Tom Scholz: The Start of It
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 พ.ค. 2014
- Tom Scholz starts his journey from mild-mannered Polaroid engineer to guitar-shredding God of Rock.
Tom Scholz is an MIT-trained engineer and inventor who also happens to be the mastermind, songwriter and lead guitarist of the band Boston. Boston has sold something like a bajillion albums and Tom continues to record, tour and invent equipment for himself and other musicians.
Like Tom Scholz's profile? Visit "The Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers" online and on Facebook.
Web: www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/secretlife/
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"The Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers" is an Emmy-nominated web video series and site from the makers of the acclaimed science series, PBS's NOVA. Each episode profiles one of today's leading scientists, and shows what happens when the lab coats come off. Secret Life is produced by Seftel Productions, Inc. - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
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 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.
He is but i hear he was not to cool in person.
Eddie Martinez prolly cause he was driven to achieve his goals. Instead of goofing off like most kids do.
@@eddiemartinez265 I met him 3 years ago. He's a gentleman. A great guy!
Well, yes, he actually is a genius
@@eddiemartinez265 Ask Brad Delp's family, they'd agree
This guy has gone underappreciated by the populace for too long.. What a talented genius.
Under appreciated? He’s sold over 75million records!!!! How is that under appreciated??
@@MikaelLewisify not to say people didn't buy his albums. But most people don't realize just how talented Tom is. For instance most people don't know that Tom played all the instruments except the drums on the studio recordings. Also that they were recorded in his home studio in his basement. AND he designed and built all the special effects electronics to get the sound he was after because none of it existed at the time. And just because you might know all this, doesn't mean the majority of the people that bought his albums do... That's what makes him underappreciated.
I wish there could be a movie made about him because I honestly don't think that the majority of the world has even a slight clue of what a genius this guy is! I mean, literally inventing the sounds that every guitarist dreamed of having that didn't even exist yet, he couldn't even go to a professional studio because they didn't even have the sounds that he had! Talk about being way ahead of everyone else!
You got that right! He is the mastermind behind Boston! All written by Tom, and some co-writing with Brad. People didn't give Tom the credit he deserves!
@@wingnut3578 not only were the songs written by Tom, he designed and engineered the sound equipment that gave Boston their unique sound. Also he recorded it all in his home studio playing all the instruments! And then Brad delp came in and did the lead and backup vocals. The only exception was Tom had a little bit of help with some of the drum tracks. He's a musical genius in every sense.
My opinion of Tom has changed over the decades. For the better. RIP Brad and Sib.
How many great guitarist are also brilliant electronic engineers that also personally designed and built their own equipment? What a legend...
eddie van halen?
No lol.. Eddie is a great player but Tom's an MIT grad! He built his own equipment to get the sound Boston has. it's a little different than Eddie Van Halen designing his guitar graphic lol
haha true!! but i swear Ed is an innovator in his own way? Like he boiled his strings to make them last longer, he wired his pickup a certain way, and his floyd rose system is a bit different from someone like Vai and Satriani. Like at first he didn't have those locking nuts but he was still able to stay in tune.
Les Paul is probably the closest that comes to mind that answers your question. Maybe not an engineer per se, but a guy who pretty much invented many of the tools that made the first Boston album possible....plus a pretty good guitar player to boot. :)
He was good but not the same thing.
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.
His kind of talent comes around very rarely.
+JimmyLeeHook I would say one of a kind but I don't know everybody in the music biz!
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
It's wierd. He comes across humble and everyone else on the internet says he is a dick. Is he two sided? lol
@@mcdude0192 It's because of his independent habits. His personality doesn't let him work well with others. However, when you have a band, you are forced to. But when it comes to his talents he is extremely humble, doesn't ever brag or anything. He even said himself he didn't think the stuff on the first album was good enough to become a hit.
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
U said that right. Brilliance....pure brilliance. RIP BRAD DELPH
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.
Kevin Kiso Great description and I can relate. Thanks!
I wore that album out on my mickey mouse record player
I entered kindergarten in '76
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
Loke as he said 'someone has to be'
It sounds like all talk until you listen to the Boston album. Speaks for itself. One of the best rock albums ever.
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.
