Tag: johnwaite

[The Greatest Rock Albums of the 80s] BAD ENGLISH – Bad English

bad-english-bad-english

BAD ENGLISH

Released: June 26, 1989
Genre: Glam Rock / Hard Rock
Duration: 62:10
Label: Epic
Producer(s): Richie Zito
Certified: Platinum (RIAA)

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OVERVIEW

The supergroup Bad English rose from the ashes of Journey and The Babys. Despite their short-lived career which spawned only two studio albums, keyboardist Jonathan Cain, guitarist Neal Schon, vocalist John Waite, bassist Ricky Phillips and drummer Deen Castronovo deserve a praise for crafting a debut album that not only wrapped up the 80s in quite the fashionable way but also left behind a series of great tunes that still lift our rock spirits!

The debut, self-titled album of Bad English offers a refreshing and quite fantastic, if I may say, mixture of ballads and rockers. The band adopted a simpler, more accessible pop sound, rather than going for the loud hard rock approach. However the quality, flexibly and diversity of this melodic rock bliss resulted in a substantial airplay and a considerable commotion in the last year of the 80s. The ballads of “Bad English” are shining much brighter than the other tracks, though. “When I See You Smile” is a power-ballad staple and a number 1 hit. It’s also the song that made them famous and established them as pioneers of such type of songs. Fans see nothing wrong with that as “When I See You Smile” is nothing but a sweet and quite catchy romantic song with pretty memorable keyboard intro. Kudos to Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Diane Warren for writing it! The other thrilling ballads from the record, “Ghost in Your Heart”, “Possession” and “Price of Love” further cemented their position as a band that just knows how to deliver touching but fairly heated slower tunes. The striking rocker “Best of What I Got” is an absolute personal favorite due to my immense love for the movie “Tango & Cash” (1989). The tune was featured in the soundtrack and became the reason why I got to meet Bad English for the first time when I was a kid (I still have the video cassette). Very underrated rock song despite possessing such an electrifying aura; it’s one of those tracks that can immediately fix my rainy days. “Heaven is a 4 Letter Word” is another catchy, rather hot AOR hit, leaving a lasting aftertaste.  

I honestly cannot say a bad (English) word about this album (see what I did, there hehe). This pop/rock assembly has so much energy in it that there’s no way you wouldn’t enjoy it. The guys are incredible songwriters and John’s vocals fit perfectly into the whole picture. If you love melodic hard-rock, this is the album for you.

 

Tracklist:

“Best of What I Got”
“Heaven is a 4 Letter Word”
“Possession”
“Forget Me Not”
“When I See You Smile”
“Tough Times Don’t Last”
“Ghost In Your Heart”
“Piece of Love”
“Ready When You Are”
“Lay Down”
“The Restless Ones”
“Rockin’ Horse”
“Don’t Walk Away”

Best of What I Got

(From “Tango & Cash”, 1989)

Heaven is a 4 Letter Word

Forget Me Not

When I See You Smile

Ghost In Your Heart

References:
“Bad English (album)” Official Wikipedia Page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_English_(album)
P.S. I don’t own any audio or visual material used in this publication. All the rights and credits go to the owners and/publishers.
The publication expresses my personal opinion and in no way is trying to make a generalized statement. Please be kind and considerate when you read and/or comment.
Cheers~
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10 Classic Rock Songs about Missing Someone

Missing someone can be the worst feeling in the world – life becomes so difficult when there’s someone out there who cannot be with you right now for one reason or another. Missing someone is basically your heart telling you that you truly love this person and wish you could be together at this moment and forever… It is just so painful to have someone in your heart but not have them in your arms! Being is such state can trigger overwhelming feelings of sadness and emotional stress and can affect pretty much every aspect of your life. Needless to say, not being able to physically and emotionally connect with the person you feel you should be with can be mentally agonizing. However, sometimes out of suffering and unimaginable pain, the most beautiful and touching works of art have emerged. A lot of people choose to overcome their agony by writing a poem, drawing a picture or…making a song.

