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If you're going to be in or around Hyannis, MA (the same city named in the song Rock and Roll Band) on August 2, 2006, you should stop by the Cape Cod Melody Tent for The Reel Blues Fest.
There will be a performance by Ernie and the Automatics, which will feature former Boston members Barry Goudreau along with form Boston drummer Sib Hashian and Tim Archibald, who was the bass player in RTZ. The show starts at 7pm.
More info on this event can be found at www.thereelbluesfest.com
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Okay, most of you couldn't care less, but I just couldn't resist...
Recently bandboston.com (Boston's official website) posted the recent broadcast of Off the Record with Joe Benson. Guess where they got the show? That's right, thirdstage.ca! (If you haven't seen it yet, check out the audio section for that and more interviews and other audio clips).
They even posted the credit right there on the main page along with the link to hear the file (which they hosted on their server for their site). You can see a screenshot of this by clicking on the image below, which is a crop of the credit!
BTW: I highlighted the credit on the image below just to let it stand out!
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It's been established for many years that Tom and Barry weren't speaking to one another and it's been discussed many many times in the Boston communities that they should bury the hatchet. Well, it looks like after all these years that may finally happen.
According to Jon at Gonna Hitch a Ride, Boston Magazine has published an article about Tom Scholz and at the end of the article it mentions Tom and Barry reconnecting after 20 years. This information has also been confirmed with one of the forum members who received an email from Barry confirming that he and Tom were back in touch.
Source: Gonnahitcharide.com
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Boston vocalist Brad Delp recently posted this to the list at boston.org:
Many thanks for all of the birthday greetings! There were so many that I am just now getting around to thanking everyone (if not individually, at least thru this e-mail).
Again, thanks to you all. You have been so supportive thru the years that I no longer fear the question, "Will you still need me, will you still feed me...?",
Let's all send our thoughts and good wishes to Sir Paul, who turns 64 on June 18. He deserves a better birthday/Father's Day than what he'll be receiving this year.
BD
Source: boston.org
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If you're like me; a Canadian Boston fan who went from store to store looking for a copy of the new remasters, then you probably had no luck finding them. Well it looks like the Canadian release of Boston and Don't Look Back remasters won't be available in Canada until probably the end of July. Amazon.ca is showing the release dates to be July 27, 2006 for those.
Boston remaster at amazon.ca
Don't Look Back remaster at amazon.ca
So if you're like me, you're probably going to want to head to amazon.com, or another US based retailer to get them imported to Canada. Check out the Merchandise section for links to buy these.
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It looks like the Off the Record with Boston has been pushed back again. The episode that was rescheduled to June 11 is now scheduled to air June 18.
Source: unclejoe.com
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Barry Goudreau is taking part in Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp this August. Barry will be one of the counselors, along with other musicians such as Spencer Davis, Bruce Kulick, Mark Slaughter and others.
They are currently taking registrations for their August band camp if you're interested (and have $10,000 so spend). To sign up, go to www.rockandrollfantasycamp.com and click on "Register Now."
Source:rockandrollfantasycamp.com
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Mike Mettler is the Vice President and Editor-In-Chief of SOUND & VISION. Here are his comments regarding the remastered versions of the first two releases!
You've never heard Boston and Don't Look Back like this before. These remasters show just how far ahead of his time Tom Scholz was (and still is) -- they're two of the best-sounding CDs I've ever listened to. Run, don't walk (and don't look back!), and go buy these two classic discs immediately. Your ears will be glad you did.
I spent about 50 minutes alone just on "More Than a Feeling." What a difference! The bass on the intro is indeed much fuller. Brad's vocals are also much fuller, and even wider in scope. On previous CD versions, it's almost like he's singing through water. The difference is quite noticeable when he sings "away" at the 0:40 mark, and especially "away - hey" @2:26. The drums are punchier (you can feel the kick right in the gut), and cymbal and stickwork are crisper.
In general, Brad's vocals are a revelation throughout both albums, making me feel like he was singing right in front of me.
-Mike Mettler, Sound & Vision
Source: boston.org
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According to the Off the Record site, the show with Boston that was originally scheduled for May 14/06 is now scheduled for Sunday, June 11/06.
Source: unclejoe.com
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Former Boston drummer Sib Hashian will be the special guest auctioneer for the Music for Middlesex event, which will benefit the Middlesex Human Service Agency, Inc.
The event will take place on Saturday, May 13, 2006 at the Chevalier Theater in Medford, MA. This event will also feature musicians such as New England Missing Persons, James Montgomery and Friends, The Fools, Charlie Farren (who did vocal work on the Boston song You Gave Up on Love), Danny Klein of J. Geils, The Mystery Tramps and special guest stars.
