DATE: Wednesday, July 23, 1997              TAG: 9707230036

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY SUE VanHECKE, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   67 lines

MORE THAN A FEELING FANS OF THE BAND BOSTON HAVE ALWAYS IGNORED THE CRITICS

CONFESSION: I've always liked Boston.

The melodic metal band - beloved by fans, skewered by critics - was a favorite at our house during their late '70s heyday. Boston was one of few rock groups on which my heavy metal-listening brothers, classical music-loving parents and I could all agree.

I know, I know. It's not cool to like Boston - or at least it hasn't been since punk rock came along to deflate arena rock's tiresome fatuousness. But take a listen to ``Greatest Hits,'' the new Boston compilation featuring such classics as ``More Than a Feeling'' and ``Long Time.''

In this age of trendy lo-fi sonics and histrionic angst, you just can't help but appreciate the distinctive tandem guitars and soaring vocal layers - the sheer musicality - that lofted the group's self-titled debut into the pop charts for an astonishing 2 1/2 years.

That album, which has sold more that 16 million copies since its 1976 release, holds the RIAA record as the best-selling group debut of all time.

``We were never the critics' darlings, certainly, but we always had that fan base,'' lead singer Brad Delp said recently from Detroit. ``And I don't think anyone can accuse (band founder Tom Scholz) of being a slave to fashion or trying to follow trends.''

Guitarist/keyboardist Scholz - an MIT graduate, onetime product designer for Polaroid and inventor of innovative musical equipment - started the band as an off-hours project in his basement studio in Beantown.

``I've heard him say many times that music was really a release from all of that other stuff,'' Delp said. ``I think he had a certain sound in mind from the first time I met him.

``Once he found that sound, he wasn't terribly interested in what was going on outside of that. He's a very intelligent guy and has a very set idea of what he wants to hear.''

The group's sleek, muscular sound didn't find instant acclaim, though. Demo tapes, sent under the name of Mother's Milk to every major record label, were rejected - twice. It wasn't until the band hired a professional manager, who renamed the project Boston, that they landed a contract.

``Boston'' and its 1978 follow-up, ``Don't Look Back,'' were outrageously successful, racking up a string of chart-topping hits and international tours. But it took almost a decade for the band to roll out its next album, ``Third Stage,'' which also went multi-platinum, in 1986.

Blame the delay on ``numerous and sundry lawsuits'' - between Sholz and Boston's record label, former management and former players - ``that took up most of Tom's time,'' Delp said. ``Fortunately, Tom came out on top, but it was not something you would choose for yourself. We weren't on vacation during that time.''

Actually, Delp and original Boston guitarist Barry Goudreau were working on a variety of projects, including a Goudreau solo record that also featured vocalist Fran Cosmo. Cosmo would go on to sing with Goudreau and Delp's Orion the Hunter and also on Boston's fourth album, 1994's ``Walk On.''

Delp had to bow out of ``Walk On'' as he and Goudreau were ensconced in yet another project, RTZ.

``We were committed to do a record and a tour, and I had to go in and explain that to Tom,'' the singer said. ``He was very gracious about the whole thing. We left it on good terms.''

So good, in fact, that when RTZ was dropped by its label, Sholz invited Delp to join the ``Walk On'' tour and share vocal duties with Cosmo. On the current Boston tour, the multi-singer format has been expanded to include not only Delp and Cosmo, who both play guitar, but also drummer Curly Smith and bassist David Sikes. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu