We are in the year 2004 and Bon Jovi has now been around for 20 Years at this point. To celebrate their 20th Anniversary, they released a really cool box set of mostly unreleased tunes and a lot of little extras titled ‘100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong’. The Box Set is a collection of 50 songs spread over 4 CDs, 38 of which had never been released. The others were songs from soundtracks, remixes and/or B-Sides. This was a band dumping everything sitting by the wayside in to one set and I applaud them for that. Us diehard fans love this kind of stuff. And if that wasn’t enough, if you have the Japanese Edition, which i do, you get another CD of B-Sides and Japanese Bonus Tracks. That is another 10 songs.
This is a lot of music to absorb and we won’t be absorbing it all here. Nope. I’m going to go through each and every CD, track by track over 6 posts. We are now on the third disc which had a total of 13 tracks, 9 of which were previously unreleased. So let’s get started and dive into the music as that is why we are really here any way.
The third disc opens with one of the greatest Bon Jovi songs never to be released on an album. That song is “Edge of A Broken Heart” which was used for the soundtrack of the great comedy movie starring The Fat Boys called ‘Disorderlies’. The movie was from 1987 and was just terrible. However, the song is amazing. The song was written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child. It ended up as an outtake to the ‘Slippery When Wet’ then resurrected for the soundtrack. A fan favorite that the band knew needed to be on this box set. The song was too much like the big hits on the album so they pulled it and what a shame.
Next up is “Sympathy” which Jon and Richie during the ‘Keep the Faith’ sessions. According to the book in the box set, the recording studio where they were recording the album in Vancouver had a projector that was playing a Rolling Stones concert and it was plastered on the wall about 8 to 10 feet wide. They song became a homage to the band. At the end of the song is a little bit where Jon pokes fun at Tico Torres singing in a weird old school trying to rhyme anything with Tico. It is pretty funny. Richie helps out and it is quite funny.
The reason probably to have the little bit was the next song on the CD was sung by none other than Tico Torres himself. This demo was from 1994 and Jon felt Tico should sing it. The song is “Only in My Dreams” and Tico sings it in a very Tom Waits style with that deep, grit and almost even a Louis Armstrong style of singing too. This is the kind of stuff that makes this set great and this disc one of the more interesting of the bunch.
“Shut Up And Kiss Me” is a demo from 1997 and is actually performed JBJ & the Big Dogs though it was written by Jon, Richie & Desmond. I think Jon was demoing it for his next solo project. It is a little bluesy rocker with a hard and fast drum beat and you can tell it is a demo as there isn’t much to the production to it. There are some good bones there, but definitely unfinished. Doesn’t feel like a Bon Jovi song to me as it doesn’t have a big enough hook.
Next we have “Crazy Love” which was another demo for a Jon solo project. This one was written by Jon, Mark Hudson and Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics. This one is in the style of his ‘Destination Anywhere’ solo album and I find it to be a fantastic track. It has a great chorus, very catchy and a lot of Jon attitude. A fantastic track and one of my favorites on this disc.
“Lonely At The Top” is a remixed version of the song that was a B-Side on various singles from the ‘These Days’ album in 1995. Written by Jon and Richie, this is a great, slow grooving ballad. There is a darkness to it and a very somber sounding song which is better than the “love” type ballads. A little more heart to it I think. The song was inspired by the death of Kurt Cobain and was basically a letter to Kurt’s wife and daughter saying how sorry they were that his daughter didn’t get a chance to know her dad.
Next we get a B-Side to the international single for the song “Say It Isn’t So” from 2000. “Ordinary People” has that ‘Crush’ style to it and is credited to Jon as the writer. It isn’t a ballad, but it isn’t a rocker either. It feels like a depressing song, but it has a nice groove. The funny thing is the song is really has some optimism to the lyrics. The song was originally written for ‘These Days’ but felt like it sounded too much like everything else on the radio at the time so left it off.
“Flesh & Bone” was yet another track from ‘These Days’ and demoed in 1994. It was written by Jon, Richie and David Bryan. The reason they left it off the record was that it wasn’t representative of what they were dong for ‘These Days’, however, it is a killer song in its own right. Very bluesy and Richie does some great work on it. The chorus is the best part, very catchy and it rocks out. A great hook that leaves an impression. Another favorite of mine on this disc.
