New England (band)
| Company type | Rock band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1978 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Founder | John Fannon, Jimmy Waldo, Gary Shea, Hirsh Gardner |
| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
New England is a rock group from the United States, primarily recognized domestically for their first hit single, "Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya", which climbed to No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1979 and enjoyed substantial airplay on AOR radio stations. Their subsequent release, "Hello, Hello, Hello", also received notable radio attention. The band characterized their musical style as "power-melodic-orchestrated-song-oriented rock."
Career
Originating in Boston, New England was formed by John Fannon, Jimmy Waldo, Gary Shea, and Hirsh Gardner. Their talent was spotted by Bill Aucoin, the manager of Kiss. The band's self-titled debut album was co-produced by Paul Stanley alongside Mike Stone, who had previously worked with Queen and Asia. They toured as an opening act for Kiss; however, their progress was hindered when Infinity Records, their original label, ceased operations and was absorbed by MCA Records in 1980.
The group then signed with Elektra Records to release their sophomore album, Explorer Suite, which did not meet commercial expectations. Although the title track was issued as a single with the intention of emulating Queen’s success with elaborate pop compositions like "Bohemian Rhapsody," other songs such as "Living In The Eighties" and "Conversation" gained more radio play.
Their third album, Walking Wild, produced by Todd Rundgren, also failed to achieve significant commercial impact.
Following this release, John Fannon departed from the band. The remaining members joined forces with Vinnie Vincent under the name Warrior and recorded demos in 1982. This collaboration ended when Vincent became a member of Kiss later that year. Subsequently, Gary Shea and Jimmy Waldo became part of Alcatrazz. The Warrior demos were officially issued in 2017.
After disbanding, members continued pursuing musical endeavors. In 2002, New England reunited to contribute "More Than You'll Ever Know" to Hirsh Gardner’s solo album Wasteland For Broken Hearts, marking their first joint recording in two decades. They have sporadically reunited for live performances around Boston. Shea and Waldo have also participated in industry events such as the NAMM Show.
Renaissance Records re-released their debut album on CD, while GB Records issued the next two albums along with live and early studio recordings. In 2009, Wounded Bird Records reissued both Explorer Suite and Walking Wild on CD format.
In 2017, Hirsh Gardner initiated the Hirsh Gardner Project and released the album My Brain Needs a Holiday. This project concluded in 2020.
In 2023, Hirsh Gardner received induction into the New England Music Hall of Fame located in Arlington, Massachusetts.
Reunion
Although primarily performing occasional one-off reunion concerts for charitable causes, John Fannon revealed in May 2014 during his solo feature on the Concert TV series On Stage with Mantis that New England was working on new studio material with potential plans for a comprehensive tour in 2015. In April 2015, the band issued a new single entitled "I Know There's Something Here," accompanied by a b-side re-recording of "Conversation" from their second album Explorer Suite.
EuroHouse adaptations
In July 1995, "Get it Up" climbed to the top position on Billboard's Spain charts and maintained a presence in the top ten until October. This success was largely driven by a EuroHouse rendition from Sensity World, a group based in Valencia, featuring vocalist Aina Martínez Tejedor alongside producer Víctor Javier Grafia Gavin. The song was included in more than 70 EuroHouse compilations, notably the "Ibiza Mix 95" album, which achieved sales exceeding 300,000 copies in Spain during 1995. DJ Sammy produced a "Maxi" remix tailored for audiences in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. By October 2022, the track had amassed over 8 million views on YouTube, and Sensity World continued to perform it live up until 2020.
Additional prominent EuroHouse versions include one by Soraya (Arnelas), who launched a refreshed take featuring Julian Poker in Spain in 2021. Throughout the 2010s, Lorena Gomez released multiple renditions with Carlos Gallardo across markets in Italy, Germany, and Spain.
Discography
| Year | Album | Billboard Top 200 |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | New England | 50 |
| 1980 | Explorer Suite | 202 |
| 1981 | Walking Wild | 176 |
Singles
| Date | Title | US |
|---|---|---|
| May 1979 | "Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya" | 40 |
| September 1979 | "Hello, Hello, Hello" / "Encore" | 69 |
| 1979 | "P.U.N.K" / "Shoot" | – |
| 1980 | "DDT" / "Elevator" | – |
| April 2015 | "I Know There's Something There" | – |
EuroHouse covers
| Date | Title | Cover Group | Billboard Spain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | "Get It Up" | Sensity World | 1 |
Promotional releases
- 1979 Live Concert Series (6 tracks) 12", Infinity L33-1023
- 1979 "Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya", 12"/7", Infinity L33-1009/INF-50,013
- 1979 "Hello Hello Hello", 7"/12", Infinity INF-50,021/L33-1018
- 1980 "Explorer Suite", 7"/12", Elektra E-47075/AS-11473
- 1980 "Livin' In The Eighties", Elektra E-47106
- 1980 "DDT", Elektra E-47155
- 1980 "Don't Ever Let Me Go", Elektra E-47205
Compilations
- New England (Limited Edition Self-Titled Vinyl) (2020)
EuroHouse Releases (Sensity World)
- 1995 "Get It Up," 12-inch, Essential Sound Music ESN.003, Spain
- Further releases can be found in music catalogues
Band Members
- John Fannon: vocals, guitar
- Jimmy Waldo: vocals, keyboards
- Hirsh Gardner: vocals, drums
- Gary Shea: bass guitar