Boston’s Classic Debut Album Turns 50 This Year – We Look Back, Even Tho They Said Not To

“Turned on some music to start my day, I lost myself in a familiar song, I closed my eyes and I slipped away…” Boston, “More Than A Feeling” (a track that could be our theme song)

We started off 2026 as we usually do, by looking back 50 years to the rock n roll of 1976 with a playlist of songs from the great LPs released in that year. I’ve been doing that for several years now, inspired by the great music of 1971… Naturally I started this ’76 playlist with the song “Foreplay/Long Time” from Boston’s fabulous debut album from that year, the self titled Boston. 

In the past, my “50-year look back” playlists have led me to great albums from the year of the playlist. For example, last year when we looked back to 1975, it led me to Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here and Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti. While I love those albums, I’ll freely admit I wasn’t cranking either of those in ’75 as I was, as Petty sings, “a boy in short pants.” I didn’t even have a record player, let alone a stereo. I love both of those records, but my story with those albums didn’t start until I was older and had become a music obsessive. It was a retrospective story.

But by ’76, our Bicentennial in America, I was in the 6th grade and music was beginning to get my attention…maybe it was the testosterone. Prior, I’d only turned my clock-radio on to listen to Royals games. With Boston, I have an actual, remembered, visceral connection. I can’t tell you how even now, the lyric I quoted above from “More Than A Feeling,” is how I start every day. Everybody loved Boston. Boston was, for a long time, my buddy Doug’s favorite group. But then he moved to Chicago and became a hipster and only liked “underground” stuff that wasn’t popular. Thank God he never tried to grow a soul patch in those days. Or did he?

In ’76, as mentioned, even I was aware of Boston. They were inescapable. The album didn’t come out until August of that year, but we’re celebrating it’s 50th anniversary early here. When I hear Boston my earliest recollection of them is hearing them at the Oak Park pool in the summers. They had speakers that hung from the ceiling of the cinderblock “club house” that looked like the end of a megaphone. They didn’t sound great, but they had the benefit of being loud. Rock music blared in between announcements that “It’s now time for the 2 o’clock adult swim…” If I close my eyes when “Peace Of Mind” comes on I can almost see that lovely blonde lifeguard in her orange one piece… so tan, so blonde.

Boston was the brainchild of guitarist and songwriter Tom Scholz. In retrospect I don’t think Boston was an actual band, it was more the creation of a musical genius, plugging away in a home studio. Scholz played guitar, bass and organ. He recruited Brad Delp, a fabulous singer, as lead vocalist. I don’t think it was until the record company sent them out on the road that Scholz had to recruit Sib Hashian (drums), Barry Goudreau (guitar) and Fran Sheehan (bass) to play the tunes. I still don’t know how much those last three guys contributed to the actual album. I think Scholz was an engineer at Kodak or Polaroid, genius material, while he was at home recording the album on weekends. Although the other guys might have played substantially on the record, I could be wrong on that.

When we heard this otherworldly guitar/organ mix with those vocals we were hooked. Even the album cover hinted at some extraterrestrial connection with its giant guitar-shaped space ships with fire emanating from the sound hole floating through the universe and coming to Earth to rock us. Boston was a band that sort of broke with the then traditional connection that rock music had with the blues. There was absolutely no blues in this music, like say, Zeppelin, Foghat or Deep Purple, whose music seemed like direct descendents of the blues. It’s as though Boston invented Arena Rock.

And while people might not admit it now (ahem, Doug), Boston’s debut sold something around 19 million copies. It’s the second best selling debut album after Guns N Roses’ Appetite For Destruction. Despite that, I think Scholz kept working down at the photo plant until they had to actually go on a headlining tour. Each of the eight songs on the album were in high rotation on my rock n roll radio station and I’d venture a guess they were all also played on your rock stations as well.

“More Than A Feeling” was the album opener and first single and it set the tone. Kudos to Brad Delp on that one. His vocals and Scholz guitar carry me away. “Foreplay/Longtime” is a song that has seen many a human air guitar to over the years. I worked for a guy at a criminal medical supply company who said when he was a bartender he had a whole schtick where he’d come bursting out of the walk-in freezer with a broom and play the intro. With the “Foreplay” part of it, the song was almost prog. “Peace Of Mind” with its wonderful blend of acoustic leading into electric guitars was another rocking stunner and was the 3rd single.

Over time it was the songs that weren’t singles, that were played much less often that became some of my favorites. “Rock N Roll Band,” with it’s self mythology of “just another band out of Boston” and how they were discovered is another choice rock song. “Hitch A Ride” was another acoustic/electric guitar trippy rock song. It was the only mid tempo thing on the album and became another favorite. And the nominal ballad from the album, “Let Me Take You Home Tonight,” a come on song, was also one that I gravitated toward because it to wasn’t played on the radio as much. And when I say, “as much,” these three tracks were played more than most band’s singles.

“Smokin'” was a red hot rocker and they used the phrase “just keep on tokin’,” which is just what we wanted to hear in junior high and we were all on that bandwagon. I defy you to sit still when this song is on the speaker. “Get down tonight!” indeed. “Something About You” was another track that kicks in with that phenomenal guitar and again, will get you on your feet holding a lighter in the air, which apparently is frowned upon on public transportation. My Walkman tended to take me away mentally…

Oddly, I’ve never owned this album on vinyl. I taped my copy from a guy named Steve – half my friends in life have been named Steve, proof I’m from the suburbs – and he had a copy of the record with the album cover painted on the vinyl… not the best sound. Later I got it on MP3. I still scour the used record shops for a copy of this one.

If you haven’t heard this album in a while, it’s time to reconnect with it. People got down on Boston. The record company pushed them to put out the follow up, Don’t Look Back, in 1978 and it was another phenomenal record. I’m not sure I knew which tunes were on which album… the two albums could be packaged under the title “Boston’s Greatest Hits.”

They famously took 8 years to follow up Don’t Look Back, which was literally a lifetime back then. It was not as good a record. I saw them on that tour, the Third Stage tour, and they made the awful choice to play that third record in its entirety, in order. I dosed off. They should have played this debut all the way through, the arena in Worcester, Mass would have gone crazy.

But don’t let their late career foibles stop you from reconnecting with this brilliant album on this, it’s 50th anniversary year! I can still crank this up and be taken away to driving around in the car with my buddies, drinking beer on those hot summer evenings. I still love this once great band!

Cheers! “And time doesn’t wait for me, it keeps on rolling…” indeed.