Boston – Third Stage

I have this pressing with a gold promo stamp on the back of the sleeve.

Third Stage was the first album to be simultaneously be certified Gold, Platinum, Double Platinum and Triple Platinum, which occurred less than two months after its release.

This pressing also came with a sheet of stickers that includes 12 stickers on it.

Really an unappreciated album upon release in 1986 but the music is just outstanding. Sound quality is very average but the music these guys made on this interesting album is great. When your first album is as good and successful as it was it’s nearly impossible to duplicate it but this is still an enjoyable record on whatever format it’s listened to as sound quality is all about the same.

Nice sounding vinyl. Plays quiet - no hiss, fizz, pops, etc.. Good mix and balance.

The production values on this album are unreal. Everything is incredibly tight. Most of the people I know who hate this album are music snobs that think nothing made by a classic rock band after 1977 is any good.

Monstrously huge-sounding LP that ####ing POUNDS! Yet is perfectly delicate when called upon. And nobody and I mean nobody can sing like Brad Delp did, may he rest in peace. The vinyl itself is whisper-quiet.

Beautiful album, melodic and powerful, Amanda is classic AOR. The only issue I have is that we can hear Scholz beginning the process of forgetting drums are actually an important facet of rock music. By the time Walk On came around he had forgotten this altogether. Tom is a much better engineer than he is a producer.

The 7:14 length for "Can'tcha Say/Still In Love" is what's listed on the CD, but the actual track is more than a minute shorter than that.

From '86, this is the 3rd release from Boston, much anticipated following '78 Don't Look Back, and '76 Boston [self titled]. I felt like #1 raised the bar so high that #2 could only be a disappointment. Then, with the release of Third Stage, Boston returned with heads held high. This is a beautiful sounding masterpiece. Guitar forward hard rock, slightly theatrical.

The audio is stunningly good on this record, clean tracking, excellent mixing, and a superb mastering job makes this a stunner. Brad Delp was in top form, as was Tom Scholz.

This is a superb pressing, still sealed and pristine. Dead quiet vinyl.

Recommended.