New England (band)

New England is an American rock band, who were best known in the US for their first single, "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. The follow up "Hello, Hello, Hello" also received some airplay. New England described their sound as "power-melodic-orchestrated-song-oriented rock"[1]

New England
OriginBoston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres
Years active1978 (1978)–1982, 2005-present
Associated acts
Websitenewenglandrocks.com
Members
  • John Fannon
  • Hirsh Gardner
  • Jimmy Waldo
  • Gary Shea

Career

John Fannon, Jimmy Waldo, Gary Shea and Hirsh Gardner formed the band in the Boston area.[2] They were discovered by Kiss manager Bill Aucoin.[2] Paul Stanley helped the band record and produce their self-titled debut album, along with producer Mike Stone, known for his work with Queen and Asia among many others. The group went on tour in support of Kiss,[2] but New England slid between the cracks of other Aucoin projects. The group's success stalled when their record label Infinity Records failed and was absorbed by its parent company, MCA Records in 1980.

The group moved to Elektra Records for their second album, Explorer Suite. [2] That album garnered little commercial notice. The title track was released as a single, with management at their label Elektra hoping for interest in an unconventional extended pop song, similar to what they had witnessed a few years earlier for their labelmates Queen with the song "Bohemian Rhapsody". However, the songs "Living In The Eighties" and "Conversation" received more airplay than did the intended single.

Todd Rundgren's production on the slightly harder-rocking third album, Walking Wild, did not improve sales. New England then dissolved with Gary Shea and Jimmy Waldo joining the band Alcatrazz.[2]

"Get it Up" hit #1 on Billboard's Spain charts in July, 1995 thanks to a EuroHouse cover by the group Sensity World. "Get it Up" remained in the top 10 into October.[3][4] Sensity World was based in Valencia, Spain, with vocalist Aina Martínez Tejedor and producer Víctor Javier Grafia Gavin.[5]

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 shows in the Boston area. Shea and Waldo made guest appearances at various musical instrument conventions such as the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show in places like Anaheim, California.

The US reissue label Renaissance Records released a CD version of the first album. GB Records 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.

In 2017, Hirsh Gardner founded the "Hirsh Gardner Project" and release their first debut album titled "My Brain Needs a Holiday".

Reunion

While occasionally doing single reunion shows for charity, in May 2014 John Fannon discussed New England having new studio work and a possible full tour for 2015 during his solo appearance on the Concert TV series, On Stage with Mantis. A new single was released by the band in April 2015 titled "I Know There's Something Here" along with the b-side being a re-record of "Conversation" a song taken from the band's second album Explorer Suite.

Discography
Year Album Billboard Top 200
1979 New England 50
1980 Explorer Suite –
1981 Walking Wild 176

Singles
Date Title US
05/1979 Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya 40
09/1979 Hello, Hello, Hello/ Encore 69
1979 P.U.N.K/ Shoot (green vinyl) INF 110 –
1980 DDT/Elevator w/ pic sleeve –
04/2015 I Know There's Something There –

Covers - EuroHouse[3]
Date Title Cover Group Billboard Spain
1995 Get It Up Sensity World 1

Promotional releases
  • 1979 Live Concert Series (6 cuts) 12" Infinity L33-1023
  • 1979 "Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya" / same (3:28/5:22) 12" Infinity L33-1009
  • 1979 "Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya" / same (3:28/5:22) 7" Infinity INF-50,013
  • 1979 "Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya" / "Shoot" (Picture Disc) issued with various b-side adverts 7" Infinity
  • 1979 "Hello Hello Hello" / same (3:20/3:20) 7" Infinity INF-50,021
  • 1979 "Hello Hello Hello" (3:20/3:34) 12" Infinity L33-1018
  • 1980 "Explorer Suite" (4:25/6:44) 12" Elektra AS-11473
  • 1980 "Explorer Suite" (4:25/6:44) 7" Elektra E-47075
  • 1980 "Livin' In The Eighties" (3:24) mono/stereo Elektra E-47106
  • 1980 "DDT" / same (3:01) mono/stereo Elektra E-47155
  • 1980"*Don't Ever Let Me Go" / same (3:41) mono/stereo Elektra E-47205


Compilations

New England (Self Titled Limited Edition Vinyl) (2020)


Personnel
  • John Fannon: guitar, vocals
  • Jimmy Waldo: keyboards, vocals
  • Hirsh Gardner: drums, vocals
  • Gary Shea: bass

References
  1. Kaminski, Adam. "New England, Old Sound". Soundofboston.com. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  2. Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who’s Who of Heavy Metal (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 248. ISBN 0-85112-656-1.
  3. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1995-08-26). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
  4. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1995-10-07). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
  5. Museo Dance on Facebook Watch, retrieved 2020-03-10
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