Third Stage is the third studio album by the American rock band Boston, released on September 24, 1986, on MCA Records. 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". 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.
Development
After winning a legal battle with Epic Records, Scholz switched Boston to the MCA record label. The album's first track, "Amanda", had been written in 1980 (when Boston began work on the album) 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." It is the first Boston recording to use the Rockman guitar processor, invented by Scholz.
Track listing
Personnel
Adapted from Third Stage liner notes.
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Year-end charts
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! scope="row" | US Billboard 200
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Certifications
See also
- List of number-one albums of 1986 (U.S.)