Greatest Hits [PA]

Performer: Boston
Engineer: Tom Scholz; Warren Dewey
Producer: Tom Scholz; John Boylan
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Contains previously unreleased material. Boston: Tom Scholz (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, piano, electric piano, keyboards, organ, bass, drums, special effects); Brad Delp (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, percussion); Fran Cosmo, David Sikes (vocals); Kimberly Jorgensen (spoken word); Barry Goudreau (guitar); Fran Sheehan (bass, percussion); Sib Hashian (drums, percussion); Jim Maseda (drums). Recorded at Foxglove Studios, Watertown, Massachusettes in winter 1975; Capitol Studios, Hollywood, California; The Record Plant, Los Angeles, California in spring 1976. Though Boston's GREATEST HITS package does a fine job of compiling the AOR staple's most-well known tracks ("More Than a Feeling," "Don't Look Back," "Rock & Roll Band"), collectors will want to own this album for the three new songs. "Higher Power" adds a metallic, Blue Oyster Cult-ish spooky edge to the classic Boston formula while "Tell Me" recalls the classic ballad "Amanda." The standout, however, is the multi-layered take on "The Star Spangled Banner," which shows Tom Scholz can Boston-ify even the most well-worn chestnuts. When Boston's self-titled debut landed in the Top 5 in 1976, their combination of powerful lead and background vocals, up-front guitars and slick production made the world safe for corporate rock. Twenty years hence, Boston mastermind/studio geek Tom Scholz has been releasing records and touring on an average of once every seven years, going through a handful of vocalists and engaging in major court battles for recording freedom. All this leads up to the GREATEST HITS package, a mixture of old and new Boston that is like a time capsule of '70s rock riffs. An Up-With-People message found in the newer material ties in with Scholz's support of PETA, evidenced by pictures of photogenic animals dotting the CD booklet.

Masterminded by songwriter/guitarist Tom Scholz, Boston became one of the biggest bands of the 1970s with their immaculately produced brand of classic rock. By combining the epic scale of prog-rock with the immediate impact of killer pop hooks, Boston's debut immediately rocketed up the charts and made the band an arena-headliner, but it would take them years to issue follow-up recordings. In 2007, the emotionally troubled lead vocalist of the band, Brad Delp, died of a reported suicide at his home in New Hampshire.

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