Don't Look Back

Boston | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Epic
• ASIN: B0000025C0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MiniDisc
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,052 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Don't Look Back

2. The Journey

3. It's Easy

4. A Man I'll Never Be

5. Feelin' Satisfied

6. Party

7. Used to Bad News

8. Don't Be Afraid

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Four and one-half stars, March 30, 2005

By 

S. R. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Look Back (Audio CD)

The Boston album that followed the BIG first one. Don't look back gives the listener more of the same that you heard from the first effort except that Tom Scholtz wasn't given proper time to complete this opus. Side one took the man several years to complete and let me tell you..perfection is a word that comes to mind first. Side one flows together seemlessly and is sublime to hear. Sholtz's then modern sound still sounds fresh today because of the effort that was put into the crafting of the "perfect" sound. The Boston sound cannot be reproduced because it lives and dies with Tom Scholtz. One could compare side one of "Don't look back" to side two of the Beatles "Abby Road" in the perfection of song blending. Scholtz was forced to hurry production of side two to meet Epic's demand of a quicker follow-up to the band's first album, the result is an obvious difference in the quality of the arrangements of the songs. That being said, side two still has plenty to offer in quality, its just that side one was sooo perfect it renders side two as a bit of a letdown. A good party record (back in the day) but still worthy of crtical listening today. Scholtz and Co. caught plenty of flack from average fans because of his deliberate work ethic and unreal standards equating many a year between releases, but in the end (as "Third Stage" showed), the proof is in the final product, and as time has shown... haste makes waste. A often forgotten classic from the 1970s.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Boston Party, April 23, 2001

By 

Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Don't Look Back (Audio CD)

Don't Look Back was the follow up to what was at the time the biggest selling debut album in history. Boston's self titled debut was filled with arena rock anthems that featured a wall of guitars that inspired air guitarists everywhere. Don't Look Back follows that winning formula. The album doesn't contain the number of classics that the debut does, but it still pretty darn good. The title track is barrage of guitars that contains an explosive vocal from Brad Delp. "The Journey" shows off Tom Scholz's studio wizardry. "A Man I'll Never Be" finds the band treading into ballad territory to good results. "Feelin' Satisfied" is a burner while "Party" is just that a party of guitars. If you like guitars and lots of them, then this album will be to your liking. Alot of people liked this album as it became the band's first number one album in late 1978.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Boston Milestone - Do Look Back and learn, October 4, 2005

By 

Mesawind "You hear the wind, yet know not whe... - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Look Back (Audio CD)

1978 was an incredible year in music, if not the best ever. I can't remember a year that I remember more EXCELLENT music from. When it came to hard rock that year, no-one had the chops of Boston. The first time I heard it at a friend's house, I was just blown away! You see, I didn't own Boston's debut until I had Don't Look Back. So I have a bit of a different perspective to review this from. It's hard to compare the two albums, but I believe this one, I'll say, is my favorite of the two. Actually, I think the two would've made an incredible double set, but that didn't happen...so...

What I think makes this Boston's best effort is the fact that though it was rushed by Epic, it came out incredible! Many folks think 'side two' as it used be called was weak compared to 'side one'. I don't think so, unless of course you're referring to 'Used to Bad News' - the weakest song on the album, but not a bad one, by any means. I'll just say this: Don't Look Back starts out soaring and DOESN'T look back! What I mean is I have one of those CD players in my car that auto repeats the CD when it's done, and it's interesting...this CD starts out loud and dynamic, but just gets more and more powerful and dynamic all the way through, especially ending with "Don't be Afraid", which by the way is a great reprise of encouragement for "Don't Look Back". But when the CD begins again, it's much quieter than the ending. One thing I've noticed clearly is that "Used to Bad News" excepted, the guitar licks just keep getting more and more intense as the album progresses. It starts out powerful and majestic, but as it hits 'side two', the attitude shifts and the licks get more bluesy and definitely more hot, and clearly venture away from the 'let's repeat the riff' Boston formula which began on the first album and continued through the opening cut of DLB. Don't get me wrong, I like that approach at the end of the song, when the whole band fades and then the electric reprises the dominant riff in the song, to motor it up again, but if you do that all the time, it can get repetitive and possibly boring. Good thing Scholz' licks are as good as they are. But I do like that they venture away from that as DLB progresses and gets into some of the most amazing guitar interchange ever recorded - just listen to "It's Easy", "Party" and "Don't be Afraid" real close and try and play along if you're a guitarist...you better be good, this stuff is hot! Just imagine what it would've been like if Scholz and co. would've had more time. Another thing I like about this is that though I like the melodic leads that Boston most usually uses, there is a lot more free soloing on this album, but it NEVER loses it's melodic flavor.

Anyway, all that to say that EVERY time I listen to this CD, I get pumped! And, I'll say this, too that if you're the kind of person that expects the same stuff from a band every time they put out something new, you shouldn't be wasting everybody's time reviewing music. The only true way to review something is on it's OWN merits, and on that, Boston's first two efforts are their best, with Walk On a slightly distant third. Third Stage is pretty good in it's own right, but Corporate America mostly stinks.

However, Don't Look Back is the one Boston album that just fires me up time after time! The first three tracks all run together are 12 minutes of rock bliss, and some of the best 12 minutes of rock ever ran together! I once owned a bootleg live vinyl of Boston that was 30 minutes on each side and it was amazing what they did with it live! Something like 18 minutes and then went into a 10 minute version of More Than A Feeling! Anyway, my only dissapointment with Boston's first two discs is that there aren't remastered versions yet...man that would be awesome! But, hey it still sounds incredible...and it's freakin' great!