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Rating: The undertaking of this still-unreviewed 1997 Greatest Hits is a good excuse for a more general discussion about the celebrated American melodic hard rock band it honors, which is still active despite their sparse discographic production at counterproductive levels (six albums in thirty-eight years!), and unfortunately, their increasingly convoluted inspiration, so much so that the last episodes of some quality date back almost twenty years, namely to their fourth album "Walk On".
The Italian perception of the Boston's musical genre, that is AOR—meaning with this acronym that kind of rock that's tough yet very melodic, almost completely made in the USA, possibly brimming with pompous keyboards and lush choruses in the refrains, interspersed with ballads mostly of clear aphrodisiac intent, not unleashing the solo instruments toward full jam sessions and improvisations, but instead constraining them to brief and incisive interventions so as not to bore the predominantly superficial and "pop" audience with too many prolixities... well, the perception of this genre in our parts has always been cold, instinctively idiosyncratic.
We are Europeans, and evidently, when America forcefully transmits its native musical intuitions to us (in the eighties, AOR definitely ruled on the other side of the Atlantic... even mediocre-talented bands managed to sell millions of records), we do not get enthused. It's quite a different story compared to when the American market served as a sounding board for excellence from Great Britain (Beatles, Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen, AC-DC, and so on): the USA fell in love with them with generous foreign love, and promptly all of Europe followed suit, putting them in turn on a pedestal.
With Boston (and with Journey, Foreigner, Toto, etc., to name the tip of the AOR iceberg, more or less), the average Italian rock fan has always turned up their nose and brushed the matter off with at least disinterest, if not outright condemnation. Personally, having verified that even in this musical genre, exactly as in all others, there are the champions, the good ones, the mediocre ones, and the unbearable ones, I still maintain eternal gratitude and respect for its excellences, among which certainly rank the first two albums by Boston, namely the eponymous debut of 1976 and the follow-up "Don't Look Back" of 1978, works that are not by chance dominating this collection, accounting for nine of the fifteen tracks in total.
The first album by Boston represents, in many respects, the authentic and complete first example of AOR, a genre considered quintessentially eighties, so much so that its first work, in the most common and generic opinion, is that "Escape" seventh album by Journey dated 1981. Everything was there already in that explosive 1976 debut, amazingly born in a basement in Boston, that of Tom Scholz's home where the guitarist, organist, and composer spent much of his free time after returning from his daily job as an engineer at Polaroid. From it are extracted for this collection the indispensable "More Than A Feeling", the rather known and valued "Piece Of Mind", the splendid "Long Time" preceded by the instrumental "Foreplay" (and with these three tracks, we are looking at the re-proposal of the entire first side of that LP) and then the two rock 'n' roll tracks "Smokin'" and "Rock'n'roll Band". For my personal tastes, I agree with 80%, meaning that I would have overlooked the inclusion of "Peace Of Mind" to make room instead for the spectacular "Hitch A Ride", one of my absolute favorites, featuring magical arpeggio work on the 12-string and then an exciting crossover solo between Tom Scholz's two solos and Barry Goudreau's.
Regarding the second and equally excellent work "Don't Look Back", the extracts are four and include the eponymous song and then the incredible power ballad "A Man I'll Never Be" as well as "Feelin' Satisfied" and "Party". No complaints about the first two choices, two of the career's best, but I regret the absence of "It's Easy", a piece of incredible dynamics thanks to the play of the 12-string acoustics that hide behind the electrics' distortions and the rhythm hits to then suddenly and spectacularly come to the fore in syncopations. "Used To Bad News" is also, in my opinion, a superior episode to both those chosen on the second side, if only for the brief but striking solo of the Hammond organ by Scholz.
The third album, "Third Stage", is represented by the celestial ballad "Amanda", elected the second most famous track of the band after the absolute evergreen "More Than A Feeling", as well as by "Cool The Engines"... mmh, I prefer the concluding "Holyann", featuring a devastating solo of Scholz in addition to a fine arpeggio in the arrangement. The fourth album "Walk On" is finally (the last two, terrible albums came out after this one) dedicated to the only extract "Living For You", another excellent ballad, indeed the most remembered piece from that work.
