Representative Albums: "Bad English," "Bad English and Friends," "Backlash"
Representative Songs: "When I See You Smile," "Price of Love," "Possession"
Biography
Following Journey's temporary breakup in 1987, guitarist Neal Schon and keyboardist Jonathan Cain teamed up with Cain's former bandmates in the Babys -- vocalist John Waite and bassist Ricky Phillips -- to form Bad English. Drummer Deen Castronovo, who would later join Journey in the late '90s, completed the lineup. One of the last supergroups of the decade, Bad English made power ballads like there was no tomorrow -- and they did it better than most, due in part to Waite's strong vocals and Schon's creation of the power ballad prototype during his years with Journey. As the '80s gave way to the '90s, the group scored two huge hit singles -- "When I See You Smile" and "Price of Love" -- and watched its self-titled debut (released in 1989 by Epic Records) reach platinum certification. However, the band's follow-up album, Backlash, proved to be aptly titled as it experienced a backlash of massive proportions, failing to send any of its songs into the Top 40. The band called it quits soon after the album's release. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
The members decided on a name for the band while playing pool. John Waite missed a shot and Jonathan Cain made a comment on how bad his "english" was (referring to the spin a player puts on the cue ball) and the band decided to use the phrase.[1].
Jonathan Cain and guitarist Neal Schon, who had enjoyed enormous success in Journey, continued on to form Bad English with Waite after Journey disbanded[2]. The first album, eponymously titled, was a big seller with three hit singles, including the number one hit "When I See You Smile" written by Diane Warren, the top 10 hit "Price of Love," and "Possession." Another track from the debut album, the AOR song "Best of What I Got", was featured in the soundtrack to 1989's Tango and Cash[3].
The band's second album, 1991's "Backlash" came and went without any fanfare. The only single, "Straight To Your Heart," just missed the Top 40, peaking at #42. Ricky Phillips writes on his website that the group had parted company before the second album had been mixed. Both Phillips and guitarist Neal Schon expressed frustration with the "pop" side of the bands songs and wanted a harder edge. In the end, it proved to be the band's undoing as everyone left to pursue other projects.
In later interviews Waite revealed that although he loved playing to stadium-sized audiences, he was uncomfortable with the corporate rock image that he felt the band had presented and has been a solo artist ever since.
