"Bosstown Sound" was a slogan used to promote several Boston (Massachusetts) rock bands in 1968. In theory, the Bosstown Sound was a logical development to follow the San Francisco "sound," which included the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape, and other Bay Area bands that had been commercially successful in 1967. However, Bosstown Sound was not a major commerical success; on the contrary, it became notorious as a failed hype. Whatever excitement the hype originally generated was over within a year. A surprisingly large volume of published materials about Bosstown exists, but it is in farflung places and often hard to locate. Existing archival materials allow for a brief description of the activities of 18 separate bands representing the Bosstown Sound. Future investigations will include interviewing members of these bands to clear up the enigmas in the puzzle that was Bosstown Sound and to contribute to the serious study of rock music. (Fourteen notes are included; a discography is attached.) (RS)