I was there in the audience. Their harmony is unmatched. Not a better tenor in barbershop. This song tears at your heartstrings. I miss those days. Thanks BC.
I''m 56 and to this day every time i hear this song especially the tenor i darn near pee my pants it sounds so good. my father was in BSQ and i had the privilege of singing with the 139 th st Quartet and when Smitty's wife passed away. he sang a song he composed and started crying when he got half way through it. my god there was not a dry eye in the auditorium and like a champion he finished with a standing ovation. BC is my all time favorite until the day i am gone and if i am of the lucky one's in heaven that get to listen to eternity it will suit me just fine.
They had stage presence in a huge way on or off the stage, vocally, perfection on stage, visually, handsome as the dickens, and personality wise,well if you knew them, you would love each one of them like I did. They were not the best,most popular and most loved for nothing. If they didn't laugh and dance while they sang, its because they were giving their best and their all to their music. Their harmony was sheer perfection.
The Common were uncommon, not only in 1980, but still today. No artifice, nothing fake; just authentic, believable, heartfelt performance. This is why they could compete at the highest level even in 2024!
WOW... They were a treat to listen to. The sound is still there with OUR TOWN, as witnessed at the WMOS show last November. Keep the barbershop sound proliferating...
I am so happy you posted this! I have an old cassette tape of the boston common and have often wondered of what they looked like. Thank you so much! I love that 2nd song!
Note the complete lack of artificial stage presence compared to their contemporaries. That's why they didn't win earlier. They sing like a a barroom quartet, not that theres's anything wrong with that. No "business", just singing. The freakin' tenor never even looks at the audience, once. Their records sold like hotcakes, but the judges hated their contempt for the dancing bear viewpoint. Funny. Every quartet today sounds more like the Boston Common than like the freakin' Rural Route Four. Thank You, Jesus!!!!!
If you listen to Boston Common on the LP of the Top 20 of 1979, you will hear that they sang the tag of "Alone Because I Love You" in noticeably better tune than they did in this video. With serious respect to Grandma's Boys, Boston Common could have performed wrapped in duct tape and blindfolds and would STILL have deserved the gold in '79. To me, it's as bad as a group of judges voting to give the US Women soccer team's world cup victory to Japan. Boston Common scored so many vocal goals that year that no amount of 'Football Hero' choreography could have even come close to matching their superiority. Someday I might calm down about it... maybe.
+Jeff Gaddy But they did perform wrapped in whatever. I have never seen the tenor look at any audience, and I saw them many times in performance, from Nashua to Orlando. Now, I have no love for visuals quartet wise. I think the guys who sing it best in the bar at midnight should win. But BC never even gave a passing kiss to the judges who were all about appearance, and it made some very mad at them. But I think it was more than that. They loved the ringy 1960s Sidewinders, Four Renegades sound, and they put in a lot of work to get that. Just like the singing from the 60s, they embraced the 60s stage work. It didn't pan out. Now, I agree with them, but I am no OC Cash, and now that the professional barbershoppers have full say in everything, this is no longer an amateur organization. It is now worker bees and drones. I am not a drone. I will not spend ten minutes so that Joe Connolly, et al, can graze on my wallet. I have a job. He should find one, too, just not barbershop.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I was there in the audience. Their harmony is unmatched. Not a better tenor in barbershop. This song tears at your heartstrings. I miss those days. Thanks BC.
+Jack Anderson I was there too. Had the pleasure to sing on that very stage that week.
What a beautiful timbre the tenor no screech just pure
Sheer greatness. Truly the pinnacle of all barbershop quartet singing was meant to be.
I''m 56 and to this day every time i hear this song especially the tenor i darn near pee my pants it sounds so good. my father was in BSQ and i had the privilege of singing with the 139 th st Quartet and when Smitty's wife passed away. he sang a song he composed and started crying when he got half way through it. my god there was not a dry eye in the auditorium and like a champion he finished with a standing ovation.
BC is my all time favorite until the day i am gone and if i am of the lucky one's in heaven that get to listen to eternity it will suit me just fine.
I was there in SLC. Terry Clarke has to be one of the best basses EVER. Our quartet did several shows with these guys.
