Boston – Third Stage

Third Stage was the first album to be simultaneously be certified Gold, Platinum, Double Platinum and Triple Platinum, which occurred less than two months after its release.

The production values on this album are unreal. Everything is incredibly tight. Most of the people I know who hate this album are music snobs that think nothing made by a classic rock band after 1977 is any good.

The 7:14 length for "Can'tcha Say/Still In Love" is what's listed on the CD, but the actual track is more than a minute shorter than that.

Vinyl Lps of this were dumped almost immediately after release in Northern California in 1986. My dorm mate came into my room at UNR and breathlessly announced Boston had a new album, popped the cassette in the player and punched it. I told him I thought it sounded like Perry Como or Pat Boone. The owner of the Record Corral and I had driven to RCA in SF and stopped in Auburn, CA, checked out the thrift stores, then a used record shop, Cherry View or Cherry Side Records. The store was loaded up to the gills with vinyl cutouts of the title with $4.99 stickers. The Lp showed up in Reno bins in numbers a few weeks later. I'd had both Columbia/Epic albums on 8-tracks in high school and wore them out.

Who hasn't heard of Boston. 70's 80's supergroup. Everyone knows of the bands world famous number one hit "More Than A Feeling" but what after that, an album with two good songs and a big let down. Second album, crap. Six long years past, then Boston emerged again with their ground breaking album Third Stage. What is most recognizable about this album is how all the tracks blend together. The whole album could be one track. With great tracks like "Amanda""We're Ready""Cool The Engines""Hollyann", all of the tracks are winners. This album is a bit on the short side, but this album is known as one of the few in the world with no fillers, no last minute tracks, this album represents the last of great rock albums, setting the standard that few have reached.