"Soul Of A Man" by The Storm

The Storm is an AOR supergroup formed in 1991 by former members of Journey, Santana, and Kevin Chalfant, the lead singer for 707. Chalfant also took the helm for Steel Breeze in 1984 and the modern AOR outfit Two Fires. Things got off to a promising start with the minor hit "I've Got A Lot To Learn About Love," which cruised to #26 in 1992. But the band could not crack the Top 100 again with other singles from their debut self-titled record.

The band completed a follow-up album in 1993 called "Eye Of The Storm" (see what they did there?) but it languished as their label moved into rap and hip-hop. Another label allowed it to see the light of day in 1995, but by then everyone had forgotten about AOR, much less The Storm.

"Eye Of The Storm" is a worthy follow-up to its predecessor, with many songs besting their debut. If you miss the glory days of that Journey sound, you're sure to like "Soul Of A Man" and the other offerings the band produced.

"I Believe" by Steve Perry

Taking Journey to new heights in the 80s, the majestic voice of Steve Perry helped define the decade. He released his first solo record, "Street Talk," in 1984, two years after hitting #17 in a duet with Kenny Loggins, "Don't Fight It."

"Street Talk" gave Perry his only top 10 hit as a solo artist: "Oh Sherrie" reached #3. Follow-up singles also did well, including "She's Mine" (#21), "Strung Out" (#40), and "Foolish Heart" (#18). After leaving Journey in 1987, Perry waited until 1994 to release his second solo effort, "For The Love of Strange Medicine." It produced his final top 40 appearance when "You Better Wait" peaked at #29. Perry's slick AOR sound no longer seemed suited to radio at the time.

Perry then took a long break from music but made a surprising return in 2018 with a new album, "Traces." None of the singles charted, but "Traces" gave Perry his first top 10 record, reaching #6.

"I Believe" is a cool throwback to the Motown sound that is often overlooked on "Street Talk."

"Stone In Love" by Journey

The legendary melodic rock band from San Francisco, Journey, began as an experimental outfit. Their first three records in the 70s contain overly long jams that sound like an entirely different band. The band didn't see chart success until the magical voice and melodic sensibilities of Steve Perry joined in 1978.

With Steve Perry onboard and scoring their first chart hit, "Wheel In The Sky" (#57), Journey began their trek to superstardom. They racked up so many hits in the 80s, they became the 20th most successful artist of the decade. Despite being known all over the world, they've never had a #1 hit. "Open Arms" is the closest they've come, sitting at #2 for six weeks in 1982.

Guitarist Neal Schon is the only founding member still in the band today (longtime member and keyboardist Jonathan Cain, who played in The Babys before Journey, came onboard in 1981). Schon and Cain were also involved in the side band Bad English in the late 80s. Another fun fact: American Idol judge Randy Jackson was in the band from 1986-1987.

"Stone In Love" is a well-known tune from their 1981 album, "Escape," but it never charted. "Escape" was a game changer for the band, yielding not only "Open Arms," but also "Who's Crying Now" (#4, and their first top ten hit), "Don't Stop Believin'" (#9, and saw a huge resurgence thanks to its use in the finale of The Sopranos), and "Still They Ride" (#19).

"Back Into You" by Sammy Hagar

Sammy Hagar's career starts way back in 1973 when he became the lead singer for Montrose. He went solo in 1976 and released several albums before and after his time in Van Halen. Along the way, he also recorded as part of a supergroup called Hagar, Schon (Journey), Aaronson (Stories), and Shrieve (Santana) in 1984.

In 1987, as his tenure with Van Halen started to take off into the stratosphere, Hagar released "I Never Said Goodbye," his ninth solo effort. The album's name derives from an MTV contest. It yielded hits like "Give To Live" (#23) and "Eagles Fly" (#82). "Back Into You" is another terrific AOR track that I thought would have performed well. His then buddy Eddie Van Halen even played bass and sang backing vocals on the record.

Some extra trivia - what was Hagar's best chart performance as a solo artist? That was in 1982, when "Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy" hit #13. Perhaps his better known classic, "I Can't Drive 55," went to #26 in 1984.

"Straight To Your Heart" by Bad English

Bad English is a reunion of sorts for the classic rock outfit, The Babys, who we recently featured earlier this week. The lineup features lead singer John Waite, keyboardist Jonathan Cain (Journey), and bassist Ricky Phillips, all who played on the Babys album, "On The Edge". Rounding out Bad English were guitarist Neil Schon (Journey) and drummer Deen Castronovo (who would later join Cain and Schon in a Steve Perry-less Journey).

Their self-titled debut album was a big success, spawning the #1 smash, "When I See You Smile", and several other hits. The follow-up record was plagued by internal grumblings that the band's sound was gravitating too close to the "pop" end of the spectrum, away from the "rock" end. The band broke up before mixing of the record was complete, pretty much sealing the record's fate.

"Backlash" was the 1991 sophomore effort from supergroup Bad English.

Nevertheless, "Backlash" reached #72 on the Billboard Top 200 and its lone single almost cracked the top 40 (stalling at #42). It is one of the stronger cuts off this inconsistent album, arguably one of the catchiest rockers the band composed.

"Postcard" by The Babys

Despite a handful of minor hits in the late 70s, classic rock outfit The Babys remains generally underrated. The band "gave birth" to several notable careers in melodic rock:  lead singer John Waite had a solid solo career in the 80s and keyboardist extraordinaire Jonathan Cain (who joined the band in 1979) took to Journey. Those two plus another former member of The Babys, bassist Ricky Phillips, would hit the charts in a big way once again as Bad English in the late 80s.

The Babys released 5 studio albums in their hey day, with "On The Edge" being their last. The album marked a shift from classic rock to melodic rock more fitting to the emerging 80s sound.

"On The Edge" was released in 1980 and went to #71 on the Billboard Top 200.

"On The Edge" only generated one charting single, "Turn And Walk Away", which went to #42. Seems a fitting epitaph for the band, which broke up after this release. An unnoticed cut from this album that I thought deserved better is "Postcard" - check it out.