Rick Beato's intricate breakdowns of songs, music, and techniques is pretty cool.
Boston's first album (1976) in my opinion is a Top 10 of all time. Still nothing sounds like it, never has since. Boston was its own genre. Summer of '77.
Second album (1978) was good as well. I remember the anticipation of this second Boston album, buying it immediately.
That was pretty much the end of Boston (aside from the single, Amanda), on their third album ten years later in 1986.
Very interesting. This has always been one of my favorites, though I've played it so much I've kind of largely removed it from my usual listening.
Side A of Boston's first 2 albums were all great, though the side B music never rose to that standard. I guess from this guy's breakdown of MTAF, it's apparent that the reason might have been for lack of ability to pour the same amount of effort into the side B songs.
Sadly, it seems Boston is just an alias for Tom Scholz, and though he's made additional albums beyond the first 2, it seems none of them have been able to continue the success. I've wondered if those other original band-mates deserved more credit for the original successes than they ended up getting in court.
I seem to recall Scholz being accused of his perfectionism driving others crazy, and then him filing a lawsuit for defamation over what someone close to Brad said publicly after Brad's death, ascribing some aspect of Scholz's personality to the tragady. That pretty much told me the accusations were true.
Very interesting. This has always been one of my favorites, though I've played it so much I've kind of largely removed it from my usual listening.
Hear ya on that and agree; 'More Than A Feeling' was great; It made me buy that album. But yes, it WAS played to death so much that I also mentally dismissed it. (I chose this particular Rick Beato breakdown of it and song because I knew many of us liked it at the time.)
Side A of Boston's first 2 albums were all great, though the side B music never rose to that standard. I guess from this guy's breakdown of MTAF, it's apparent that the reason might have been for lack of ability to pour the same amount of effort into the side B songs.
Interesting take...
With respect to Boston's debut album, the only song not written by Scholtz was, 'Let Me Take You Home Tonight'. It was the one song I thought was just average. Otherwise I thought the rest of Side B and all of Side A were shockingly excellent.
Now if you're also referring to Side B of the 'Don't Look Back' album, I absolutely agree! So you noticed as well? (Only 'Feeling Satisfied' met the standard of excellence as heard on Side A, and the debut album material.)
Even Tom Scholtz thought his Side B of Don't Look Back was weak. According to him the record company rushed him. That would explain why that efforts wasn't as good as the debut album.
Now if you're also referring to Side B of the 'Don't Look Back' album, I absolutely agree! So you noticed as well? (Only 'Feeling Satisfied' met the standard of excellence as heard on Side A, and the debut album material.)
I'll have to listen to them again, now knowing a bit more of the background of MTAF. My feelings on them certainly won't change but I could better quantify my impression.
I'll have to listen to them again, now knowing a bit more of the background of MTAF. My feelings on them certainly won't change but I could better quantify my impression.
Your feelings or ear or impression could certainly change now that your senses are 40 years older. You focus on different things for some reason (maybe its me.)
I can't tell you how many songs I've taken a different listen to and appreciate far more now then then. (Not to mention the volume of good songs and music that fell between the cracks, never even heard. Wasn't it almost impossible to hear everything back in the late 60s, 70s-80s?)
For 41 years, I'd dismissed Boston's 'Feelin Satisfied' (second album, Side B track)...until I heard a cover band do it and heard the rest of song beyond the first over-used opening riffs. Love it. Took 41 years to appreciate it.
I can't tell you how many songs I've taken a different listen to and appreciate far more now then then. (Not to mention the volume of good songs and music that fell between the cracks, never even heard. Wasn't it almost impossible to hear everything back in the late 60s, 70s-80s?)
No, one thing I've noticed about myself is that my opinion of a particular song never changes. Songs I liked and disliked as a teen I still like and dislike today. I like to think it speaks well about my musical maturity as a teen.
I'm a big fan now of epic music which didn't exist back then, except perhaps as a foreshadowing in the music of Mason William's "Classical Gas", or Ennio Morricone's famous tune from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
If you want a real ride, check this out. Two Steps from Hell. I've mentioned Thomas Bergerson to you before. Here's "Victory". Just know that if it's the first time you've heard it and you don't have your stereo totally cranked, it's a crime against humanity. Just so you know.
I'm a big fan now of epic music which didn't exist back then, except perhaps as a foreshadowing in the music of Mason William's "Classical Gas", or Ennio Morricone's famous tune from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
See? Your ear IS changing! (Or maybe how you process music. It's happened to me as well. Normal stuff.