Boston produces incredibly great music.
The man is a genius plain and simple. My true Rock hero of all time. Long live Boston
I never get tired of the songs from your first album
Great, talented guy. He signed my first guitar for me.
This guy is THE master at his craft. My favorite band ever, because of him. Very inspiring!
If I could give this video 20 upvotes I would. An extremely unusual man.
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.
Zeppelin 1 and Van Halen 1 i feel are the only contestants
@@zack6237 VH 1 it's a nuclear bomb
@@zack6237zeppelin are overrated ripoffs how about skynyrds debut
@@ACG7001 you're dumb.
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!
The music speaks for itself. Nice one Tom.
Pure genius
A genius!! I love me some 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!
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.
He is such a brilliant person .
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
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!
I like this guy
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!
Pretty much the greatest showman Rock God to ever graduate MIT I bow to you for a million years Tom.......
What a mind. One of the great rock n’ roll stories of all time. Next level musician.
He seems like the coolest dude ever.
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!
its scholz....pronounced....shoals.......haha/enjoy
Wow. Another tall lanky musician in massachessets ! With a similar name! Wow!
I discovered this great Canadian 'power trio' back in the 70's called RUSH. Been a huge fan since! I especially love the drummer/lyricist whose last name sounds like that popular 70's shampoo, PERT. That's right... Neil Pert!
Shultz . Lol Dr D David Shultz?
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.
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.
And that is when music was fun.
Wow...what a story
invigorating to hear stories like this...
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….
This guy is a genius, both mechanically and musically.
TS pure genius
Both a musical genius and a scientific genius
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
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!
there should be a movie made about tom and band
Very cool guy, very bright...neat to hear he is a Kinks fan and they were an influence.
I heard sounds in my head, so the task became my ears hearing it too.
I still have one of his original Rock Mans and use it. Great stuff.
The Best Always stands out !100% Keep on Rocking Bro.
Amazing Talent...
You have no idea how much I love you Tom
Genius
The real life Tony Stark
Mr. Scholz, Tony Stark of rock music :))
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.
muziktrkr , the company - Polaroid - was know for encouraging invention... Dr. Land ....
I think the company leaned a little too far towards chemical engineers when as we now see instant photos calls for electronic engineers....
@muziktrkr That's because all that equipment is made in China (using US design and engineering) and is dirt cheap.
Thanks Tom! Blessings on you!
BOSTON FOREVER!
What a living legend
Dude is a slept on talent. Unreal
Thanks for sharing Tom. You are amazingly talented. I love the music you made.
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.
Not most. Most started in their teens. Glenn Tipton didn't start playing until he was 19
The guitars jump from the tracks. Oh he knew about phase cancellation alright. Even today they sound incredible and unique.
This guy is a true polymath. Genius!
Message to Tom Scholz: Thank you for making the guitar sound really great! Love the magnification and spectrum.
the vocals are amazing.
Boston's albums are my personal favorites.
Just Amazing! very underappreciated
I love this man. He personifies everything about dreaming big in America 1950 to 1980. And he's a freaking genius!!!
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 TH-cam came out with these vids of some of the inner workings of Boston enlightening me about this band..... cool stuff!!
Remember reading a People magazine article around Christmas 1976 about Bostons smash success. The tone of the article was that this guy Sholz was somehow cheating by using computers and hitech wizardRy to produce this dazzling music. Silly now in retrospect.
Love it....
Tom is one in all.
Amazing Tom I wish the Best for you and Family Too.
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.
I am fascinated by him
So freaking inspiring.
One badass nerd.
Tom Scholz is a true musical genius.
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.
and amazing story for a long time fan.
This is a great man.
a real engineer
He's my idol. I absolutely love tom.
where is the next episod.
More unrecognized greatness from the people at the R&R hall of fame....
Damn I love Tom Scholz
an amazing story!
I sure hope someday Tom writes a book about his audio engineering secrets!
He's like the Steve Jobs of the guitar world.
Except that Steve Jobs was a total prick.
Looking exactly the same 40 years later! Wow.
Wow!
Epic Tale of Talent.
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.
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.
He always had that engineering ingenuity within himself.
I really believe on this guy..
Not bad Tom, you made it to Nova.