By the fall of 1989, the New Kids on the Block were so huge that their holiday album Merry, Merry Christmas catapulted into the Top Ten upon its release, reaching double-platinum status not long afterward.
That's the sure sign of teen-idol stardom reaching the supernova point -- when a special-interest album becomes a multi-platinum blockbuster.
Maurice Starr, the boys' producer and Svengali, probably knew that he had a seasonal hit on his hands, given the sales of Hangin' Tough, but to his credit, he and NKOTB didn't turn out a piece of pure product with Merry, Merry Christmas.
Yes, it does suffer from silliness and dated production, but that is part and parcel with any teen-pop release.
What counts is the energetic, goofy performances, which are genuinely spirited even when the songs are as ridiculous as "Funky, Funky Xmas." It's the kind of record that will appeal to any hardcore NKOTB fan, or any kitsch-loving pop culture maven.
But even those irony-drenched hipsters will have to admit that "This One's for the Children" is a genuinely strong holiday song that deserved to be the Top Ten hit that it was.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | This One's for the ChildrenMaurice Starr | New Kids on the Block | Play | 03:58 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 2 | Last Night I Saw Santa ClausAl Lancellotti, Maurice Starr | New Kids on the Block | Play | 03:31 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 3 | I'll Be Missin You Come Christmas (A Letter to Santa)Kenny Nolan, Maurice Starr | New Kids on the Block | Play | 05:06 | 11 MB | 31 MB |
| 4 | I Still Believe in Santa ClausAl Lancellotti, Maurice Starr | New Kids on the Block | Play | 03:24 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 5 | Merry, Merry ChristmasAl Lancellotti, Maurice Starr | New Kids on the Block | Play | 04:08 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 6 | The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)Mel Tormé, Robert Wells | New Kids on the Block | Play | 04:18 | 9 MB | 25 MB |
| 7 | Funky, Funky, XmasMaurice Starr, Donnie Wahlberg | New Kids on the Block | Play | 05:06 | 11 MB | 30 MB |
| 8 | White ChristmasIrving Berlin | New Kids on the Block | Play | 03:40 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 9 | Little Drummer BoyHarry Simeone | New Kids on the Block | Play | 04:14 | 9 MB | 25 MB |
| 10 | This One's for the Children (Reprise)Maurice Starr | New Kids on the Block | Play | 01:12 | 2 MB | 6 MB |
| 38 mins | 88 MB | |||||
| 38 mins | 233 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Opal Adams | Musical Director |
| 2 | Irving Berlin | Composer |
| 3 | Rev. John Borden | Vocals (Background) |
| 4 | Sidney Burton | Engineer, Mixing |
| 5 | Jack Edwards | Adaptation |
| 6 | Bob Felsenstein | Design |
| 7 | Winston Johnson | Associate Producer, Engineer |
| 8 | Michael Jonzun | Producer |
| 9 | Jonathan Knight | Group Member, Vocals |
| 10 | Jordan Knight | Group Member, Rap, Vocals |
| 11 | Al Lancellotti | Associate Producer, Composer |
| 12 | Joseph McIntyre | Group Member, Rap, Vocals |
| 13 | Greg McPherson | Vocals (Background) |
| 14 | Richard Mendelson | Engineer |
| 15 | Morning Star Baptsit Church Choir | Vocals (Background) |
| 16 | New Kids on the Block | Engineer, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals (Background) |
| 17 | Kenny Nolan | Composer, Producer |
| 18 | Leo Okeke | Engineer |
| 19 | Bonnie Schiffman | Photography |
| 20 | Dick Scott | Executive Producer, Management |
| 21 | Harry Simeone | Composer |
| 22 | Maurice Starr | Arranger, Composer, Engineer, Instrumentation, Mixing, Producer, Programming |
| 23 | Mikarl D. Thomas, Sr. | Conductor |
| 24 | Mel Tormé | Composer |
| 25 | Voices of Innocence | Vocals (Background) |
| 26 | Donnie Wahlberg | Composer, Group Member, Producer, Rap, Vocals |
| 27 | Robert Wells | Composer |
| 28 | Danny Wood | Group Member, Producer, Rap, Vocals |
| 29 | Peter Work | Producer |
New Kids On The Block
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |