New England was an American rock band that was mainly active from 1978-1982. They were discovered by Kiss manager Bill Aucoin.
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 (AOR) stations and reached the Top 40 in 1979. “Hello, Hello, Hello” also received some airplay. The debut album was released on Infinity Records INF-9007.
The quartet formed in the Boston area and was discovered by manager Bill Aucoin, who also managed Kiss. Paul Stanley helped produced the debut album along with famed producer Mike “Clay” Stone, best known for his work with Queen and Asia. Guitarist and vocalist John Fannon was the leader of the band.
The group had a live stint supporting the falling but still high-profile Kiss, but New England unfortunately slid between the cracks of other Aucoin projects. The group’s success stalled when their label Infinity Records was absorbed by its parent company, MCA Records, in 1979.
Produced by Paul Stanley of Kiss who was also represented by manager Bill Aucoin, this Boston band’s debut still stands as their finest. “Hello, Hello, Hello,” much like Alice Cooper‘s use of Rolf Kemp‘s “Hello Hooray,” is a nice opener, but the lyrics are more like Stevie Nicks witchcraft and magic. Song two is the most classic statement made by writer John Fannon and his group New England. “Don’t Ever Wanna Lose Ya” is perhaps the shortest poem/song on record by Fannon, but it is his most famous.
There are swirling keyboards by Jimmy Waldo and the precision the band is known for in performance.
Like another Boston-based group, Private Lightning on A&M with their local hit “Physical Speed,” these groups were ahead of their time and exploring sounds that were not identified with the city that brought the world the Modern Lovers, Aerosmith, and the Jonzun Crew.
But with three albums on a major label, and superb production, New England had a good shot at the brass ring and a tune with all the elements of “hit” in this track. “P.U.N.K.” is also a song that generated attention. About a punk, and certainly not punk rock, although the band frequented (and played) the clubs like the Paradise and the Rat, which, no doubt, helped inspire this. “Shall I Run Away” has a great vocal from Fannon and is the best tune next to “Don’t Ever Wanna Lose Ya” — mellow with cosmic guitars, a unique sound removed from the Asia style producer Mike Stone and the band New England became known for, almost Roxy Music. And that is where the band could’ve really made its mark, by being more experimental and less like the arena rock bands of the day. “Alone Tonight” is a great song held back by the “overproduction,” to quote the late Stones producer Jimmy Miller and his idea of the New England sound. The thick production on this music is incessant.
“Nothing to Fear” has hooks a plenty and the voice more prominent; “Shoot” is like a progressive Black Sabbath riff sped up and gone pop. Fannons‘ great ideas and lyrics seem to get lost in some of the instrumentation of “Turn Out the Light.”
That stage life which Paul Stanley knows so well from the Kiss hit “Beth” is the theme of “The Last Show.” “Encore” concludes the album with Fannon almost sounding like Roger Waters in delivery and idea. New England deserves recognition for years of hard work and the creation of a very important tune from the late ’70s. The cover photo has Terminator-style lightning (so did Private Lightning‘s cover, of course) and the band being delivered from out the blue.
01. Hello, Hello, Hello (3:34)
02. Don’t Ever Wanna Lose Ya (5:22)
03. P.U.N.K. (Puny Undernourished Kid) (3:22)
04. Shall I Run Away (5:06)
05. Alone Tonight (3:39)
06. Nothing To Fear (5:05)
07. Shoot (3:59)
08. Turn Out The Light (3:43)
09. The Last Show (3:55)
10. Encore (3:15)
Companies, etc.
Released: 1979
Genre: Rock
Style: Pop Rock
Length: 40:50
© 1979
Label - Infinity Records
The quartet formed in the Boston area and was discovered by manager Bill Aucoin, who also managed Kiss. Paul Stanley helped produced the debut album along with famed producer Mike “Clay” Stone, best known for his work with Queen and Asia. Guitarist and vocalist John Fannon was the leader of the band.
