The rock band Boston was founded by Tom Scholz, a teenage rock fan who started writing songs while he was an engineering student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As his studies occupied most of his time he didn't join a band until after he had earned bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering; he formed a partnership with percussionist Jim Masdea, and after a brief stint as a duo they recruited Barry Goudreau and Brad Delp, veterans of several local bands. Scholz joined the band as a keyboardist. He started taking guitar lessons shortly thereafter and discovered an innate affinity for the instrument; he became proficient so quickly that by the time of the Boston debut album he was playing lead guitar. Scholz assumed control of the band and, as Boston's website puts it, became its "main creative force, producer, and engineer on all the Boston albums, and he plays lead and rhythm guitars (acoustic and electric), bass, piano, Hammond organ, and percussion."
Scholz knew nothing about sound engineering when he joined Boston, but he learned quickly (perhaps because of his engineering background) and built a twelve-track recording studio in his basement. Boston used the studio to record a demo album, which was then shopped around to record companies. They were signed to Epic records, but unlike most bands they were not called into the studio to re-record the songs in a professional studio, as is normally done; the company did some remastering and the band recorded vocal overdubs, but the demo's production was so expertly realized that only cosmetic changes were needed.
The band's eponymous first album became the fastest selling debut in history (though ultimately topped by Whitney Houston's first album in 1986); it quickly rose to the top of the charts and produced three hit singles. However, the album's runaway success created pressure to produce a worthy second effort. Though a second album was quickly recorded Scholz, a self-admitted perfectionist, worked on the production for two years, and Epic had to force him to release the master tapes. 1978s Don't Look Back was also certified platinum, but Scholz not satisfied; he resolved never again to release an album unless he was entirely pleased with the results. As a result, the third Boston album didn't appear until 1986, by which time nearly all of the other members had quit the band in frustration.
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Led Zeppelin, Yes, Queen, Montrose, Free, James Gang
Must Haves:
 "Rock and Roll Band"
"Peace of Mind"
"Cool the Engines"
"Amanda"
Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Night Ranger, Damn Yankees
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