Boston

[shokhead]

Is there a live cd or a DVD concert?

[GMichael]

Is there a live cd or a DVD concert?

Not that I know of. But I saw them live. If they had one, I wouldn't buy it. They just weren't the same live.

[3-LockBox]

A friend of mine went to see them back in 87(?) and said they were milktoast.

[Woochifer]

The newly remastered version of Boston's first album was originally supposed to include some bonus live tracks from one of the band's late-70s concert tours. But, when bandleader Tom Scholz took control of the remastering project from Epic's in-house production team, he axed the live concert tracks because the recording quality wasn't very good (and presumably the performance as well because Boston's not known as a good live band to begin with).

One of the revealing things in the liner notes of that remastered version of Boston's first album is just how many of the instruments were originally played by Tom Scholz (pretty much everything except the drums, though Scholz plays those too). Given how notorious a perfectionist he is (he will spend months recording and rerecording a specific track), I would not think that anything played by anybody else would measure up to what he wants released.

[3-LockBox]

One of the revealing things in the liner notes of that remastered version of Boston's first album is just how many of the instruments were originally played by Tom Scholz (pretty much everything except the drums, though Scholz plays those too). Given how notorious a perfectionist he is (he will spend months recording and rerecording a specific track), I would not think that anything played by anybody else would measure up to what he wants released.

I think he had to invent a band on the spot just to sell his album to a label. I don't think the labels wanted to invest in a studio band back then (because they wanted to recoup their investment in the form of touring revenues).

My friend said they had a sort of bar band feel, which would be welcomed in a bar, but for the bucks their concerts were going for, even in the '80s, 'bar band' wasn't good enough.

[Woochifer]

I think he had to invent a band on the spot just to sell his album to a label. I don't think the labels wanted to invest in a studio band back then (because they wanted to recoup their investment in the form of touring revenues).

My friend said they had a sort of bar band feel, which would be welcomed in a bar, but for the bucks their concerts were going for, even in the '80s, 'bar band' wasn't good enough.

Yep, that's exactly what happened. After they got signed, the band was sent to L.A. to record with one of Epic's in-house producers, while Scholz stayed behind in Boston to record the actual album in his home basement studio. "Let Me Take You Home Tonight" is the only song that actually featured the entire band and wasn't recorded in Scholz's home studio. Otherwise, the band was just doing jam sessions in L.A. to keep the studio execs at bay.

[musicman1999]

woochifer

i have a copy of that remastered first album and it does in fact have two live tracks,Smokin' and Foreplay/Long Time from the Spectrum in Philadelphia on Dec 18 1976.
bill

[Swish]

Swish

[Swish]

Not that I know of. But I saw them live. If they had one, I wouldn't buy it. They just weren't the same live.

...duplicated live. I was never a big fan although they had there 15 minutes of fame. Friends who did see them live told me how bad they sounded and everyone soon figured out the reasons for it.

Swish

[Woochifer]

woochifer

i have a copy of that remastered first album and it does in fact have two live tracks,Smokin' and Foreplay/Long Time from the Spectrum in Philadelphia on Dec 18 1976.
bill

That would not be the U.S. version that I have. Interviews with Tom Scholz indicated that Epic had planned to include the live tracks, and Scholz specifically directed the record company to remove them from the remaster. If the Canadian version includes the live tracks, then they might have also included Epic's original in-house remastering job that Scholz found unlistenable.