The new BOSTON album Life, Love & Hope has been available for preorder on Amazon.com for a few weeks already; now it's available to preorder on iTunes.

The first single Heaven on Earth is also available to purchase. The Canadian release has a special bonus.  As was posted on Facebook and Twitter, The Orchard has a listing with a version of the album due for release the same day as the US release December 3, but with a bonus track. It wasn't Te Quiero Mia, which is the Best Buy bonus track, but O Canada. There had been no announcement made previously regarding any other versions of the album or other bonus tracks. The listing on the Canadian iTunes store shows O Canada as the 12th track on the album, running at a length of 1:28.

BOSTON had performed O Canada - Canada's national anthem - during their stops in Rama, Belleville and London, Ontario last year.

For those who love vinyl, SoundStageDirect is taking preorders for the album in 180g Audiophile Virgin Vinyl on 2 LPs. This release is even more interesting as it contains both bonus tracks mentioned, and it's a limited edition of 1,000!

Here is the track listing for the vinyl release:
LP 1
1. Heaven On Earth
2. Didnt Mean To Fall In Love
3. Last Day Of School
4. Sail Away
5. Life, Love & Hope
6. If You Were In Love

LP 2
1. Someday
2. Love Got Away
3. Someone (2.0)
4. You Gave Up On Love (2.0)
5. Te Quiero Mia (bonus track)
6. The Way You Look Tonight
7. O Canada (bonus track)

Here is Heaven on Earth, BOSTON's first single from Life, Love & Hope:

The listing for the new album at Amazon.com has been updated to include the track listings. As had been reported way back in 2008, the album will include updates to some tracks that were previously released on Corporate America.

01. Heaven on Earth
02. Didn't Mean to Fall in Love
03. Last Day of School
04. Sail Away
05. Life Love and Hope
06. If You Were in Love
07. Someday
08. Love Got Away
09. Someone (2.0)
10. You Gave Up on Love (2.0)
11. The Way You Look Tonight

The following is the official announcement regarding the new album:

More than 10 years in the making, BOSTON's new studio album, "Life, Love & Hope" is ready for release! Finally emerging from his Hideaway Studio II, Tom Scholz says, "These are songs from the heart, each of them taking many months of effort to write, arrange, perform and record, always up to the demands of BOSTON's harshest critic, me. They have all been meticulously recorded to analogue tape on the same machines and equipment used for BOSTON's hits for the past 35 years."

Available on December 3 on Frontiers Records, this album includes lead vocals from Brad Delp, Tommy DeCarlo, Kimberley Dahme, David Victor, and Tom Scholz, and features tracks with the classic BOSTON sound, as well as the latest in the evolution of Scholz' musical artistry. "I intentionally stayed close to the early BOSTON style on some of the songs, even using the same amps and instruments; on others I let my imagination run wild," says Tom.

All the tracks have the characteristic BOSTON trademark guitars, harmonies, and immaculately-crafted sound. Tom worked very hard to fulfill the expectations of BOSTON fans new and old, and has created a diverse yet cohesive album that truly has something for everyone.

(Please Note: At the time of this article's original release, the information had yet to be confirmed by the band's management. The band has since made an official announcement. The information regarding Brad Delp was confirmed to be incorrect as MusicTAP had reported that the album would not include tracks recorded by Brad, however the announcement by the band has stated it will. The article has been updated to reflect this.)

BOSTON fans have been waiting for a very long time for the follow-up to 2002's Corporate America. Over the years, there's been very little in the way of news on the album's progress. Work on the album was further delayed by tragedy - the death of lead singer Brad Delp in 2007. Tom Scholz had posted this year that the album was expected to be released this summer. Summer has come and gone without an album, now it looks like we're finally going to get it.

According to MusicTAP, the album, which they say will be called Life, Love & Hope, will be released on December 03, 2013 on Frontiers Records.

Frontiers Records is a record label based in Italy, which has released material for Def Leppard, Sammy Hagar, Ted Nugent, Stryper, and was the label that Fran and Anthony Cosmo used to release their album Alien in 2006. Frontiers' website shows that their North American distribution is handled through EMI, which is now under Universal Music Group (UMG).

The album is available for preorder on Amazon.com.

Color Three, the group made up of BOSTON members Gary Pihl, Kimberley Dahme and Jeff Neal, have released their first album.

Paint by Number features thirteen tracks clocking in at 56 minutes. It's available for download via iTunes and Amazon.com. If you would rather have an actual physical CD, there are limited quanitities available through their official site.

Gary, Kimberley and Jeff will be live on Blog Talk Radio August 21 @ 7:30pm EDT talking about the album. If you can't listen live, the show will be available to download as a podcast.

Tom Scholz has posted a message on the official site regarding the band's recent performance at the Boston Strong show:

Finally catching our breath following the Boston Strong benefit and three weeks of preparation for our set there last Thursday night. What an incredible night! What an honor it was to play for this amazing gathering.

Four weeks ago I was immersed in the final stages of production for a new BOSTON studio album when I got word that New Kids manager Jared Paul was trying to put together a benefit concert to raise money for the One Fund, and wanted BOSTON to play. Since the Marathon bombings my wife and I had been trying to think of something special we could do to help the victims, and here was the perfect opportunity. Kim and I, along with a lot of other people, dropped what we were doing and dove into preparations for a BOSTON set for the Boston Strong concert.

