No More Games/The Remix Album
No More Games The Remix Album | ||||
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Remix album by | ||||
Released | November 15, 1990 | |||
Recorded | 1987 – May 1990 | |||
Genre | Pop, dance-pop, R&B, house, hip hop, new jack swing, Reggae | |||
Length | 67:37 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | David Cole, Robert Clivillés | |||
New Kids on the Block chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Sputnik Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B[3] |
No More Games: The Remix Album is a remix album from pop group New Kids on the Block. It peaked at #19 on the U.S. Billboard 200.
Synopsis
By early 1991, the ever-shifting status of musical trends had begun to take its toll on the enormous popularity of the New Kids on the Block. Only two years before, the group had taken the U.S. (and the world) by storm with its seminal second release, Hangin' Tough. In June 1990, the album Step by Step would spawn the group's most successful single, the title track. After the final single from the album, "Let's Try It Again," failed to crack the top forty, a seeming backlash had become evident.
Sensing this, group member Donnie Wahlberg led the group in coordinating this remix album, which fused the "harder" elements of hip-hop and urban dance into the New Kids' sound, resulting in No More Games/The Remix Album — with a significant portion of the album remixed by Robert Clivilles and David Cole (of C+C Music Factory fame). Also employed was a marketing tactic to release the album under the 'NKOTB' acronym. Since the youngest group member was now eighteen years old, and the rest were in their early twenties, they had arguably grown out of the New 'Kids' On The Block moniker that they rose to fame with. More significantly, it was an attempt to dissociate from the stigma that was attached to that name.
The album opens up with "Games (The New Kids Get Hard Mix)," a track co-written by Donnie Wahlberg, that originally appeared on the Step by Step album. Employing hip-hop samples, jazz riffs sung by Jordan Knight, and defensive rhymes by Wahlberg, "Games" was a dramatic departure from their previously clean cut sound. The song received decent airplay from stations nationwide, but was not a major hit on the charts.
The album's second single, "Call It What You Want" is a house remix track, again produced by Clivilles/Cole, featuring an intro rap from Freedom Williams. The song was another that received decent (though not enthusiastic) airplay in North America during the spring months of 1991, and could be considered the "last hurrah" in terms of singles from the group's initial run. The single peaked at #12 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Baby I Believe In You" was released as a third single in Germany, but did not chart.
Although No More Games/The Remix Album was certified Gold in the U.S., the album did not restore the group's former success. Their popularity had waned by the time of the album's release, as the pre-teens who had liked them at their peak were the same audience who would become part of "Generation X", embracing the forthcoming grunge and gangsta rap sounds that ended the dominance of late 80s/early 90s dance/pop.[4]
Track listing
- "Games [The Kids Get Hard Mix]" (Donnie Wahlberg/Maurice Starr)
- "Call It What You Want [The C&C Pump-It Mix]" (Starr)
- "Please Don't Go Girl" (Starr)
- "Cover Girl" (Starr)
- "Baby, I Believe In You [The Love Mix]" (Starr)
- "Hangin' Tough [In a Funky Way]" (Starr)
- "Step by Step [The C&C Vocal Club Mix]" (Starr)
- "My Favorite Girl" (Donnie Wahlberg/Jordan Knight/Starr)
- "Valentine Girl [The C&C Quiet Storm Mix]" (Starr)
- "The Right Stuff [The New Kids in the House Mix]" (Starr)
- "Whatcha Gonna Do (About It)" (Starr)
- "Never Gonna Fall In Love Again [The C&C Music Factory Mix]" (Danny Wood/Donnie Wahlberg/Michael Jonzun/Taharqa Aleem/Starr)
- "Toasties" [Japan Bonus Track] (Maurice Starr/Al Lancellotti)
- Lead vocals by Joey McIntyre (Japan Bonus Track)
Singles
- Call It What You Want (The C&C Pump-It Mix) UK #12 May 21, 1991 [1]
- Games (The Kids Get Hard Mix) U.S. #69 U.K. #14 July 1, 1991 [2]
- Baby, I Believe In You October 22, 1991 [3] (released in Germany but didn't chart)
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Austria (IFPI Austria)[20] | Gold | 25,000* |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[21] | Gold | 100,000* |
Canada (Music Canada)[22] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[23] | Gold | 32,457[23] |
Japan (RIAJ)[24] | Gold | 100,000^ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[25] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[26] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ "No More Games: The Remix Album". AllMusic. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
- ^ B., Pedro (June 1, 2005). "New Kids on the Block - No More Games - The Remix Album". Sputnik Music. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
- ^ Tannenbaum, Rob (January 11, 1991). "No More Games/The Remix Album". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
- ^ Pryweller, Joseph (March 29, 1991). "Teen Girls Keep Up With Kids". Daily Press. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – New Kids on the Block – No More Games - The Remix Album". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – New Kids on the Block – No More Games - The Remix Album" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1416". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – New Kids on the Block – No More Games - The Remix Album" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 263. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – New Kids on the Block – No More Games - The Remix Album" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ "Tonlist Top 10". DV. Retrieved 2017-07-16.
- ^ "Irish Charts". Irish Charts. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
- ^ Okamoto, Satoshi (2006). Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "Charts.nz – New Kids on the Block – No More Games - The Remix Album". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – New Kids on the Block – No More Games - The Remix Album". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ "New Kids on the Block | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ "New Kids on the Block Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ "Year-end Charts – Billboard 200 – 1991". Billboard. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
- ^ "Austrian album certifications – New Kids on the Block – No More Games" (in German). IFPI Austria.
- ^ "Brazilian album certifications – New Kids on the Block – No More Games: The Remix Album" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – New Kids on the Block – No More Games". Music Canada.
- ^ a b "New Kids on the Block" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
- ^ "Japanese album certifications – ニュー・キッズ・オン・ザ・ブロック – No More Games" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 1991年5月 on the drop-down menu
- ^ "Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1991–1995". Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano.
- ^ "American album certifications – New Kids on the Block – No More Games/The Remix Album". Recording Industry Association of America.