After their self-titled debut album set all kinds of sales records and established Boston as one of the biggest bands in Rock, expectations were sky high for the second release that dropped on this day in 1978. Within a month, more than 4 million copies had sold.  Don't Look back went on to sell more than 15 million more copies in the US alone, and another 25 million world wide. 

Conflicts with the record label and within the band and the pressure to match or beat the enormous success of the first two albums resulted in a nearly decade long wait for the group's third release.  By the time it came out in 1986, only Sholz and Brad Delp were still in the group.  Although Third Stage sold well initially and went on to be certified 4x platinum, it was was not nearly as highly regarded as either of the previous albums.  Subsequent albums Walk On (1994), Corporate America (2002) and Love and Hope (2013) also failed to measure up to the

quality of the ground breaking albums of 1976 and '78.

 

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on August 2 include...

 

1937 The Band's Garth Hudson born. 

1944 Traffic drummer Jim Capaldi born.

1948 Andy Fairweather Low (Roger Waters, Eric Clapton, Who) born.

1951 Rainbow's Joe Lynn Turner born.

1952 Les Dudek (Allman Brothers Band, Steve Miller Band, Boz Scaggs, Stevie Nicks) born.

1951 Andrew Gold born.   

1961 The Beatles do their first live set at the Cavern Club in Liverpool.

1962 Robert Zimmerman gets the legal name change to Bob Dylan.

1969 Bob Dylan attends his 10th high school reunion, Hibbing MN.

1978 Neil Young marries Pegi Morton.

1982 Steve Winwood releases Talking Back To The Night. 

1987 Billy Joel plays Lenningrad, live CD recorded.   

1996 Aerosmith fires manager Tim Collins. 

2005 Bob Seger joins Three Doors Down on Landing In London during Clarkston, Michigan concert.   

2007 Pearl Jam plays private concert for Ten Club members at Vic Theater in Chicago.