17/06/2014 10:38
Some albums can’t go two years without some kind of re-mix, re-master, re-issue with demos, studio outtakes and anything else they can come up with to market it. I wonder how many different versions of Dark Side Of The Moon there must be...
It recently dawned on me that this month marks the 25th anniversary of the release of the self-titled Bad English album – which just happens to be the first album I ever bought.
Now, I have a feeling that literally no one, anywhere, including guys that were in this band would bother to acknowledge this anniversary so I thought, “Hey, if no one else will do it, I will!" So I’m going to say happy anniversary to an album that meant, and still means, a lot to me.
In these days of streaming music services, YouTube, downloads and smart phones we probably have a billion songs we could listen to at any given moment. Add to that the fact that practically anyone can cheaply record and release their own music and we’re guaranteed that there is no shortage of music around!
Back in 1989, I was 8 years old and obviously none of that stuff existed yet. There was just radio and record stores – and being 8 I had no money so couldn’t really buy anything anyway. So there was a time when my music collection basically consisted of a couple of cassette tapes.
This meant that you would spend a lot of time with one album. You'd get to the end of the album, and since there wasn't another billion songs to choose from so....You'd play it again, then again…and again. You'd also read the liner notes from front to back and then from back to front. In general, the more scarce something is the more people value it. So, because music was more scarce, more expensive and required more investment than today - every album you bought really meant something to you.
I think I could not listen to this album for 20 years and then still be able to air-drum every fill and sing every word. I’ve listened to a LOT of music in the years since, but I doubt I’ve come close to listening to any other album as much as this one.
For a time, these 13 songs were probably half my entire musical universe.
BAD ENGLISH 101
For those thinking, "Who the hell are Bad English?", here's the short version...
Three of these guys played together in a band called The Babys in the 70s. After they broke up in the early 80s keyboardist Jonathan Cain joined Journey and almost immediately co-wrote Don’t Stop Believin’, Stone In Love, Open Arms and other hits. Singer John Waite started a solo career and had big hit of his own in 1984 with Missing You.
Fast-forward to 1988 and Journey is on indefinite hiatus and John Waite feels like he wants to be in a band again. The three ex-Babys reunite, Jonathan Cain brings Neal Schon along from Journey, they added drummer Deen Castronovo and Bad English is born. A kind of 80s 'supergroup'.
These guys are best known for their No. 1, Diane Warren penned hit, “When I See You Smile” – otherwise known as the first single I ever bought. Anyone else remember “cassingles”? (Note: I just had to tell my computer's autocorrect that yes; ‘cassingles’ is indeed a legitimate word).
Their second album (although one I rate highly) disappeared with little fanfare. Musical differences and a changing musical landscape led to them going their separate ways. At the end of the day these guys lasted 2 albums and about 3 years.. John Waite went back to his solo career and put out a couple of amazing albums in the 90s, Temple Bar and When You Were Mine [note: both these albums are KILLER] Jonathan, and Neal went back to Journey and Deen eventually joined them. They are 3/5 of the current Journey lineup, while Ricky Philips is currently playing bass with Styx.
Bad English are probably not remembered as being very ‘cool’ and perhaps as a one hit wonder, but I love this album I have great memories entwined with every moment of music here. I remember the cassette player I had. I remember getting a VHS of the music videos for my birthday and trying to learn a couple of the songs. I remember watching music videos every Saturday morning and recording interviews and countdowns off the radio. They were my first single, my first album and even my first VHS tape.
Ladies and Gentlemen...My first ever “favourite band”.
I’m going to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Bad English self-titled album by going through and looking at each track. I’m just going to start writing and we'll see what happens!
1. Best of What I Got
(J. Waite/J. Cain/N. Schon)
What a great way to open an album. Love this track! It’s got a great big, bombastic bluesy intro and lots of great Neal Schon moments. There’s no shortage of 80s synth on display here and it has a great vocal. The rhythm section starts off with a bang and remains bulletproof for the remainder of the record. When asked about what the finest album of his career was, Ricky Philips told Rock United “I would have to say the first Bad English record as an overall collective band performance. Deen and I are locked track for track and everybody else is super”. Couldn't have said it better myself.
Also, any song that plays during the closing credits of the Sylvester Stallone/Kurt Russel movie Tango & Cash has got to be good, right?
