Bad English (album)

Last updated

Bad English
Bad English (album).jpg
Studio album by
Released26 June 1989 (1989-06-26) [1]
Studio
Genre
Length62:10
Label Epic
Producer Richie Zito
Bad English chronology
Bad English
(1989)
Backlash
(1991)
Singles from Bad English
  1. "Forget Me Not"
    Released: 1989
  2. "When I See You Smile"
    Released: 30 August 1989 [2]
  3. "Price of Love"
    Released: 1989
  4. "Don't Walk Away"
    Released: 1989 (UK) [3]
  5. "Heaven Is a 4 Letter Word"
    Released: 1990
  6. "Possession"
    Released: 1990

Bad English is the debut studio album by British/American rock band Bad English. It was released in on 26 June 1989.

Contents

The album was a massive success, especially because of the No. 1 single "When I See You Smile". [4] That single was certified gold by the RIAA while the album was certified platinum. [2] Aside from that song, the album had two other top 40 hits, "Price of Love" and "Possession", which peaked at No. 5 and No. 21, respectively. [5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
LouderSound Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Rock Hard 8.5/10 [8]

The album received generally positive reviews.

RPM's reviewer David Spodek called it "an LP full of enough hard driving rock and roll and power chords to please any AOR MD" and named "Forget Me Not" as the best cut. [9] Rock Hard gave an extremely positive review, and considered it the "best AOR album of the past six months". [8] Pan-European magazine Music & Media found that the album full of "well-balanced, solid, melodic hard rock" and the "band seem to be at their best on the slower numbers where the quality of the hooks indicate that they could be the next big thing." [10]

AllMusic's Dan Heilman gave the album four stars, saying, "Amid some tailor-made power ballads lurks some decent hard rock." [6]

LouderSound writer Dave Everley gave the album four stars, explaining the rating with "Bad English marked the end of an era, but what a last hurrah it was". [7] Nonetheless, in 2016, "When I See You Smile" was ranked by LouderSound as the 10th-worst power ballad ever written. [11]

Musician reviewer J. D. Considine wrote simply: "Grammar is the least of their problems." [12]

"Best of What I Got" is featured during the credits to the 1989 film Tango & Cash .[ citation needed ]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Best of What I Got"4:40
2."Heaven Is a 4 Letter Word"
4:45
3."Possession"
5:08
4."Forget Me Not"
  • Waite
  • Cain
  • Spiro
4:58
5."When I See You Smile" Diane Warren 4:17
6."Tough Times Don't Last"
  • Cain
  • David Roberts
  • Waite
4:42
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Ghost in Your Heart"
4:46
2."Price of Love"
  • Waite
  • Cain
4:47
3."Ready When You Are"
4:20
4."Lay Down"
  • Waite
  • Schon
  • Cain
4:38
5."The Restless Ones"
  • Waite
  • Cain
  • Phillips
5:23
6."Rockin' Horse"
  • Schon
  • Waite
  • Cain
5:31
7."Don't Walk Away"4:30

Personnel

Bad English

Production

Charts

Chart (1989–1990)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [13] 12
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [14] 34
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [15] 95
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [16] 39
UK Albums (OCC) [17] 74
US Billboard 200 [18] 21

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [19] Gold50,000^
United States (RIAA) [20] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<i>New Jersey</i> (album) 1988 studio album by Bon Jovi

New Jersey is the fourth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on September 19, 1988, by Mercury Records. The album was produced by Bruce Fairbairn and recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The album was the follow-up to the band's third album, Slippery When Wet, and reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart in its second week of release after debuting at number eight. It remained at the top for four consecutive weeks and was Bon Jovi's last album to do so until Lost Highway (2007). The album was named after the birth state of Jon Bon Jovi, New Jersey.

<i>Escape</i> (Journey album) 1981 studio album by Journey

Escape is the seventh studio album by American rock band Journey, released on July 20, 1981, by Columbia Records. It topped the US Billboard 200 chart and featured four hit Billboard Hot 100 singles – "Don't Stop Believin'", "Who's Crying Now", "Still They Ride" and "Open Arms" – plus rock radio staple "Stone in Love". In July 2021, it was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry of America (RIAA) for at least ten million sales in the US, making it the band's most successful studio album and second most successful album overall behind Greatest Hits. Escape was the fifth-highest selling album of 1981, just behind Bella Donna from Stevie Nicks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bad English</span> American rock band

Bad English was an American/British hard rock supergroup formed in 1987. It reunited Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain with singer John Waite and bassist Ricky Phillips, his former bandmates in the Babys, along with Journey guitarist Neal Schon and drummer Deen Castronovo. The band is known for their hit single "When I See You Smile", which peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1989.