For more info, you can call 1-877-840-0457 or visit http://www.musicformiddlesex.com.
Source: http://www.musicformiddlesex.com
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Sanctuary Records will be releasing 3 new Keith Emerson albums this year. If you're old enough to remember, you may recall that Brad Delp did some vocal work with Keith Emerson on his 1986 album Best Revenge on a song called Playing for Keeps. That track will be released on the new 3 disc compilation At the Movies, which will be released on May 23, 2006.
Source: Jazz News
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If you're still skeptical that the original versions of the Boston and Don't Look Back Sony Legacy remasters did make their way onto Canadian store shelves, then continue reading...
I managed to pick up a copy of the Boston remaster at my local CD Plus store -- which amazed me that they had any copies at all since I live in a fairly small community. I've also placed an order online from them to get the Don't Look Back disc, so hopefully I'll get that soon.
It seems a limited number were printed before Tom found out about the remasters. For some reason, some of those discs found their way into stores on April 4 (the original release date). The number of discs printed/distributed is not known for sure yet, but we do know that it is available in some stores throughout Canada. What I've also been told is that this won't be for long, as they're apparently starting to be pulled off of shelves in some places.
Now as for the release of the proper versions, according to MusicTAP, the remasters are now scheduled for June 13, 2006 (one day after Brad Delp's birthday).
To see more info on the packaging and liner notes of the original Sony remasters, go to this page.
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For those of you who've seen the Boston remasters in Canada or have heard about the remasters already being available in Canada and are wondering why they're in Canada before the US, here's what seems to be the case, based on what I've heard from a couple people.
It looks like these are the original Digipak remasters -- in other words, the ones that were remastered by Sony before Tom Scholz found out about them. I've been told that these don't have the liner notes/pics by Tom or any indication that Tom did any remastering. Apparently, the live tracks credit Nicko Bolas as the person who mixed them. The remasters that Tom worked on are expected to be due out in May. The proper remasters will probably get released in Canada at the same time as the US.
If anybody has more info on the Canadian release of the remasters, please let me know.
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If you've seen the letter from Tom yet (if not, look at the post below) and wondered whether or not it's legitimate, Troy from boston.org has posted on the .org list and confirmed that it is indeed from Tom.
Source: boston.org
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George from the Boston_rocks group has posted a letter from Tom Scholz regarding the Sony remasters.
What the Deuce IS UP With Boston?
My apologies to you all for the unintentional silence about Boston activities and plans, especially concerning a reissue of the first two Boston albums.. Oddly enough I was just beginning a letter like this, when that topic jumped onto my computer, forcing me to drop everything, including communicating with all of you.
So now you know I do see postings on these sites! Not all of them, but enough to know your collective feelings about Boston, and btw, thank you.
Even though half of what I read is dead wrong and the other half I disagree with (you knew I was hard to please...), it's really gratifying to know that so many people appreciate this music and the message behind it. Those of you who just write to say encouraging things, please believe that you have saved me from giving up many times!
So, after the 2004 Boston tour ended, I set about recording some new material. Some of it sounds more like old Boston, some sounds more like later albums, all of it has me excited. Unfortunately I was hampered from working effectively in the studio by complications from a back injury in 2003.
It seems I may have been the victim of something my doctor referred to as acetaminophen poisoning. I used Tylenol regularly on and off the tours for some time, and as I have since read about, this apparently may have wreaked havoc with the health of some important organs. No, I don't mean the Hammond or the pipe organ, I mean mine.
Fortunately I'm now doing much better and back to full strength, and full speed in the studio...OK, I know what you're thinking, just keep it to yourself!
I had to hold up recording for a couple of weeks last year for some overdue studio repairs; three months later I was nearly finished soldering, drilling, and banging when I discovered the announced Sony Legacy Boston reissue on line. (Funny how ex-band members who haven't played in Boston for 25 years knew about these plans ahead of time...) I was mildly surprised to find out that two albums embodying all of my writing, performing, producing and engineering work from the 70's had been "remastered" by someone I didn't know, with added live recordings mixed by someone else I didn't know, and I hadn't even heard it! When I finally did hear it, I wished I hadn't.
Although I got used to getting screwed royally by business types in the music world, the audacity of this particularly inconsiderate liberty with my art got my attention very quickly.
Although I was pretty sure there had been a violation of my rights using the name Boston for this abomination, I decided to try the diplomatic, peaceful approach, averting another war and creating something really valuable in the process: A comprehensive remastering of the two oldest albums to bring the old mixes up to the standards of 21st century recordings.
