titled album. It is an elaborate arrangement composed of different sections that showcase the band's technical prowess and penchant for melodic rock. The song starts with a piano riff that leads to a guitar-based melody, which is then followed by an intricate interplay between lead guitar and organ. There are sudden changes in tempo, volume, and mood throughout the composition, creating a dynamic and suspenseful atmosphere. Overall, Foreplay is a masterful display of instrumental rock that sets the tone for the rest of Boston's album.
While Foreplay has no lyrics to interpret, it is nonetheless a fascinating example of how music can convey emotions and ideas without words. The song's structure suggests a journey of sorts, with each section representing a different stage or aspect of the experience. The piano intro may symbolize the starting point or the initial idea, while the subsequent guitar and organ parts could represent the development and refinement of the theme. The shifts in tempo and mood could be interpreted as obstacles or challenges that the musician must overcome to reach a satisfying conclusion. In this sense, Foreplay can be seen as a metaphor for the creative process, wherein the artist must navigate through different stages and elements to arrive at a finished product.
Line by Line Meaning
It's been such a long time
The singer has been absent for a while and feels they should be leaving soon.
I think I should be goin', yeah
The singer has the feeling that it's time to leave.
And time doesn't wait for me
Time is constantly moving forward, and the singer feels pressured by this.
It keeps on rollin'
Time doesn't wait for anyone and continues to move forward.
Sail on, on a distant highway, yeah
The artist is on a journey that will take them far away.
I've got to keep on chasin' a dream
The singer is determined to pursue a dream.
I've gotta be on my way
The singer knows they must continue on their journey.
Wish there was something I could say
The artist would like to express something, but they don't know what it is.
(Well, I'm takin' my time) I'm just movin' on
The artist is taking their time and moving forward.
You'll forget about me after I've been gone
The artist believes that people will forget about them once they're gone.
(And I take what I find) I don't want no more
The singer is content with what they already have.
It's just outside of your front door
What the artist needs is already within reach.
Ah yeah yeah yeah
A non-verbal expression of the singer's mood and emotions.
Well, I get so lonely
The singer feels a deep sense of loneliness.
When I am without you
The singer feels lonely when they're not around someone specific.
But in my mind, deep in my mind
The artist thinks about this other person a lot.
I can't forget about you
The artist hasn't been able to get this other person out of their mind.
Good times, and faces that remind me, yeah
The singer is reminded of past good times and people they know.
I'm tryin' to forget your name
The singer is attempting to forget about the person they miss.
And leave it all behind me
The artist wants to move on.
You're comin' back to find me
The artist feels that the person they miss will come back to them.
There's a long road, I've gotta stay in time with, yeah
The artist knows they have a long journey ahead and must keep pace with it.
I've got to keep on chasin' that dream
The singer is still determined to pursue their dream.
Though I may never find it
The artist acknowledges they might not achieve their dream.
I'm always just behind it
The singer is still reaching for their dream but feels like they haven't quite caught up to it yet.
(Well, I'm takin' my time) I'm just movin' along
The singer is taking their time and slowly progressing towards their goal.
(Takin' my time) Hey, just movin' along
The singer is still taking their time and moving forward.
(Takin' my time) Takin' my time
The artist is emphasizing that they are moving forward at their own pace.
(Takin' my time) Yeah
An exclamation of the artist's confidence and determination.
Contributed by Jayden R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@charles09361
Be glad you didn't.. Saw them at Cobo hall in Detroit .. Amazing songs, amazing talent, amazing ( for the time era) sound.. Unfortunately, basically nada for stage presence. Seriously.. the quietest concert ( for crowd response) that I'd ever attended, and I've seen most of the big name 70s' and 80s' acts. I can vividly remember going from Windsor Ontario, over to Detroit, to buy the Album, because it was available there first. Everyone came over to my place, and we played it repeatedly on my stereo. Knew I had to see them in concert. Living in Windsor. Ontario... Pre 911.. It was just a couple of bucks and a ten minute walk from the tunnel bus to Cobo Hall.
There's a class of musicians called "studio musicians". Basically, these are musicians who can play anything! And, make it sound amazing!! Boston was like that. They were tight, sounded great, but with the hottest album of the time... They couldn't get Cobo hall off it's collective asses.. I've seem way less talented musicians just 'effin rock the venue, with balls, chutzpah, stage presence.... whatever you wanna call it.. Boston couldn't pull it off.. Not by a long shot.
Don't get me wrong.. In an era before "auto tune", and lip syncing, and recorded bits.. They proved that they could cut it live.. They just couldn't get the place off it's collective ass. Not to take away from their musical talent... not at all.. Just... They failed to engage the audience.
On the side of my Marshall, there's a sign that only I can see on stage.. It says .." Technical perfection isn't important, passion is.. I need to make you believe"
Boston.. in concert, couldn't make anyone "believe".. Maybe they got better at it as the tour went on. But, that was my first hand take on it at Cobo Hall.
Underrated playing? For sure.. The double leads on "Hitch a Ride", send chills down my spine to this day.
@toddshrum1525
When I listen to this song, so do my neighbors.
@mamabear6710
Todd 🤣😆
@gregmiletti2948
LOL....well said
@gregmiletti2948
@@mamabear6710 : so I see you're a classic rock fan....
@mamabear6710
Greg I am.. I watched the Beatles debut on Ed Sullivan .. I was a old lady of 12 lol..but my picture is current
@gregmiletti2948
I crank this one way up to where
the house shakes.
Forget those tech speakers you hold in your hand today.
There's no substitute for those huge 3-way speakers that bring the rafters down on your head and cause a minor earthquake.
@mortarsmashing7358
Absolutely loved this when I was 17. Now that I am 62, I STILL LOVE IT!
@zoompatrol
Takes me back to that time in my life. :)
@nonyabuidness5798
Two words: Jenson Triaxial’s!
@matthewfinlay5583
I'm 55 and I've had this album since I was 17