Boston

iTunes Review

In the wake of punk, bands like Boston were labeled traitors to the rock and roll cause, their perfectionism and sheen attacked as lifeless and bland. On this self-titled debut, though, guitarist/leader Tom Scholz’s overdub-happy meld of stainless metal, art-rock and plainspoken rock lyricism feels like something of an important vision itself. Singer Brad Delp had the chops to hang in the screaming cathedrals Scholz built of “More Than a Feeling” and “Long Time,” and the hardheaded individualism of “Peace of Mind” summed up the philosophy of the head guy, who’d escaped Polaroid’s R&D department to mastermind one of the bestselling albums of its day. Also, let’s give a shoutout to the three-minute amusement-park spin that’s “Hitch a Ride.” Its sped-up organ moment was the result of true inspiration; Scholz literally laid his hand on the tape reel to produce the effect.