2. Heaven Is A 4 letter word
(N. Schon/J. Cain/J. Waite/M. Spiro)
So, what exactly is the 4-letter word? Well...I suppose we can guess. When I See You Smile was the first single I ever bought and this was my second. It was also the first time I’d bought something that I’d never heard before. I got it simply based on how much I loved the other single. Going to a record store in those days was like going to Disneyland for me, I can still picture the layout of the old local record stores and exactly which shelf I picked this one up from (on the left as you walk in, bottom shelf - in case anyone's wondering...)
I like the riff and guitar solo and it’s got a pretty good sing-along chorus – the highlight for me is the breakdown into the solo, then back into the riff. Awesome! It's a pretty good song overall. This would have been a great live track.
3. Possession
(J. Waite/J. Cain/R. Phillips)
The first of the ballads and what a KILLER song. 10/10 track. These guys certainly knew their way around a ballad. Great song, melodies, chorus, arrangement, guitar solo and vocal. They put it all together here. I Iove the drum fill coming out of the breakdown into the chorus. Actually, this is an all-round brilliant air-drumming song. Try it out yourself....Just great stuff.
I can also clearly remember a few comments from John Waite appearing before they played Possession on American Top 40 with Shadoe Stevens (remember that dude?) that I taped off the radio.
I grew up in Australia - so checking out the American Top 40 was a good chance to hear some different music that wasn't in regular rotation at home...but I had to stay up late to listen to it.
4. Forget Me Not
(J. Waite/J. Cain/M. Spiro)
When I was 8 or 9, the intro to this song was the coolest thing I’d ever heard on a bass. Pretty badass intro all around. The band is on firing on all cylinders here.
Since I'm amongst friends and being honest here, I can reveal that there was a time I really wanted a suit just like the one Ricky Philips was wearing in this video. Yep…that happened. Don’t think it would have suited my 9-year-old self, but whatever!
It’s a very cool song, a little darker and heavier here. I’d say it’s an album highlight for sure. In a liketotally80s interview John Waite revealed this about the track, “Forget Me Not was based on the Anne Rice books, the vampire trilogies, and it was written about that, but a lot of people weren’t hip to that at that point.”
He’s got me there. I certainly wasn’t hip to that point I have to say.
5. When I See You Smile
(D. Warren)
Five songs in and we hit the big, hit single and the song you’re most likely to remember. It’s just a straight up good song. These guys can play…and they play what the song calls for. Everyone lays down the perfect part to support the star of the show here, which is John Waite’s vocal.
In case you haven’t realized yet, I love his voice! I think he has such great phrasing and a sincerity that elevates a song like this above many other 80s power ballads. I could happily listen to him sing a pizza menu. To add another layer of personal engagement and memories here - my wife and I danced to this song the day we were married. Also I have to shout out a very short but excellent Neal Schon guitar solo here. I love a guitar solo that makes the song better and this one does the business.
This is one of two songs here the band didn’t write. When I was a kid seemingly every third song in existence had Diane Warren’s name in the credits and I was fascinated by her. Same with Desmond Child...I was like "Who ARE these people!?" "Why are their names on every album I buy?".
I used to sometimes pick up a new album and think "Well...at least I know track 6 is going to be good", just because their names were on it.
Diane Warren might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but she does what she does very well. I’m struggling to think of too many more commercially successful songwriters over the past three decades. Actually, this song was knocked out of the No. 1 spot by Milli Vanilli's Blame It On The Rain, a track also written by Warren, making her the first female songwriter to have back to back No. 1 hits. Job well done Diane! It really is a very good song.
6. Tough Times Don't Last
(J. Cain/D. Roberts/J. Waite)
Getting back into rock mode here. Love the intro, it actually reminds me a of Van Halen’s big 1991 hit, Right Now, even though it pre-dates it by a couple of years. The band is rocking; the chorus and melodies are great and it has a nice, big guitar solo. I love the arrangement of the verse - the pumping 8th note bass line, arpeggiated guitar chords echoed by the keyboards.
This is a quality track. Other highlights include the aforementioned intro, the awesome little bass slide going into the first verse (seriously, check it out) and all of John Waite’s killer ad-libs at the end. Some of John Waite's best work seems to be during the fade out of tracks. Another big winner.
7. Ghost in Your Heart
(J. Waite/M. Page/J. Cain)
After Tough Times Don’t Last, I’d turn over the cassette and this song would be halfway through. It was extra work to hear the beginning of this song...and, quite frankly, I was lazy most of the time and just let it play. Who else remembers these kinds of life problems?
