Author Description

The Rock Candy series continues with Boston: The Classic Years, 1976-1988. Few bands in classic rock history left a crater as big as Boston did when they hit. Their pristine sound was as hard and gritty as anything ever heard on the radio, yet as clear as the midnight sky. The fiery guitars of Tom Scholz and the celestial vocals of Brad Delp were beyond all the music that had come before. No band had ever produced such fantastic harmonies, in both their vocals and guitar work; no band had ever been so melodic. And no band, outside the progressive realm, had ever managed to integrate classical dynamics into their arrangements and production to the degree that Boston did. The world responded: their debut album sold 17 million copies, a world record they held until 2008. Their classic period lasted from the mid-Seventies to the mid-Eighties, after which Delp departed the band, forever truncating the Boston sound. But in the albums Boston, Don't Look Back, and Third Stage - across hits like "More Than a Feeling", "Peace of Mind", "Don't Look Back" and "Amanda" - they cultivated a sound unmatched to this day. This book describes how they did it.