Third Stage
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C[2] |
| Kerrang! | [3] |
Third Stage is the third studio album by the American rock band Boston, released on September 24, 1986, on MCA Records.[4] It is the band's first album on the MCA label, and was recorded at Boston co-founder Tom Scholz's Hideaway Studio over a long, strained, six-year period "between floods and power failures".[5] Considered a comeback album for the band, Scholz, and lead singer Brad Delp, the lyrics invoke themes of maturity, aging, and working through stages in life. Third Stage topped the Billboard 200 albums chart upon release, and its lead single, "Amanda", became a number-one hit on various Top 40 charts and the Billboard Hot 100.[1] The album is certified 4× Platinum in the United States and 3× Platinum in Canada by the RIAA.[6]
Development
After winning a legal battle with Epic Records, Scholz switched Boston to the MCA record label.[7] The album's first track, "Amanda", had been written in 1980 (when Boston began work on the album)[7] and became the band's only #1 single. It reached #1 for two weeks in November 1986. The second Top 10 single, "We're Ready", reached #9. The singles "Cool the Engines" and "Can'tcha Say (You Believe in Me)/Still in Love" also got substantial airplay, with the former reaching #4 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and the latter peaking at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1987. "Can'tcha Say" remains Boston's last Top 40 hit.
After only three weeks on the chart, Third Stage reached #1 on the Billboard 200 for four weeks.[8] It is the first CD-formatted album to have been certified gold (500,000 copies) by the RIAA. It was also certified gold in the LP format. In all, the album was certified 4× platinum.
It is the first Boston LP with electronic drum samples, the first to include songs not written by either Scholz or Brad Delp, and the first Boston LP without original members Barry Goudreau and Fran Sheehan (Sib Hashian played drums on three tracks and Sheehan was included in the early recording session and received a writing credit). Jim Masdea plays drums on most of the album. According to Masdea, "the first side, half of it or a little bit more, is all Sib. Then 'The Launch,' 'My Destination' – I played with Tom. And then the second side, that's pretty much all me."[9] It is the first Boston recording to use the Rockman guitar processor, invented by Scholz.[citation needed]
Track listing
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Personnel
Adapted from Third Stage liner notes.[5]
- Brad Delp – vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion
- Tom Scholz – guitar, bass, grand piano, electric piano, Hammond organ, theater organ, drum editing, "guitar 'violin', rocket ignition, thunderstorms, unidentified flying objects"
- Gary Pihl – co-lead guitar (8)
- Jim Masdea – drums (3, 5–10)
- Sib Hashian – drums (1, 2, 4)
Production
- Tom Scholz – producer, arrangements, engineer, liner notes
- Gragg Lumsford – piano track engineer (9) at Blue Jay Studios (Carlisle, Massachusetts)
- Augustine Antoine – technical support
- Mike Blackmere – technical support
- Bill Clack – technical support
- Del Eilers – technical support
- Neil Miller – technical support
- Gary Pihl – technical support
- Bob Ludwig – mastering at Masterdisk (New York, NY)
- John Salozzo – cover artwork
- Chris Serra – cover concept sleeve drawing
- Richard Ocean – photography
- Ron Pownall – photography
Charts
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Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[15] | 3× Platinum | 300,000 |
| United States (RIAA)[16] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000 |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
References
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- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Iyengar, Vik. "Boston Third Stage review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Christgau, Robert (1990). "B". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved August 17, 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Oliver, Derek (October 2, 1986). "Boston 'The Third Stage'". Kerrang!. Vol. 130. London, UK: United Magazines ltd. pp. 18–19.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."FMQB" (PDF). p. 45.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Third Stage (CD liner). Boston. MCA Records. 1986.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Buchanan, Brett (October 22, 2014). "10 Rock Albums That Took Forever to Make". Retrieved January 9, 2018.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Pareles, Jon (November 5, 1986). "The Pop Life; New Boston Hit a Throwback to 70's". The New York Times. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Boston: Heaven is a Reel-to-Reel Tape - thirdstage.ca".
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Original Boston Drummer Says 'Narcissist' Guitarist Tom Scholz Lied & Used Him, Talks Why He Didn't Sue". www.ultimate-guitar.com. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 19. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in suomi) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in italiano). Retrieved May 27, 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Boston".
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in 日本語). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Top US Billboard 200 Albums - Year-end 1987". BestSellingAlbums.org. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
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