BOSTON – Live In Cleveland 1976 +1 [Remastered 2022]

There has been countless bootlegs from BOSTON‘s performance captured in Cleveland at their first tour ever in 1976, taken from the FM WMMS radio station broadcast. But this recent release by Polyphone Heritage should be the best of all, with a very good sound quality and mastering.
This recording “Live In Cleveland 1976” was allegedly taken from the WMMS radio station vaults by a disgruntled employee, and sold to a rabid Boston fan. That is the ‘story’, whether it’s true or not we don’t know, but somehow it made its way out of WMMS, and since then has become a collectors piece.
The performance itself is truly remarkable. It was recorded only a few weeks into the Boston tour for the debut album and shows a band giving their absolute all.

Brad Delp sounds great! Tom Scholz and Goudreau trade leads frequently and the fireworks they create are spectacular. Bass player Sheehan and drummer Hashian hold down the grooves well throughout and contribute serviceable background vocals as well.

Considering Scholz played almost everything in the studio himself for Boston’s first album, and Delp did lead and background vocals, the parts are covered very well by the live band. Of course, the background vocals can’t match studio multi-layered 4 or 5 overdubbed Delps, but come on, this is a ’76 live show.
Highlights include a very early version of “A Man I’ll Never Be”, (which would later appear on the Don’t Look Back album) and a blistering version of “Foreplay / Long Time”.

As an even more interest for fans and collectors, this set feature recordings of two songs that did not appear on any of Boston’s studio albums: “Shattered Images” (mislabeled as “Help Me”), and “Television Politician”.
This concert is definitely one of the most notable Boston shows recorded during their classic Seventies era, capturing the band at their very beginnings.
As extra, we added the standalone single ‘God Rest Ye Metal Gentlemen’ that Boston recorded during the ‘Life, Love & Hope’ album sessions. It’s a dynamic, somewhat surprisingly metallic version of the holiday classic ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’, produced by Scholz and performed by him along with Kimberley Dahme, Gary Pihl, and Tom Hambridge.
Highly Recommended

01 – Rock and Roll Band (Live)
02 – Help Me [real title Shattered Images] (Live)
03 – Peace of Mind (Live)
04 – Something About You (Live)
05 – A Man I’ll Never Be (Live)
06 – Smokin’ (Live)
07 – Foreplay (Live)
08 – Long Time (Live)
09 – Don’t Be Afraid (Live)
10 – More Than a Feeling (Live)
11 – Television Politician (Live)
0dayrox extra:
12 – God Rest Ye Metal Gentlemen [studio 2013]

Lead Vocals & Guitars – Brad Delp
Guitars & Organ – Tom Scholz
Guitars – Barry Goudreau
Bass & Background Vocals – Fran Sheehan
Drums & Background Vocals – Sib Hashian

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www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09PMVZK6V