The album is then enriched by three unreleased songs, one of which is proposed in two different productions: it's titled "Higher Power" and is a not-to-be-missed hard rock episode, with a particularly insistent and intrusive guitar stopping. Much better is the ballad "Tell Me" placed at the beginning, a decent soft number for the Argentine voice of the late Brad Delp, which, however, at that point in his career, had lost much of its shine. The last unreleased track is none other than the American anthem, the unmistakable "Star Spangled Banner", once also tackled by Jimi Hendrix, an anthem that some time before Boston was asked to perform at the opening of an American football game and ended up this way in their discography.
Boston has been a great band, for a long time now they have been worth nothing, and what little they have the courage to publish at decade intervals is truly unrecognizable and mediocre. This Greatest Hits relies mostly on the distant past of their career, and even with some reservations on the track choices, it must be considered a true guide on how to conceive, arrange, and perform a certain type of aesthetical rock through impeccable architectures, huge guitar sounds, beautiful voices, arrangements, and performances redone to the limit yet still able to compensate with other qualities for their undeniable lack of instinctiveness. It is rock played "with the head", with the impulsivity well tamed... but good music doesn't only come from anger or instinct, artistic passion can also effectively channel through the paths of reasoned research and perfection: Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, and many others, and Boston with them, teach that.
Tracklist and Lyrics
01 Tell Me (04:06)
I stand on my own
And wonder if you've ever been alone
with all the world around you
Say the word; I'd be there
And like a fool I'd go anywhere
just like the day I found you
Tell me what you see
Tell me you believe in my love
Tell me what you need
Tell me you believe in my love
I don't understand what to say
You take my breath and then you walk away
Your life goes on without me
And you can look right at me
But in your eyes it's a mystery
What do you feel about me?
Tell me if it's real
Tell me what you feel in my love
Tell me what you see
Tell me you believe in my love
Tell me what to give
Tell me I can live for your love
Tell me not to leave
Tell me to believe in your love
I don't really know what to say
I don't know how but I could learn to pray
If praying makes you hear me
I could stay on my own
and wonder if I'd have ever known
I just want you near me
Tell me if it's real
Tell me what you feel in my love
Tell me what you need
Tell me you believe in my love
Tell what to give
Tell me how to live for your love
Tell me what you see
Tell me to believe in your love
02 Higher Power (05:05)
Hey, my higher power
Yeah, give me the power
Let me love you
Take me home to your religion for the night
Let me touch you
Teach me how to see your vision through my eyes
Turn the pages
Tell my story, let me face another day
Safe embraces, I feel it comin' now
My captain's on his way.
Hey, my higher power
The world is spinnin', but I'm not afraid
Yeah, give me the power It's the beginnin', the beginnin' of another day.
Yeah!!
Let me hold you
Take me back into the secrets of my mind
Let me know you
Come and save me Lord
Don't let me cross the line
Hey, my higher power
The world is spinnin', but I'm not afraid
Yeah, give me the power It's the beginnin', the beginnin' of another day.
Ooh, let me love you
Ooh, let me love you
Hey, my Higher Power
The world is spinnin', but I'm not afraid
Yeah, my Higher Power
It's the beginning of another day.
Hey, my Higher Power
The world is spinnin', but I'm not afraid
Yeah, my Higher Power
It's the beginnin', the beginnin', the beginnin' of another day.
Hey, my higher power
Yeah, my higher power
Hey, my higher power
03 More Than a Feeling (04:47)
I looked out this morning and the sun was gone
Turned on some music to start my day
I lost myself in a familiar song
I closed my eyes and I slipped away
It's more than a feeling (more than a feeling)
When I hear that old song they used to play (more than a feeling)
Then I begin dreaming (more than a feeling)
'Til I see Marianne walk away
I see my Marianne walkin' away
So many people have come and gone
Their faces fade as the years go by
Yet I still recall as I wander on
As clear as the sun in the summer sky
It's more than a feeling (more than a feeling)
When I hear that old song they used to play (more than a feeling)
Then I begin dreaming (more than a feeling)
'Til I see Marianne walk away
I see my Marianne walkin' away
When I'm tired and thinking cold
I hide in my music, forget the day
And dream of a girl I used to know
I closed my eyes and she slipped away
She slipped away
It's more than a feeling (more than a feeling)
When I hear that old song they used to play (more than a feeling)
Then I begin dreaming (more than a feeling)
'Til I see Marianne walk away
04 Peace of Mind (05:04)
Now, if you're feeling kinda low 'bout the dues you've been paying
Future's coming much too slow
And you wanna run but somehow you just keep on staying
Can't decide on which way to go
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I understand about indecision
But I don't care if I get behind
People living in competition
All I want is to have my peace of mind
Yeah
O-o-oo
Now you're climbing to the top of the company ladder
Hope it doesn't take too long
Can't you see there'll come a day when it won't matter
Come a day when you'll be gone
I understand about indecision
But I don't care if I get behind
People living in competition
All I want is to have my peace of mind
Yeah
O-o-oo
Take a look ahead
Take a look ahead
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Woo
Now everybody's got advice they just keep on giving.
