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Soild Second Outing
How does a band follow the greatest selling debut album in history and avoid becoming a "One Hit Wonder"? It's done by releasing another solid album which stands on its own to this day.BOSTON's self-titled debut was an absolute smash and hit the music world by surprise in 1976, but 1978's Don't Look Back is a worthy album in its own right. Building off of their first album and the sound which continues to inspire, Don't Look Back had many hits including `Don't Look Back', `A Man I'll Never Be', and `Feelin' Satisfied'.The lineup was headed by lead guitarist and musical mastermind, Tom Scholz, an MIT graduate whose hobby as a guitar player turned into an obsession. An avid perfectionist in the studio, Scholz meticulously harmonized instruments as much as he could, sometimes having two or three guitars playing the same lick. In addition, the pure Rock vocals of Brad Delp were the perfect compliment to Scholz guitar work. The rest of the lineup was rounded out by Barry Goudreau on rhythm guitar, Fran Sheenan on bass, and the versatile Sib Hashian on drums. And Boston was so proud of the work on this album, they proclaim that no computers or synthesizers were used on this album.Don't Look Back's first track `Don't Look Back' is clearly the best song on the album. It showcases every aspect of BOSTON's sound from start to finish. The signature driving opening riff leads into a more melodic verse, which leads to a sharp chorus that features Scholz and Goudreau's double melodic guitar licks. Delp's ability to hit harmonies on command gives Goosebumps during the song's final climactic chorus.`The Journey' is an eerie instrumental which leads very nicely to the easy rocking `It's Easy', which is a lighter song that's not centered on specific riffs such as `Don't Look Back', but nicely showcases Scholz's improvisational skils.The A-side is rounded out by the ballad, `A Man I'll Never Be', which is a soft but solid track that is once again centered around a double guitar riff, which almost acts like a chorus in itself. Again Delp's creamy vocals are incredible as he puts all of his emotion into his voice.Being pressed by their record label, Epic, Scholz felt rushed in creating the album and admits that it wasn't the perfection that he had hoped for. Ultimately this perfection cost BOSTON as their next albums took many years to produce and suffered in record sales. It's worth saying that the B-Side has a couple of good tracks such as `Feelin' Satisfied' and `Party' and is rounded out by minor songs `Used to Bad News' and `Don't Be Afraid'. However, some of these B-sides closely resembled tracks on BOSTON's first album and cause some to argue that this album is just the same formula repeated over again. This clearly is not the case for the whole album as BOSTON expanded the melodic sound that they originated in '76, and created a monster A-side, which arguably rivals BOSTON's first album.Overall, Don't Look Back was a very strong follow up effort for BOSTON in 1978 and cemented their status as a staple in rock history. As mentioned above, the A-side is phenomenal, with about 20 minutes of Tom Scholz finest guitar work and the best of Brad Delp on vocals. It is truly an album which stands on its own, even though it will forever be in the shadow of BOSTON's 1976 debut.Tracks Are:1. Don't Look Back2. The Journey3. It's Easy4. A Man I'll Never Be5. Feelin' Satisfied6. Party7. Used To Bad News8. Don't Be Afraid
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Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2023
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2009
How does a band follow the greatest selling debut album in history and avoid becoming a "One Hit Wonder"? It's done by releasing another solid album which stands on its own to this day.
BOSTON's self-titled debut was an absolute smash and hit the music world by surprise in 1976, but 1978's Don't Look Back is a worthy album in its own right. Building off of their first album and the sound which continues to inspire, Don't Look Back had many hits including `Don't Look Back', `A Man I'll Never Be', and `Feelin' Satisfied'.
The lineup was headed by lead guitarist and musical mastermind, Tom Scholz, an MIT graduate whose hobby as a guitar player turned into an obsession. An avid perfectionist in the studio, Scholz meticulously harmonized instruments as much as he could, sometimes having two or three guitars playing the same lick. In addition, the pure Rock vocals of Brad Delp were the perfect compliment to Scholz guitar work. The rest of the lineup was rounded out by Barry Goudreau on rhythm guitar, Fran Sheenan on bass, and the versatile Sib Hashian on drums. And Boston was so proud of the work on this album, they proclaim that no computers or synthesizers were used on this album.
Don't Look Back's first track `Don't Look Back' is clearly the best song on the album. It showcases every aspect of BOSTON's sound from start to finish. The signature driving opening riff leads into a more melodic verse, which leads to a sharp chorus that features Scholz and Goudreau's double melodic guitar licks. Delp's ability to hit harmonies on command gives Goosebumps during the song's final climactic chorus.
