Published on Apr 21, 2004
Listening to Boston’s latest album
Corporate America is like waking up on Christmas morning,
opening up a present, and finding a pair of socks.
Corporate America is only the fourth new Boston album since
their ground-breaking debut. That was way back in 1976, or as we
Generation X-ers call it, ye olden days. Upon its release,
Boston became the highest selling debut record ever, only to
be dethroned years later by Whitney Houston.
What made
Boston special? Plenty. Tom Scholz locked himself in his
basement, recording take after take, until the songs , in his mind,
were flawless. Guitars, drums, bass, vocals, all re-recorded
endlessly. If there was an album that defines perfection,
Boston was it. Yet despite the painstaking approach Scholz
took to recording the album, at its heart it was still an
old-fashioned rock album. Unfortunately, at some point, Scholz lost
his way.
In theory, Boston fans have reason to rejoice!
Corporate America has Brad Delp back in the fold, after his
one-album absence, wailing in that castrato voice of his. Except
you can’t understand Delp half the time, seeing as his voice is
buried deep in the mix. To makes matters worse, he only sings lead
on three songs! Oh, what about the drums, you say? Ever played one
of those electronic keyboards from back in the ’80’s? Remember how
there were little demos you could play along to? Yeah, the drums on
CA sound like that. Well, you ask in desperation, what about
those crisp guitar solos? Sorry, it sounds as if Scholz decided to
record the album underwater. I’m sure it helped with the
acoustics.
It is bitterly ironic that as time has progressed, Tom Scholz
has managed to somehow make his albums sound worse. Ever since the
debut, Scholz has been more and more preoccupied with the latest
technology. Given that, does someone want to explain to me how in
the hell
Corporate America ends up sounding as bad as it does? I’ve
always been taught technology makes things better, allows for more
tweaking. Unfortunately for us Boston fans, I think the only way we
are going to hear a Boston album that sounds like their debut again
is if Tom Scholz meets up with Doc Brown, parks his ass in that
Delorean, and goes back to that magical time when he knew what he
was doing.
Scholz was never a great songwriter, but he had his moments.
“More Than A Feeling” proved that. So what does he do on Corporate
America? Gets other musicians to make him look better by writing
even worse lyrics! Clichéd titles and lyrics abound
throughout the album. “Cryin,” “Didn’t Mean To Fall In Love,” “You
Gave Up On Love.” Personally, I was waiting for “I love to love
your lovely lovin’.” But that’s not all. The title track takes the
cake. Everything the song rails against, globalization, business
jets, sales pitches, Mr. Scholz has taken part in himself. This is
the man who has spent more time in a courtroom suing Record label
and band members, than writing music! When
Corporate America was released, it hit #42 on the charts,
then sank like a stone. So instead of getting the picture that
maybe, just maybe the album sucked, what does he do? He sues the
record company, claiming they didn’t promote it enough.
Corporate America indeed.
So what about everyone else on the album? There are two leftover
members from Walk On, the band’s fourth album. Those two would be
the father-son duo of Fran and Anthony Cosmo. What do they bring to
the table? The only decent song on the album. Think Boston + metal.
“Turn it Off” is the darkest song Boston has ever recorded, which
adds to the edge the track has. Lyrically, there’s nothing to get
too excited about, but just hearing Boston try something radically
new is a breath of fresh air. “Turn it Off” has an organic feel,
which is something lacking in Boston’s three previous albums. For
me, there was no greater surprise on the album than hearing REAL
drums. If Scholz wants to bring a new crowd, this is the road to go
down for the next album, most likely to come out in 2027.
Oh how could I forget, Kimberly Dahme? She is the first female
member of Boston, and hopefully the last. The one song credited to
her on the album, “With You” is so incredibly out of place it could
make a sad clown laugh. The Boston sound in no way includes country
numbers. It doesn’t work. Oh yes, Scholz attempts to inject a bit
of Boston with an obligatory guitar solo, but it doesn’t work. Just
like most of the album
You know, if there was another band, this album wouldn’t be that
bad. I would predict great things for them in the future. But this
isn’t some unknown band, this is Boston, gods of arena rock, and
once owners of the greatest-selling debut album of all time. Tom
Scholz should have been able to do better. Oh yes, remember how
Scholz sued over
CA, claiming it was under-promoted? Well, apparently Scholz
has gone back into the studio, and is in the process of re-mixing
Corporate America, supposedly due for release later this spring.
I’m sorry Tom, maybe people just don’t care anymore