Nearly four decades later, Boston 'Don't Look Back' (Updated January 9, 2013)

What's it like to be the band behind one of the fastest-selling albums in history? Just ask the members of Boston, whose self-titled debut in 1976 consisted largely of tapes recorded in a basement, still spawned three hit singles and shot to the top of the charts to become an overwhelming success.

Boston's original lineup – studio wizard Tom Scholz, vocalist Brad Delp, guitarist Barry Goudreau, bassist Fran Sheeham, and drummer John Hashian – was more than happy with the run out of the gates, with "More Than a Feeling," "Long Time" and "Peace of Mind" gaining the band instant fame. It took two years for their sophomore album, "Don't Look Back," to be released while the band experienced pressure from the Epic label, and only Scholz and Delp remained with the band by the release of their third studio project, the chart-topping "Third Stage" in 1986.

An ugly courtroom battle consumed both the label and the band over the next seven years, with Scholz eventually winning a judgment against Epic, which had claimed the band reneged on its contract by taking so long between releases. Boston didn't make new music after that until 1994, and by then Scholz was the lone remaining (original) member.

Boston took another eight years to come out with new music after the court debacle, with Scholz targeting Internet fans by releasing an mp3 in the summer of 2002. The track became the number one download on the website www.mp3.com, and word of their new album quickly went viral. After releasing "Corporate America" in the fall of that year, Boston embarked on a tour that extended into 2004.

On March 9, 2007, Delp committed suicide at his home in New Hampshire. Boston performed a concert in his honor that summer, and the following year the band introduced another new lineup. The group continues to tour, and is expected to release another studio album in 2013 that is said to contain Delp's singing on many songs.