Boston celebrated the 50th anniversary of their legendary debut album earlier this week by announcing an expanded edition featuring the “lost demos” from the record.
Now, the band’s mastermind Tom Scholz is giving fans an additional rarity from the vaults.
He was in a reflective mood as he shared a fresh update via Facebook on Aug. 27 and what he called, “one of the last available recordings” of Boston’s massive fan favorite, “More Than a Feeling,” captured live during the group’s 2017 Hyper Space tour.
It’s a rare taste of Boston in the concert setting. Though there are a number of unofficial recordings, there’s never been an authorized live release from the band.
About the New Live Version of ‘More Than a Feeling’
“Everyone is familiar with the recording of ‘More Than a Feeling’ Brad [Delp] and I performed in 1976, so now, 50 years later, I’d like to offer one of the last available recordings of the song performed live by the band Boston in 2017,” he detailed. “This is not a studio remix of a multitrack recording, but the actual stereo feed from the mixing console to the sound system speakers. The mistakes (mostly mine), and oddities of a live mix in a large venue are all there. Gary Pihl has edited some actual video footage from the show. Enjoy!”
What Else Did Tom Scholz Say?
It’s been well-documented that before the Boston album hit the shelves on Aug. 25, 1976, Scholz thought he’d reached the end of his rope as far as having any potential future in the music industry. Thankfully, he kept moving forward and trying to make it work.
“In 1975, with singer Brad Delp and drummer Jim Masdea, I finished my final demo recording number six of my songs that were recorded, arranged, played and produced the way I wanted to hear them. I wasn’t expecting any success,” he explained in the Facebook update. “My demos had been universally rejected for years – now I was just making one last recording of my best songs before I threw in the towel at age 29.”
“I was not surprised when almost every record company rejected them again – including Epic,” Scholz remembered. “By now, I figured my musical tastes were just a lot different than most people’s, but surprisingly, after Epic had a good listen to “More Than a Feeling,” Brad and I received a contract offer. (Thank you Tom Werman at Epic for having ears!)”
Scholz and Boston Didn’t Expect Any ‘Serious Success’
Even with the deal offer in hand from Epic, Scholz said he had little hope that there would be “any serious success, after so much rejection.” In spite of that, he was quite excited to make a “real record,” even though he was still working in his basement.
Though it took some time, radio, record sales and the fans themselves, gave Scholz and Boston a level of affirmation and validation which made the feelings about the long years of struggle soften a bit. It’s something that understandably, the guitarist and songwriter is still processing decades later.
“After six years of discouragement, Boston suddenly blanketed the radio airwaves! The ultimate success was the result of you, our listeners and fans,” he said. “The variety of stories I’ve heard of people who were helped through hard times by this music (I’m one of those stories!), and the number of lives that have been saved by the donations made possible, have all made the enormous work effort more than worth it.”
“Thank you all for an amazing run,” he shared in closing, adding an exclamation point to punctuate his remarks on the band’s long history.
You can read the complete update from Scholz on Facebook. He supervised the upcoming expanded reissue of the Boston album, featuring “lost demos” that have been worked on with Pihl to present them in the best possible quality.
The pair “restored the demos,” but according to press materials, “they were left in their original sonic state.” The new version of Boston is set to be released in the second quarter of 2027. More details are available at the band’s official website.
Tom Scholz Pays Tribute to Dolly Parton
The artist added an addendum to his comments about the new live video, with some additional words on the Boston website.
“On Tuesday, August 25, just as I was about to put up my post about the 50th Anniversary of “More Than a Feeling,” I learned of the passing of Dolly Parton,” he wrote. “I’m not a country music fan, but I have the deepest admiration for Dolly as a person and entertainer. It didn’t seem right for me to make a celebratory post on such a somber occasion, so I waited. I’m now a day late posting my note for the 50th anniversary of my song, but then, my being late for anything shouldn’t surprise anyone.”
READ MORE: Dolly Parton Dies: Rockers React
Top 100 ’70s Rock Albums
From AC/DC to ZZ Top, from ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ to ‘London Calling,’ they’re all here.
Gallery Credit: UCR Staff
