Bad English

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