Although they were not all Boston residents, that’s where they met and formed the band – New England seems a very appropriate name in the circumstances. They lived up to that name very well, blending British influences such as Queen and ELO with an American AOR approach.
Written by: Lee South Africa
ARTIST: New England
ALBUM: Explorer Suite
LABEL: Elektra
SERIAL: 6E-307
YEAR: 1980
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LINEUP: John Fannon – vocals, guitars * Jim Waldo – keyboards * Gary Shea – bass * Hirsh Gardner – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Honey Money * 02 Livin’ In The 80’s * 03 Conversation * 04 It’s Never Too Late * 05 Explorer Suite * 06 Seal It With A Kiss * 07 Hey You’re On The Run * 08 No Place To Go * 09 Searchin’ * 10 Hope * 11 You’ll Be Born Again
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
Although they were not all Boston residents, that’s where they met and formed the band – New England seems a very appropriate name in the circumstances.
They lived up to that name very well, blending British influences such as Queen and ELO with an American AOR approach. Following up their classic debut must have been daunting, but this is a very strong second effort, regarded by some scribes as their finest moment.
The Songs
‘Honey Money’ gets things off to a melodic start, with good tempo changes and slight pomp overtones. The anthem chorus is especially good. ‘Livin’ In The 80’s’ chugs along pleasantly on a catchy riff, while ‘Conversation’ sounds like an acoustic ELO.
‘It’s Never Too Late’ picks the pace up in Journey-esque anthem fashion, with drum rolls lifted wholesale from the Kiss nugget ‘Strutter’. The title track is a sprawling pomp epic, building in intensity and enjoyable throughout. Special mention must be made of the intro keys – almost like a church organ !
Highlights on side two include ‘Hey You’re On The Run’ and ‘Searchin’, the former romping along in grand style and featuring a guitar solo straight out of the Brian May songbook. ‘Searchin’ recalls the ELO influence, delivering on the melodic front and bringing Hirsh Gardner’s falsetto backing vocals to the fore.
In Summary
Mike Stone’s production manages to be lush and crisp, giving each performance its chance to be heard and appreciated.
Although it couldn’t repeat the success of the debut, ‘Explorer Suite’ got some good exposure via tours with Cheap Trick and Journey.
All three studio albums are now available on CD, and come highly recommended.
New England on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