Fortunately my real manager did a great job of quickly getting Legacy to see my point of view, and change their plans.
Now I know there are those of you who would go out and spend good money (oxymoron) for anything that says "new unreleased Boston," but before you go off on me for committing new releasus interuptus, I want you to know you owe me BIG TIME! The so called new material consisted of two Philly KBFH (despite what you may have read elsewhere) not-our-best-night renditions of Smokin' and FPLY/LT, plus a trashy discard I used to toss in on the first tour 'cause we didn't have enough music for a full set! They didn't even have the name right!
These "bonus" track mixes were obviously not made by Boston. Hearing the huge stereo Boston mix style suddenly disappear when the live cuts started was a little scary (even our live sound is carefully mixed in wide stereo, as most of you know first hand). But the real kicker was a technical problem with Brad's vocal track that showed up as a very distracting constant, weird, phasing.
And that wasn't the worst part, the studio recordings were just transfers to digital using the same EQ moves I prescribed for mastering them 30 years ago when everything had to be done manually, and not very precisely by modern standards. Not only could I hear no improvement, the overly hot sibilant portions that were listenable on vinyl and tape were now nails-on-blackboard piercing. Anyway, if you haven't figured it out yet, I didn't like it.
One good thing though, thinking about live Boston made me realize I have to dig out some tapes and put together some high quality mixes of our tour arrangements; some of them were totally cool. Dude.
So, we got Sony to retransfer from the original stereo analogue mix tapes (not the EQ'd 2nd gen copy companies tend to use) to 24 bit digital, and went to work in Protools going over every second of those mixes until we were nearly batty. It took Bill Ryan and I eight straight LONG days of work, which btw was precisely when I was supposed to be in the FL Keys celebrating my birthday. Finally we made the final adjustments with Toby Mountain at Northeastern Digital, then I joined Kim Hart and Gary Pihl working on the photos and booklet layout revisions. I think you'll like the new pics.
Somewhere in between I wrote a little bit about the famous demo and the making of the first album I call "Make Extra Money Working at Home in Your Own Basement," and also clarified and expanded the credits sections. David Wild of Rolling Stone fame also wrote an excellent piece from a fan's perspective for each album.
But the exciting story is what you're going to hear when you put this CD in your player. The difference is amazing to me. The guitars jump out of the speakers on those power chords, Brad's voice is full and warm in the mix like it should have been, the bass is tight and now you not only hear it, you feel it! I never liked these old mixes on 16 bit CD; now they sound great.
Hopefully most of you will listen to this directly from the CD, not an MP3! Don't get me started....Now exactly when that will be possible via actual release Sony is not saying, but they were in enough of a hurry to ruin my b-day vacation, so presumably it will be very soon. Most recent rumor: mid May.
Btw, lest you think I'm trumpeting here to get sales up, be assured Brad and I don't get treated any better financially from this than we did form the original release. You don't think that just because we wrote it, performed most of the tracks, and produced it we get most of the money do you?
But it was worth taking the time for this. I've always wanted to make those albums sound good on CD, and the chance arrived. It's good to work on your birthday.
Tom Scholz
Source: Boston_rocks Group
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You can catch Tom Scholz and Brad Delp on Off the Record with Joe Benson on Sunday, May 14. Check the Off the Record site for more info and a listing of stations that carry this show.
Source: unclejoe.com
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A member over at gonnahitcharide.com recently contacted Barry Goudreau in regards to the remasters; he got a response.
Last that Barry heard, the remasters were slated for April (which may or may not happen, as the news previously reported). He also said that the live stuff is with the original lineup and is not the live material from the King Biscuit Flower Hour (which used the show from Long Beach '77 - available in the audio section). He also indicated that there's been serious talk of a full live album (which was also previously reported here Feb. 28/06).
Source: gonnahitcharide.com
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This isn't official as of yet, but according to a source close to Jon from gonnahitcharide.com, it seems that the re-releases of Boston and Don't Look Back are now on hold.
No reason has been cited, but it might have to do with the live tracks that will be included with these releases as previously reported. It's not known what source the live material is to come from, or if that has been determined. More info will be posted as it becomes available.
