Tom Scholz: The Start of It 

This dude didn't pick up an instrument and learn it, seriously, until college and put out Boston 6-7 years later? This dude is a genius.

I can tell that he is the type of person who can bury himself deep into something he finds really interesting, get thoroughly lost and obsessed with it, and then emerge years later with a masterpiece all on his own. The guy makes me smile listening to him tell his story.

This guy has gone underappreciated by the populace for too long.. What a talented genius.

How many great guitarist are also brilliant electronic engineers that also personally designed and built their own equipment? What a legend...

My opinion of Tom has changed over the decades. For the better. RIP Brad and Sib.

I miss lead singer, Brad Delp. So sad that his life had to end in such desperation by his own hand. But then I think about what a unique, great, soaring singer he was and how much joy he brought to so many. Thankfully, we will always have Tom and Brad's music. Boston forever.

No other musician, or band (Boston) has ever had an impact on me and my life in the manner that Tom and Boston have had. It started when was 16. I'm 55 now and the intensity has only grown. Thanks Tom, and R.I.P Brad Delp.

What a friggin amazing creative and technical genius...And one of the most humble Rock stars ever

His kind of talent comes around very rarely.

Tom Sholz.... one of the greatest of all times

thanks Tom for inventing your sound. Your first album is the epitome of what all great albums should be scored by. Epic

The summer of '77. State parks here in Seattle; a case of Budweiser quarts for $5.99 down at R & H Market on Kitsap Way. My 1966 Nova Super Sport and Tammy Banua in the backseat. And Boston's first album. Throwing a Whammo Frisbee all afternoon at Illahee State Park - with Boston's first album blaring out of every car stereo. This album was everywhere and memories of my teenage years are sewn into the memory banks of my mind and Boston's first album was the soundtrack.

Holy F'n shit!! I'm a huge Boston-Scholz fan! and now I just found this video and got to here a story from the man himself"..GOLD! Pure GOLD!!!!

I still remember the day, the moment I first heard Boston. I was a Junior in High School, totally bummed that I was still riding the bus home. Somebody had a boom box on the bus and all of a sudden the first bar of More than a Feeling started to play on the radio. I was a sh person in high school, kept to myself most of the time, so it must have been a total shock to everyone on that ride home when o yelled shut the F..K up and turn that the guy! The Bus fell silent. I mean there was always a commotion from people Messi g with each other, but things went dead silent, and the guy with the boom box cranked it up. Everywhere I looked Jaws hit the floor. We all sat in amazement as this new tone flowed through the bus, something we had never heard before. The 70's was a second renasisance, at least where music was concerned. Throughout the 60's and into the 70's there was so much experimentation, driven by the desire of the younger generation to separate themselves from their elders that nothing musically went untouched except where technology wasn't ready yet. And on this day the clarity of the opening chords of that twelve string guitar followed quickly by the angelic voice of Brad Delp was magical. I'm not a writer, but I was so moved by that moment that it stays with me all these years later, and to explain it I have to reach beyond myself to explain how it was received. We sat silent u til the end of the song and the chatter amongst those on the bus went nuts, to a higher level than normal and it was loud every day. I shouted again, did engine hear who that was? A reply came back no. I sat dejected for two or three more sounds u til the DJ announced who's music he had just played, and then someone shouted Boston, it was some new band called Boston! Well that weekend everywhere my parents went I looked for the album, finding it late Sunday evening. I played side one on my cheap ass BSR turntable until it was barely able to be heard and the I finally turned the LP over to play side B. It just kept getting better. And when I wore that Album out Don't Look Back came out and I bought two albums, the original to replace the one I wore out and the new one. And once again I was floored. Somehow Tom Scholz had hit two home runs in a row! And I never looked back. We all waited several years for Third Stage, and then Walk On. And we kept waiting for the next album to come out. Every single new song brought some new meaning to me. Every single album was golden. Thanks Tom, for all your hard work and dedication! It's been a long road compared to other bands, but the trip was worth every second!

PRODIGY, GENIUS! TOM IS ONE IN A BILLION

It sounds like all talk until you listen to the Boston album. Speaks for itself. One of the best rock albums ever.

I never get tired of the songs from your first album

I was playing in a bar band traveling around Ontario and was north of Sault Ste. Marie in a small plywood factory city called Marathon, beside Lake Superior. In the afternoon the waitress came up to me and said there's a new song on the jukebox that jumps right out at you, and it was the first Boston single. She was right, the sound of the guitar sailed out and kept going, nice. I saw Jimi Hendrix and do electronics.

