WHITE-LABEL PROMO, with promo text on label and back cover. HYPE-STICKER on front. Vinyl plays nicely (play-graded). Cover looks great; a few creases near edges; light-scuffing and surface impressions (front/back). Inner-sleeve is original (generic white). Spine is mostly easy-to-read (text is crooked) with mild-wear. Minor shelf-wear along top/bottom-edge and corners. Opening is crisp with signs of light use. (Not a cut-out.)
Face the Music, by New Kids on the Block, debuted at No. 37 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, with first-week sales of 27,000 copies. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album had sold 138,000 copies in the U.S. as of 2008. In 1993, after about two years out of the limelight, the New Kids went back into the studio and began recording their fourth studio album (sixth overall), before splitting up a year later. By this point, due to a strong backlash and allegations of lip-synching, the group pushed for a more mature image and song selection that would appeal to fans. In addition, they had outgrown the "New Kids" name: Joey McIntyre was 21, Jordan Knight was 23, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood were 24, and Jonathan Knight was 25 years old. Knight, Wahlberg, and Wood fought for creative input and control, as most of their material was previously rejected by producer Maurice Starr in favor of his own compositions. Having been dogged with an "uncool" stigma that they faced previously, the boys decided to sever their ties with Starr who had been instrumental in their early success. At the request of Columbia Records, they shortened their name to the more mature-sounding NKOTB. Instead of the bubblegum, teen pop sound that established the New Kids in the pop industry, Face the Music had a more mature R&B and New jack swing sound to it. Dirty Dawg did fairly well on the charts, but a Canadian station (MuchMusic) banned the music video due to its suggested violence and misogynistic themes. Although not a major commercial success, the critical reception was positive, and a cross-country tour was in the works. However, NKOTB only could find bookings at nightclubs and theaters, a far cry from the arenas and stadiums they had been accustomed to playing in while in their peak years. During the tour, Jonathan Knight dropped out of the band due to increased panic attacks and anxiety, and the fact that their fanbase had grown up moved on to grunge and gangsta rap, the rest of the group decided to cancel the rest of the tour.