<i>Dr. Feelgood</i> (album) 1989 studio album by Mötley Crüe

Dr. Feelgood is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, released on August 28, 1989. Dr. Feelgood topped the Billboard 200 chart, making it the band's only album to claim this position. It was the first album Mötley Crüe recorded after their quest for sobriety and rehabilitation in 1989. In addition to being Mötley Crüe's best selling album, it is highly regarded by music critics and fans as the band's best studio album. This was also the band's last album to be recorded with lead singer Vince Neil until the 1997 album Generation Swine.

<i>Foot Loose & Fancy Free</i> 1977 studio album by Rod Stewart

Foot Loose & Fancy Free is the eighth studio album by Rod Stewart, released in November 1977 on Riva Records in the UK and Warner Bros in the US.

<i>Troublegum</i> 1994 studio album by Therapy?

Troublegum is the second major label album by the Northern Irish rock band Therapy? It was released on 7 February 1994 via A&M Records. The album features a more punk-oriented style compared to the likes of Stiff Little Fingers and the Undertones rather the band's previous noise rock-influenced works.

<i>Vivid</i> (Living Colour album) 1988 studio album by Living Colour

Vivid is the debut studio album by American rock band Living Colour, released on May 2, 1988, by Epic Records. It was one of the most popular albums of 1988, peaking at number six on the US Billboard 200 chart and being certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

<i>Charmed Life</i> (Billy Idol album) 1990 studio album by Billy Idol

Charmed Life is the fourth studio album by English rock singer Billy Idol, released on 30 April 1990 by Chrysalis Records.

<i>Adrenalize</i> 1992 studio album by Def Leppard

Adrenalize is the fifth studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 31 March 1992 through Mercury Records. It is the first album by the band recorded without guitarist Steve Clark, who died in 1991, although most songs were written and partially demoed before his death, they were re-recorded solo by Phil Collen in 1991-1992. It is the only album recorded by Def Leppard as a four-member band. Spawning seven singles, four of them – "Let's Get Rocked", "Make Love Like a Man", "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad", and "Stand Up " – were major hits.

<i>Journeyman</i> (album) 1989 studio album by Eric Clapton

Journeyman is the eleventh solo studio album by Eric Clapton. Heralded as a return to form for Clapton, who had struggled with alcohol addiction and recently found sobriety, the album has a 1980s electronic sound, but it also includes blues songs like "Before You Accuse Me", "Running on Faith", and "Hard Times." "Bad Love" was released as a single, reaching the No. 1 position on the Album Rock Chart in the United States, and being awarded a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance in 1990. "Pretending" had also reached the No. 1 position on the Album Rock Chart the previous year, remaining at the top for five weeks.

<i>No Protection</i> (Starship album) 1987 studio album by Starship

No Protection is the second studio album by American rock band Starship. It was released on July 6, 1987, by Grunt Records and RCA Records. The album featured the number-one single "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now", and the top-10 single "It's Not Over ", the former of which appears in the fantasy comedy film Mannequin and the latter of which was a tune originally performed the previous year by one-time Manfred Mann's Earth Band frontman Chris Thompson for the soundtrack to the film Playing for Keeps. Third single "Beat Patrol" was #46 on Billboard's Hot 100.

<i>Hard at Play</i> 1991 studio album by Huey Lewis and the News

Hard at Play is the sixth album by American rock band Huey Lewis and the News. It was released in 1991 on EMI for most of the world and Chrysalis in the UK. Hard at Play peaked at number 27 on the Billboard 200 pop albums chart and produced two top 40 singles, "Couple Days Off" and "It Hit Me Like a Hammer." Music videos were released for "It Hit Me like a Hammer," "Couple Days Off," and "He Don't Know."

<i>Reg Strikes Back</i> 1988 studio album by Elton John

Reg Strikes Back is the twenty-first studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1988. It was his self-proclaimed comeback album, and his own way of fighting back against bad press. The "Reg" in Reg Strikes Back refers to John's birth name, Reginald Kenneth Dwight.

