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. The group moved to Elektra Records for their next release, Explorer Suite. The second album garnered almost no notice, but has since become a sought after CD by AOR fans. Todd Rundgren's production on the harder rocking third album Walking Wild also failed to improve sales. New England then dissolved with Shea and Waldo ending up in Alcatrazz.
The album was also issued on CD in 1998 by the re-issue label Renaissance Records. The CD contains an un-marked bonus track, a different extended mix of "Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya".
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