Welcome to another edition of Today in Boston ROCK, where I, Adam 12, spotlight Very Important Days In Rock History. August 25th is one.
1976
August 25, 1976: Boston rock band Boston releases Boston. We all know the lore: Tom Scholz tricked Epic Records into thinking he was recording with a producer in L.A., when he was actually recording the album bit-by-bit in his basement in Massachusetts from the fall of 1975 through the spring of 1976. Clearly, the ruse was a success, as Boston is regarded as one of the truly great rock albums of all-time, 45 years on.
1987
August 25, 1987: Aerosmith releases Permanent Vacation. It’s the band’s ninth album and marked the beginning of their late ’80s “comeback.” For the first time, they enlisted outside songwriters. And they had the benefit of big airplay on MTV, a trend that would continue with 1989’s Pump and well into the ’90s, further bolstering their popularity. “Rag Doll” is the jam, because Steve sings scat at the end like a real jazz cat.
1988
August 25, 1988: Metallica releases their fourth studio album, …And Justice For All. The release was the first with new bassist Jason Newstead and marked the end of the “classic” era of Metallica albums. It also marked the first time the band used a music video to promote a single. Watch “One” below.
