Walk On (Boston album)
Walk On is the fourth studio album by American hard rock band Boston, released on June 7, 1994 by MCA Records. It is the only album not to feature vocalist Brad Delp, though he did assist in the writing. Vocal duties were handled by Fran Cosmo, making this his first appearance on a Boston album. Delp and Cosmo shared leads during the album's supporting tour and the album’s follow-up Corporate America.
History
After the success of their 1986 album Third Stage, the band began planning a follow-up and writing for Walk On, which began in 1988. However, due to the increased friction and disagreements between guitarist/bandleader Tom Scholz and singer Brad Delp, the latter left the band in 1989 to join original Boston guitarist Barry Goudreau in forming a new band, named RTZ. Soon after, Fran Cosmo was hired and introduced as the new lead singer. Delp returned to Boston to assist in the writing, and shared lead vocals on the subsequent Walk On Tour, though he did not sing on the album. Delp and Cosmo also shared leads on Boston's next album Corporate America.After its release, Walk On peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 and yielded the hit "I Need Your Love." It was certified platinum by the RIAA on September 8, 1994.
The final eight pages of the album's booklet were titled "Walk On — Against Violence and Cruelty", and dedicated to preventing domestic abuse and animal cruelty, providing contact information of numerous organizations, including the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Humane Society. It was noted that Delp himself was a contributor to these causes.
Track listing
- Tracks 4, 5, 6 and 7 are all part of one long song, but were indexed separately on the CD.
- "Walkin' at Night" and "Get Organ-ized" are instrumentals.
- On the LP release, "Get Organ-ized" was split across the two sides of the record, with the portion on Side Two named "Get Reorgan-ized".
- "Magdalene" was originally written by the Pennsylvania band Hybrid Ice.
- A live version of track 3, "Livin for You", was included on the band's next album, Corporate America.
Personnel
- Tom Scholz – guitar, bass, drums, piano, organ, keyboard, clavinet, hand clapping, producer, engineer, arranger, "moral support and snacks"
- Fran Cosmo – lead vocals
- Gary Pihl – guitar, hand clapping, assistant engineer
- David Sikes – bass guitar, background vocals, assistant engineer
- Doug Huffman – drums
- Matt Belyea – hand clapping
- Bob Cedro – rhythm guitar, special effects, hand clapping
- Tommy Funderburk – background vocals
- Sean Olsen - hand clapping, rhythm guitar, flute
- Ted Jensen – mastering
- Ron Larson – design, illustrations
- Andy Engel – cover art concept
Charts
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
1994 | "I Need Your Love" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 4 |
1994 | "I Need Your Love" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 51 |
1994 | "I Need Your Love" | Top 40 Mainstream | 35 |
1994 | "Walk On Medley: Walk On" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 14 |