Why Hasn’t There Ever Been a Book about Tom Scholz or Boston before?
The best reference sources on the band … and what’s missing.
Look up just about any classic rock band from the 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s, and there’s bound to be at least one solid book about them, detailing their highs and lows, the music and the debauchery. The story of Boston—from its origins in Tom Scholz’s basement studio to the epic eight-year battle with his record label—has all the makings of a great nonfiction book, or even a movie.
Imagine my surprise to discover that there wasn’t one. Just a couple of annotated songbooks, fan zines, and the usual AI slop. People on Facebook and other forums have repeatedly asked: Where can I find a good book about Boston? Has Tom Scholz ever considered writing an autobiography?
When I first started working on my book Power Soak, about the most dramatic period in Boston’s history, I soon understood the challenge. I went looking for information about the group in all the usual places: Google, Wikipedia, YouTube. Most of what I found consisted of regurgitated stories from the past, or material based almost entirely on a single interview with Scholz. I was also surprised to discover how few concert recordings or videos exist from the band’s early days.
I’m an investigative journalist, and when I start to suspect that someone has been trying to bottle up or control a story, it only makes me work harder. My next step was to track down people to interview, but after forty or fifty years memories aren’t perfect, some of the players are no longer with us, and others—including Scholz himself—declined to participate. None of that dissuaded me. I turned instead to court records, which became my most treasured source of information, as they were the one place where I knew I was most likely to find the unedited, unfiltered version of history.
That’s not to say there aren’t some great articles and other repositories of information worth reading. Below is a list of some of the most useful work about Boston that helped me while reporting Power Soak.
Articles
Bloom, Michael. “Failed Field Day in Waltham.” Boston Phoenix. September 7, 1976.
A harsh review of one of Boston’s first live performances after the release of their debut album.
Cobb, Nathan. “The Man Who Invented ‘Boston.’” Boston Globe. March 20, 1977.
Excellent profile capturing some of the early tension in the band during its nonstop year of touring.
Crowe, Cameron. “Boston: The Band from the Platinum Basement.” Rolling Stone, August 10,1978.
The precocious Rolling Stone reporter (and filmmaker behind Almost Famous) nails it with this profile of Boston and early manager Paul Ahern on the eve of the release of Don’t Look Back .
Podolinsky, Gil. “Interview with: Tom Scholz.” Modern Recording. July 1979.
Nitty gritty details on the recording of Boston’s first two albums.
Baird, Jock. “Tom Scholz’s Battle for Boston.” Musician. January 1987.
One of the most comprehensive contemporary accounts of the fight over Third Stage.
Zimmerman, Keith. “A Down-to-Earth Talk with Boston’s Tom Scholz.” The Gavin Report. February 13, 1987.
Thoughtful interview with Scholz and Brad Delp following the release of Third Stage.
Miller, Chuck. “Heaven is a Reel-to-Reel Tape.” Goldmine. May 1998.
A wide-ranging history of Boston drawing on early articles and interviews with Scholz, Delp, and Sib Hashian.
Drozdowski, Ted. “Boston Legal.” Boston. August 14, 2006.
A clear summary of Scholz’s legal battles through the mid-2000s.
Edgers, Geoff. “Brad Delp’s Last Days Detailed in Court Papers.” Boston Globe. May 26, 2012.
An even-handed account of the events leading up to Delp’s death, grounded in court records.
YouTube Videos
Tom Scholz: Sound Machine (2014)
Documentary-style overview of Scholz’s engineering approach and studio methods from Nova and NPR.
Tom Scholz of Boston Returns to his Watertown Home (2018)
WCVB-TV Channel 5 in Boston joins Scholz on a visit to the basement studio where the debut album was largely recorded.
What Makes This Song Great? “More than a Feeling” Boston (2019)
Rick Beato’s amazing breakdown of the song’s structure and production.
The Untold Story! Barry Goudreau Recalls Boston’s Wild Ride to the Top(2024)
First-person recollections from a former band member on the @VRPRocks YouTube channel.
Barry Goudreau on Getting Kicked out of Boston (2021)
A candid account of internal band conflict and departure from the @RockHistoryMusic Youtube channel.
Websites
Dedicated resource focused on everything Boston since 1999, including videos, articles, and some court documents.
Long-running site with recent tour photos, archival material, and forums.