However, on days I wasn't so lazy - I was rewarded with that killer, eerie sounding intro and I always liked those reverb-filled drum overdubs throughout the track. Also, check out those bass melodies in the second half of the breakdown after the solo. Kinda sounds like he's playing a fretless there. Really good song all round.
8. Price of Love
(J. Waite/J. Cain)
Well, if you’re thinking that Bad English were a one hit wonder, then you’d technically be wrong because this track managed to reach No. 5. Another ballad – as most hit songs seemed to be back then, this time one they wrote themselves.
I think this is a brilliant song, but there’s something about it that just doesn’t seem as shiny or polished as When I See You Smile is. I'm not really sold on the sound of the snare drum here. Not sure if it was detuned for this song - but it sounds different from the rest of the album. I think it was remixed for the single version - because the video below sounds different to the album.
I remember the video very clearly, and I’m sure if my life depended on it I could probably still re-enact most of it…that’s how much time I spent glued to this stuff. Another great guitar solo....let's face it: they all are.
I've heard rumours that they originally shot another video for this song that was so overproduced and cheesy, that they hated it and instead went with this much more subdued video. I would LOVE to see that original video if it did ever exist!
Just a fantastic song and, like many of these the fade outs are a highlight. John and Neal always killing it in the fade outs!
9. Ready When You Are
(J. Cain/J. Waite/N. Schon/T. Cerney)
Okay, if I'm being honest, this was the one song I was never crazy about, and if pressed, I’d probably still rank it last. But - we've just had 8 (!) great songs in a row. You can't win them all.
It’s not necessarily a bad song - it's alright - but doesn’t have anything overly special that compels me to come back to it. It’s 80s party rock. I should mention that I always loved the drum intro though.
This song was a staple in their set at the time...and the live versions I've heard do have a good energy.
10. Lay Down
(J. Waite/N. Schon/J. Cain)
This was the Heaven Is a 4 Letter Word B-side on that cassingle I mentioned earlier and it has yet another cool intro. This, and Ready When You Are were always my least favourites, but I preferred this of the two. It’s got a great solo and, just like the last track they played it a lot and it sounded better live. You can check that out below.
11. The Restless Ones
(J. Waite/J. Cain/R. Phillips)
Ahhh...The Restless Ones...If you were starting to think this record had all all the best songs loaded at the front and was now fading away, fear not; they pull it back together for these last three tracks.
This is a GREAT track. The 'hidden gem' if you will. We're back in 10/10 territory here - one of my favourites here for sure. Another example of everyone doing what they do best and playing exactly what fits the song. JW’s vocals in the last minute or so are simply killer. I love the last line: “You’re the restless one/And that’s all we’ll ever be” which is sung along with yet another perfect drum fill. It's amazing.
It just caps off an awesome track from start to finish. Beautiful, perfect song. Really, this is John Waite's finest album as a singer - he just sounds so great on every song.
12. Rockin' Horse
(N. Schon/J. Waite/J. Cain)
Another one of my favourite tracks. In case anyone needed any more proof that these guys can PLAY, here it exhibit A. Probably the best riff on the album. This was the When I See You Smile B-Side, so was the second Bad English song I ever heard. It’s another track that would have been great live – and indeed sounds great on the bootlegs I’ve heard. Great riff, bass line and vocal – they’re firing on all cylinders here.
My favourite drum fill of the album is the one at the beginning of this song. It’s nothing really technical or elaborate…just pure awesomeness.
Also, if you've never done so - do yourself a favour and just focus on how cool the bass line is throughout the verse. It is so killer.
13. Don't Walk Away
(A. Hill/P. Sinfield)
This is the other song that was written by outside writers (Andy Hill & Peter Sinfield - these guys wrote songs for Bucks Fizz, Celine Dion and many others) and it’s just a beautiful song.
Deen sets it up with a great groove, the keys lay down a lovely blanket that just fits perfectly around everything and it’s good to hear Neal play some clean electric guitar for a change here. The production and arrangement is fantastic, but it’s the vocal that really makes this song. JW nails this vocal.
I do wish it went a little longer before the fadeout. I feel like I don’t get enough of that cool background vocal part that comes in at the end, not to mention it sounds like Neal was playing some really great stuff here. Wouldn’t it be a great, nerdy experience to get your hands on the multitrack tapes of something like this and listen to things like that? Another example of epic fade-outs.
