"We're Ready" by Boston

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  2961
Date:  12/06/1986
Debut:  62
Peak:  9
Weeks:  15
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  This band whose second album was released in 1978 proved they could still rock in the 80s when their third LP, Third Stage, generated the #1 hit "Amanda." The hit helped the album reach #1 for four weeks. It was a major return for Tom Scholz and his Boston crew after years of recording and legal wrangling. To keep things going, this next single was released. It would also do very well reaching #2 at Rock and becoming the band's fourth Top 10 hit at Pop.

ReduxReview:  While "Amanda" was well-written commercial rock hit that had staying power, I actually preferred this track. I think it featured more of the rockin' Boston sound and I loved the ebb n' flow of it. Of course it sounded great thanks to Scholz's immaculate production, which I appreciated. I wondered how well this track would do on the chart because it wasn't your typical pop single. Luckily, it caught on and went Top 10. "Amanda" was the slick crowd pleaser, but I'd still prefer to hear this one.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Just a couple months prior to Third Stage being released, Boston's self-titled 1976 debut album was certified at 9x platinum. By 2003 it would hit the 17-million mark. It was the biggest selling debut album in US music history and it maintained that record all the way up to 2008 when another debut LP finally eclipsed it. In 1988, Guns N' Roses would issue out their debut album Appetite for Destruction. Over the years, its certifications would continue to rise, but Boston's debut seemed to be able to keep pace and retain the title of biggest selling debut album. That changed in 2008 when Appetite was certified for sales of 18 million. With it certified a million more than Boston's LP, Guns N' Roses' Appetite became the biggest selling debut in the US. It also claims that title on a worldwide scale with certified sales of nearly 30 million. Boston's LP was a phenomenon in the US, it wasn't quite as popular worldwide with only a 3 million increase to 20 million. Because of that, it ranks a bit lower for debut sales worldwide being bested by debuts from artists like Whitney Houston, Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, Linkin Park, Norah Jones, and the Spice Girls.

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