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.[1] 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.

Walk On
Studio album by Boston
Released	June 7, 1994
Recorded	November 1990 – December 1993
Genre	Hard rock
Length	44:24
Label	MCA
Producer	Tom Scholz
Boston chronology
Third Stage (1986) Walk On (1994) Greatest Hits (1997)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Entertainment Weekly	C+[2]
Rolling Stone	[3]

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.[4][5]

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

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I Need Your Love"	Tom Scholz, Fred Sampson	5:33
2.	"Surrender to Me"	Scholz, David Sikes, Bobby Laquidara	5:34
3.	"Livin' for You"	Scholz	4:58
4.	"Walkin' at Night" (Instrumental)	Scholz	2:02
5.	"Walk On"	Scholz, Brad Delp, Sikes	2:58
6.	"Get Organ-ized/Get Reorgan-ized" (Instrumental)	Scholz	4:28
7.	"Walk On (Some More)"	Scholz, Delp, Sikes	2:55
8.	"What's Your Name"	Scholz	4:28
9.	"Magdalene"	Scholz, Sikes, Galen "Rusty" Foulke	5:58
10.	"We Can Make It"	Scholz, Sikes, Bob Cedro	5:30

• Tracks 4, 5, 6 and 7 are all part of one long song ("Walk On Medley"), 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

Chart (1994)	Peak position
Canadian Albums (RPM)[6]	10
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[7]	25
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8]	40
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[9]	16
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[10]	16
UK Albums (OCC)[11]	56
US Billboard 200[12]	7

Singles

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

Certifications

Organization	Level	Date
RIAA – United States	Gold	August 11, 1994
	Platinum	September 8, 1994
CRIA – Canada	Gold	Jun 14, 1994
	Platinum	Jun 14, 1994

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Walk On - Boston". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
2. Frost, Deborah. "Walk On". Retrieved 2019-11-20.
3. Evans, Paul. "Boston: Walk On". Archived from the original on August 28, 2007. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
4. Billboard Charting History - Walk On. Retrieved on January 12, 2010.
5. "Gold and Platinum Database Search". Retrieved 2010-01-12.
6. "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Library and Archives Canada. March 31, 2004. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
7. "Dutchcharts.nl – Boston – Walk On" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
8. "Officialcharts.de – Boston – Walk On". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
9. "Swedishcharts.com – Boston – Walk On". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
10. "Swisscharts.com – Boston – Walk On". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
11. "Boston | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
12. "Boston Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.