98 Boston, Third Stage...Streaming on Spotify
I have to admit (and forgive me if there is a theme emerging here) we were VERY unkind to the American mega groups / arena rock groups of the 70s and 80s. I don’t know who of my friends originated the name “REOSpeedForeignerBostonJourneyKansasWagon”? ..... but it’s a funny joke and does fairly accurately bring to mind that certain type of polished, tuneful and radio friendly American rock. Are they all the same?....well clearly not. A little maturity and the passage of time have allowed me to appreciate some of the great tunes these bands pumped out. It’s not like I actually disliked these bands at the time either, I simply preferred my rock to come with some harder edges and attitude. It would be really interesting to hear readers comments on bands or styles where your views have mellowed over time.
Third stage is a really curious beast. A VERY long time after “Don’t Look Back”, as a non-devotee I’d almost forgotten about the band, but it was immediately identifiable Tom Schulz’s incredibly distinctive sound…crafted by months or years of fine tuning in the studio.
“Amanda” was the big hit in the UK….and it does stick out as much more standalone than the rest of the album…a true ‘arms in the air’ stadium ballad. The rest of of the album seems much more themed, with Tom reflecting on hitting middle age. There are real standouts though…. “The Launch” and “Cool the Engines” are full of energy and “Can’tcha Say” is full of those amazing guitar harmonies we all know from the band….there is really no duff tracks on here.
But…. Outside of the lyrical territory, there is nothing really new here. You could easily argue that this is as good as the first album, but it’s just all so familiar that it has far less impact. The first time most of us heard those guitar harmonies on the first album, it was a real wow moment….here it’s just….well it’s just Boston. I’ve loved becoming re-aquatinted with this to write the blog…but a year from now, if I fancy some best in breed American Oriented Rock (AOR) action…ill be reaching back for the self titled debut. By the time the 4thalbum rolled round I’d given up altogether (I’m not sure I’ve ever heard it all the way through)…it’s interesting that in reality this is Boston’s only 80’s album given they have always sounded so 80s.
Diminishing returns indeed but I still like the spaceship!
More soon
More soon
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