New England (band)
Encyclopedia
New England was an American
rock band
that was mainly active from 1978-1982. The group
was best known for the song, "Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya", which received heavy radio exposure on Album-oriented rock
(AOR) stations and reached #40 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart
in 1979. "Hello, Hello, Hello" also received some airplay at the decline of the first single.
), Gary Shea (Alcatrazz
) and Hirsh Gardner formed the band in the Boston area, discovered by legendary Kiss
manager Bill Aucoin. Paul Stanley
helped the band record and produce their debut album, along with famed producer Mike
Stone, best known for his work with Queen
and Asia
.
The group had a live stint supporting Kiss, but New England slid between the cracks of other Aucoin projects. The group's success stalled when their record label Infinity Records
was absorbed by its parent company, MCA Records
in 1980. The group moved to Elektra Records
for their second album, Explorer Suite. That album garnered almost no notice however the first single was the album's title. Apparently, the powers that be at Elektra wanted "Explorer Suite" released as a single since Queen had their monster hit, "Bohemian Rhapsody
". However, their songs, "Living In The Eighties" and "Converstation" received more airplay than did the intended single. "Explorer Suite" has since become a sought after CD
by AOR fans. Todd Rundgren
's production on the slightly harder-rocking third album, Walking Wild, also did not improve sales. The perfect choice of a song to release for radio would have been, "Don't Ever Let Me Go" however that was not the case on this third album. New England then dissolved with Gary Shea and Jimmy Waldo joining Alcatrazz.
After the break-up, all of the members remained in the music industry. In late 2002, New England reunited to record "More Than You'll Ever Know", a song from the Hirsh Gardner solo
album, entitled Wasteland For Broken Hearts. It marked the first time the group recorded together in 20 years. In recent years, the band has reunited for a few live concert|shows in the Boston area. Gary and Jimmy guest appearances at various musical instrument conventions such as the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show in places like Anaheim, CA.
The reissue label Renaissance Records has released a CD version of the first album, New England. GB Records has released the other two albums on CD, plus a live album and an album of early recording studio/studio sound recordings and reproduction/recordings made before the debut album.
In 2009, Wounded Bird Records
reissued Explorer Suite and Walking Wild on CD.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
that was mainly active from 1978-1982. The group
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
was best known for the song, "Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya", which received heavy radio exposure on Album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...
(AOR) stations and reached #40 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
in 1979. "Hello, Hello, Hello" also received some airplay at the decline of the first single.
Career
John Fannon, Jimmy Waldo (AlcatrazzAlcatrazz
Alcatrazz is an American heavy metal band formed in 1983 by Graham Bonnet, Jimmy Waldo and Gary Shea.-History:The band's initial line-up consisted of former Rainbow frontman Graham Bonnet, young Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen who had recently left American band Steeler, Gary Shea and Jimmy...
), Gary Shea (Alcatrazz
Alcatrazz
Alcatrazz is an American heavy metal band formed in 1983 by Graham Bonnet, Jimmy Waldo and Gary Shea.-History:The band's initial line-up consisted of former Rainbow frontman Graham Bonnet, young Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen who had recently left American band Steeler, Gary Shea and Jimmy...
) and Hirsh Gardner formed the band in the Boston area, discovered by legendary Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
manager Bill Aucoin. Paul Stanley
Paul Stanley
Stanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, singer, musician, painter and songwriter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and primary lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's...
helped the band record and produce their debut album, along with famed producer Mike
Stone, best known for his work with Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
and Asia
Asia (band)
Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a supergroup as it included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely John Wetton , Geoff Downes , Steve Howe and Carl Palmer Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a...
.
The group had a live stint supporting Kiss, but New England slid between the cracks of other Aucoin projects. The group's success stalled when their record label Infinity Records
Infinity Records
Infinity Records was a short-lived subsidiary of MCA Records established in New York City in 1977. The label was conceived by MCA president Sidney Sheinberg as a way for the Los Angeles-based entertainment conglomerate to improve its presence on the East Coast...
was absorbed by its parent company, MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
in 1980. The group moved to Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
for their second album, Explorer Suite. That album garnered almost no notice however the first single was the album's title. Apparently, the powers that be at Elektra wanted "Explorer Suite" released as a single since Queen had their monster hit, "Bohemian Rhapsody
Bohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera...
". However, their songs, "Living In The Eighties" and "Converstation" received more airplay than did the intended single. "Explorer Suite" has since become a sought after CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
by AOR fans. Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
's production on the slightly harder-rocking third album, Walking Wild, also did not improve sales. The perfect choice of a song to release for radio would have been, "Don't Ever Let Me Go" however that was not the case on this third album. New England then dissolved with Gary Shea and Jimmy Waldo joining Alcatrazz.
After the break-up, all of the members remained in the music industry. In late 2002, New England reunited to record "More Than You'll Ever Know", a song from the Hirsh Gardner solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
album, entitled Wasteland For Broken Hearts. It marked the first time the group recorded together in 20 years. In recent years, the band has reunited for a few live concert|shows in the Boston area. Gary and Jimmy guest appearances at various musical instrument conventions such as the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show in places like Anaheim, CA.
The reissue label Renaissance Records has released a CD version of the first album, New England. GB Records has released the other two albums on CD, plus a live album and an album of early recording studio/studio sound recordings and reproduction/recordings made before the debut album.
In 2009, Wounded Bird Records
Wounded Bird Records
Wounded Bird Records is a CD only, re-issue record label, that was founded in 1998 in Guilderland, New York. They re-release lesser known albums from both popular and lesser known artists, including Deborah Harry, Chic, David Blue, Marilyn Martin, Gordon Haskell, Jon Anderson, Adrian Belew, Ellen...
reissued Explorer Suite and Walking Wild on CD.
Discography
| Year | Album | Billboard Top 200 |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | New England New England (New England album) New England is the debut album by the American rock band New England. The group was best known for the song "Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya", which received heavy radio exposure on Album-oriented rock stations and reached the Top 40 in 1979. "Hello, Hello, Hello" also received some airplay... |
50 |
| 1980 | Explorer Suite | - |
| 1981 | Walking Wild | 176 |
Singles
| Date | Title | US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
|---|---|---|
| 05/1979 | Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya | 40 |
| 09/1979 | Hello, Hello, Hello | 69 |
Personnel
- John Fannon: guitar, vocals
- Jimmy Waldo: keyboards, vocals
- Hirsh Gardner: drums, vocals
- Gary Shea: bass