Street Talk
1984 studio album by Steve Perry
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Street Talk is Steve Perry's first solo studio album, released on April 5, 1984.[5]
| Street Talk | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 5, 1984 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | AOR | |||
| Length | 39:20 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Steve Perry chronology | ||||
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| 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.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]
Street Talk is certified as 2× Platinum (2,000,000) in sales by the RIAA.[9]
Track listing
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 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
- Steve Perry – vocals, backing vocals (1–3, 5, 7, 9, 10)
- Bill Cuomo – synthesizers (1, 4, 5, 7–9), acoustic piano (2), synth bells (2), keyboards (3, 6), synth solo (3)
- Randy Goodrum – Rhodes (1–6, 9), drum programming (4), acoustic 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 (1–3, 5–7, 9), percussion (1–3, 7)
- Craig Krampf – drums (8, 10)
- John Robinson – drums (15)
- Robert Greenidge – steelpan (5)
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion (15)
- Steve Douglas – saxophone solo (2), tenor saxophone (6)
- Joel Peskin – saxophone (15)
Production
- 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
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[10] | 79 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[11] | 11 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] | 63 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[13] | 59 |
| US Billboard 200[14] | 12 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[15] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[16] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||