Doesn't mean too much to me
Lots of people have to make-believe they're living
Can't decide who they should be
I understand about indecision
But I don't care if I get behind
People living in competition
All I want is to have my peace of mind
Yeah
O-o-oo
Take a look ahead
Take a look ahead
Look ahead...
05 Don't Look Back (05:59)
Boston��Don't Look Back
Don't look back
A new day is breakin'
It's been too long since I felt this way
I don't mind where I get taken
The road is callin', today is the day
And I can see, it took so long
Just to realize
I'm much too strong
Not to compromise
Now I see what I am is holding me down
I'll turn it around...oh...yes I will
I...finally see the dawn arrivin'
I...see beyond the road I'm drivin'
It's a bright horizon when I'm awaken oh
I see myself in a brand new way
The sun is shinin', the clouds are breakin',
Cause I can't lose now, there's no game to play
I can tell
There's no more time left to criticize
I've seen what I could not recognize
Everything in my life
Was leading me on...
But I CAN BE STRONG !!
OH YES I CAN !!!!
I...finally see the dawn arrivin'
I...see beyond the road I'm drivin'
Far away and left behind...
Left behind ...
Oh the sun is shinin'
And I'm on that road...
Don't look back
A new day is breakin', oh
It's been so long since I felt this way
I don't mind where I get taken
The road is callin' and today is the day
I can see...it took so long
Just to realize, I'm much too strong
Not to compromise
Now I see what I am is holding me down
I'll turn it around...oh...yes I will
I...finally see the dawn arrivin'
I...see beyond the road I'm drivin'
Oh far away and left behind,
Don't look back...oohhh
Don't look back...oohhh
Don't look back...oohhh
Don't look back..........oohhh
06 Cool the Engines (04:37)
Now I like takin' off
Don't like burnin' out
Every time you turn it on
Makes me want to shout
We keep getting hotter
Movin' way too fast
If we don't slow this fire down
We're not gonna last
Cool the engines
Red line's gettin' near
Cool the engines
Better take it out of gear
I'm no fool
I'm gonna keep it cool
and take it day by day
We won't know where we might go
'Till we take it all the way
Take me for a ride
Take me all the way
Take me where I've never been
Someplace I can stay
Don't get yourself too hot
Don't get yourself too high
If we don't take it easy now
We can kiss it all goodbye
Cool the engines
Slow this rocket down
Cool the engines
Why don't ya take a look around
I'm no fool, gonna keep it cool
Take it day by day
We won't know where we might go
'Till we take it all the way
Cool the engines
Cool the engines
Goin' over the line
Goin' off the dial
Runnin' out of time
And it's gettin' wild
Got flashin' lights
Goin' 'round and 'round
Until we get it right
Better cool it down
Better cool it down.
Cool the engines.
And now we're on our way
No need to hurry just to get from day to day
And I, oooh, I know
We don't have to run that hard to get where we can go.
Cool the engines.
Cool the engines down.
Cool the engines.
Cool the engines down.