It's always hard to assemble a crew when we are off the road, especially on short notice, but nearly all of our regular technical crew members went out of their way to get there for rehearsal and the show. The band members also have other lives when we're not touring, but three weeks after we got the call, the band was ready, firing on all cylinders, and the crew had our gear up and running operating at full throttle.

BOSTON has played the Garden many times, but this night had an incredible level of excitment and a deep emotional undercurrent that I hadn't felt before. We may be just another band out of Boston, but as Gary Pihl, Tracy Ferry and I began the opening chord crescendo of the national anthem, I knew this was not going to be just another night on stage. The pride of being a part of this unity, of this collective brotherhood, of being American, was overwhelming as the band launched into the Star Spangled Banner.

I've never been so honored and thrilled to be a part of something, and I know that sentiment was shared by the entire band and crew. Our deepest thanks to our very hard working staff, friends, and the concert organizers who put together this awesome event which enabled us to help those who suffered such terrible losses in this tragedy. Our hearts go out to all of them.

Tom Scholz

TD Garden and Live Nation are proud to announce 'Boston Strong: An Evening of Support and Celebration' to be held at the TD Garden on Thursday, May 30, 2013. Net ticket proceeds of this historic concert will benefit The One Fund Boston, set up by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino to help the people most affected by the tragic events that occurred in Boston on April 15.

'Boston Strong: An Evening of Support and Celebration' will feature (in alphabetical order) Aerosmith, Jason Aldean, Boston, Jimmy Buffett, Dane Cook, Extreme, Godsmack, The J. Geils Band, Carole King, New Kids on the Block, James Taylor, and Steven Wright. Additional artists will be announced.

"Live Nation and TD Garden have hosted thousands of concerts over the years, but none with such a sense of purpose as Boston Strong: A Concert of Support and Celebration," said Don Law, president of Live Nation New England. "Boston is a city with strong roots, and homegrown artists reached out to us to see what could be done. We are proud to help solidify this huge concert line-up."

"Like so many other proud Bostonians who have been extremely generous, we are honored to step up and do our part to help the victims and their families," said Donnie Wahlberg, New Kids on the Block. "Hopefully this event will not only raise money, but spirits as well."

"The One Fund event at the Garden this May 30th is destined to be a true Boston landmark. From the promoters to the sound & lights, to the performers and the Garden staff; everyone involved has responded from the heart in a spontaneous and simultaneous desire to be there and to do what we can for the city we love. I am honored to be a part of it, and…I can't wait," said James Taylor.

"The TD Garden, in partnership with Live Nation, is proud to host to this historic event and raise significant funding and awareness for The One Fund Boston," said Amy Latimer, TD Garden President. "This is an important community gathering to celebrate the amazing spirit of this city, Boston Strong."

Tickets are priced from $35 to $285. Prices include all fees and service charges. Information on special sponsor tickets which will include commemorative items, reserved parking, and other items will be available on www.ticketmaster.com and www.livenation.com/vip.

Tickets will go on sale Monday, May 6 at 10:00 AM. Fans can purchase tickets at www.livenation.com, www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000 or at TD Garden Box Office. In an effort to make sure all net proceeds from ticket sales go directly to The One Fund, all tickets will be sold through Ticketmaster's paperless ticket delivery. Fans must have the credit card used to make the purchase and a valid, government-issued ID to gain entry. For more information on paperless ticketing, visit http://www.ticketmaster.com/paperless. For more information on the event, you may also go to www.aconcertforboston.org.

For more information on The One Fund Boston or to donate, visit. www.onefundboston.org. For more information on 'Boston Strong: An Evening of Support and Celebration', please visit www.TDGarden.com.

The following is a message Tom Scholz has published on bandboston.com regarding the bombing in Boston, MA:

Friday night, April 19th, 2013

Tonight I'm going to bed a little prouder of the city of Boston, a little prouder to be an American. The amazing selflessness of responders at the Marathon attack, the outpouring of grief and support from an entire city - an entire country, followed by the relentless determination of thousands of professionals and citizens over the past five days that culminated in the removal of these two murderous cowards from our streets has renewed a spirit of hope after the horrible losses that have weighed on us all.

I like to think that adversity has made me pretty tough. I woke up on Tuesday with stoic resolve to forge ahead in spite of what had just happened the day before. But when I turned on the TV 24 hours after the bombings, and saw that picture of little Martin, I broke down. I'm thankful I was alone at that moment, I still can't think about it without tears.

I wonder if others have the same feeling, that all four of those who died were not just young, but were the kind of wonderful human beings who brought joy and light to those around them. These were the targets of the maniacs. These and the dozens of horribly injured innocent people whose only crime was to help celebrate someone's personal achievement at the Boston Marathon. The lives that will be forever altered number in the thousands.

People struggle to make sense of it, but of course there is no sense to be made. Whether psychotic savagery is inspired by religious fanaticism, or some other motivation really makes little difference; the needless loss and suffering that result are utterly without logic regardless of origin. I think it's this lack of an actual reason, even a perverse one, that makes the loss even more devastating.

In the news tonight reporters spoke of relief now that the second killer has been apprehended. For me it was not relief from fear that a madman was no longer on the loose, but from the uncertainty of whether justice would prevail, and how long it might take.

For those twisted individuals who think they have delivered a message to us, I say you have failed. Without reason there is no message, and we here in Boston are not afraid.

We may not be perfect, but this is one hell of a city, one hell of a country.

Tom Scholz