Third Stage
Third Stage opens Tom Scholz’s painstaking sonic construction through Brad Delp’s clear, expressive voice.
Spotify
Track List
- Amanda
- We're Ready
- The Launch (a. Countdown, b. Ignition, c. Third Stage Separation)
- Cool the Engines
- My Destination
- A New World
- To Be a Man
- I Think I Like It
- Can'tcha Say (You Believe in Me)/Still in Love
- Hollyann
Liner Notes
Third Stage is the third album, on which Brad Delp's clear voice greatly opens up the sonic design that Tom Scholz assembled over a long time. After the first two albums it was released via MCA following an eight-year gap due to a courtroom battle with Epic — a comeback record. Scholz played most of the instruments, with Delp on vocals and Gary Pihl (guitar) and Jim Masdea (drums) added. Thick guitars, synthesizers and acoustic resonance form layers, and the songs proceed as a single flow rather than a set of short hooks.
From the straightforward melody of "Amanda" to suite-like developments, the album has a strength built up from details. "Amanda" became the band's only US number 1, and "We're Ready" and "Cool the Engines" were widely loved too. The album reached US number 1 and 4x Platinum — a record that depicted BOSTON's transparency and grandeur from a more introspective angle.