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 / Long Time
Boston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I think I should be goin', yeah
And time doesn't wait for me, it keeps on rollin'
Sail on, on a distant highway
I've got to keep on chasin' a dream, yeah
I've gotta be on my way
Wish there was something I could say
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, 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
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 dosnt 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) oh, just movin' along
(Takin' my time) ah, just takin' my time
(Takin' my time) oh, yeah
(Takin' my time) oh, oh
(Takin' my time)
(Takin' my time)
(Takin' my time)
(Takin' my time)
(Takin' my time)
The song "Foreplay/Long Time" by Boston is a two-part composition starting with an instrumental section followed by the lyrics. The song is about searching for a dream and the struggle to achieve it. The lyrics suggest that the pursuit of a dream is a lonely road and often unachievable. The singer finally comes to terms with this and decides to take his time and move along, knowing that he may never find his dream.
The opening lines "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'" depict the singer's realization that he has been searching for his dream for a long time and he needs to move on. He acknowledges that time is not going to wait for him and that he must keep going despite the obstacles he faces.
The line "Well, I'm takin' my time, I'm just movin' on, you'll forget about me after I've been gone" suggests that the singer feels lonely and forgotten in his pursuit of his dream. He also accepts that people will forget about him once he is gone. The phrase "I take what I find, I don't want no more, it's just outside of your front door" indicates that the singer has come to realize that his dream may not be something exceptional but could be found in ordinary things.
Overall, the song expresses the struggles of life, the pursuit of dreams, and the realization that sometimes we may never find what we are looking for, but it is essential to keep moving forward.
Line by Line Meaning
It's been such a long time
It's been a long time since we've seen each other
I think I should be goin', yeah
I think it's time for me to leave
And time dosnt wait for me, it keeps on rollin'
Time continues to move forward, regardless of my plans or desires
Sail on, on a distant highway
Keep moving forward, even if it means taking a different path than expected
I've got to keep on chasin' a dream, yeah
I have to keep pursuing my aspirations
I've gotta be on my way
I have to leave now
Wish there was something I could say
I'm having a hard time expressing my feelings and thoughts
Well, I'm takin' my time, I'm just movin' on
I'm taking my time to make sure I move forward purposefully
You'll forget about me after I've been gone
You'll eventually forget about me once I leave
And I take what I find, I don't want no more
I'm content with what I have and don't need anything else
It's just outside of your front door
All the opportunities I need are readily available if I just go out and look for them
Ah yeah, it's been such a long time, it's been such a long time
It's been so long since we've been together, and it's hard for me to leave
Well, I get so lonely when I am without you
I feel lonely when I'm not around you
But in my mind, deep in my mindI can't forget about you
I can't stop thinking about you, even when I try
Good times, and faces that remind me, yeah
Memories of good times and people who resemble you remind me of you
I'm tryin' to forget your name and leave it all behind me
I'm attempting to forget about you and move on
You're comin' back to find me
You'll come back looking for me once you realize I'm gone
There's a long road, I've gotta stay in time with, yeah
There's a long journey that I need to stay in step with
I've got to keep on chasin' that dream, though I may never find it
I'm determined to keep pursuing my dreams, even though I may never achieve them
I'm always just behind it
I feel like I'm always on the cusp of achieving my dreams, but am never quite there yet
(Takin' my time) oh, oh
I'm deliberately going at my own pace
(Takin' my time)
I'm not in a rush to achieve my goals
(Takin' my time)
I'm taking things slowly
(Takin' my time)
I'm not letting anyone else dictate my pace
(Takin' my time)
I'm enjoying the journey and not just the destination
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Donald T. Scholz
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Chuck St.Amand
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.
Derek Smith
8 tracks that make up just over 37 minutes of playing time, produced 45 years ago, largely by one man in a basement. This album is a true work of art. Salute to all the Boston fans that are keeping this masterpiece alive!
Ilhares
GWAR did a cover of this intro when they also covered 'If You Want Blood' from AC/DC. It was unexpected and glorious.
Letícia
Yeah, salute to the fans from all over the world, I'm listening to Boston in Brazil! 🙌❤🇧🇷
Anthony W
Thank you sir! You are who deserves the credit for being a fan for such a LONG TIME!
mimilini1
It is exactly that! A masterpiece!
YourTypicalNerdBoxer 🤓🥊
It’s crazy that a small group of friends started up a band and became so legendary.
Mortar Smashing
Absolutely loved this when I was 17. Now that I am 62, I STILL LOVE IT!
CMBethel
Takes me back to that time in my life. :)
Nonya Buidness
Two words: Jenson Triaxial’s!
Matthew Finlay
I'm 55 and I've had this album since I was 17