Customer Reviews

Third Stage

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Boston's third album Third Stage was released in September of 1986. The band was now down to two original members guitarist Tom Scholz whom also did bass guitar, keyboards and some of the drums and lead singer Brad Delp. The album took eight years to create because of a court case that Tom had with CBS Records whom stopped paying him royalties because he took longer than usual to create Third Stage. In the end, Tom won the court case and went over to MCA which was being run by Eagles manager Irving Azoff at the time. Third Stage was an instant smash going all the way to #1 on the album charts where it reigned for four weeks. When fans opened this album up and gave it a spin, as I did on my 11th birthday in 1987, millions were in for a treat. The album kicks off with the #1 ballad Amanda which was the only song to go to #1 in 1986 without a video, something which should be learned in the music business. The rock radio staples on the album were We're Ready and the kick-ass Cool the Engines. The instrumental The Launch is awesome and I used to watch the speaker rumble during the beginning of this track. My Destination is seen as an Amanda Reprise but good nonetheless. Cant'cha Say/Still in Love is a great love song which was the third single from the album but released in edited form without the Still in Love bit. The closing ballad Hollyann's chorus has the same music pattern as Cant'cha Say but a semi-tone lower and a slower tempo but a great song. I had this on cassette as a child but now sounds great on CD. Hey Universal, how about a remaster! Highly recommended!

Boston's third album Third Stage was released in September of 1986. The band was now down to two original members guitarist Tom Scholz whom also did bass guitar, keyboards and some of the drums and lead singer Brad Delp. The album took eight years to create because of a court case that Tom had with CBS Records whom stopped paying him royalties because he took longer than usual to create Third Stage. In the end, Tom won the court case and went over to MCA which was being run by Eagles manager Irving Azoff at the time. Third Stage was an instant smash going all the way to #1 on the album charts where it reigned for four weeks. When fans opened this album up and gave it a spin, as I did on my 11th birthday in 1987, millions were in for a treat. The album kicks off with the #1 ballad Amanda which was the only song to go to #1 in 1986 without a video, something which should be learned in the music business. The rock radio staples on the album were We're Ready and the kick-ass Cool the Engines. The instrumental The Launch is awesome and I used to watch the speaker rumble during the beginning of this track. My Destination is seen as an Amanda Reprise but good nonetheless. Cant'cha Say/Still in Love is a great love song which was the third single from the album but released in edited form without the Still in Love bit. The closing ballad Hollyann's chorus has the same music pattern as Cant'cha Say but a semi-tone lower and a slower tempo but a great song. I had this on cassette as a child but now sounds great on CD. Hey Universal, how about a remaster! Highly recommended!

Okay, we all know that it took 8 years from the previous release for this album to come out, a trend that has continued with each release by this legendary band since then. What should not be missed, however, is that this album is every bit as good as "Don't Look Back", if not better. It is a melodic rock masterpiece.

Starting off an album with a ballad is not always the best idea on a rock album, but it works here very well with the classic "Amanda". The song is a pretty, heartfelt love song that went to # 1 and caused the album to do the same. The rock comes soon enough with track 2, the top 10 "We're Ready". A great track that is often overlooked. Even better is "Cool the Engines", with a sonic rock sound that rivals anything on the first two albums.

The best track of all, in my opinion, is the gorgeous anthem "Can'tcha Say" with its touching message and amazing vocal/guitar combination. This was a top 20 hit that should have been a # 1--both rocking and ballad-like at the same time. A fantastic track. "I Think I Like It and the closing "Hollyann" are other melodic highlights, while to me the only weakness is "My Destination" due to it being ridiculously similar to "Amanda". It is still a nice song, though.

This album admitedly does not rock quite as much as the first two Boston albums, but it does still rock in spots and absolutely stands up in quality. It amazes me that rock stations don't play anything off this album and haven't for years now. For sure, it is a classic album that belongs in any classic and melodic rock fan's collection.

One gets tired of the elitist critics who condemn and cast aside Boston as just another ... "corporate rock group" of the 70's and 80's. To listen to this album in its entirety (prerequesite: An incredibly powerful sound system) is a 38 minute orchestral rock trancendence. Immaculately produced and passionately expressed, this record is a masterpiece. In the post-grunge, complaint-rock, "make it sound like we're intentionally trying to sound like ..." age, this album stands out. Melodic and striking, this lushly produced, meticulously executed album delivers. A sonic tonic.

"Third Stage" is a great album from start to finish. The opening ballad "Amanda" is melodic and majestic. "We're Ready" and "Cool the Engines" are catchy. And "Can'tcha Say / Still in Love" has a great trade-off of Brad Delp vocals and Tom Scholz guitar riffs. Be sure to listen to this one through headphones so you can hear the textured layers of guitar and voice. Though this album was created by only 3 guys -- Scholz, Delp, and drummer Jim Masdea -- it is vintage Boston!

This album has beautiful song writing. I love the signature Boston guitar textures.

It really grabs you.

One thing thats true about this album is its production.This one does sound more mechanical and not as laid backfeeling as "Don't Look Back" but the quality of the sound allows you to hear every detail as it was intended.Lots of albums hide whats going on because they really suck and don't want you know that there is no quality.The first four songs alone make it five stars.These are great for cranking or for guitarists who want songs to play that really rock.Love the harmonies and especially that Rockman sound.

As a Bostonian, I must say that I'm mortified that my hometown shares the same name of this band. Word has it that it took eight years for this group to complete this record. Eight years! That's insanity! And the sad thing is, even after all that time, "Third Stage" still sounds terrible. "Amanda" is simply pancake-flat with its predictable chorus and banal lyrics, and the pedestrian "We're Ready" shows that the group was anything but. In the liner notes, the band makes a big deal that no synthesizers were used in the making of this record, as if real instruments and a fake "take-me-seriously" stance is all you need to make a great record. "Third Stage" is self-importance at its worst.

This album came out when I was in college. In my world, it accompanied many a study, girl-talk, and make-out session. Back then I pretty much listened only to top 40 radio and didn't get too much into exploring music.

Fast-foward to today. My taste in music has expanded dramatically and I guess you could call me a "student" of many different genres. Still, on a whim, I recently decided to replace my decaying cassette copies of Boston, Don't Look Back, and Third Stage. To my surprise, redisovering this album has been a real pleasure. It swept me up and took me right along to that blissed-out world of tight harmonies and those unmistakable, rolling bass sounds of Boston. (I know, it's a different musician in Third Stage, but the sound is the same.) The other Boston albums are incredible, as the world knows, but I believe there's something really special about Third Stage.

"I still hear guitars in the air as we sat in the sand..." Man! This disc is just pure, powerful rock fun. Don't think about it too much; just enjoy it.

This album serves to prove that there is such a thing as overthinking a project. While not bad, per se, it feels rather uninspired. It lacks the spontinaity of the band's previous albums. I guess it just goes to show that spending 8 years working and reworking an album can cause you to lose sight of what is good.
There are a few good tracks here, namely Amanda, I Think I Like It, and Hollyann, but nothing really measures up to anything on Don't Look Back or Boston.