The Voice Heard all the way from Boston
The first time I heard his voice I was in a room off the fourth floor editing a short film I shot in super 8. I was in High School.
The film was for my gym coach, and I was researching music to play in the background, we were playing Fly Like an Eagle by Steve Miller, and thinking about using the instrumental that the song opened with. It was somewhere around May 1977. Mike Mcgrail came up to see what we were up to, and he brought this new album from a band named "Boston".
"Miller sucks, did you read what he said about Pete Townsend in Rolling Stone?"Mike knocked the needle of the album.
We had all read that issue, and being that we were all fans of The Who, we thought Steve Miller was an asshole.
"Put this on, its new. I just got it at Woolworths."
I looked at the album cover and pulled the vinyl out of its sleeve.
I cued up the first song and when we heard the very first note, we knew this was going to be some kick ass stuff.
I turned the volume up to ten, the small room shook, the music echoed down the stairwell and found its way out into the hallway. It rang loud and clear into every classroom on the fourth floor.
Students walked out into the halls wanting to know where this amazing music was coming from.
The makeshift editing room was actually a small area where the air ducts were controlled pumping cool air through the building from a tower on the very top of the roof. The tower was actually a symbol of Fitchburg High School, the air duct technology was ahead of its time when it was built in the 1930's. Upon retrospect, it was fitting that it was used to pump new life into this old building - this new mix of technologically perfect music.
These ducts moved this song all the way through to every classroom in the entire building of over 1000 students. And its sound was pitch perfect from the fourth floor to the first!
All four of us sat there and listened to Boston totally immersed its perfect sound, its guitar riff that seemed to be so far removed from any earthly playing, we imagined it from Heaven.
Suddenly, we heard a loud banging on the door!
"Open this fucking door up Caz!" It was Mr Weis, the photography teacher.
We weren't positive, but he sounded really pissed.
We all looked at each other.
"Fuck it!" We said in unison. We continued to play it.
It was the most intense sound we had ever heard from any band. And we weren't going to let anything get in our way of listening to it.
Finally, Mr Weis got a key, and opened the door, he ran up the stairs panting and wheezing, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Shut that shit off NOW!!" I took the needle off the album.
"What is fucking wrong with you boys? You know that music is vibrating all over the entire school, in every classroom!"
We all looked at each other in amazement. We introduced a new band in the middle of the afternoon at school!
"Sorry Mr Weis. We got carried away!"
"You're all going to be in big big trouble! Clean up this mess, and meet me on the first floor."
He stormed out of the room, and before he was at the bottom of the stairs we all laughed out loud.
That's the kind of music this fucker made. And if he wants to go to Heaven, then fine. Let him.
For fucks sake, he deserves it!
One things for certain, he'll be missed.
(photo taken from the following website.. http://www.bandboston.com
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