This year marks the 25th (Silver) Anniversary of New Edition breaking off into solo acts! It all started after the success of the Heart Break album and tour and Bobby Brown had already blown up with his 2nd album, "Don't Be Cruel" and was now (somewhat) laying low, but what the public didn't know was that the other members were about to emerge with their own solo stuff and would have tremendous success, Ralph Tresvant, Johnny Gill, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe (Bell Biv DeVoe). Come post your fave memories, vids, pics etc. on these 3 solo acts from the NE Family.

3/20/90

4/17/90

11/27/90

But Johnny had already released 3 albums before joining NE, so it's more than 25 for him.

MickyDolenz said:

But Johnny had already released 3 albums before joining NE, so it's more than 25 for him.

I knew that, but those 3 albums only generated modest hits for him, this was his biggest album post-NE though.

Im Mr Anti Johnny Gill... I wish he never joined the group...

New Edition forever!!!

JabarR74 said:

MickyDolenz said:

But Johnny had already released 3 albums before joining NE, so it's more than 25 for him.

I knew that, but those 3 albums only generated modest hits for him, this was his biggest album post-NE though.

I'm not sure they could have continued as an adult act without Johnny. Ralph was considering quitting the group to go solo. Johnny was supposed to replace Ralph, not Bobby. I don't think that Under The Blue Moon album did all that well other than Earth Angel, which was also on a movie soundtrack for the Karate Kid.

Im Old-school Johnnys Over Singing Teddy P wannabe ass didnt add One thing to new edition!

Jam and Lewis put them back where they needed to be...

MickyDolenz said:

I'm not sure they could have continued as an adult act without Johnny. Ralph was considering quitting the group to go solo. Johnny was supposed to replace Ralph, not Bobby. I don't think that Under The Blue Moon album did all that well other than Earth Angel, which was also on a movie soundtrack for the Karate Kid.

Ego101 said:

Im Old-school Johnnys Over Singing Teddy P wannabe ass didnt add One thing to new edition!

Jam and Lewis put them back where they needed to be...

If Ralph did quit, he was the main voice of the group, not Ricky Bell. Just because Jam & Lewis produced something doesn't mean it's going to sell. They didn't help Pia Zadora to get a hit. I don't think a Jam & Lewis produced BBD album would have worked, as their sound wasn't as hip hop as Wolf & Epic, Marley Marl, or The Bomb Squad.

The 'Point' is Ralph didnt leave... Jam & Lewis DID produce a hit album

And IMO Johnny didnt add anything!

MickyDolenz said:

Ego101 said:

Im Old-school Johnnys Over Singing Teddy P wannabe ass didnt add One thing to new edition!

Jam and Lewis put them back where they needed to be...

If Ralph did quit, he was the main voice of the group, not Ricky Bell. Just because Jam & Lewis produced something doesn't mean it's going to sell. They didn't help Pia Zadora to get a hit. I don't think a Jam & Lewis produced BBD album would have worked, as their sound wasn't as hip hop as Wolf & Epic, Marley Marl, or The Bomb Squad.

Ego101 said:

The 'Point' is Ralph didnt leave... Jam & Lewis DID produce a hit album

And IMO Johnny didnt add anything!

According to Michael Bivins, Johnny did add something. He got them a more mature audience instead of just the teenybop one they had at first. New Kids On The Block took that spot and then some. They outsold both NE and Bobby Brown and even had a Saturday morning cartoon show. Without Johnny joining, NE would be forgotten like 5 Star.

Im sorry but this is Bullshit!

Johnny Gill never had the NE vibe... Never!!!

He had the gay Jherri Curl posing with "stacy lattisaw'

in right on! Magazine vibe...

I wasn't feeling it Nor were any other NE fans that i know...

If anything Johnny helped them lose 'Cool Points' because nothing about his Over-singing ass is Cool at all!

MickyDolenz said:

Ego101 said:

The 'Point' is Ralph didnt leave... Jam & Lewis DID produce a hit album

And IMO Johnny didnt add anything!

