Street Talk
| Street Talk | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio albumby | ||||
| Released | April 1984 | |||
| Recorded | Record One(Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | AOR | |||
| Length | 39:20 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Steve Perry,Bruce Botnick | |||
| Steve Perrychronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [3] |
| The Village Voice | C[4] |
Street TalkisSteve Perry's first solo studio album, released in April 1984.
Street Talkcontains Perry's biggest hit as a solo artist, "Oh Sherrie",written for his then-girlfriend Sherrie Swafford.[5]The song hit #3 on theBillboardHot 100and #1 on Billboard's Rock chart, and the accompanying music video (also featuring Swafford) was a hit onMTV.Other singles included "Foolish Heart"(peaked at #18)," She's Mine "(peaked at #21), and" Strung Out "(peaked at #40).
There were a number of nods to Perry's pre-Journeyband Alien Project on this album—in fact, that band was originally going to be called Street Talk.[6]In theliner notes,Perry dedicates the album to Richard Michaels (the bassist for Alien Project). Also, drummerCraig Krampfwas a member of Alien Project later in the 1970s.
In addition to launching Perry's solo career, the cover photo forStreet Talkserved as a career launchpad for music photographerJohn Scarpati,who met Perry during the album's recording sessions at a studio in Sherman Oaks.[7]
Street Talkis certified as 2× Platinum (2,000,000) in sales by theRIAA.[8]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks written by Steve Perry with additional writers noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Oh Sherrie" | Bill Cuomo,Randy Goodrum,Craig Krampf | 3:48 |
| 2. | "I Believe" | Goodrum, Duane Hitchings, Krampf | 4:12 |
| 3. | "Go Away" | Cuomo, Goodrum | 4:05 |
| 4. | "Foolish Heart" | Goodrum | 3:39 |
| 5. | "It's Only Love" | Goodrum | 3:47 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "She's Mine" | Goodrum | 4:26 |
| 2. | "You Should Be Happy" | Goodrum | 3:20 |
| 3. | "Running Alone" | John Bettis, Hitchings, Krampf | 4:05 |
| 4. | "Captured by the Moment" | Cuomo, Goodrum | 3:47 |
| 5. | "Strung Out" | Krampf, Billy Steele | 3:51 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "My My My" ('Alien Project' demo) | Krampf, Richard Michaels Haddad, Steve DeLacey | 2:24 |
| 12. | "Harmony" ('Alien Project' demo) | 3:58 | |
| 13. | "Makes No Difference" ('Alien Project' demo) | Krampf, Haddad, DeLacey | 4:53 |
| 14. | "Don't Tell Me Why You're Leaving" (B-side toOh Sherrie) | Danny Kortchmar,Krampf | 3:13 |
| 15. | "If Only for the Moment, Girl" (Originally released onWe Are the World(1985)) | Goodrum | 4:09 |
Personnel
[edit]- Steve Perry – lead vocals, backing vocals (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10)
- Bill Cuomo – synthesizers (1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9), acoustic piano and synth bells (2), keyboards (3, 6), synth solo (3)
- Randy Goodrum–Rhodes(1-6, 9), drum programming (4), piano (15)
- Duane Hitchings – synthesizers (8)
- Steve Goldstein – keyboards (10)
- Sterling Smith – keyboards (10)
- Michael Landau– guitars (1-5, 7, 15), guitar solo (6, 9)
- Waddy Wachtel– guitar solo (1), rhythm guitar solo (5)
- Craig Hull – guitars (8, 10)
- Billy Steele – guitars (10)
- Bob Glaub– bass guitar (1-7, 9, 15)
- Chuck Domanico– string bass (3)
- Kevin McCormick – bass guitar (8)
- Bryan Garofalo – bass guitar (10)
- Larrie Londin– drums (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9), percussion (1, 2, 3, 7)
- Craig Krampf– drums (8, 10)
- John Robinson– drums (15)
- Robert Greenidge–steel piano(5)
- Paulinho da Costa– percussion (15)
- Steve Douglas– saxophone solo (2), tenor saxophone (6)
- Joel Peskin – saxophone (15)
Production
[edit]- Bruce Botnick – executive producer
- Steve Perry – producer, cover concept
- Niko Bolas– recording, mi xing
- Richard Bosworth – recording assistant, additional engineer
- Denny Densmore – recording assistant (10)
- Mike Reese – mastering at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California)
- Jim Welch – art direction
- John Scarpati– cover photography
- Herbie Herbert – personal management
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[9] | 79 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[10] | 11 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] | 63 |
| UK Albums(OCC)[12] | 59 |
| USBillboard200[13] | 12 |
Certifications
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[14] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[15] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
|
^Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
[edit]- ^Allmusic review
- ^Larkin, Colin(2006).Encyclopedia of Popular Music(4th ed.).Oxford University Press.p. 494.ISBN0195313739.
- ^DeCurtis, Anthony;Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly, eds. (1992).The Rolling Stone Album Guide(3rd ed.).Random House.p. 541.ISBN0679737294.
- ^Christgau, Robert(May 28, 1985)."Christgau's Consumer Guide".The Village Voice.New York.RetrievedApril 20,2016.
- ^Steve Perry talks about the recording of"Oh Sherrie"and Street Talk singles.
- ^Steve Perry discussesthe Alien Project story and Street Talk.
- ^Platania, Mike (30 September 2019)."Back in the spotlight: Retired rock photographer adds some shine to Short Pump side gig".Richmond BizSense.Retrieved30 September2019.
- ^"Recording Industry Association of America".RIAA. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-06-26.Retrieved2012-03-10.
- ^Kent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992(illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 232.ISBN0-646-11917-6.
- ^"Top RPM Albums: Issue 6785a".RPM.Library and Archives Canada.Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^"Offiziellecharts.de – Steve Perry – Street Talk"(in German).GfK Entertainment Charts.Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^"Official Albums Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^"Steve Perry Chart History (Billboard200) ".Billboard.Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^"Canadian album certifications – Steve Perry – Street Talk".Music Canada.
- ^"American album certifications – Steve Perry – Street Talk".Recording Industry Association of America.
- "Street Talk" (Liner Notes); Steve Perry CD, Columbia Records 1984.
