Is Boston Prog-Related?

Prog has become such an abused word here, that any band that moves rock music forward by an iota, gets labelled thus. Scholtz put a theory into practice on the first album, which proved to be largely correct (at least with respect to copies sold). The second album utlilised effects that Scholtz  could afford to develop on the royalties made on the first album - or so the story goes. Hence at least the first two progressed something. But as to being in the tradition of  "progressive rock", no.

Edited by Dick Heath - November 28 2008 at 08:56

As much as I agree with you, Boston have been discussed ad nauseum, and the discussions have become very heated and the majority opinion is always that they don't belong here.  Also, I know of one special collaborator who might have a stroke if he sees this thread. 

I don't think they qualify, my arguments against this are along the lines of my balking at the inclusion of Ken Hensley. I'm not ashaned to admit that I'm  a huge Boston fan, but I just don't detect any Prog.

The definition of Prog-Related:

Progressive rock is not a separate universe in music, it’s a genre among many others, a voice in the chorus and as part of a biggest scenario has points of contact with other musical genres.

Prog Related is the category that groups bands and artists that:

- Without being 100% Prog, received clear MUSICAL influence of this genre, OR

- Are widely accepted as MUSICALLY influential to the development of Progressive Rock by the community, OR

- Blend characteristics of Progressive Rock with mainstream elements creating a final product that despite not being part of the genre is evident that are close to Prog.

We specify the word MUSICAL because simple performance of a determined instrument in a Prog or mainstream band is not justification enough to include an artist, no matter how virtuoso he/she may be, Prog Archives has to evaluate their compositional work because the music is what determines the characteristics of a band or an artist.

Prog Related bands are not considered part of the genre but they have contributed in some form in the development of Progressive Rock, the inclusion of a band is exceptional and only after verifying that it’s a contribution for the better understanding of Prog among the members and visitors instead of a source of confusion for the community.

I believe Boston fits this category perfectly.

Exhibit A:  Sophisticated organ work.  Listen to "Foreplay" from the debut album or "Get Organ-ized" from Walk On for just two grand examples.  The Hammond M-3 on "Foreplay" is doubled with clavinet, joined by bass, and punctuated with heavy electric guitars and drumming.  In "Get Organ-ized," Tom Scholz uses a Hammond B-3.  The organ solos on "Smokin'" are also noteworthy.

Exhibit B: Sophisticated guitar work.  "Hitch a Ride," for example, has gorgeous acoustic gutiar work followed by guitar solos in the end that lend the piece a progressive rock arrangement.  A few other noteable songs that fit into this category are "Don't Look Back," "It's Easy," and "Walkin' at Night."

Exhibit C: A pop accessibility.  Boston is unarguably a highly comercially popular band that gained success where most progressive rock bands did not, with a debut album that has been certified 17x platinum by the RIAA.  The songs are generally shorter (every song on the debut continues to be played on the radio, though some songs enjoy more play than others), but they are generally more complex in structure.

Exhibit D: Borderline sci-fi themes.  Boston did not only write love songs, they occasionally wrote pieces relating to space travel (and using them as metaphors for real life).  These include "Don't Look Back," "The Journey," ""We're Ready," "The Launch," "Cool the Engines," "My Destination," and "A New World."  The cover art echoes this with it's iconic UFO art (made of a guitar and a pipe organ).

Exhibit E: More sophisticated arrangements than a typical pop-rock band.  Although many songs do fit into the "verse-chorus" pattern, many do not.  "Hitch a Ride," "Don't Look Back," "A Man I'll Never Be," "Hollyann," and the Walk On Medley.  Boston gives their listeners several layers of sound that are absent from most mainstream acts.

Exhibit F: Sophisticated vocal arrangements.  The complex harmonies help give Boston their signature sound.  These are evident on most of their songs.

These are just the points I could come up with off the top of my head.  While I initially thought Boston might fit the Crossover Prog category, I don't think the majority of their work would place them there.  Still, I think they would certainly be at home in the Prog-Related category, particularly if both Metallica and Journey have been given the nod.

So what does everyone else think?