According to Michael Bivins, Johnny did add something. He got them a more mature audience instead of just the teenybop one they had at first. New Kids On The Block took that spot and then some. They outsold both NE and Bobby Brown and even had a Saturday morning cartoon show. Without Johnny joining, NE would be forgotten like 5 Star.

Ronnie DeVoe had a curl too and so did many other R&B, blues, & rap acts in the 1980s. Even when flat tops came in some had S-curls with it including Bobby & Ralph. So what's your point?

Im too mature and knowledgable for this conversation..

Enjoy..

Ego101 said:

Im too mature and knowledgable for this conversation..

Enjoy..

25 freakin years huh? Damn I'm getting old. I always thought that BBD had the better dance album, Ralph had the smoothest song with "Sensitivity" but the red-headed stepchild of the group (oh, that would be Johnny Gill) had the better overall album out of the three acts. Even taking away the strong vocals, his tracks were just superior. I mean, it seemed like Flyte Tyme were competing with LaFace for the best production value or something because every song hits the right note.

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I didn't remember all of these joints being released the same year. That was an awesome year for R&B/Pop acts then.

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How about the creativity of Jam & Lewis during that time. They must have been working on JJRN1814 around the same time as they were producing stuff for Johnny and Ralph. Quite the output if you ask me. I know Janet's record dropped in '89 but more than likely they had already began working with Johnny and Ralph before 1990. Didn't they have hit singles out that preceded their album releases?

[Edited 11/30/15 6:18am]

See Ya KID!

MickyDolenz said:

Ego101 said:

Im too mature and knowledgable for this conversation..

Enjoy..

Musicslave said:

Didn't they have hit singles out that preceded their album releases?

Johnny had a duet with Stacy Lattisaw in 1989, but it was on her album. There were also singles still being released from Heartbreak in 1989 and Bobby had a remix album out that year along with the song from Ghostbusters 2.

You forgot, this song was on the soundtrack too.

^^That wasn't a hit though, Where Did We Go & On Our Own were

MickyDolenz said:

Musicslave said:

Didn't they have hit singles out that preceded their album releases?

Johnny had a duet with Stacy Lattisaw in 1989, but it was on her album. There were also singles still being released from Heartbreak in 1989 and Bobby had a remix album out that year along with the song from Ghostbusters 2.

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Thanks for your response but I was referring moreso to their first singles from their solo debut albums.

SMACK IT UP

FLIP IT

RUB IT DOWN..

oh yeah!

this was basically my "catchphrase" for much of the 90s.

I remember BBD did an interview in "Interview" magazine (I believe it was)

& the interviewer asked them if that infamous line in "do me"

(that I started this post with)

implied some sort of "s&m thing"

& 1 of the guys said something like

"no.. it's more like a 'love tap'.. we didn't say 'smack her up, beat her, put her in chains"

which really made me laugh the 1st time I read that..

Here's a couple of my favorites from the NE Crew...

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Loved this remix...

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I don't know which came first this or Janet's "State of the World" but either way, this is a dope groove.

Did anyone else like this instrumental remix of "If It Isn't Love" from the guys?

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What about that solo project by Rickey? Yikes...............

Graycap23 said:

What about that solo project by Ricky? Yikes...............

I have that but forgot about it. I don't remember what it sounded like. I probably only listened to it once or twice. I've never bought nor heard the later solo albums any of them put out and I never got into LSG because I don't like Keith Sweat other than 1 or 2 songs. The last Bobby I have is a remix album for the Bobby album, Ralph's It's Goin' Down, and Johnny's Provocative. I do have all 3 BBD albums though. I also have that Biv 10 compilation with ABC, Tam Rock and MC Brains. Tam Rock had the song I listened to the most and the Symphin remix by Boyz II Men. ABC had a diss track to Kris Kross. Most of the acts never came out with anything though. One of them (Yvette Nicole Brown) later became an actress

Recent Michael Bivins interview