RTZ (Return To Zero) was an early 90s band that reunited singer Brad Delp and guitarist Barry Goudreau, who were both key members of Boston (Goudreau has also released solo work and was a member of AOR outfit Orion The Hunter). The debut album saw the group off to a promising start with three charting singles, "Face The Music" (#49), the stellar ballad "Until Your Love Comes Back Around" (#26), and "All You've Got" (#56). Delp then left RTZ to rejoin Boston in tour, effectively breaking up the band. Enough music had been recorded during the initial sessions that they cobbled together a significantly less exciting sophomore effort called "Lost," which finally saw the light of day in 1998. "Don't Lead Me On" is one of the best tracks from that collection - listen to those harmonies! The band reunited after Delp's death in 2007 to record a tribute to this vocal legend. The epic 8 minute song is called "Set The Songbird Free."
Barry Goudreau is best known for having a difficult last name to spell. He also played guitar on the first two smash albums by a little band called Boston. Later on, he was a member of the AOR bands Orion the Hunter and RTZ. In 1980 Goudreau released his first solo record, which pretty much sealed his fate with Boston. However, several guys from Boston pitched in, making his self-titled record sound very much like a Boston LP. The album settled at #88 on the Billboard Top 200 and the lead single, "Dreams," just missed cracking into the Top 100. As a whole, the effort doesn't come close to the majesty of Boston, but there are several noteworthy cuts in the mix. Brad Delp, the trademark vocalist of Boston most of the time, sang on many of these tracks. "Leavin' Tonight" is one of the songs sung by Fran Cosmo, who would take the lead vocal position for Boston's 1994 "Walk On" album. It is a simple song, but I love the handclaps and catchy melody.
The legendary band Boston has had its share of chart success through the decades since their debut made a huge splash in 1976. With 4 top ten hits under their belt, including the #1 smash, "Amanda", Boston is a household name in cities all around the world. The singles deserve their chart success, but Boston also recorded some awesome deep tracks that are not as well known. "Used To Bad News" is always worth a spin when you can't seem to catch a break in life. Strangely enough, misery must love company because I always feel better after hearing it. The tune comes from their 1978 record, "Don't Look Back", which reached #1 and sold 7 million copies. Not bad for a record the band felt was a rushed job.
