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Get ready to eject the warp core and find ejection systems offline as Light the Sky dives right into Boston’s 1986 effort, “Third Stage”. Is this a solid underdog, underappreciated album that deserves its place in the Boston lore? Does this album contain “life playlist” songs that fit with Boston’s classic two first albums? Or are we getting a “Main Bus B Undervolt”, “Another Master Alarm”, “Third stage separation failed” kind of album? Mark, Chris, Alex and Kevin dive headfirst into this contentious episode to discuss all of this and more, including the debut of Jim Masdea’s songwriting chops and former Chicago Bears quarterback Tyler Bray. Join us live on Twitch at twitch.tv/lightthesky
Subscribe, Rate, and Review:
Quick Reviews
Mark The worst sounding album that went quadruple platinum? My biggest disappointment is we never got to experience the evolution of Boston through the sounds of the early 80s. When you actually put out music, you can evolve.
Chris An album that sounds like 1981 or 1982, generously. Would it have been a better record had it come out much earlier? A lot of schlock and massive cheese, but enough Boston DNA there that is recognized.
Alex You’d think he’d be cutting edge and ahead of the game. At this point you can start to compare sounds and riffs to other bands. Don’t dislike the record but my least favorite Boston album so far.
Kevin It feels down on energy, a fact not helped by being ballad heavy. The production is noticeably worse to the point of being ridiculous, especially in the rhythm section. All in all, a massive disappointment for me.
Love It or Flush It
| M | C | A | K | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Amanda" | 4:16 | L | L | L | L | |
| 2 | "We're Ready" | 3:58 | B | B | B | B | |
| 3 | "The Launch: | 2:55 | F | F | F | F | |
| 4 | "Cool the Engines" | 4:23 | F | L | L | F | |
| 5 | "My Destination" | 2:19 | F | F | T | F | |
| 6 | "A New World" (Instrumental) | 0:36 | T | F | T | T | |
| 7 | "To Be a Man" | 3:30 | T | T | F | F | |
| 8 | "I Think I Like It" | 4:06 | F | L | L | F | |
| 9 | "Can'tcha Say (You Believe in Me)/Still in Love" | 5:13 | F | F | L | F | |
| 10 | "Hollyann" | 5:11 | F | L | L | F |
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
Third Stage is the third studio album by the American rock band Boston, released on September 23, 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”.[5] 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.[2] The album itself was eventually certified 4× platinum by the RIAA.[6]
