Listen Now
Put out an APB because Light the Sky Podcast has disappeared down the rabbit hole that is Boston’s Don’t Look Back. Is this an underappreciated deep cut record for those who want more Boston, or is it a re-tread that isn’t done as well with less depth? Who’s favorite song is on this album and what song is it? Which members of Light the Sky strap on the gloves and go toe to toe on this one? Mark, Chris, Alex and Kevin discuss and debate all this and more, shaking things out at the end with a classic Love It or Flush It.
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Quick Reviews
Mark Treading water at light speed. Should have a bit more evolution that what is displayed here. They shot to the top instantly, so what’s next?
Chris One of the most definitive underrated albums. The B sides here are pretty strong and grew on me. Didn’t grab me as much as the debut but a lot to appreciate here.
Alex My first vinyl experience and I was just hooked. My personal favorite Boston record, and I like how its almost the underdog Boston record.
Kevin A strong, if flawed, follow-up record. Not as warm as the first record, but with some incredible songs, including “A Man I’ll Never Be”. More of the same, but still enjoyable.
Love It or Flush It
| M | C | A | K | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Don't Look Back" | 5:53 | L | L | L | L | |
| 2 | "The Journey" | 1:50 | L | L | L | L | |
| 3 | "It's Easy" | 4:23 | L | L | L | L | |
| 4 | "A Man I'll Never Be" | 6:40 | B | L | B | B | |
| 5 | "Feelin' Satisfied" | 4:30 | F | B | B | L | |
| 6 | "Party" | 4:04 | T | L | L | T | |
| 7 | "Used to Bad News" | 2:56 | L | F | F | F | |
| 8 | "Don't Be Afraid" | 3:44 | F | T | T | L |
Love It or Flush It Legend
L = Love. As many as you like.
F = Flush. Must flush at least one track per album.
B = Buy. Purchased for the ultimate LTS “Best Of” playlist for each of us. One per album.
T = Terminate. Should have never even existed. One per album.
The Rules
Each of us must Love, Flush, Buy, and Terminate AT LEAST ONE track on an album, no matter how great or terrible the album is. Whoever wins the “7 for the Buy” section gets an extra Buy or Terminate to use on the album. Because Chris hosts this section and thus cannot win, he gets an extra Buy or Terminate every 4 albums.
Album Information
Don’t Look Back is the second studio album by American rock band Boston, released in 1978 by Epic Records.[3][6] The album reached No. 1 in the US and No. 9 in the UK. The title track helped with the album’s success; it remains one of the band’s biggest hits, reaching No. 4 in 1978 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The album sold over one million copies in the ten days of its release, and was certified 7× platinum by the RIAA in the US on April 11, 1996.[7]
This album also marked the beginning of the band’s legal fight with its record label, Epic. Guitarist, producer and primary songwriter Tom Scholz claimed that Epic executives pushed him and the band into releasing the album before they felt it was ready. He also said that the album “was ridiculously short. It needed another song”. Their next album, Third Stage, was not released for another eight years, by which time the band and record label had parted ways and were fighting a courtroom battle that Boston ultimately won.
Don’t Look Back’s two-year gap from the band’s debut album marks the shortest between two Boston albums to date.
Thanks for that. I forgot how much I liked this album. It’s been many years.