Now that the Superbowl XLVI is history, we won't have to hear old recordings of the band "Boston" on the radio or TV as much, which is worth thinking about.

From a historic perspective, the emergence and subsequent crass commercial push behind "Boston," the band's first album, was probably only equaled by "Frampton Comes Alive," which eventually turned out to be a career killer for the creative guitarist Peter Frampton.

As someone who searches through junk at Salvation Army and Goodwill thrift stores for forgotten treasures, I wouldn't be able to count the times I've run into copies of these two albums. Both of them were tremendously popular during their time, but they obviously ended up on someone's junk pile.

"Boston" and "Frampton Comes Alive" were pretty much the precursors of arena and glam rock, and inadvertently caused a backlash from the rock underground by the emergence of punk bands like the Ramones, Husker Du, the Dead Boys and so on.

Although huge, huge megahits, neither "Boston," or "Frampton Comes Alive," found their way onto Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums" list.

There's a reason for that.

On one hand, "Frampton Comes Alive" was just a rehash of about four or five albums worth of studio recordings. It wasn't bad, it was just overdone, like a burnt weenie. On the other hand, "Boston" was a collection of rock cliches that were obsolete on arrival. It some ways, it was like "The 1965 Beach Boys meet the 1969 Led Zepplin".

Record companies manufacture musical junk to sell to young girls, not old guys in their fifties or sixties who would rather listen to John Coltrane, Bob Dylan or Bob Mould.  Old guys don't have the money to throw around at LP's, CD's or MP3 downloads anyway. Young girls are a much better market than old guys. They spend more money.

Since they wanted to be successful, I'm sure that both Tom Scholz and Peter Frampton were well aware of this.  And when you're writing for such a commercial target audience, artistry goes right out the window.  That's why neither "Boston," or "Frampton Comes Alive," made Rolling Stone's top 500 list.  Although, to be fair, if the editors of Rolling Stone were more conservative in their criteria, either album could have easily been somewhere in there.

Popular culture ultimately ends up in the garbage, or in bins at thrift stores. If you're spending any more than a few dollars to see any sort of live entertainment, you're paying too much. Both "Boston" and "Frampton Comes Alive" were the precursors of the junk culture we now have and were a real heads up for the money-hungry execs in the entertainment industry.

Popular culture is common. Popular culture is aimed at those who are most susceptible to bend and least likely to be able to fend against it. Popular culture's only purpose is to make money for those at the top of the pyramid, to keep "the elite" in intoxicants and pay for megamansions and yachts.

To be fair, if it wasn't "Boston" and "Frampton Comes Alive", it would have been something else. In place of "The Beach Boys meet Led Zepplin" there could have been "The Dave Clark Five meets Grand Funk Railroad", That's why I gave this CD a mediocre rating, and not just one star. It isn't bad, but it sure ain't art.

Most people are going to hate what I've just said.  For the record, I didn't like "Lord of the Rings," and I don't like the music of Jon Bon Jovi either. I don't go to McDonald's or Burger King, and I think the cost of a ticket to an NBA game is obscene.

In 1968, tickets to see Jimi Hendrix were less than $5.00 for good seats. In 2012, good seats for any live event are commonly $500.00 and upwards. All this just to see aging rock stars or unproven, overpaid athletes. Apparently, where the money goes to the event-goers is unimportant.

My advice? Pay a few bucks to see your musical acts in a live local venue other than in an arena. Go to a minor league game, or a high school football game. Support your local library as much as possible.  Buy stuff from amazon.com and stream video from the internet, but support cable TV as little as possible.  Cable TV is a rip-off that's fueled by major league sports.

And above all, be suspect of anything marketed to an unsuspecting public and always, always read the fine print.
Now that the Superbowl XLVI is history, we won't have to hear old recordings of the band "Boston" on the radio or TV as much, which is worth thinking about. From a historic perspective, the emergence and subsequent crass commercial push behind "Boston," the band's first album, was probably only equaled by "Frampton Comes Alive," which eventually turned out to be a career killer for the creative guitarist Peter Frampton. As someone who searches through junk at Salvation Army and Goodwill thrift stores for forgotten treasures, I wouldn't be able to count the times I've run into copies of these two albums. Both of them were tremendously popular during their time, but they obviously ended up on someone's junk pile. "Boston" and "Frampton Comes Alive" were pretty much the precursors of arena and glam rock, and inadvertently caused a backlash from the rock underground by the emergence of punk bands like the Ramones, Husker Du, the Dead Boys and so on. Although huge, huge megahits, neither "Boston," or "Frampton Comes Alive," found their way onto Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums" list. There's a reason for that. On one hand, "Frampton Comes Alive" was just a rehash of about four or five albums worth of studio recordings. It wasn't bad, it was just overdone, like a burnt weenie. On the other hand, "Boston" was a collection of rock cliches that were obsolete on arrival. It some ways, it was like "The 1965 Beach Boys meet the 1969 Led Zepplin". Record companies manufacture musical junk to sell to young girls, not old guys in their fifties or sixties who would rather listen to John Coltrane, Bob Dylan or Bob Mould. Old guys don't have the money to throw around at LP's, CD's or MP3 downloads anyway. Young girls are a much better market than old guys. They spend more money. Since they wanted to be successful, I'm sure that both Tom Scholz and Peter Frampton were well aware of this. And when you're writing for such a commercial target audience, artistry goes right out the window. That's why neither "Boston," or "Frampton Comes Alive," made Rolling Stone's top 500 list. Although, to be fair, if the editors of Rolling Stone were more conservative in their criteria, either album could have easily been somewhere in there. Popular culture ultimately ends up in the garbage, or in bins at thrift stores. If you're spending any more than a few dollars to see any sort of live entertainment, you're paying too much. Both "Boston" and "Frampton Comes Alive" were the precursors of the junk culture we now have and were a real heads up for the money-hungry execs in the entertainment industry. Popular culture is common. Popular culture is aimed at those who are most susceptible to bend and least likely to be able to fend against it. Popular culture's only purpose is to make money for those at the top of the pyramid, to keep "the elite" in intoxicants and pay for megamansions and yachts. To be fair, if it wasn't "Boston" and "Frampton Comes Alive", it would have been something else. In place of "The Beach Boys meet Led Zepplin" there could have been "The Dave Clark Five meets Grand Funk Railroad", That's why I gave this CD a mediocre rating, and not just one star. It isn't bad, but it sure ain't art. Most people are going to hate what I've just said. For the record, I didn't like "Lord of the Rings," and I don't like the music of Jon Bon Jovi either. I don't go to McDonald's or Burger King, and I think the cost of a ticket to an NBA game is obscene. In 1968, tickets to see Jimi Hendrix were less than $5. 00 for good seats. In 2012, good seats for any live event are commonly $500. 00 and upwards. All this just to see aging rock stars or unproven, overpaid athletes. Apparently, where the money goes to the event-goers is unimportant. My advice? Pay a few bucks to see your musical acts in a live local venue other than in an arena. Go to a minor league game, or a high school football game. Support your local library as much as possible. Buy stuff from amazon. com and stream video from the internet, but support cable TV as little as possible. Cable TV is a rip-off that's fueled by major league sports. And above all, be suspect of anything marketed to an unsuspecting public and always, always read the fine print.