Peace Of Mind Smokin' Rock & Roll Band Boston

Peace of Mind Album: Boston (1976)
Smokin' Album: Boston (1976)
Rock and Roll Band Album: Boston (1976)
by Boston

Boston founder Tom Scholz wrote Peace of Mind while he was working as a senior engineer at the Polaroid corporation. The song is about finding your passion; Scholz seems to sympathize with the many people who are working for companies and don't feel fulfilled.

Unlike many folks toiling away in dead-end jobs, Scholz liked what he did at Polaroid and was paid well for it, well enough that he could afford to build a studio in his basement with a 12-track recorder. He played in bands while he was a student at MIT and after entering the corporate world, but the studio let him create new songs using his engineering background to push the boundaries. After a few years, one of his demo tapes earned him a deal with Epic Records. He formed Boston using local talent (including singer Brad Delp, who sang on the demos), took a leave of absence from Polaroid, and completed the self-titled album, which was released on August 25, 1976. Scholz went back to his job, but that didn't last long: the album took off like a shot, so the band toured to support it. "Peace Of Mind" shows how dreams can come true with the right amount of talent, passion and hard work. Of course, there were probably many times over the next several years - especially when he was at odds with his management and record company - when Scholz would have liked to back at Polaroid.

Peace of Mind was the third single from the Boston album, following "More Than a Feeling" and "Long Time." They could have released more, but didn't have to: radio stations were playing the songs right from the album, and the album was selling. It eventually sold 17 million copies in America.

The Christian metal band Stryper covered Peace of Mind on their 2009 album Murder By Pride. Stryper lead singer Michael Sweet joined Boston in 2008 to fill in for Brad Delp, who died the previous year. Sweet did just one tour with the band, but it left a lasting impression. "It felt like I was dreaming up there every night, pinching myself," he said.

Smokin' is about having a good time listening to music, but it can be interpreted as being about marijuana, with lines like "Keep on tokin'." The song also clocks in at 4:20, which is a time associated with smoking pot.

Written by group leader Tom Scholz, "Smokin'" is part of Boston's self-titled debut album, which was constructed when Scholz was still working for the Polaroid corporation (he had a degree from MIT). Scholz set up a home studio and worked on demos until he finally landed a deal with Epic Records in 1976. The demos were honed to his standards, with Scholz playing all the instruments except drums. Epic booked studio time in Los Angeles so he could record proper versions with the band, but Scholz wanted nothing to do with it. Instead, he let the band work on Brad Delp's song "Let Me Take You Home Tonight" while he stayed in his home studio near Boston and meticulously re-recorded his demos to make "new" tracks, which ended up on the album. Boston drummer Sib Hashian and vocalist Brad Delp perform on "Smokin'," but guitarist Barry Goudreau and bass player Fran Sheehan do not.

Originally, Smokin' was called Shakin', which is how Tom Scholz played it with his band Mother's Milk in 1973. Scholz made a demo of the song with that title, but by the time he recorded it for Boston's debut album, it became "Smokin'."

Album cuts like "Smokin'" got lots of airplay, especially on Album Oriented Rock (AOR) stations as it was never a single.

Rock and Roll Band tells the story of a Boston rock band paying their dues: busking, sleeping in cars, playing the bar circuit. Eventually, they get a big break when a record company guy sees them perform and makes them a deal.

Many assumed it was the story of the band because the lyrics are in the first person and they sing about being from Boston, which they are, but that's not the case. Group leader Tom Scholz wrote the song based on conversations he had with Jim Masdea, a drummer who often collaborated with Scholz and had lots of war stories from playing in various bands. Masdea was always telling Scholz about struggling bands trying to get signed to record contracts.

Boston had quite the opposite experience of the group they sing about in Rock and Roll Band. Rather than paying their dues on the road, Boston released a well-produced album that was an instant hit. In fact, they weren't even a band until Tom Scholz landed a record deal based on demos he made in his home studio. They played a few gigs before the album was released but didn't tour until after it came out. Just a few months later, their songs were all over the radio and they were headlining arenas.

None of the band members lucked into this though. They were all veterans of the Boston music scene and had proven their mettle. Scholz took care of the studio work, but they had to win over fans on the road, which they did.

Jim Masdea, who inspired the lyrics for Rock and Roll Band, played drums on the demos Tom Scholz made in his home studio that led to a deal with Epic Records. Other than singer Brad Delp, Masdea was the only other musician Scholz used on these recordings.

When Scholz got signed and it came to assemble an actual band, Delp stayed on but Masdea was replaced with Sib Hashian, a decision seemingly made by Scholz' management. Scholz did make sure Masdea played drums on "Rock And Roll Band" to earn a credit on the album.

Rock and Roll Band wasn't released as a single because Album Oriented Rock (AOR) stations played it anyway, along with the other eight tracks on Boston's debut album. These well-crafted, uptempo tracks kept listeners tuned in, so they became staples of many playlists.