The man is a genius plain and simple. My true Rock hero of all time. Long live Boston

Thanks for that first album Tom, it spurred me on to a life time career and it's still my all time favorite album. I'm still playing a Gold Top, Marshall stack and Hammond B3 and leslie because of your efforts. Also got the recording bug and yes, rejected by Epic Records as well! Thanks for the story brother!

Boston produces incredibly great music.

Tom is truly a genius! What an inspiration! Thanks Tom for being such a great role model in how to be a rock star without being a jerk. My band is covering "More Than A Feeling" this weekend and I hope that I can stand in your shadow and introduce some young people to the great band Boston!

Boston's first album is arguably the greatest debut rock album in history. Imo it is, or at the very least, as fine a first album as that of any other AOR, classic rock band.

Great, talented guy. He signed my first guitar for me.

This guy captured the sounds in his head and reproduced them in his studio. Brilliant sounds. I never tire of Boston. It sings to my soul

If I could give this video 20 upvotes I would. An extremely unusual man.

What i love about Tom scholz is his smooth easygoing outspoken and soft-spoken nature because he says this is this and he keeps his words makes him reliable.

The music speaks for itself. Nice one Tom.

how can you not like this guy? my father was a carpet installer and was in a basement in Watertown mass in the early, 70s and there was this quiet tall lanky dude with long hair. my father opened a door to seam to the room behind the one he was doing and it opened to a studio and you can guess who's house it was. Tom Schultz!

i was too young to appreciate the music much when i first heard it. but i started to appreciate it more recently, after learning of how much of the music was actually just him (basically, all of it). and then of course there were the inventions! now, as an adult, i can see how much he rocks!

This guy is THE master at his craft. My favorite band ever, because of him. Very inspiring!

Truly broke the mold w you mr.Tom, I remember when that first Boston LP hit , unique, still hits me the same after all these years, I don't listen to it everyday , ha I don't have to the radio plays those songs everyday, I actually sat down and learned ' more than a feeling', always a morning song for me, travel. I new it was simple chord wise and what not, but it's beautifully simple, and always sounds good, I like the way this song hits me, bright D chord and all, this tune gets a hold of ya for life. Tom, now I remember that Boston album cover, the spaceship, 'take me to another place, take me to another time", hopefully Tom will find some way of bending space and time warp and all that physics stuff, cool stuff, got to be almost crazy to think in terms of space physics, nothing intuitive, magic, mostly of the hurtful kind, no space seems hostile, or vastly empty.

Wow...what a story

Very cool guy, very bright...neat to hear he is a Kinks fan and they were an influence.

What a mind. One of the great rock n’ roll stories of all time. Next level musician.

He is such a brilliant person .

Boston had elements of the Beatles and Led Zeppelin. They had great melodies and hard rock guitar plus great harmonies! When I first heard the debut Album I thought this is original! They don’t sound like Zeppelin and the guitar parts are original! I was impressed! And he was very lucky to find Brad Delp with his Incredible Vocals and range! So they really hit a home run right off the bat! Also, I’ve never heard of an engineer who plays and creates Rock music. So he is unique! He must be a genius because no one else has his record of achievements. Amazing!

As good as the songs were, Brad Delp’s vocals also played a huge part in the success of that music. He was a phenomenal singer.

invigorating to hear stories like this...

Both a musical genius and a scientific genius

A genius!! I love me some Boston!!!!

I like this guy

He seems like the coolest dude ever.

I still have one of his original Rock Mans and use it. Great stuff.

He should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ASAP for his band Boston and his contribution to music technology. Tom I hope you get recognize soon cause time is not in our favor. Boston will rock forever on the web….

What an amazing individual look at the mods on the nut & bridge of his paul incredible to hear his story one of the greatest sound engineers and greatest rock album so far...thx TS

This guy is a genius, both mechanically and musically.

Pure genius

And that is when music was fun.

I heard sounds in my head, so the task became my ears hearing it too.

They need to make a behind the music or similar documentary on Boston. Tom’s story is so interesting. He created a very cool guitar sound.

Thanks for sharing Tom. You are amazingly talented. I love the music you made.

Thanks to Kent Hartmann's book "Goodnight L.A." for the reveal of this. Tom stayed in Watertown, Mass. working on the debut "Boston" album while the other band members duped the record company into thinking they were recording in L.A. Cheers!

