When the polished melodic rockers Boston released their debut album Boston in 1976 to massive success, it was no mean feat in a world which was donning leg-warmers for roller disco or pogoing to punk.
They had been formed when Tom Scholz and Barry Goudreau (guitar), Jim Masdea (drums) and Ron Patti (vocals) put together the demos that were to include the seminal "More Than a Feeling". Masdea and Patti were soon replaced by Sib Hashian and Brad Delp respectively and, after a number of false starts and the addition of bassist Fran Sheehan, the first album made it to vinyl.
Their big wall of sound ensured that enormous success followed in a short space of time and a second album Don't Look Back appeared two years later.
Legal wrangles beset them in 1979 when Goudreau, Delp and Hashian splintered off to record the eponymous Barry Goudreau, especially when the record label marketed them as 'Almost Boston'. Scholtz won the battle, but the episode left a bad taste in everybody's mouth and delayed production of the third album Third Stage.
By the time of their fourth album Walk On the band was effectively one man, Scholtz. He was joined by Fran Cosmo on vocals but the album failed to do as well as the earlier works. When Corporate America was released in 2002 Scholtz was joined by Delp and Cosmo and others. Happily in 2006, Goodreau and Scholtz made up, bringing their history of bad blood to a close.
The fortunes of the band took a downturn when Delp committed suicide in 2007. As a result the band put their differences behind them to gather for a big memorial concert later that year.