<i>Run with the Pack</i> 1976 studio album by Bad Company

Run with the Pack is the third studio album by English supergroup Bad Company. It was released on 30 January 1976, by Island Records. The album was recorded in France using the Rolling Stones Mobile Truck in September 1975 with engineer Ron Nevison, and mixed in Los Angeles by Eddie Kramer. It was the only original Bad Company album without artwork from Hipgnosis, instead featuring artwork from Kosh.

<i>Foreign Affair</i> 1989 studio album by Tina Turner

Foreign Affair is the seventh solo studio album by Tina Turner, released on September 13, 1989, through Capitol Records. It was Turner's third album release after her massively successful comeback five years earlier with Private Dancer and her third and last album with the label. Although the album was not a major success in Turner's native United States, it was a huge international hit, especially in Europe. The album reached number one on the UK Albums Chart, her first number one album there. Dan Hartman produced most of the tracks on the album, including the hit single "The Best", which has gone on to become one of Turner's signature songs.

<i>The Dream of the Blue Turtles</i> 1985 studio album by Sting

The Dream of the Blue Turtles is the debut solo album by English musician Sting, released in June 1985. The album reached number three on the UK Albums Chart and number two on the US Billboard 200.

<i>Loud n Proud</i> 1973 studio album by Nazareth

Loud 'n' Proud is the fourth studio album by the Scottish hard rock band Nazareth, and their second to be released in 1973. The album was produced by Deep Purple's bassist Roger Glover.

<i>Backlash</i> (Bad English album) 1991 studio album by Bad English

Backlash is the second and final studio album by British/American rock band Bad English, released in 1991.

<i>Louder Than Words</i> (album) 1996 album by Lionel Richie

Louder Than Words is the fourth studio album by American singer Lionel Richie. It was released by Mercury Records on April 16, 1996, in the United States. The album marked Richie's debut with the record label as well as his first album of new material in 10 years after a longer hiatus during which he went through a much-publicized divorce from his first wife Brenda Harvey and the loss of his father and a close friend. Apart from chief producer James Anthony Carmichael, the singer worked with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Babyface and David Foster on Louder Than Words.

<i>The Scattering</i> (album) 1989 studio album by Cutting Crew

The Scattering is the second studio album by the English new wave rock band Cutting Crew. It was released on 16 May 1989 in Canada and the USA on Virgin Records, and on 7 August 1989 in the United Kingdom on Siren Records. Despite including the US Adult Contemporary chart hit "Everything But My Pride", it met with little commercial or critical success.

References

  1. Giles, Jeff (26 June 2015). "How Journey and Babys Alumni Rose and Fell in Bad English". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  3. "Bad English - Singles". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  4. Popoff, Martin (2014). The big book of hair metal : the illustrated oral history of heavy metal's debauched decade. Minneapolis, MN: Voyageur Press. p. 171. ISBN   978-1-62788-375-7. OCLC   891379313.
  5. "Bad English - Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  6. 1 2 Bad English - Bad English | Songs, Reviews, Credits , retrieved 16 July 2021
  7. 1 2 Everley, Dave (17 July 2017). "Bad English - album review". Classic Rock Magazine. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Bad English". Rock Hard Heavy-Metal-Magazin. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  9. Spodek, David (12 August 1989). "Review: Bad English – Bad English" (PDF). RPM . Vol. 50, no. 15. Toronto: RPM Music Publications Ltd. p. 8. ISSN   0315-5994. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022 via World Radio History.
  10. "Previews: Albums: Bad English – Bad English" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 6, no. 50. Amsterdam: European Music Report BV. 16 December 1989. p. 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024 via World Radio History.
  11. Johnson, Howard (19 November 2016). "The 10 worst power ballads ever written". Louder Sound. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  12. Considine, J.D. (September 1989). "Bad English". Musician .
  13. "Australiancharts.com – Bad English – Bad English". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  14. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6663". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  15. "Dutchcharts.nl – Bad English – Bad English" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  16. "Swedishcharts.com – Bad English – Bad English". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  17. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  18. "Bad English Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  19. "Canadian album certifications – Bad English – Bad English". Music Canada.
  20. "American album certifications – Bad English – Bad English". Recording Industry Association of America.