1976 - August - Boston - Boston

What the Riff?!?

With their self-titled debut album, Boston burst onto the stage with a sound that would come to define classic rock - "the Boston sound." Although an instant hit (it was the second best selling debut album in US history), it took several years for the demo tape to be accepted by a record label, and then would require some evasion of the label's wishes for MIT graduate Tom Scholz to be able to create the full album in his basement studio instead of taking it to Los Angeles. Driven by Brad Delp's soaring tenor vocals and Tom Scholz' work on virtually everything else, this album is a must-have in any rock lover's catalog - and that's more than a feeling!

Foreplay/Long Time
The instrumental prelude "Foreplay" with its distinctive triplet pattern is one of the first songs written, dating back to 1969. "Long Time" features the switch between acoustic and electric guitar that would be one of several signature features of the Boston sound.

Peace of Mind
This is the third single from the album. Scholz was working at Polaroid as a design engineer when he was shopping this album, and this song reflects Scholz thoughts on corporate life.

Hitch a Ride
This mellow track has a little bit of a hippie feel, but maintains a positive vibe that you see in the tracks on this album. The production on this track is amazing.

Rock and Roll Band
While this track might sound autobiographical, it is actually the opposite - it took a long time and a lot of work for Boston to get accepted. The band had never played live when the song was written.

ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:

**Theme from "What's Happening" **
This TV show featured Dwayne, Raj, Dee, and Rerun. Hard to believe that Rerun was considered overweight by 1970s standards...

**STAFF PICKS:
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“Last Child” by Aerosmith
Rob's staff pick features another band from Boston, Aerosmith. Steven Tyler and Brad Whitford wrote this track for the album "Rocks", and if you listen, it has a similar sound to David Bowie's "Fame."

“Devil Woman” by Cliff Richard
It may have come out in August, but this is definitely a Halloween song. Cliff Richard is considered the "English Elvis," selling over 250 million records in his career.

**“Afternoon Delight” by Starlight Vocal Band **
Brian's staff pick takes the tone down with this number 1 hit from the time. Starlight Vocal Band featured tight harmonies, and would parlay the song into a variety show, for which David Letterman would be a writer.

“Still the One” by Orleans
Bruce's staff pick also features close harmonies and a very positive take on long-term relationships. Joanna and John Hall wrote the song. Band co-founder John Hall would go on to be a congressman from New York.

***INSTRUMENTAL:
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“Nadia's Theme” by Henry Mancini
This instrumental hit was inspired by Romanian gymnast Nadia Comanici's scoring the first "perfect 10" in the 1976 Summer Olympic games.

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