These days, I’ve been thinking a lot about a certain someone who, sadly, I cannot see or be with at this moment. I’m not going to tell you my life story, but the point is that my heart is reaching for someone who is just not here to reach back…and it hurts like hell…But what can we do in such situation? We smile and act like nothing’s wrong – but only we, ourselves know what our hearts truly long and cry for…

Loneliness, broken heart, physical or any kind of distance between two people has been a popular song theme for as long as we can remember. Sometimes, those songs that explore the matter of missing someone can be a very good way to overcome the pain, obtain some strength or just realize your true feelings towards another person… Since this is a blog dedicated to classic rock music, I thought about preparing a little playlist that deals with the topic of how missing someone special has been portrayed in some of the most beautiful rock songs from a few decades ago.
I think that the majority of people may be familiar with the awful feeling of wanting to be with someone who is so far away. I apologize if the following songs bring some sadness or other painful emotions or memories to you, however I thought that something positive might come out of it…After all, life goes on and things change. Songs are a good way to remind ourselves of the long and scary road we once walked…
Regardless, I hope you guys enjoy the songs…It’s a personal selection and deep feelings aside – they are awesome classics!

Listen to PART 2 –

10 Classic Rock Songs about Missing Someone [PART 2]

 

 

Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)

How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We’re just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have we found?
The same old fears.
Wish you were here.


John Waite – Missing You (1984)

You don’t know
How desperate I’ve become
And it looks like I’m losing this fight
In your world
I have no meaning
Though I’m trying hard
to understand
And it’s my heart that’s breaking
Down this long distance line tonight

Scorpions – Still Loving You (1984)

The things that killed our love
Your pride has built a wall, so strong
That I can’t get through
Is there really no chance
To start once again
I’m loving you

 

Journey – Faithfully (1983)

And being apart
Ain’t easy on this love affair
Two strangers learn to fall in love again
I get the joy of rediscovering you
Oh, girl, you stand by me
I’m forever yours
Faithfully

 

Electric Light Orchestra – Turn to Stone (1977)

The dancing shadows on the wall THE TWO-STEP IN THE HALL
are all I see since you’ve been gone TURNING TURNING TURNING
Through all I sit here and I wait I TURN TO STONE I TURN TO STONE
You will return again some day TO MY BLUE WORLD

 

The Rolling Stones – Miss You (1978)

Well, I’ve been haunted in my sleep
You’ve been staring in my dreams
Lord I miss you.
I’ve been waiting in the hall
Been waiting on your cal…

Aerosmith – I don’t Wanna Miss a Thing (1998)

‘Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream would never do
I’d still miss you, baby
And I don’t wanna miss a thing…

 

Kiss – Beth (1976)

You say you feel so empty
That our house just ain’t a home
And I’m always somewhere else
And you’re always there alone

 

Def Leppard – Miss You in a Heartbeat (1992)

I believe, that there’s something deep inside
That shouldn’t be from time to time.
I sure found out, thought love was such a crime
The more you care, the more you fall
No need to worry, no need to turn away
‘Cause it don’t matter, anyway …

Steve Perry – Missing You (1994)

Still I remember
Things I never meant
Memories surround me
Won’t let me forget
I was so wrong
The secret’s not worth keeping
I had no faith
That you would still believe

 

+BONUS track ~

Eric Clapton – Miss You (1986)

You know I’ve come this far without you;
It won’t be too hard to be alone.
I’ve got choices all around me,
So I won’t be spending too much time at home.
Girl, I’m gonna miss you.
I’m gonna miss you, baby.
I can’t forgive you,
Still I’m gonna miss you, baby.

Credits:
Lyrics, retrieved from http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics
P.S. I don’t own any audio or visual material used in this publication. All the rights and credits go to the owners and/publishers.
The publication expresses my personal opinion and in no way is trying to make a generalized statement. Please be kind and considerate when you read and/or comment.
Cheers~