Will New Edition release a new album to accompany their “The New Edition Way” tour in 2026 (Photo courtesy of the Black Promoters Collective)?
It seems that every decade or generation has its favorite boy band.
Back in the 1950s, teenyboppers fell in love with Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers.
Over a decade later, music critics marveled at how many similarities Michael Jackson and The Jackson Five had with Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers.
In the early 1980s, New Edition took The Jackson Five blueprint and combined it with hip-hop to keep the bubblegum soul sound alive.
Later that decade, New Edition’s first producer, Maurice Starr, copied the New Edition blueprint with five White teenagers and created the record-breaking boy band, New Kids on the Block.
Unfortunately, in the early 1990s, the boy band trend declined until the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC revitalized it in the late 1990s and early 2000s, paving the way for groups like B2K and B5 to succeed.
While the best boy of all time might be debatable, what is not debatable is that New Edition created the most stars of any boy band with the solo careers of Bobby Brown, Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant, along with the side group, Bell Biv DeVoe.
Therefore, to honor the foundation that they all came from and the group’s upcoming 2026 tour, RegalMag.com will attempt to honor R&B legends New Edition by ranking their albums.
- “Under the Blue Moon”—In 1986, New Edition was at a crossroads. The group had fired Bobby Brown, and they were beginning to outgrow their bubblegum soul sound. The now quartet had begun recording singles for movie soundtracks and hit paydirt with a cover of the doo-wop classic “Earth Angel” for the “Karate Kid Part II” soundtrack. That motivated MCA Records to release an album of doo-wop covers called “Under the Blue Moon.” The gold-selling album was more significant for ending the group’s relationship with Jump & Shoot Productions and allowing them to sign directly to MCA Records.
- “Christmas All Over the World”—Back in the day, an artist had not made it if they did not record a Christmas album. Even New Edition’s inspirations, The Jackson Five, recorded a Christmas album, and they were Jehovah’s Witnesses. “Christmas All Over the World” was the last album that featured Brown as a member before the group fired him. The track “It’s Christmas (All Over the World)” is still the bomb, as is their rendition of “Give Love on Christmas Day.” The album also allowed the group to continue their development as writers, as they wrote and produced two tracks on the EP.
- “One Love”—When New Edition signed with Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment, it initially seemed like a match made in Heaven. Although the lead single on the “One Love” album was called “Hot 2 Nite,” their relationship with Combs got really hot, as in hot as Hell. Combs wanted New Edition to reach a younger audience with songs more suited for groups like 112. But in the process, it alienated their long-term fans because most of the songs did not sound suited for a mature group and audience. But thanks to Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, New Edition still gave fans a little bit of the classic sound with songs like “Re-Write The Memories” and “Come Home With Me.”
- “All For Love”—New Edition’s 1985 album began the group’s transition period. Fed up with Bobby Brown, the group fired him before the release of “All For Love.” Although Brown sang on “Count Me Out,” Ricky Bell lip-synced his parts on the video. Nevertheless, Jump & Shoot Productions and MCA Records had found a winning formula with standout tracks like “A Little Bit of Love (Is All It Takes” and the ballad, “With You All the Way.”
- “Candy Girl”—The Jackson 5 gave young Black kids of the early 1970s role models to look up to. But producer/songwriter Maurice Starr noticed a void for that demographic over a decade later when he stumbled across New Edition at a Boston talent show. Impressed at how much they sounded like the brothers from Gary, Ind., Starr began crafting songs that eventually led the boy band getting a deal with Streetwise Records. At last, Black kids of the 1980s had their own group of young people to admire. Starr created a classic on New Edition’s first album with hits like the title cut, “Is This The End” and “Popcorn Love.”
- “New Edition”—Despite the success of the “Candy Girl” album in 1983, New Edition found themselves broke and back in the housing projects of Boston once their worldwide tour ended. When they did not receive what they believed was adequate compensation for a hit album, they sued Starr and Streetwise Records. And in 1984, they released their second album under MCA Records. The album produced more hits for the group like “Cool It Now,” “Mr. Telephone Man” and “Lost in Love.”
- “Home Again”—When New Edition disbanded in 1989 after the “Heartbreak” tour, the group continued their success as solo artists. Bobby Brown was well on his way to becoming the “King of R&B.” Bell Biv DeVoe shocked the world with their classic album “Poison.” Johnny Gill finally found his footing as a solo artist. And Ralph Tresvant went platinum with “Sensitivity.” So, when the now sextet got back together in 1996, they received the label supergroup. The hits piled up again with “Hit Me Off” and “I’m Still in Love With You.”
- “Heartbreak”—Bobby Brown left New Edition in 1985. The group continued as a quartet until 1987 when Johnny Gill joined the group. Gill already had a solo career and a joint album with Stacy Lattisaw. But his adult voice and young age made it difficult to find an audience. New Edition had a fanbase. However, they did not have the mature voices and material they needed to please their aging audience. Enter Gill, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Exit a classic album from 1988 that made them bona fide adult stars with timeless classics like “If It Isn’t Love,” “Boys to Men” and “Can You Stand the Rain.”
