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Third Stage

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Third Stage
Studio album by
Boston
ReleasedSeptember 26, 1986 [1]
Recorded1980–1986
StudioTom Scholz's Hideaway Studio
GenreHard rock
Length36:27
LabelMCA
ProducerTom Scholz
Boston chronology
Don't Look Back
(1978) 		Third Stage
(1986) 		Walk On
(1994)
Singles from Third Stage
  1. "Amanda"
    Released: September 26, 1986
  2. "Cool the Engines"
    Released: 1986
  3. "We're Ready"
    Released: December 1986
  4. "Can'tcha Say (You Believe in Me)"
    Released: March 1987 [2]
  5. "Hollyann"
    Released: June 1987
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Christgau's Record GuideC[4]
Kerrang![5]

Third Stage is the third studio album by the American rock band Boston, released on September 26, 1986, on MCA Records. It was recorded at musician Tom Scholz's Hideaway Studio over a long, strained six-year period "between floods and power failures".[6] Scholz and Brad Delp, the group's vocalist, were the only individuals who remained in the group from its original line-up. In terms of lyrics, the release invokes the themes of aging and working through differing 'stages' in one's life. Lead single "Amanda", the album's first track, became a number one hit and is one of the group's best known songs.[3] The album itself was eventually certified 4× platinum by the RIAA.[7]

Background and album creation

After winning a legal battle with Epic Records, Scholz switched his band's recording label to MCA.[8] The album's first track, "Amanda", was actually written in 1980 (when Boston began work on the album)[8] and became the band's only #1 single. It reached and stayed at #1 for two weeks in November 1986. It was followed by the second Top 10 single from the album, "We're Ready", which reached #9. The singles "Cool the Engines" and "Can'tcha Say (You Believe in Me)/Still in Love" also got substantial airplay, with the former reaching #4 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and the latter peaking at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1987. "Can'tcha Say" remains Boston's last Top 40 hit to date.

After only three weeks on the chart, Third Stage went to #1 on the Billboard 200, where it stayed for four weeks.[9] It was the first CD-formatted album to be certified gold (500,000 copies) by the RIAA. It was also certified gold in the LP format, making it what is believed to be the first album certified in both of these formats. In all, the album was certified 4× platinum.

The album is the first Boston LP to feature electronic drum samples, the first to include songs not written by either Scholz or Brad Delp, the first Boston LP without original members Barry Goudreau, Sib Hashian and Fran Sheehan (though Hashian played drums on four tracks and Sheehan was included in the early recording session and received a writing credit). Drummer Jim Masdea plays drums on most of the album. This LP was also the first Boston recording to use the Scholz-invented Rockman guitar processor. No orchestral sounds or synthesizers were used on the album. Critics have noted that the album has a much darker, more somber tone than Boston's previous work.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Tom Scholz, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Amanda" 4:16
2."We're Ready" 3:58
3."The Launch:
a) Countdown
b) Ignition
c) Third Stage Separation"		 2:55
4."Cool the Engines"
4:23
5."My Destination" 2:19
6."A New World" (Instrumental)Jim Masdea0:36
7."To Be a Man" 3:30
8."I Think I Like It"
  • Scholz
  • Jon DeBrigard (credited as John English)
4:06
9."Can'tcha Say (You Believe in Me)/Still in Love"
  • Gerry Green
  • Scholz
  • Delp
5:13
10."Hollyann" 5:11

Personnel

Adapted from Third Stage liner notes.[6]

Production

  • Tom Scholz – producer, arrangements, engineer, liner notes
  • Gragg Lumsford – piano track engineer (9) at Blue Jay Studios (Carlisle, Massachusetts)
  • Augustine Antoine – technical support
  • Mike Blackmere – technical support
  • Bill Clack – technical support
  • Del Eilers – technical support
  • Neil Miller – technical support
  • Gary Pihl – technical support
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering at Masterdisk (New York, NY)
  • John Salozzo – cover artwork
  • Chris Serra – cover concept sleeve drawing
  • Richard Ocean – photography
  • Ron Pownall – photography

Charts

Chart (1986) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[10] 35
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[11] 1
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[12] 15
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] 25
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[14] 8
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[15] 23
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] 13
UK Albums (OCC)[17] 37
US Billboard 200[18] 1

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[19] 3× Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[20] 4× Platinum 4,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ^ "RIAA certifications".
  2. ^ "Boston singles".
  3. ^ a b Iyengar, Vik. "Boston Third Stage review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2011-09-11.
  4. ^ Christgau, Robert (1990). "B". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved August 17, 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.
  5. ^ Oliver, Derek (2 October 1986). "Boston 'The Third Stage'". Kerrang!. Vol. 130. London, UK: United Magazines ltd. pp. 18–19.
  6. ^ a b Third Stage (CD liner). Boston. MCA Records. 1986.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Buchanan, Brett (October 22, 2014). "10 Rock Albums That Took Forever to Make". Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  8. ^ a b Pareles, Jon (1986-11-05). "The Pop Life; New Boston Hit a Throwback to 70's". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-08-30.
  9. ^ "Boston: Heaven is a Reel-to-Reel Tape - thirdstage.ca".
  10. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 19. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  11. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0857". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  12. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Boston – Third Stage" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  13. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Boston – Third Stage" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  14. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  15. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Boston – Third Stage". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  16. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Boston – Third Stage". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  17. ^ "Boston | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  18. ^ "Boston Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  19. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Boston – Third Stage". Music Canada. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  20. ^ "American album certifications – Boston – Third Stage". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
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