Boston

The Profile

Boston are an American melodic hard rock/AOR band closely identified with founder Tom Scholz’s meticulous, technology-driven production and the soaring vocals of Brad Delp. Their 1976 self-titled debut became a blockbuster and is widely treated as a genre touchstone; later albums arrived with long gaps and drew more divided reactions.

Publicly verifiable: Boston are an American rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts; the self-titled debut “Boston” was released in 1976; “Don’t Look Back” followed in 1978; “Third Stage” in 1986; founder Tom Scholz is widely credited as the band’s creative/production center; vocalist Brad Delp died in 2007.

Across these DeBaser reviews, Boston are framed as AOR/melodic hard rock pioneers with an obsessively crafted, big guitar-and-choir sound built around Tom Scholz’s production and Brad Delp’s voice. The 1976 debut is repeatedly treated as a classic, with Don’t Look Back and Third Stage also praised. Later records (especially Corporate America and Life, Hope & Love) are widely criticized, often for mechanical electronic drums and weaker writing. Several reviews highlight the band’s unusual, studio-driven nature and the personal tragedy of Delp’s 2007 suicide.