And..."Hangin' Tough" is without a doubt,probably,the best
boy band album EVER(excluding maybe,New Edition or BBD).
New Kids On The Block were as processed and hated on as the
boy bands of today(they were basically a white washed New Edition) but in my opinion they are far better than Backstreet
Boys and N'Sync.They had great teenybop pop songs!

I still remember the dance steps from the "(You Got) The Right Stuff" video and I still know all the words to this album's title track too!

Oh,man,I know I may laughed big time folks but I mean the late
'80s and the early-to-mid '90s have so many memories and me being
a music fanatic,the music brings back the memories.Hope you understand!

Plus,you have to admit the teen stars of then are way more talented and groomed than the pesky teenyboppers of today!


A DISGRACE TO POP MUSIC! NO STARS   November 28, 1999
6 out of 19 found this review helpful

ANY BODY WHO PLAYS THIS KINDOF MUSIC BETTER HANG TOUG


NKOTB suck   June 14, 2004
Barbara Streisands Love Slave (MI)
6 out of 19 found this review helpful

If these guys never existed, the Backstreet Boys and N'sync would of never existed. Wouldn't that of been great?

Avoid at all costs.


Lots of bad recordings, with a few good exceptions.   February 18, 2005
D. Mok (Los Angeles, CA)
6 out of 10 found this review helpful

It's too trendy to slam New Kids on the Block. Not one member of the group has managed to survive the fallout of this, the ultimate image-reliant boy group, and just by virtue of being so massively popular, NKOTB were destined to be loved by some and hated by just as many.

There's a truism about these teen groups past and present -- you can't say they don't work for it. NKOTB's music may have been soulless productions churned out by faceless songwriters and producers, but they did have a kind of charm, as boringly wholesome their image was. And while some of the songs on here are ear infestations of the worst kind, there are one or two guilty pleasures here that still count as good singles. Jordan Knight's perverse, hyper-irritating falsetto on "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)" sounded bad in 1989 and even worse now, and "Hangin' Tough" is so hilariously bad in its attempted machismo (distorted guitars!) that it far outraces anything Meat Loaf has ever done for comedic value. As a joke, I tried listening to "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)" two weeks ago when I got the song unintentionally as part of a "Love Songs" compilation I'd bought, but it was just too painful to the ear, albeit gut-rippingly hilarious for its cheese content.

But there are better tracks: "Cover Girl" has a certain cheesy charm, with its airy "oh-oh" vocalizations, and "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" is actually pretty darn catchy. If I remember correctly, the video for this song actually came up against Paula Abdul's "Straight Up", Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" and Bobby Brown's "Every Little Step" at the MTV Music Video Awards that year! And of course, there's a 13-year-old Joey McIntyre trying to channel Jackson Five-era Michael Jackson on "Please Don't Go Girl". Of course he doesn't come close, but you gotta give him marks for trying, and his singing isn't that bad, really -- at least he didn't try too hard like Jordan Knight did.

Like it or not, though, this group was indeed a cultural phenomenon, and even if you don't like the music, it's representative of its time. Somewhere in this glossy, studio, svengali pop is a little piece of something that sent teenage girls all over North America into a swoon. For that, this record has historical significance, even though I have a hard time imagining anybody actually playing this record anymore. If you think you might enjoy listening to some of NKOTB's music, though, you might want to pick up the Greatest Hits CD instead -- it contains all the hits from Hangin' Tough, plus two more interesting singles in "Step by Step" (remember that ridiculous "Step One!!! Step Two!!!" middle section?) and "Tonight". Whatever tracks Hangin' Tough contains that aren't on Greatest Hits, you're not likely to miss them.


HANGIN TOUGH is one of the best cd's ever made!!   April 4, 1999
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Whoever doesn't like NKOTB is crazy!! Myfriends and I still have NKOTB nights where all we do is listen to their cd's and watch all of the videos. Hangin Tough is my personal favorite. PLEASE DONT GO GIRL is sooo awesome.My dream isfor Joe to remake that song. I'm so happy that Joe and Jordan are back and as great as they can be. Donnie and Danny also for helping with Joe's album. Forever a nkotb fan, ns.