`The Journey' is an eerie instrumental which leads very nicely to the easy rocking `It's Easy', which is a lighter song that's not centered on specific riffs such as `Don't Look Back', but nicely showcases Scholz's improvisational skils.
The A-side is rounded out by the ballad, `A Man I'll Never Be', which is a soft but solid track that is once again centered ar
ound a double guitar riff, which almost acts like a chorus in itself. Again Delp's creamy vocals are incredible as he puts all of his emotion into his voice.
Being pressed by their record label, Epic, Scholz felt rushed in creating the album and admits that it wasn't the perfection that he had hoped for. Ultimately this perfection cost BOSTON as their next albums took many years to produce and suffered in record sales. It's worth saying that the B-Side has a couple of good tracks such as `Feelin' Satisfied' and `Party' and is rounded out by minor songs `Used to Bad News' and `Don't Be Afraid'. However, some of these B-sides closely resembled tracks on BOSTON's first album and cause some to argue that this album is just the same formula repeated over again. This clearly is not the case for the whole album as BOSTON expanded the melodic sound that they originated in '76, and created a monster A-side, which arguably rivals BOSTON's first album.
Overall, Don't Look Back was a very strong follow up effort for BOSTON in 1978 and cemented their status as a staple in rock history. As mentioned above, the A-side is phenomenal, with about 20 minutes of Tom Scholz finest guitar work and the best of Brad Delp on vocals. It is truly an album which stands on its own, even though it will forever be in the shadow of BOSTON's 1976 debut.
Tracks Are:
1. Don't Look Back
2. The Journey
3. It's Easy
4. A Man I'll Never Be
5. Feelin' Satisfied
6. Party
7. Used To Bad News
8. Don't Be Afraid
BOSTON's self-titled debut was an absolute smash and hit the music world by surprise in 1976, but 1978's Don't Look Back is a worthy album in its own right. Building off of their first album and the sound which continues to inspire, Don't Look Back had many hits including `Don't Look Back', `A Man I'll Never Be', and `Feelin' Satisfied'.
The lineup was headed by lead guitarist and musical mastermind, Tom Scholz, an MIT graduate whose hobby as a guitar player turned into an obsession. An avid perfectionist in the studio, Scholz meticulously harmonized instruments as much as he could, sometimes having two or three guitars playing the same lick. In addition, the pure Rock vocals of Brad Delp were the perfect compliment to Scholz guitar work. The rest of the lineup was rounded out by Barry Goudreau on rhythm guitar, Fran Sheenan on bass, and the versatile Sib Hashian on drums. And Boston was so proud of the work on this album, they proclaim that no computers or synthesizers were used on this album.
Don't Look Back's first track `Don't Look Back' is clearly the best song on the album. It showcases every aspect of BOSTON's sound from start to finish. The signature driving opening riff leads into a more melodic verse, which leads to a sharp chorus that features Scholz and Goudreau's double melodic guitar licks. Delp's ability to hit harmonies on command gives Goosebumps during the song's final climactic chorus.
`The Journey' is an eerie instrumental which leads very nicely to the easy rocking `It's Easy', which is a lighter song that's not centered on specific riffs such as `Don't Look Back', but nicely showcases Scholz's improvisational skils.
The A-side is rounded out by the ballad, `A Man I'll Never Be', which is a soft but solid track that is once again centered ar
ound a double guitar riff, which almost acts like a chorus in itself. Again Delp's creamy vocals are incredible as he puts all of his emotion into his voice.
Being pressed by their record label, Epic, Scholz felt rushed in creating the album and admits that it wasn't the perfection that he had hoped for. Ultimately this perfection cost BOSTON as their next albums took many years to produce and suffered in record sales. It's worth saying that the B-Side has a couple of good tracks such as `Feelin' Satisfied' and `Party' and is rounded out by minor songs `Used to Bad News' and `Don't Be Afraid'. However, some of these B-sides closely resembled tracks on BOSTON's first album and cause some to argue that this album is just the same formula repeated over again. This clearly is not the case for the whole album as BOSTON expanded the melodic sound that they originated in '76, and created a monster A-side, which arguably rivals BOSTON's first album.
Overall, Don't Look Back was a very strong follow up effort for BOSTON in 1978 and cemented their status as a staple in rock history. As mentioned above, the A-side is phenomenal, with about 20 minutes of Tom Scholz finest guitar work and the best of Brad Delp on vocals. It is truly an album which stands on its own, even though it will forever be in the shadow of BOSTON's 1976 debut.
Tracks Are:
1. Don't Look Back
2. The Journey
3. It's Easy
4. A Man I'll Never Be
5. Feelin' Satisfied
6. Party
7. Used To Bad News
8. Don't Be Afraid
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