Rob Smith wrote a wonderful column in PopDose a few years ago where he quite lovingly breaks down the seemingly nonsensical lyrics to this song. It’s well worth a read if you have time.
I’m not the biggest lyric guy in the world, but I’ll admit that even I had pondered how “There’s nothing in tomorrow that wasn’t there in yesterday” actually made sense. On the other hand, perhaps the mystery is what helps make it so compelling. I don't really need lyrics that make literal sense. A beautiful melody well delivered.
So there you have it....
There you have it. I honestly can’t think of a musical fantasy of greater interest to me than a Bad English reunion album and tour.
It would like discovering a ‘lost’ Beatle recording for some people. It will never actually happen though. John Waite has made it clear again and again that he has no interest in it.
Most recently having this to say on the subject he told Metal Sludge, “I think it’s garbage. I mean, I hate to say it, but I listen to Journey and think, ‘Jesus Christ, that is just wrong.’ That’s why there will never be a Bad English reunion, It’s for super white people listening to super white music. Fuck that. I’d rather shoot myself."
Hmmmm....so, how about Jonathan Cain? Surely he'd be more open to the idea...
"No way. That is not going to happen ever."
Well there you have it, between "That is not going to happen ever." and "I'd rather shoot myself", there's very little reason for hope.
Not to mention there’s hardly any great groundswell of interest in getting these guys back together. I once thought that if I ever became obscenely rich and could afford completely ridiculous, eccentric purchases that I would pay these guys whatever they want and fund a new album, tour and live DVD.
There’s been a bootleg going around for years labeled as Bad English: The Lost Tapes. I don’t know if it’s ever been confirmed as to how much, if any, of this is actually Bad English and how much of it is John Waite solo demos. It sure sounds like Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain on a few of them at least.
Regardless of who the band is, there’s one song on that bootleg called “Pretty Lies” that has to be one of the best never-properly-recorded/non-released songs ever. Check it out below...
John Waite, if you ever read this…PLEASE re-record this song. Put it on a solo album, release it as a single…or you could even just sing it to me over the phone. Any of these will do.
When you stop and think about it like this you realize there’s so much more to music than just the notes and songs. I want to share this album with you, yet I know if you listen to it you will hear the music but will never really feel what I feel when I hear it. That doesn’t stop us music fans trying though, does it?
I love this album. It marks the beginning of building knowledge of music , the beginning of my music collection and even the beginning of my marriage. This record is like a little time machine back to a time when I knew nothing whatsoever about music except that I loved it.
Somewhere in amongst these tunes I hear the sound of a kid knows exactly what he wants to do with the rest of his life.
Happy 25th anniversary Bad English.
Dylan Ryche
Bad English/Bad English - Stream Bad English on your preferred service here.
2017 UPDATE!!
I opened this blog post back in 2014 lamenting the lack of reissue of this great album....and I'm happy to report that Rock Candy Records have come to the rescue (I'm also going to pretend that I had an influence in making it happen...you're welcome).
Here's the official description:
"Digitally remastered edition of the multi-platinum selling debut from this sensational supergroup featuring members of Journey and the Babys. Includes 16 page full color booklet with 4,000 word essay, enhanced artwork with previously unseen photos and a new interview."
The new master is very good - I wouldn't say better than the original - but it's fun to hear a new spin on something that you love. There are two remixes here also. One for Price of Love and one for Forget Me Not - I presume that these were different mixes for the original singles although I can't find any information on who remixed them, where and when. If you know, let me know.
The booklet with extended liner notes and photos is great - I enjoyed hearing Jon Cain and Ricky Phillips share some memories of this time. There was at least one mistake - where it mentions "Straight To Your Heart" as being the fifth single form the record (it was on 1991's Backlash) but I can let that slide as overall it's a very nicely laid out booklet and I definitely enjoyed reading the new liner notes and listening to the new master the same way I did as a kid almost 30 years ago.
Also geek alert - I love the hype sticker on the front of the CD - I think that looks so cool - and, honestly, it made me feel really happy knowing someone else cares enough to create something new that's Bad English-related . Thanks Rock Candy :)
You can order the new remastered CD from Amazon here.
Note: I've moved this post to a new website platform and unfortunately could not save and transfer over the many wonderful comments left here. Hopefully we'll get some new ones :)