They had stage presence in a huge way on or off the stage, vocally, perfection on stage, visually, handsome as the dickens, and personality wise,well if you knew them, you would love each one of them like I did. They were not the best,most popular and most loved for nothing. If they didn't laugh and dance while they sang, its because they were giving their best and their all to their music. Their harmony was sheer perfection.
Thanks, Jamie. Never was and never will be another like BC. I could listen to them all day and never get tired.
The Common were uncommon, not only in 1980, but still today. No artifice, nothing fake; just authentic, believable, heartfelt performance. This is why they could compete at the highest level even in 2024!
Proud Bostonian here. I need to go to Boston Common and listen to a bunch of stuff by the Boston Common quartet just to be super meta.
I'm listening AGAIN ... LOL So glad to see the Boston Common. They've been one of my favorites for many years. THANK YOU!!!
Simply, THE BEST ever.
WOW... They were a treat to listen to. The sound is still there with OUR TOWN, as witnessed at the WMOS show last November. Keep the barbershop sound proliferating...
My dad woodshedded with the tenor somewhere in Philadelphia at a convention in 76. He recommended you guys to me, nice job!
That blend in the first tune is INCREDIBLE! WOAH!
These guys are amazing.
I have been waiting to see this for over thirty years. Can't wait for the final set.
Thanks for posting Jamie.
I am so happy you posted this! I have an old cassette tape of the boston common and have often wondered of what they looked like. Thank you so much! I love that 2nd song!
Thanks Jamie!
My dad used to sing with these guys (Lloyd Bickford)
One of the first songs my quartet learned for the Philly novice contest in 1981
Note the complete lack of artificial stage presence compared to their contemporaries. That's why they didn't win earlier. They sing like a a barroom quartet, not that theres's anything wrong with that. No "business", just singing.
The freakin' tenor never even looks at the audience, once. Their records sold like hotcakes, but the judges hated their contempt for the dancing bear viewpoint.
Funny. Every quartet today sounds more like the Boston Common than like the freakin' Rural Route Four.
Thank You, Jesus!!!!!
i love these guys!
legendary
"They won in '74 and '75 and '77 and '78 and '79 and finally in '80"
What were the judges thinking?
FRED!!!! lol
Standing "O", i was there and I was standing.
No quartet like the Boston Common! :-)
Jamie, do you have the footage of the announcement of the medalists, by chance?
Just four guys singing. Wow...
Are you thinking of Storm Front's 2010 We've Grown Accustomed to Fourth Place?
which was the song that went "our tenor will sing bass"?
"Roam", but not "Love Shack"?
Roam's ok, but Love Shack is duh bomb!
But PP&M?
Me, too.
If you listen to Boston Common on the LP of the Top 20 of 1979, you will hear that they sang the tag of "Alone Because I Love You" in noticeably better tune than they did in this video. With serious respect to Grandma's Boys, Boston Common could have performed wrapped in duct tape and blindfolds and would STILL have deserved the gold in '79. To me, it's as bad as a group of judges voting to give the US Women soccer team's world cup victory to Japan. Boston Common scored so many vocal goals that year that no amount of 'Football Hero' choreography could have even come close to matching their superiority. Someday I might calm down about it... maybe.
+Jeff Gaddy But they did perform wrapped in whatever. I have never seen the tenor look at any audience, and I saw them many times in performance, from Nashua to Orlando.
Now, I have no love for visuals quartet wise. I think the guys who sing it best in the bar at midnight should win.
But BC never even gave a passing kiss to the judges who were all about appearance, and it made some very mad at them. But I think it was more than that. They loved the ringy 1960s Sidewinders, Four Renegades sound, and they put in a lot of work to get that. Just like the singing from the 60s, they embraced the 60s stage work.
It didn't pan out.
Now, I agree with them, but I am no OC Cash, and now that the professional barbershoppers have full say in everything, this is no longer an amateur organization. It is now worker bees and drones. I am not a drone. I will not spend ten minutes so that Joe Connolly, et al, can graze on my wallet. I have a job. He should find one, too, just not barbershop.
,Regents Barbershop International Quartet Champions