From 1999, we get a demo of the song “Satellite” written by Jon, Richie and Desmond. It didn’t make the ‘Crush’ album probably because it doesn’t really fit with that album sonically sounding wise. A slower song, that builds up to a big chorus. However, the song falls flat for me. There is nothing I like about it as I don’t care for Jon’s style on this one which is kind of depressing sounding. It is missing some real heart and soul, I don’t feel it.
Now we get to one of the coolest songs on the album, a Richie sung song. The song is “If I Can’t Have Your Love” and was leftover from his debut solo album, ‘Strangers In this Town’, from 1991. It is a piano ballad which was written by Richie, Desmond and Diane Warren. How it was left off the debut, I don’t understand as it is pure Richie brilliance. Richie pours his heart and soul in to the bluesy song and you are left thinking..Wow!!
Next we get another soundtrack song with “Real Life”. This is supposedly a remix of the version of the song that was on the EdTV soundtrack from 1999. It was a Jon and Desmond song and it was the last time Jon got to work with Bruce Fairbairn on a song as he died shortly thereafter. The song is a rocker and musically is fantastic. Jon sounds great and the song feels like a more modern day Bon Jovi song. It has that catchy chorus and hook that draws you in and a song that is hard to believe wasn’t on any album, it is that good.
David Bryan now gets his turn on vocals which now gives us every band member with a song. David is not only a great, underrated keyboardist for the band, he is also a great songwriter. One of his outside side projects was writing songs for a musical called ‘Memphis’. This was taken from that musical and is called “Memphis Lives in Me” and was written by David and playwright Joe DiPetro. Don’t expect it to sound like Bon Jovi because it doesn’t. Think more along the lines of Elton John and you get an idea how it feels and sounds. David does a fantastic job with this one and yet another favorite track on this disc.
The final track is “Too Much of A Good Thing” written by Jon, Richie and Richie Supa from 1999. Another ‘Crush’ demo I presume based on the date. It doesn’t sound like anything on ‘Crush’ so if it was for that, I get while it was left off. It is sloppy song with no real hook for me and doesn’t feel like they are even in to it. A very skippable track and not the best ending to what might be the best disc (or at least so far).
Track Listing:
- Edge of a Broken Heart – Keeper
- Sympathy – Keeper
- Only in My Dreams – Keeper
- Shut Up And Kiss Me – Keeper (1/2 Point)
- Crazy Love – Keeper
- Lonely At the Top – Keeper
- Ordinary People – Keeper (1/2 Point)
- Flesh And Bone – Keeper
- Satellite – Delete
- If I Can’t Have Your Love – Keeper
- Real Life – Keeper
- Memphis Lives in Me – Keeper
- Too Much Of A Good Thing – Delete
The Track Score is 10 out of 13 Tracks or 77%. For me, this is the most interesting disc so far. You get songs from all four current band members which I find to be very exciting. I had always wished Bon Jovi was more of a band and would have loved vocal contributions from some one other than Jon, but it was his band, we all know that now. The soundtrack songs on here all great, the B-Sides are great and the Tico, Richie and David songs are great. So, this disc is just Great!! My Overall Score is a 4.5 out of 5.0 Stars as it was Great, but it wasn’t perfect. This has always been the disc I have listened to the most and you should do the same!!
See you next week as we dive in to Disc 4.