The group had a live stint supporting the falling but still high-profile Kiss, but New England unfortunately slid between the cracks of other Aucoin projects. The group’s success stalled when their label Infinity Records was absorbed by its parent company, MCA Records, in 1979.
Produced by Paul Stanley of Kiss who was also represented by manager Bill Aucoin, this Boston band’s debut still stands as their finest. “Hello, Hello, Hello,” much like Alice Cooper‘s use of Rolf Kemp‘s “Hello Hooray,” is a nice opener, but the lyrics are more like Stevie Nicks witchcraft and magic. Song two is the most classic statement made by writer John Fannon and his group New England. “Don’t Ever Wanna Lose Ya” is perhaps the shortest poem/song on record by Fannon, but it is his most famous.
There are swirling keyboards by Jimmy Waldo and the precision the band is known for in performance.
Like another Boston-based group, Private Lightning on A&M with their local hit “Physical Speed,” these groups were ahead of their time and exploring sounds that were not identified with the city that brought the world the Modern Lovers, Aerosmith, and the Jonzun Crew.
But with three albums on a major label, and superb production, New England had a good shot at the brass ring and a tune with all the elements of “hit” in this track. “P.U.N.K.” is also a song that generated attention. About a punk, and certainly not punk rock, although the band frequented (and played) the clubs like the Paradise and the Rat, which, no doubt, helped inspire this. “Shall I Run Away” has a great vocal from Fannon and is the best tune next to “Don’t Ever Wanna Lose Ya” — mellow with cosmic guitars, a unique sound removed from the Asia style producer Mike Stone and the band New England became known for, almost Roxy Music. And that is where the band could’ve really made its mark, by being more experimental and less like the arena rock bands of the day. “Alone Tonight” is a great song held back by the “overproduction,” to quote the late Stones producer Jimmy Miller and his idea of the New England sound. The thick production on this music is incessant.
“Nothing to Fear” has hooks a plenty and the voice more prominent; “Shoot” is like a progressive Black Sabbath riff sped up and gone pop. Fannons‘ great ideas and lyrics seem to get lost in some of the instrumentation of “Turn Out the Light.”
That stage life which Paul Stanley knows so well from the Kiss hit “Beth” is the theme of “The Last Show.” “Encore” concludes the album with Fannon almost sounding like Roger Waters in delivery and idea. New England deserves recognition for years of hard work and the creation of a very important tune from the late ’70s. The cover photo has Terminator-style lightning (so did Private Lightning‘s cover, of course) and the band being delivered from out the blue.
01. Hello, Hello, Hello (3:34)
02. Don’t Ever Wanna Lose Ya (5:22)
03. P.U.N.K. (Puny Undernourished Kid) (3:22)
04. Shall I Run Away (5:06)
05. Alone Tonight (3:39)
06. Nothing To Fear (5:05)
07. Shoot (3:59)
08. Turn Out The Light (3:43)
09. The Last Show (3:55)
10. Encore (3:15)
Companies, etc.
- Recorded At – Davlen Sound Studios
- Recorded At – Cherokee Studios
- Recorded At – Electric Lady Studios
- Mixed At – Trident Studios
- Mastered At – Sterling Sound
- Art Direction– Peter Corriston
- Bass Guitar– Gary Shea
- Drums, Vocals– Hirsh Gardner
- Engineer– Mike Stone
- Engineer [Assistant]– Chris Desmonde, Patrick Van Wiegandg
- Engineer [Pre-Production Recording By (Uncredited)]– Steve Bruno (2)
- Guitar, Vocals– John Fannon
- Keyboards, Vocals– Jimmy Waldo
- Mastered By– George Marino
- Mixed By [Assisted]– John Brand
- Photography By– Alen MacWeeney, Andre Haluska, Hubert Kretzschmar
- Producer– Mike Stone, Paul Stanley
- Written-By– John Fannon
Released: 1979
Genre: Rock
Style: Pop Rock
Length: 40:50
© 1979
Label - Infinity Records
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