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New England's debut is an excellent album which should have been much more successful. "Hello, Hello, Hello" is a good intro to the album and to the band's sound. Then comes the soaring "Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya". This song should have gone all the way to #1, taking the group to stardom by itself. The vocals are good, but the guitar, synthesizer, bass and drums are perfect. It deserves to be on any list of the greatest rock songs ever. "P.U.N.K." is the most different from the others, with a New Wave sound more like a cross between the Vapors and the Cars. Many of the other songs have a similar style, strong on both keyboards and guitar. Band comparisons are always tricky, but I would say the closest match would be Styx. There is really no filler on the album, from the dreamy "Shall I Run Away", through the driving, upbeat, "Alone Tonight", to the grand epic "Nothing to Fear". "Shoot" rocks the hardest and fastest, while "Turn out the Lights" is powerful and elegant, with a guitar lead which cuts through in a way reminiscent of the earlier "Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya". The Last Picture Show" is about the life of rock musicians, and almost lends a concept to the album, as if it represents the flow of the night of a concert. "Encore" sounds like E.L.O., with a hint of "A Day in the Life" thrown in.
I bought the cassette of this years ago, for "Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya", and was pleased with the whole album. I even remember seeing a video of the song in the primordial days before MTV. It took me a long time to find it on cd, and I thought it was the only work the band ever put out. Now there have been more studio, live and collections released, so I see I have some treasure hunting to do....
I could throw favorable adjectives and adverbs at this album for quite a while, but in summary it is a lost gem full of melodic, enjoyable songs, and you should give it a spin.