Boston can lay claim to take the blame - or the
credit - for the swathe of stadium rock that washed over America in the
late seventies. The release of Boston’s debut album in 1976 paved the
way for such bands as Reo Speedwagon, Journey, and Styx, to follow in
the masters’ footsteps.
Like ‘em or hate ‘em, you cannot fail to admire
them for pure musical skill. Boston was the vehicle for Tom Scholz to
become the Godfather of Pomp Rock, in his early years better known for
his prowess on the basketball pitch. However, he gave up enough of his
time trying to make the hoops to score big time on the field of rock
‘n’ roll.
Boston’s debut album sold over 17 million copies
and had a top five single with ‘More Than A Feeling’. The second
album ‘Don’t Look Back’ was released two years later, sold 7
million copies and had a top thirty hit with the title track of the
album. This was followed six years later by Third Stage (1986), which
sold 4 million and did not yield a hit single. The next album, the one
under scrutiny here, was a further eight years in the making. ‘Walk
On’ sold 1 million copies and none of the singles bothered the
Billboard top fifty.
Does anybody notice a pattern developing here? So,
what is ‘Walk On’ like? Well, it’s a bit half and half. If you are
a first time buyer of Boston and the magical soundscapes made by Tom
Scholz and his team, then you would be better off buying the first
album, or at a pinch the Greatest Hits collection, but, as Greatest Hits
go, that album’s tracks seemed to have been picked with a pin rather
than on merit.
‘Walk On’ starts off in fine style with a classy
slice of Boston. ‘I Need Your Love’ is a good emotional song that
catches you off guard as does the first thrashing chords of Tom
Scholz’s multi layered guitar.
New vocalist Fran Cosmo, a sound-alike for previous
vocalist Brad Delp, proves he more than adequately fills those boots.
Tom Scholz plays all the instruments needed in the studio, only picking
up sidemen to go out on the road. That’s pretty impressive considering
the standard of musical skills on display, but no wonder it took him so
long between albums. The multi layered guitar tracks alone would have
tested the patience of any normal mortal. So maybe it was better that
perfectionist Scholz did all his own work, only needing a throat to put
on the voices.
‘Surrender To Me’ is over five minutes of head
bangin’ Boston rock, really showing off the guitar orchestra style
patented by Scholz. Next is the album’s obligatory power ballad which
Fran Cosmo sings with such pathos, the lyrics just have to come from the
heart or Fran is just an old ham.
This is followed by over twelve minutes of the
glorious title track, probably the best thing ever done by Boston
(including everything on the first album).
Split into four parts, ‘Walk on’ is really just a
good old excuse for Tom Scholz to show off his ability on guitar and
keyboards, and his feel for writing a good chorus. Part one,
‘Walkin’ By Night’, is a Blitzkrieg power blast on guitar with all
the amps turned up to eleven. As Tom Scholz says in the liner notes,
“Some people take their dog for a walk at night, some people walk
their guitar”.
Part two brings in the chorus - and plain and simple
- it just rocks. The stadium hoards would wait for the opening guitar
riff before going totally ape (album sales may have dropped in the
eighties, but the very name “Boston” would immediately sell out any
arena).
Part three, subtitled ‘Get Organ-ized’, is
exactly as the title suggests, a frantic workout on keyboards, and
suffice to say a Hammond B-3 is a big organ with a big sound.
Part four is more of the same from part two, only
louder, harder, and longer. It finishes up with a frantic musical orgasm
of sound.
Well worth the eight year wait between products for
the first four tracks, but (there’s always a but) the final three
tracks see Scholz and his cohorts totally lose the plot. The three
tracks take up fifteen minutes of playing time and leave you with a
nasty taste in the ears. Just musical fodder to fill up the album. It
sounds like Boston playing music in a similar fashion to paint by
numbers, or join the dots. Total dross and a very disappointing end to
the album. But (there’s sometimes yet another but) turn the CD back to
the title track and all is forgiven.
In 2004 the pattern continues, ten years after
‘Walk On’, Boston released their next album ‘Corporate America’.
So far sales have not reached 1/2 a million. I doubt they bothered
releasing a single.
Another
novel by Ian Quartermaine, whose works have bombarded the reviewer’s
desk in the past few months. This week it is Cybernaut (IQ Inc.
ISBN974-830-87-21) originally published almost 20 years ago, but now
revamped and re-released.
Mott’s CD review: Boston - Walk On
