Bad English were a supergroup when the phrase actually meant something. Their million-dollar line-up featured members of The Babys (bassist Ricky Phillips and singer John Waite, the latter a solo star in his own right), Journey (guitarist Neal Schon) and a keyboard player (Jonathan Cain) who played with both.
What could possibly go wrong? Nothing apart from timing, it turned out. Their self-titled debut album arrived in 1989, moments before the melodic rock ship was beached by the tidal wave of changing musical tastes. Its two monster hits, When I See You Smile and The Price Of Love, were perfectly pitched late-80s ballads, marshmallow-soft hankie-wavers. But it was when Bad English – and especially Schon – cranked things up that they were most effective.
The hard-edged Rockin’ Horse belies its kids’-toy title, while the Anne Rice-inspired Gothic AOR of Forget Me Not remains one of the towering tunes of the era (for aficionados, this reissue adds two unreleased but inessential remixes).
What happened next is scrawled in the history books: grunge came and everything changed. There were still great AOR albums and bands to come, but not one had the success of the old days. Bad English marked the end of an era, but what a last hurrah it was.
Every week, Album of the Week Club listens to and discusses the album in question, votes on how good it is, and publishes our findings, with the aim of giving people reliable reviews and the wider rock community the chance to contribute.
“The superb musicianship of all involved (notably Journey guitarist Neal Schon) fits the vocals of John Waite like a glove, and the songwriting isn’t
too shabby either. Opener Best Of What I Got sets the tone for an album of catchy, polished AOR – anthemic and rocking for the most part, but with a few power ballads thrown in for good measure.” (Record Collector)
“Epic Records might have pushed Bad English’s power ballad side a little too hard, a major disservice to an otherwise fine record. The heavy rock of Lay Down demonstrated the band was much harder than the soft and sensitive radio hits might have led listeners to believe, while Tough Times Don’t Last and Ready When You Are are driving rockers that have aged quite nicely as well.” (The Recoup)
“When everything meshes, as on Heaven Is A Four Letter Word, a thumping rock song, perfect for Waite’s earnest, mannered vocals, the band’s talent, individually and collectively, shines through. Producer Richie Zito is not a big fan of light and shade and too often trowels on the polish, suffocating the song, but standout track, Forget Me Not, a twanging, fiercely passionate love song, knows no such limits, and for once (or twice) Waite’s vocals and lyrics break through genre conventions.