Message to Tom Scholz: Thank you for making the guitar sound really great! Love the magnification and spectrum.

Dear Tom, do you ever think about reviving Rockman? My first pedal ever was the Rockman Acoustic pedal and it was soooo good. Sadly,it's been many years since I sold it.

Not a lot of people had the means to have their own recording studio when he built his, now it would be unusual for a musician not to have one, or even a hobbyist. Interesting approach towards a career in music, but the first album had great songwriting and melody - the technology only enhanced it.

The guitars jump from the tracks. Oh he knew about phase cancellation alright. Even today they sound incredible and unique.

Great video, Thanks for sharing….!

Years and years ago, sometime in the early 80's, I heard that someone in the band Boston was an Engineer and made up electric guitar sounds to use in "this album" (would've been their first one). As with alot of things in those days I never pursued it further. Then RU-vid came out with these vids of some of the inner workings of Boston enlightening me about this band..... cool stuff!!

Genius

The Best Always stands out !100% Keep on Rocking Bro.

He's like the Steve Jobs of the guitar world.

Boston's albums are my personal favorites.

the vocals are amazing.

Just Amazing! very underappreciated

It amazed me that when he needed guitar, he picked up a guitar and learned to play well. Most of band guitarists have been playing since they were kids.

there should be a movie made about tom and band

Think of how many roadblocks and setbacks he dealt with and how he must’ve felt overwhelmed while trying to complete a massive project literally by himself. It’s amazing what he did. When this album came out we all just thought it was a band called Boston. There were some stories later on about him working on it his garage/basement but we certainly didn’t know the extent of it back then like we know now.

You have no idea how much I love you Tom

The real life Tony Stark

Amazing Talent...

and amazing story for a long time fan.

A lot of people feel Tom Scholz is underrated and isn’t acknowledged the way he should be. And I totally agree. But the thing is it’s by design. Tom likes it that way. He has often said he never wanted to put the attention of Boston onto himself. He always wanted it to seem like Boston was real band with contributing members. And besides, dude is worth $100 million bucks. I’m sure he’s very content with himself.

So freaking inspiring.

Thanks Tom! Blessings on you!

This guy is a true polymath. Genius!

where is the next episod.

Dude is a slept on talent. Unreal

Amazing Tom I wish the Best for you and Family Too.

Blue collar losers may not like Tom... but I think he's awesome! It takes an smart alpha leader to create the music and equipment he created! MOST bands have someone that dominates in the writing, creation and production of the music. It's just like a business. You have owners and you have employees. The employees can walk if they want but if the owner is strong enough, he can find substitutes easily and still prosper. If the band members didn't write the music... oh well, they're screwed. All they are is musicians with no power... to be hired and fired at will.

I sure hope someday Tom writes a book about his audio engineering secrets!

TS pure genius

Boston's first album was also written and recorded "every instrument" played by Tom before another musician played it and went on to be one of the all time best selling albums in history 50 Million copies sold, I remember joking with a co worker friend in the early 2000's because we heard at least 3 songs off that album on the radio "daily" some 30 some odd years later it was still getting that much air play every time another song would come on "hey it's that new band Boston" lol because they were still playing it like it was just released ..... Amazing! sad that Tom grew to have legal problems and personal issues with everyone in the band but Brad who loved them all and did side projects with Fran Barry and Sib over the years while remaining with Tom in Boston, Brads wife sadly credited the emotional push and pull between them to the emotional exhaustion that brought Brad to end his life because of it all. But all that a side Tom Scholz is in every way a genius that has accomplished some pretty spectacular things as a musician song writer producer engineer and inventor.

Kids. Learn from this man. It's all about math.

Love it....

What a living legend

He always had that engineering ingenuity within himself.

I love this man. He personifies everything about dreaming big in America 1950 to 1980. And he's a freaking genius!!!

One badass nerd.

BOSTON FOREVER!

Not bad Tom, you made it to Nova.

Looking exactly the same 40 years later! Wow.

I was in Florida when there first album hit and when I heard “Peace of mind” for the first time I pissed myself..literally! Tom Shultz is a humble great rock legend.

This is a great man.

Tom is one in all.

Wow! Epic Tale of Talent.

an amazing story!

He's my idol. I absolutely love tom.

Damn I love Tom Scholz

More unrecognized greatness from the people at the R&R hall of fame....