The 'Victory' epic music is strongly reminiscent of 'The Good, Bad and Ugly'. Love that stuff.
Just know that if it's the first time you've heard it and you don't have your stereo totally cranked, it's a crime against humanity. Just so you know.
See? Your ear IS changing! (Or maybe how you process music. It's happened to me as well. Normal stuff.
No, not me. It's the music has come of age. I said "now" because epic music as a genre didn't exist before 5-6 years ago. It might be something that is largely enabled by the digital age as it allows a single artist to not just compose it but to create it as well.
It does resemble classical music which of course goes back centuries, and which I'm no real fan of, but which works for me much better. Maybe because percussion can be emphasized much better in a digital. But I don't know.
It's the music has come of age. I said "now" because epic music as a genre didn't exist before 5-6 years ago.
It might be something that is largely enabled by the digital age as it allows a single artist to not just compose it but to create it as well.
I believe you! I believe you!
If it's your own contention that you "know" your own ear is incapable of redefining or parsing past music so that your regard of it remains static (say from age 12 vs age 62), then who am I to say otherwise?
THAT said, I believe you're likely in the vast minority.
I've liked/disliked many a tune/style relative to my kiddie ear to middle age ear to...age 60+ ear. (I'd be curious about forum opinion consensus on the matter at either LF or 4um.)
With respect to the fairly new creation of the contemporary "EPIC" genre of music, true, that music has really come to age, hasn't it? Yes, it has enabled a guys like me and you to compose it, given we now have access to the digital equivalent of entire epic orchestration. Remember Yanni? And Enya from the 1990s? She did it.
Single composers can now pad glorious "epic" music with layer upon layer of different percussion and echo for maximum impact to their heart's desire :-) (Coincidentally, my son just yesterday was showing me how he'd just bought hundreds of additional digital instrumentation and sounds -- many otherworldly.)
Maybe this neo-Epic bender is about mirroring the emotion and "epic" times we're now living in. (Past "Epic" did exist in the form of the olde masters, Bach (Messiah, Mussorgsky ('Great Gate of Kiev'), Tchaikovsky (1812 Overture w/cannons); Even the newer-older Masters, like Morricone, Rozsa, John Williams, and score from 2001 Space Odyssey (orig composer, Richard Strauss end of the 19th century).
This latest new "Epic" music -- maybe best reflects...the "epic-ness" of planet earth as it can now be seen from drones and planes; Or as portrayed in Hollywood's new favorite genre: Epic Superheroes, epic inter-planetory, mega-universe super-powers, and Epic other-worldly alternative "realities." (In other words, flamingo guitar, heavy strings, piano, and harp were NOT gonna do.)
It does resemble classical music which of course goes back centuries, and which I'm no real fan of, but which works for me much better. Maybe because percussion can be emphasized much better in a digital. But I don't know.
I've found olde Classical to be a process of exploration and discovery. Some of it is so epic (But not in the context of contempo "epic" that you know and love.)
I think your observation and sense is spot on regarding the biggest difference or feature of the neo-Epics: Heavy duty, echoed, layered percussion. When paired with a videotaped fight to the death between two gnats, that kind of soundtrack could make even IT seem like an epic duel.
Yup. (THAT was a great concert.) Yanni's stuff could be kinda epic, no?
I would say so, though at the time Yanni became well known in the mid-90's, "New Age" was the genre his work was placed into, perhaps for lack of a better choice at the time.
At the time Yanni became well known in the mid-90's, "New Age" was the genre his work was placed into, perhaps for lack of a better choice at the time.
I guess that category remains: "New Age". I recall even John Tesh's music at about the same time was pegged into the very same category.
I guess that category remains: "New Age". I recall even John Tesh's music at about the same time was pegged into the very same category.
I would consider Yanni's music to be Epic. At least his Acropolis tracks. He's diversified a bit though. One was called "Mexicanisimo" which didn't appeal to me. It's pretty much what the name suggests.
John Tesh was good also though not to the quality of Yanni. I bought his Red Rocks CD and frankly had forgotten about him.
I guess that category remains: "New Age". I recall even John Tesh's music at about the same time was pegged into the very same category.
I would consider Yanni's music to be Epic. At least his Acropolis tracks.
Yup. At the time that new category of music did include John Tesh (who actually developed quite a following.) That genre was kind of new and sounded different (aided by the proliferation of high tech synth simulating orchestral sound.)
I agree -- Tesh was not in Yanni's class.
Yanni -- yeah, had to be considered epic. Especially several of his Live at the Acropolis had a number of tracks
