On August 25, 1976 Boston released its debut album, a record that would sell an astonishing 17 million copies and usher in an era of "corporate rock". Most of the album was recorded in the basement of Poloroid engineer turned guitar hero Tom Scholz, and in many ways the debut is an engineering achievement. If you asked a computer programmer to synthesize an American version of Yes, Led Zeppelin and Emerson Lake and Palmer, wouldn't something like Boston be the best possible result?
Whatever the case may be, radio couldn't get enough of the Boston sheen. After years of literally slaving unseen in his basement studio, Scholz and his band were suddenly performing at Madison Square Garden. The only hitch: the band had agreed to provide Epic with 10 albums over the next six years. They made three in ten years and spent much of that time arguing with lawyers and executives.
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