Arena Rock is loosely defined as a softer and some cases more of a corporate and commercial version of Hard Rock. Certainly, Boston was slickly produced; they were essentially the brainchild of Tom Scholz who spent years producing what he thought was the perfect “Rock” sound. His vision proved to be right, as Boston seemingly became an overnight success and became the highest debut album of all time. As successful as it was commercially, the label of corporate rock certainly did not fit as Scholz painstakingly labored over the next two Boston albums and fought with his label constantly. If you classify Arena Rock as high production values, catchy hooks and strong harmonies, than absolutely Boston fits the bill and was one of the best of that genre. To those who see Arena Rock as a soulless entity fueled by money; they can certainly find bands that fit that mold; but categorizing Boston like that is so hard when they certainly left so much cash on the table by not making more albums or touring more. Boston’s shot relies totally on how history views the Arena Rock period for which they were always associated with.
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