Source: gonnahitcharide.com
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If you're looking to preorder the upcoming reissues of Boston and Don't Look Back (available April 04, 2006), you can order it online at one of these sites:
Boston at Amazon.com
Don't Look Back at Amazon.com
Boston at Amazon.ca
Don't Look Back at Amazon.ca
Boston at SonyMusicStore
Don't Look Back at SonyMusicStore
Track Listing:
Boston
01. More Than a Feeling
02. Peace of Mind
03. Foreplay/Long Time
04. Rock and Roll Band
05. Smokin'
06. Hitch a Ride
07. Something About You
08. Let Me Take You Home Tonight
09. Smokin' (Live)
10. Foreplay/Long Time (Live)
Don't Look Back
01. Don't Look Back
02. The Journey
03. It's Easy
04. A Man I'll Never Be
05. Feelin' Satisfied
06. Party
07. Used to Bad News
08. Don't Be Afraid
09. Help Me (Live)
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COSMO has released another song on their MySpace site, and this time, it's full length! The song is called Gravity. To listen to it, go to their site at http://www.myspace.com/cosmotheband
Source: COSMO MySpace Site
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Well the new Boston album seems to be still a ways off from being released, there will be an album release soon.
Legacy will be releasing remasters for Boston and Don't Look Back. Now I'm sure many fans are wondering why they should bother with getting new copies of albums they already have, well on both albums, there will be additional tracks!
Boston will feature a live version of Smokin' and Foreplay/Long Time and Don't Look Back will feature the previously unreleased song Help Me (aka Shattered Images). In addition, they will be coming out with 12 page bookets that contain photos, new liner notes and some other goodies. In addition, it's being reported that in the near future that we'll see a previously unreleased Live album!
The remasters are set to be released on April 04, 2006.
Source: MusicTAP
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Not only does Kimberley have a newly designed site, but she's also got a page on Myspace. On there, you can read a bio on Kimberley, as well as a blog and hear song samples.
Kimberley's Myspace site: http://www.myspace.com/kimberleydahme
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If you haven't been to Kimberley Dahme's website recently, you should take a look at it, it's been completely redesigned. From what I understand, it was done by Boston member Gary Pihl. It's also been told that Boston's official site (bandboston.com) will also be getting a new look (something which I'm sure many fans will agree is long overdue).
Source: Boston_rocks Group
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COSMO have posted samples of three of their songs on their Myspace site. The song titles are Communication, No Surprise, Tell Me Your Lies.
Source: Cosmo Myspace Site
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ESPN posted a feature to their website where they post celebrity predictions as to who will win the Superbowl and they featured Tom Scholz as one of the celebrities. Here's what he had to say:
If the Patriots aren't playing, can they really call it a "Super Bowl?'' Anyway, I'd guess 24-7, Steelers. Seattle must be thoroughly depressed after two months of non-stop rain.
Source: ESPN
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While I didn't get to attend last Monday's chat session, George at Boston_rocks was there and posted a summary.
Kimberley was unable to attend the chat session, as her dog had just died in an accident. Here are some notes from the chat session though:
Kim will be on FOX 5 (Boston ?) on May 4th
Kim will be doing a big benefit show with Glen Burtnik & band member from Bruce Springsteen. Kim will be doing more upcoming gigs with Glen.
Kim & Brad have both recorded new songs for Boston
Boston member Gary Pihl is working on a new design for Boston's official site. Gary also designed Kimberley's site
Kim has given up drinking
Kim will be playing more Southern California and Vegas gigs, hopefully soon
Kim will be performing with Freedom Reigns on March 25th
No word on a Boston 30th year anniversary tour, but general feeling is that it won't happen
Tom is still dealing with back and knee issues, but doesn't want surgery
Source: Boston_rocks Group
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Kimberley will be hosting another chat session on Monday, January 30, 2006 from 10pm-11pm EST. Also, it looks like the chat sessions will be a regular thing.
To participate, you need to join the Official Kimberley Fan Club group at Yahoo Groups. Once you're approved, then when it's time for the chat session, you just log into the group and click on Chat.
Source: Official Kimberley Fan Club
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The show Kimberley will be performing at the French Quarter Cafe, which will be broadcast online, has been rescheduled to Thursday, February 09 @ 6pm. The show is being performed as an appreciation to Kimberley's fans.
Source: Official Kimberley Fan Club
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Brad Delp's other band Beatlejuice (a tribute to The Beatles), will be performing a few benefit shows.
Saturday, January 21, 2006 @ 8pm
Ioka Theater (Exeter, NH)
Benefit for the Northeast Hurricanes Girls Softball Program
Saturday, January 28, 2006 @ 7pm
Tenney Grammer School (Methuan, MA)
Benefit for their school's music program
Friday, February 03, 2006 @ 7:30pm
Salem High School (Salem, NH)
Benefit for their school's music program
Saturday, February 18, 2006 @ 7:30pm
Portsmouth Music Hall (Portsmouth, NH)
Fifth Annual BeatleJuice benefit concert for Sexual Assault Support Services.
Source: www.muzzdrums.com