07 Livin' for You (04:56)
Livin' without you never could be so wrong
Don't need to say it, I never waited so long
Thinking about you in everthing I do
Love is for giving
You know I'm just livin' for you
And I, I never needed to lie
Can't you see I believe in my heart when I'm saying
It's love that you see
You're just the one for me
I'm praying
Maybe I'm dreaming, don't want to wake up now
Baby, I love you, I always knew it somehow
Happened so easy, don't need to think it through
It's not so amazing
Been going so crazy for you
Dreaming and hoping, hoping that dreams come true
You're my religion, girl, I've been living for you
Don't want to fight it, tried everything I know
I won't deny it
You're everywhere I try to go
And I, I never needed to lie
Can't you see I believe in my heart when I'm saying
It's love that you see
You mean the world to me
I'm praying for you
Knew it so easy, don't have to think it through
Love is for giving
I know I'm just livin' for you
Love is for giving
I know I'm just livin' for you
08 Feelin' Satisfied (04:13)
Well come on
All you people
The time has come to get together
You gotta have a little rock 'n' roll music
To get you through the stormy weather
And do whatever you feel
when you let go
Nothin's gonna help you more than rock 'n' roll
So come on, put you hands together
You know it's now or never
Take a chance on rock 'n' roll
Ooo are you feelin' satisfied
Come on let us give your mind a ride
Ooo are you ready tonight
Come on let us give your mind a ride You can do what you like
Come on let us give your mind a ride
Oh that funky feelin'
Is what you need to get you through
You oughta know
I'll tell you somethin'
Don't let your troubles get to you
'Cause win or lose it's alright
Well take control
And nothin's gonna help you more than rock 'n' roll
So come on
Put you hands together
You know it's now or never
Take a chance on rock 'n' roll
Ooo are you feelin' satisfied
Come on let us give your mind a ride
Ooo are you ready tonight
Come on let us give your mind a ride You can do what you like
Come on let us give your mind a ride
09 Party (04:08)
Well you know I don't get off on workin' day after day
I wanna have some fun while I'm here
I play the game when it's goin' my way
And there's nothin' like a party when it's kickin' into gear
I'm gettin' ready for a party tonight
Yes I'm gettin' ready to cruise
And if you've got somethin' for me
I've got somethin' for you
Baby
It's a party and nobody cares
What we're doin' there
Baby, it's a party as long as you're there
It's a party, party, party!
I can't believe it when some people say
That it's a sin that way we live to die
You know, there's never been a more natural thing
Yea there's a brand new story, but it's the same old lie
So come on
Get ready for the time of your life
'Cause I'm gettin' right in the groove
And if you've got somethin' for me
I've got somethin' for you
Baby
It's a party and nobody cares
What we're doin' there
Baby, it's a party as long as you're there
It's a party, party, party!
Yea yea yea yea get down and party if you need a cue
You're sure to find one in the crowd
Just meet some friends and have a toke or two
In a place where they can never play the music too loud
Get ready for a party tonight
'Cause I'm gettin' right in the groove
And if you've got somethin' for me
I've got somethin' for you
Baby
It's a party and nobody cares
What we're doin' there
Baby, it's a party as long as you're there
It's a party, party, party!
You know a man doesn't live on bread alone
He's got to have some lovin' each and every night
And a woman's got to have it if the truth be known
Let's get together honey, it's alright
10 Foreplay / Long Time (07:49)
It's been such a long time
I think I should be goin', yeah
And time doesn't wait for me, it keeps on rollin'
Sail on, on a distant highway
I've got to keep on chasin' a dream
I've gotta be on my way
Wish there was something I could say.
Well I'm takin' my time, I'm just movin' on
You'll forget about me after I've been gone
And I take what I find, I don't want no more
It's just outside of your front door.
It's been such a long time. It's been such a long time.
Well I get so lonely when I am without you
But in my mind, deep in my mind,
I can't forget about you
Good times, and faces that remind me
I'm tryin' to forget your name and leave it all behind me
You're comin' back to find me.
Well I'm takin' my time, I'm just movin' on
You'll forget about me after I've been gone
And I take what I find, I don't want no more
It's just outside of y our front door.
It's been such a long time. It's been such a long time.
Yeah. It's been such a long time, I think I should be goin', yeah
And time dosnt wait for me, it keeps on rollin'
There's a long road, I've gotta stay in time with
I've got to keep on chasin' that dream, though I may never find it
I'm always just behind it.
Well I'm takin' my time, I'm just movin' along
Takin' my time, just movin' along
Takin' my time, takin' my time...
11 Amanda (04:17)
Babe, tomorrow's so far away.
