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He planned to record the music on six new demos, and then sell his equipment if his music was rejected again. But this time he decided to work alone, except for Masdea. As usual, Scholz relied on him to lay the drum tracks, after which Scholz played all the other instrument tracks by himself, methodically overdubbing one part at a time, and making extensive use of the stereo multiple tracking technique he had perfected. He also utilized several devices he had designed including one called a Power Soak, another he called the Space Echo pedal, and a crude prototype of a chorus unit mounted in a cigar box. At this point he also experimented with unusual processing with equalizers to help achieve his new sound.

Once he had completed music beds for four of his new songs, Scholz looked up Delp and invited him to sing the vocal parts. Delp agreed, and with Scholz as engineer/producer, painstakingly laid down all the lead and harmony vocals, also utilizing extensive multiple tracking.

After mixing the four songs, Scholz sent copies to several labels, and began to prepare himself mentally to liquidate his gear and hang up his guitar.

This time the phone rang. He suddenly had three major labels interested in his songs, and through a fourth, was offered a management deal by a pair of radio promotion men who promised to obtain a recording contract.

The new managers, who called themselves Pure Management, decided to court Epic Records even though Epic A and R had already dismissed Scholz' newest tape, complete with closing insult. Their plan was to put on a live showcase performance for Epic/CBS; just one problem: no band.

To make matters worse the new managers insisted that Masdea be replaced as drummer if they were to obtain a recording deal with anyone. Having signed an agreement with Pure Management that bound them for the immediate future, Delp and also Scholz, who was particularly reluctant, had little choice. He insisted however that Masdea be included in some regard if a record was to be recorded.

Assembling a performing unit capable of reproducing what Scholz had recorded on his demo worried him. He and Delp eventually settled on Goudreau for a second guitar, and Goudreau's friend Fran Sheehan on bass. Scholz was counting on a prototype device he had been working on he called a "doubler" to provide essentially synthetic second tracks for all the guitars and vocals, all of which were religiously "double tracked" in his studio productions.

For drums they initially passed on another friend of Goudreau's, Sib Hashian, and instead settled on a monstrously fast local drummer named David Courier. After several week's preparation, they performed a short set for invited guests from Epic/CBS including the four new songs on Scholz' demo, and some older pieces he had written.

Weeks more passed with no sign of interest from Epic. In the ebony porn meantime Scholz invited Courier to work on some further music in his basement studio, but with no apparent contract in the offing, and no retainer, Courier declined further involvement with the band. Scholz also believed Courier opted out because the arrangements of his songs gave little latitude for the drum solos that were Courier's passion.

Finally, Scholz decided to finish the last two demos of his six new songs, in hopes it would either tip the scales for Epic, or give him the firepower to look elsewhere, regardless of his managers. One of the songs was "More Than a Feeling." In short order, Epic responded with a contract for Scholz and Delp to record their first album.

Epic insisted that the existing demo cuts be re-recorded in a professional studio, but Scholz knew by this point he could only get his sound by working at his own pace in his own studio. A secret deal with the professional producer, John Boylan, hired by Epic for the job, allowed Scholz to record all the instrument tracks in his basement by himself, and share producer credit with Boylan when the album got released.

To re-record the new songs, Scholz precisely duplicated five of the six existing demo cuts, working mostly by himself in the same studio exactly as he had made the demo recordings, except that Hashian covered the drum parts previously played by Masdea. At Scholz' insistence Masdea sat in to play one song, "Rock 'n' Roll Band," while the sixth cut, "Don't Be Afraid," was held for a follow up album.

Using his basement setup Scholz had Goudreau play the guitar leads for "Longtime," and Sheehan the bass track to "Foreplay." Only one song, Delp's "Let Me Take You Home" - recorded entirely in LA - contained performances of all five of the members pictured on the back of the debut album.

Multitrack tapes were flown to LA where Delp added all the vocals, and Boylan and Scholz mixed the album. Delp had trouble with the LA smog, and had to re-sing at least one song back in Scholz' studio, after which the tracks were laid back in - without ProTools or tape deck synchronizers - and remixed.

Although they were the only performers named on the Epic Records contract, Scholz nixed the idea of calling the act Scholz-Delp or anything of the sort, a decision he must have regretted later when some of the other band members challenged his ownership of the band's name.

According to Scholz, both Boylan and his engineer Warren Dewey suggested "Boston" for the new act for obvious reasons. Although Scholz felt it would be read as copying "Chicago," all of his rock music background had come from Boston. Even as a high school student in Toledo, Ohio he carefully tuned in Boston's WBZ, a high power AM radio station which played the new influx of British rock, and a collection of groups known in the 60's as the "Boston" sound - and of course, he, Delp and the others lived in the greater Boston area. "Boston" it would be.