Boston (band)



The Arena Rock group behind one of the fastest-selling debut albums in history, Boston is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts (hence the name) that achieved its most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s. Centered on guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and producer Tom Scholz, the band is a staple of classic rock radio playlists. Boston's best-known works include the songs "More Than a Feeling", "Peace of Mind", "Foreplay/Long Time", "Don't Look Back" and "Amanda".

Their album covers often have a Sci-Fi motif to them with the guitar-shaped flying saucers.

Tropes:

 * Arena Rock
 * Author Tract: "Corporate America", to a certain extent.
 * The Band Minus the Face:
 * Walk On, which was recorded without lead vocals by Brad Delp.
 * Barry Goudreau's solo album (which featured Brad Delp making a lot of vocal contributions), which was released during the lull between Don't Look Back and Third Stage, essentially showcases what Boston would be like without Tom Scholz (a glossier version of Foghat).
 * The Chessmaster: Tom Scholz was seen as this.
 * Driven to Suicide: Tragically, singer Brad Delp.
 * Earthshattering Kaboom: Depicted on the cover of their eponymous album.
 * Epic Instrumental Opener: The "Foreplay" section of "Foreplay/Long Time".
 * Epic Rocking: "Foreplay/Long Time".
 * Fading Into the Next Song: "Walk On"/"Get Organ-Ized"/"Walk On (Some More)" from Walk On.
 * The Four Chords of Pop: "More Than a Feeling" has a I-IV-vi-V variant in the chorus.
 * Heavy Meta: Smokin' is part this, part Ode to Intoxication.
 * I Am the Band: Tom Scholz could be seen as this - he has been the only consistent member of the band, wrote most of their songs, and played the majority of the instruments on their albums.
 * Incredibly Long Note: Delp sings one in "More Than A Feeling".
 * Intercourse with You: "Let Me Take You Home Tonight".
 * Instrumentals:
 * "Foreplay" on Boston
 * "The Journey" on Don't Look Back
 * "The Launch" and "A New World" on Third Stage
 * "Get Organ-ized" and "Walkin' At Night" on Walk On
 * "Crystal Love" on Corporate America
 * Their rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner".
 * Ode to Intoxication: "Smokin'" certainly isn't about tobacco.
 * Performance Video
 * Porn Stache: Brad Delp.
 * Power Ballad: "Amanda".
 * Rockstar Song: "Rock 'N' Roll Band".
 * Self-Backing Vocalist: Brad Delp performed all of the backing vocals on their records.
 * Self-Titled Album: Boston.
 * Technician Versus Performer: Scholz is a technician, a qualified engineer who spent as much time developing studio equipment and working to perfect songs as he did writing and recording them. While Delp had a perfectionist approach to his vocal work (often spending a long time to overdub harmonies and backing vocals) he was nevertheless a consumate performer whose emphasis on increased touring and recording lead to a rift with Scholz, whose intense perfectionism is the reason for Boston's sporadic releases (only five studio albums in 26 years, and not releasing one since 2002). Delp's departure is often attributed to these differences.