Street Talk is Steve Perry's first solo studio album, released in April 1984.
| Street Talk | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 1984 | |||
| Recorded | Record One (Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | AOR | |||
| Length | 39:20 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Steve Perry, Bruce Botnick | |||
| Steve Perry chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [3] |
| The Village Voice | C[4] |
Street Talk contains Perry's biggest hit as a solo artist, "Oh Sherrie", written for his then-girlfriend Sherrie Swafford.[5] The song hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on Billboard's Rock chart, and the accompanying music video (also featuring Swafford) was a hit on MTV. 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-Journey band Alien Project on this album—in fact, that band was originally going to be called Street Talk.[6] In the liner notes, Perry dedicates the album to Richard Michaels (the bassist for Alien Project). Also, drummer Craig Krampf was a member of Alien Project later in the 1970s.
In addition to launching Perry's solo career, the cover photo for Street Talk served as a career launchpad for music photographer John Scarpati, who met Perry during the album's recording sessions at a studio in Sherman Oaks.[7]
Street Talk is certified as 2× Platinum (2,000,000) in sales by the RIAA.[8]
Track listing
editAll 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 to Oh Sherrie) | Danny Kortchmar, Krampf | 3:13 |
| 15. | "If Only for the Moment, Girl" (Originally released on We 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, mixing
- 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 |
| US Billboard 200[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. ISBN 0195313739.
- ^ DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly, eds. (1992). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. p. 541. ISBN 0679737294.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (May 28, 1985). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- ^ Steve Perry talks about the recording of "Oh Sherrie" and Street Talk singles.
- ^ Steve Perry discusses the 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. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. Archived from the original on 2007-06-26. Retrieved 2012-03-10.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 232. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "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 (Billboard 200)". 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.