Under the Blue Moon
Encyclopedia
Under the Blue Moon is a tribute album
released by R&B group New Edition
on the MCA
label on October 10, 1986 (see 1986 in music
). Their fourth album and third with MCA and first album after New Edition member Bobby Brown
was voted out of the group, the group was going through a transitional phase during this period. It is the their only album as a quartet. The album peaked at #43 on the Billboard 200
in the week of February 7, 1987, and at #18 on the Billboard
Hip hop
/R&B Album Charts.
and this album, after selling over two million records of New Edition, they discovered they were not signed to MCA the label per se, but to a production company named Jump-Shoot Productions, which also had inked a deal with MCA. Shelving money they earned from touring, they often went back in the studio to renege their deal with Jump-Shoot and eventually re-signed with MCA.
", which was featured off the soundtrack of the first sequel to The Karate Kid. In the video, the boys pursue a hard-to-get woman, who has no idea that the boys singing to her and trying in vain to get her attention are actually New Edition until she catches them signing autographs for female seekers and finds out too late as the band heads back on their limo. This would be the group's final album while negotiating with MCA, with which they would later re-sign with.
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
released by R&B group New Edition
New Edition
New Edition is an R&B group formed in Boston in 1978. The group reached its height of popularity during the 1980s. They were the progenitors of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s and led the way for groups like New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync...
on the MCA
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...
label on October 10, 1986 (see 1986 in music
1986 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986.-January-June:*January 23 – The first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame takes place...
). Their fourth album and third with MCA and first album after New Edition member Bobby Brown
Bobby Brown
Robert Barisford "Bobby" Brown is an American R&B singer-songwriter, occasional rapper, and dancer. After success in pop group New Edition, Brown began his solo career in 1987 and had a string of Top 10 Billboard hits, culminating in a Grammy Award. He was a pioneer of New Jack Swing music, a...
was voted out of the group, the group was going through a transitional phase during this period. It is the their only album as a quartet. The album peaked at #43 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
in the week of February 7, 1987, and at #18 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
/R&B Album Charts.
History
According to the group members in a recent documentary, a reason why New Edition released so many albums between 1984's New EditionNew Edition (album)
New Edition is the second studio album released by American R&B quintet New Edition on July 6, 1984 in North America. It was their first album on MCA Records. It was also their first album without Maurice Starr who would depart from the group during the making of the album after the group accused...
and this album, after selling over two million records of New Edition, they discovered they were not signed to MCA the label per se, but to a production company named Jump-Shoot Productions, which also had inked a deal with MCA. Shelving money they earned from touring, they often went back in the studio to renege their deal with Jump-Shoot and eventually re-signed with MCA.
Release and reaction
The album went gold based on the airplay of their cover of the seminal 1950s hit, "Earth AngelEarth Angel
"Earth Angel " is an American doo-wop song, originally released by The Penguins in 1954 on the Dootone label , as the B-side to "Hey Señorita." The song became a major hit for The Crew-Cuts in 1955, reaching the Billboard charts on January 29, 1955. It peaked at #3 on the Disk Jockey chart, #8 on...
", which was featured off the soundtrack of the first sequel to The Karate Kid. In the video, the boys pursue a hard-to-get woman, who has no idea that the boys singing to her and trying in vain to get her attention are actually New Edition until she catches them signing autographs for female seekers and finds out too late as the band heads back on their limo. This would be the group's final album while negotiating with MCA, with which they would later re-sign with.
Track listing
- "Earth AngelEarth Angel"Earth Angel " is an American doo-wop song, originally released by The Penguins in 1954 on the Dootone label , as the B-side to "Hey Señorita." The song became a major hit for The Crew-Cuts in 1955, reaching the Billboard charts on January 29, 1955. It peaked at #3 on the Disk Jockey chart, #8 on...
" (Williams/Williams) (3:59) - "A Million to One" (Medley) (2:34)
- "Duke of EarlDuke of Earl"Duke of Earl" is a 1962 number-one song, originally by Gene Chandler. It is the best known of Chandler's songs, and he subsequently dubbed himself 'The Duke of Earl'. The song was penned by Bernice Williams, Eugene Dixon, and Earl Edwards....
" (Dixon/Edwards/Williams) (3:02) - "(Hey There) Lonely Girl" (Carr/Shuman) (3:39)
- "A Thousand Miles Away" (Miller/Sheppard) (2:56)
- "What's Your Name?" (Johnston) (4:36)
- "Tears on My PillowTears on My Pillow"Tears on My Pillow" is a doo-wop song written by Sylvester Bradford and Al Lewis in 1958. The composition was first recorded by Little Anthony and the Imperials on End Records and was that group's debut recording under that name. Their original recording of the song became a Billboard Top 10 Pop...
" (Bradford/Lewis) (3:56) - "Blue MoonBlue Moon (song)"Blue Moon"'s first crossover recording to rock and roll came from Elvis Presley in 1956. His cover version of the song was included on his self-titled debut album Elvis Presley....
" (Hart/Rodgers) (2:23) - "Since I Don't Have You" (Beaumont/Rock) (2:47)
- "Bring Back the Memories" (Perren/Wyatt) (3:39)
Credits
- Ricky BellRicky Bell (singer)Ricky Bell, nicknamed "Slick" is an American R&B singer best known as one of the founding members of New Edition and the lead singer of Bell Biv DeVoe...
: vocals - Michael BivinsMichael BivinsMichael Lamont Bivins, a.k.a. Biv , is the founder and member of the R&B group New Edition and the hip hop group Bell Biv DeVoe...
: vocals - Ronnie DeVoeRonnie DeVoeRonnie DeVoe, aka R.D., is one of the members of the R&B sextet New Edition....
: vocals - Ralph TresvantRalph TresvantRalph Tresvant , aka Rizz, is an American tenor singer, best known as one of the lead singers in New Edition.-New Edition:Tresvant sang lead on many of the New Edition lead singles including "Candy Girl", "Cool It Now" and "If It Isn't Love"...
: vocals