Tom Scholz's basement obsession yielded rock's most improbable triumph: a debut album engineered with MIT precision that somehow maintained sweaty arena soul. Recording mostly alone with custom equipment, Scholz layered guitars into gleaming monoliths while Brad Delp's vocals soared through More Than a Feeling and Peace of Mind like some blue-collar Orpheus.

Critics sneered at the polish, but 17 million American buyers heard something else: the sound of perfectionism meeting accessibility, a template for corporate rock that bands would chase for decades. The machines, it turned out, could have hearts.