New Edition (album)

New Edition is the second studio album released by American 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 manager/producer Maurice Starr who would depart from the group during the making of the album after the group accused him of stealing their monetary earnings from their platinum debut. The album was produced by Vincent Brantley & Rick Timas, Grammy-nominated producer Michael Sembello & Richard Rudolph, Ray Parker, Jr. and Peter Bunetta and Rick Chudacoff. The album reached #6 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Irish Albums Chart, and the R&B/Hip Hop Albums Chart (where it peaked for five weeks).

New Edition
Studio album by
New Edition
ReleasedJuly 6, 1984
Recorded1984[1]
GenreR&B, pop
Length43:13
LabelMCA
ProducerJheryl Busby, Vincent Brantley, Rick Timas, Ray Parker, Jr., Richard Rudolph, Michael Sembello, Richard James Burgess, Peter Bunetta, Rick Chudacoff
New Edition chronology
Candy Girl
(1983)		 New Edition
(1984)		 All for Love
(1985)
Singles from New Edition
  1. "Cool It Now"
    Released: August 27, 1984
  2. "Mr. Telephone Man"
    Released: December 8, 1984
  3. "Lost in Love"
    Released: February 7, 1985
  4. "My Secret (Didja Gitit Yet?)"
    Released: March 3, 1985
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Robert ChristgauB+[3]

Background

Over a year after their first album, New Edition were a million-selling pop act by the time of this release. They had also gone through a nasty court battle with their former mentor and producer Maurice Starr. Around the time of the making of this album, the group and Starr argued over monetary earnings that the group felt that had been taken away by Starr, who has to this day steadfastly denied taking the boys' earnings from them. The dispute came after the group members received their checks in their mailboxes only to discover that they were only given $1.87 despite the success of their debut album, Candy Girl and their accompanying US tour. Angered, New Edition filed a lawsuit against Starr and demanded out of their contract. Starr relented and gave the boys the freedom to leave. The bitter split eventually led to Starr's creating "the white New Edition": New Kids on the Block. Meanwhile, the boys left Starr's label, the independent Streetwise Records in February 1984 and signed a new contract through Jump & Shoot Productions with MCA.[4] Being given a bevy of producers including R&B mainstay Ray Parker, Jr. and writer-producer Mike Sembello of "Maniac" fame among them, the group released their self-titled second album in the summer of 1984 to huge success.

Release and reaction

Thanks to more thorough promotion and music tailored for more of a mainstream audience, New Edition won new fans upon the release of this album. The first two singles: "Cool It Now" and "Mr. Telephone Man" both became top twenty pop hits and reached number one on the R&B singles chart. The album peaked at number six on the Billboard pop albums chart and number one on the R&B albums chart. It later spawned the top forty pop hit with the ballad "Lost in Love" and the uptempo top forty R&B single, "My Secret (Didja Gitit Yet?)". The album was certified double-platinum. This album was also promoted under a more clean-cut pop image for the group, much different from the streetwise persona they had during their first album, a marketing decision that various group members would later admit that they weren't thrilled about at the time.

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Cool It Now"Vincent Brantley, Rick TimasBrantley, Timas6:00
2."Mr. Telephone Man"Ray Parker, Jr.Parker, Jr.3:58
3."I'm Leaving You Again"Ricky Bell, Ralph TresvantBrantley, Timas4:15
4."Baby Love"Danny Sembello, Michael Sembello, Richard RudolphRudolph, M. Sembello4:36
5."Delicious"D. Sembello, David BatteauRudolph, M. Sembello4:32
6."My Secret (Didja Gitit Yet?)"Dick Eastman, Bobby HartBrantley, Hart, Timas4:09
7."Hide and Seek"Gary Bell, Anne DudleyBrantley, Timas3:45
8."Lost in Love"Russell KramerRudolph, M. Sembello4:12
9."Kind of Girls We Like"New EditionRichard James Burgess4:10
10."Maryann"Rick Chudacoff, Teena Marie, Steve Goodman, Arno LucasPeter Bunetta, Chudacoff3:36
11."Gold Mine"New EditionRudolph M. Sembello 

Personnel

Additional musicians

Charts
Chart (1984–85) Peak
position
Canadian Albums (RPM)[5] 55
Irish Albums Chart 1
New Zealand Albums (RIANZ)[6] 15
U.S. Billboard 200[7] 6
U.S. Billboard Top R&B Albums[8] 1

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[9] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Dart Adams (2013-06-20). "Where It All Started: 25th Anniversary Retrospective Of Bobby Brown's "Don't Be Cruel" & New Edition's "Heart Break"". The Urban Daily. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  2. Wynn, Ron. "New Edition - New Edition". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Review. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  3. Christgau, Robert (September 27, 1983). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  4. Adams, Dart. "Where It All Started: 25th Anniversary Retrospective Of Bobby Brown's "Don't Be Cruel" & New Edition's "Heart Break"". theurbandaily.com. The Urban Daily. Retrieved 2014-12-29.
  5. "CAN Charts > New Edition". RPM. Archived from the original on 2017-03-31. Retrieved 2012-10-17.
  6. "New Zealand Albums Chart - March 24, 1985".
  7. "New Edition Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  8. "New Edition Chart History: Top R&B Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  9. "American album certifications – New Edition – New Edition". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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