Cool The Engines

The Zoo Crew is spinning "Cool The Engines" by Boston from their 1986 album Third Stage, and Zoo Freaks, get ready for some wild trivia about this track! Written by Tom Scholz, Brad Delp, and Fran Sheehan, the song was crafted between 1981 and 1982, showcasing Scholz’s obsessive perfectionism. He used his innovative Rockman amplifier to make his guitar sound like an "armada of axes," creating that signature Boston wall of sound. The recording process was intense—Scholz sliced drum tracks bar by bar to mimic an analog drum machine, a technique Musician magazine called daring for its time. The lyrics, open to interpretation, have been seen as a plea to calm tensions, possibly even a metaphor for avoiding nuclear proliferation, as suggested by Milo Miles of the Boston Phoenix. A quirky mishap during production involved a four-year-old master tape of the song getting sticky and jamming the reels, nearly ruining the mix—Scholz and his team had to coat it with a silicon concoction to save it!

Another fun tidbit: "Cool The Engines" was featured in a 1999 episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast, where a character piloted the Boston spaceship, tying into the song’s rocket-fueled vibe. The track’s intro, "The Launch," sets the stage with a countdown and organ-powered ascent, described by fans on The Band Boston Fan Site as like igniting "the world’s largest organ-powered vehicle." Critics like Paul Elliott of Classic Rock called it a "blazing hard rock number," and it hit #4 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, cementing its status as a standout from Third Stage. For the band’s 40th anniversary, Straightface Studios created animated visuals for live performances of the song, bringing its cosmic energy to life.

Boston, the brainchild of Tom Scholz, began in the early 1970s in Boston, Massachusetts. Scholz, born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1947, was a rock fan who started writing songs while earning a master’s degree in mechanical engineering at MIT. After graduating, he worked at Polaroid, using his salary to build a 12-track recording studio in his basement. There, he and vocalist Brad Delp, whom he met after joining the band Freehold in 1969, recorded demos that landed a contract with Epic Records in 1975. Scholz’s meticulous approach—layering complex guitar harmonies and avoiding synthesizers—defined Boston’s sound. The 1976 self-titled debut, featuring hits like "More Than a Feeling," became one of the best-selling debut albums in U.S. history, with over 17 million copies sold. Delp’s soaring vocals, influenced by The Beatles, paired with Scholz’s multi-tracked guitars, created a "violin-like" harmonic style that set Boston apart.

Stay connected with Boston through their Facebook, Instagram, and X accounts for the latest news and tour updates. Fans can dive deeper at The Band Boston Fan Site, which offers lyrics, forums, and live chat rooms, or visit thirdstage.ca, a dedicated source for Boston news since 1999. Join fellow fans in the Boston Fan Group on Facebook to share your love for the band’s epic sound. Keep rocking, Zoo Freaks!