There's somethin' I just have to say.
I don't think I could hide
What I feel inside
Another day.
Knowin' I love you.
And I -- I'm getting' too close again.
I don't wanna see it end.
If I tell you tonight
Will you turn out the light.
And walk away
Knowin' I love you?
I'm gonna take you by surprise
And make you realize.
Amanda
I'm gonna tell you right away
I can't wait another day.
Amanda
I'm gonna say it like a man
And make you understand, Amanda
I love you.
And, I feel like today's the day.
I'm lookin' for the words to say.
Do you wanna be free,
Are you ready for me
To feel this way?
I don't wanna lose ya.
So it may be too soon I know.
The feelin' takes so long to grow.
If I tell you today
Will you turn me away
And let me go?
I don't wanna lose you.
I'm gonna take you by surprise
And make you realize.
Amanda
I'm gonna tell you right away
I can't wait another day.
Amanda
I'm gonna say it like a man
And make you understand, Amanda
I love you.
You and I -- I know that we can't wait.
And I swear -- I swear it's not a lie girl,
Tomorrow may be too late.
You -- you and I girl -- we can share a life together. It's now or never And tomorrow may be too late.
And, feelin' the way I do, I don't wanna wait my whole life through To say I'm in love with you.
12 Rock & Roll Band (03:01)
Well, we were just another band out of Boston
On the road to try to make ends meet
Playin' all the bars, sleepin' in our cars
And we practiced right on out in the street
No, we didn't have much money
We barely made enough to survive
But when we got up on stage and got ready to play
People came alive.
Rock and roll band
Everybody's waitin'
Gettin' crazy
Anticipating love and music
Play, play, play, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Dancin' in the streets of Hyannis
We were getting pretty good at the game
People stood in line and didn't seem to mind
You know everybody knew our name
Livin' on rock-n-roll music
Never worried 'bout the things we were missing
When we got up on the stage and got ready to play
Everybody'd listen.
Rock and roll band
Everybody's waitin'
Gettin' crazy
Anticipating love and music
Play, play, play, yeah, yeah
Playin' for a week in Rhode Island
A man came to the stage one night
He smoked a big cigar
And drove a Cadillac car
And said, "Boys, I think this bands outta-sight"
Sign a record company contract
You know I've got great expectations
When I hear you on the car radio
You're gonna be a sensation!"
Rock and roll band
Everybody's waitin'
Gettin' crazy
Anticipating love and music
Play, play, play, yeah, yeah
13 Smokin' (04:21)
We're gonna play you a song, a little bit of rock-n-roll
You gotta let yourself go, the band's gonna take control.
We're gettin' down today
We'll pick you up and take you away
Get down tonight
Smokin', Smokin'
We're cookin' tonight, just keep on tokin'
Smokin', Smokin'
I feel alright, mamma I'm not jokin', yeah.
Get your feet to the floor, everybody rock and roll
You've got nothing to lose just the rhythm and blues, that's all, yeah
We're gonna feel ok
We'll pick you up and take you away
Get down tonight.
Smokin', Smokin'
We're cookin' tonight, just keep on tokin'
Smokin', Smokin'
I feel alright, mamma I'm not jokin', yeah.
Everyone's jumpin', dancin' to the boogie tonight
Clap your hands, move your feet
If you don't you know it won't seem right
We're gettin' down today
We'll pick you up and take you away
Get down tonight
We're gettin' down today
We'll pick you up and take you away
Get down tonight, well allright!
14 A Man I'll Never Be (06:34)
If I said what's on my mind
You'd turn and walk away
Disappearing way back in your dreams
It's so hard to be unkind
So easy just to say
That everything is just the way it seems
You look up at me
And somewhere in your mind you see
A man I'll never be
If only I could find a way
I'd feel like I'm the man you believe I am
And it gets harder every day for me
To hide behind this dream you see
A man I'll never be
I can't get any stronger
I can't climb any higher
You'll never know just how hard I've tried
Cry a little longer
And hold a little tighter
Emotions can't be satisfied
You look up at me
And somewhere in your mind you see
A man I'll never be
If only I could find a way
I'd feel like I'm the man you believe I am
And it gets harder every day for me
To hide behind this dream you see
A man I'll never be
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