Bad English's self-titled debut was released in 1989. The band combined the forces of Journey members Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain with ex-Babys lead vocalist John Waite, who was best known for his 1984 hit, "Missing You." Spawning three hit singles as well as several tracks that made the rounds on album-oriented rock radio, the album was a big hit at a time when hard rock and especially power ballads were in vogue. However, like many "supergroups", such as Asia and Damn Yankees, they peaked with their debut album and their subsequent album would lead to their inevitable breakup.

Bad English has a very big production reminiscent of the era and the material presented is strong throughout. The #1 hit "When I See You Smile", with its instantly recognizable keyboard line, is one of the best power ballads of the era, and also one of many written by songwriter extraordinare Diane Warren. The power ballads "Price of Love" and "Possession" were also big hits and are nearly as memorable as "When I You See Smile." The lesser known AOR hits include the solid melodic hard rockers "Forget Me Not", "Heaven Is a 4 Letter Word", and "Best of What I Got." The remaining songs, while not nearly as memorable, are still very good, whether it's the hard rock of "Lay Down" and "Rockin' Horse", the pop-rock of "Tough Times Don't Last" and "The Restless Ones", or the closing ballad "Don't Walk Away." After this album, the band's next album Backlash was met with just that as their sound was falling out of favor to the grunge movement and gangsta rap. However, the band really put it together here and fans of good melodic hard rock will enjoy this.