Changes were on the horizon for New Edition. They had become enormously successful by aping the Jackson 5, but were undergoing internal trauma as original member Bobby Brown bolted amid rumors of dissatisfaction with the group's direction. Under the Blue Moon featured their covers of '50s and '60s standards and was among early examples of the retro trend now so prominent in urban contemporary camps. While they didn't do this type of material nearly as well as the Force M.D.'s, they at least brought fresh attention to such songs as "Earth Angel" and "Tears on My Pillow." ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
New Edition (Main Performer), Shanice (Vocals (Background)), Bill Derrn (Producer), Charles Fearing (Guitar), Ed Greene (Drums), Abraham Laboriel (Bass), Tony Maiden (Guitar), Freddie Perren (Synthesizer), Freddie Perren (Producer), Gabe Veltri (Engineer), Crystal Wilson (Vocals (Background)), Anthony Gourdine (Vocals (Background)), Ric Jr. Wyatt (Synthesizer), Ric Jr. Wyatt (Producer)
Under the Blue Moon is a tribute album released by R&B group New Edition on the MCA label on October 10, 1986 (see 1986 in music). Their fourth album and third with MCA and first album after New Edition member Bobby Brown was voted out of the group, the group was going through a transitional phase during this period. It is the their only album as a quartet. The album peaked at #43 on the Billboard 200 in the week of February 7, 1987, and at #18 on the BillboardHip hop/R&B Album Charts.
According to the group members in a recent documentary[citation needed], a reason why New Edition released so many albums between 1984's New Edition and this album, after selling over two million records of New Edition, they discovered they were not signed to MCA the label per se, but to a production company named Jump-Shoot Productions, which also had inked a deal with MCA. Shelving money they earned from touring, they often went back in the studio to renege their deal with Jump-Shoot and eventually re-signed with MCA.
Release and reaction
The album went gold based on the airplay of their cover of the seminal 1950s hit, "Earth Angel", which was featured off the soundtrack of the first sequel to The Karate Kid. In the video, the boys pursue a hard-to-get woman, who has no idea that the boys singing to her and trying in vain to get her attention are actually New Edition until she catches them signing autographs for female seekers and finds out too late as the band heads back on their limo. This would be the group's final album while negotiating with MCA, with which they would later re-sign with.