NEXT UP: BON JOVI – ‘100,000,000 BON JOVI FANS CAN’T BE WRONG’ (2004) – (DISC 4 – PART 4 of 6) – BOX SET REVIEW
THE BON JOVI COLLECTION SERIES:
- Bon Jovi – The Albums Box Set (2017)
- Jon Bongiovi – The Power Station Sessions (1980-1983) (2001)
- Bon Jovi – Bon Jovi (1984)
- Bon Jovi – Shot Through the Heart: Live in Cleveland, OH March 17, 1984 FM Broadcast (Bootleg)
- Bon Jovi – “Burning For Love” – 12″ Single – Japanese Edition (1984)
- Bon Jovi – 7800° Fahrenheit (1985)
- Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet (1986)
- Bon Jovi – “Borderline” – 12″ Single – Japanese Edition (1986)
- Bon Jovi – New Jersey (1988)
- Bon Jovi – New Jersey: Super Deluxe Edition – Disc 2/DVD (1988)
- Bon Jovi – “I’ll Be There For You” – Cassette Single (1988)
- Jon Bon Jovi – Blaze of Glory (1990)
- Jon Bon Jovi – “Blaze of Glory” – Cassette Single (1990)
- Richie Sambora – Stranger in this Town (1991)
- Bon Jovi – Keep the Faith (1992)
- Bon Jovi – “Keep the Faith” – CD Maxi Single (1992)
- Bon Jovi – “I Believe” – 7″ Single (1992)
- Bon Jovi – Cross Road (1994)
- Bon Jovi – “Please Come Home for Christmas” – CD Single (1994)
- Bon Jovi – These Days (1995)
- Bon Jovi – Live From London – DVD (1995)
- Jon Bon Jovi – Destination Anywhere (1997)
- Richie Sambora – Undiscovered Soul (1998)
- Bon Jovi – Crush (2000)
- Bon Jovi – Live From Osaka E.P. (2000)
- Bon Jovi – “Thank You For Loving Me” – CD Single (2000)
- Bon Jovi – The Crush Tour – DVD (2000)
- Bon Jovi – The Love Songs E.P. (Promo) (2001)
- Bon Jovi – Tokyo Road: Best of Bon Jovi (2001)
- Bon Jovi – One Wild Night Live: 1985-2001 (2001)
- Bon Jovi – Bounce (2002)
- Bon Jovi – Unauthorized: Rock ‘n Roll Legends – Bootleg DVD (2002)
- Bon Jovi – Target E.P. (2003)
- Bon Jovi – This Left Feels Right (2003)
- Bon Jovi – Wild in the Streets: Unauthorized – Bootleg DVD (2003)
- Bon Jovi – This Left Feels Right – DVD (2004)
- Bon Jovi – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (Part 1) – (2004)
- Bon Jovi – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (Disc 1, Part 2) – (2004)
- Bon Jovi – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (Disc 2, Part 3) – (2004)
- Bon Jovi – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (Disc 3, Part 4) – (2004)
- Bon Jovi – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (Disc 4, Part 5) – (2004)
- Bon Jovi – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (Disc 5 & 6, Part 6) – (2004)
- Bon Jovi – Have a Nice Day (2005)
- Bon Jovi – Live from the Have a Nice Day Tour (Walmart Exclusive) (2006)
- Bon Jovi – Lost Highway (2007)
- Bon Jovi – Lost Highway: The Concert (2007)
- Bon Jovi – The Circle (2009)
- Bon Jovi – When We Were Beautiful Documentary DVD (2009)
- Bon Jovi – Live at Madison Square Garden – DVD (2009)
- Bon Jovi – Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Collection (2009)
- Bon Jovi – Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Video Collection – DVD (2010)
- Bon Jovi – Inside Out – DVD (2012)
- Richie Sambora – Aftermath of the Lowdown (2012)
- Bon Jovi – What About Now (2013)
- Bon Jovi – Live E.P. (RSD – 2013)
- Bon Jovi – Live 2 E.P. (RSD – 2014)
- Bon Jovi – Burning Bridges (2015)
- Bon Jovi – This House is Not For Sale (2016)
- Bon Jovi – This House is Not For Sale – Live From the London Palladium (2016)
- Bon Jovi – The Albums Box Set – The Extra LP (2017)
- RSO – Radio Free America (2018)
- Bon Jovi – 2020 (2020)
- Bon Jovi – 40th Anniversary Box Set (TBA – I Hope it is out by the time we get here)
We’ve reviewed a bunch of pieces already over the years and won’t review again. They are as follows:
- Bon Jovi – The Brotherhood Tour Book (1988-1990)
- Bon Jovi – Bon Jovi Tour 2011 – Tourbook
- Bon Jovi – The Rock History – Bootleg CD
- Bon Jovi – “You Give Love A Bad Name” – 12″ Single
- Bon Jovi – “You Give Love a Bad Name” – 7″ Single
- Bon Jovi – Red Hot & 2 Parts Live E.P. – 12″ Single
- Bon Jovi – “Wanted Dead or Alive” – 7″ Single
- Bon Jovi – “Bad Medicine” – 7″ Single
- Bon Jovi – “Born to Be My Baby” – 7″ Single
- Bon Jovi – “I’ll Be There For You” – 7″ Single
- Bon Jovi – “Lay Your Hands on Me” – 7″ Single
- Bon Jovi – “Living in Sin” – 7″ Single
2 Loud 2 Old Music 
Wow, so there’s even tracks from Riches solo album that are on here. Real Life I heard that track as I had read they were getting the old production team together back for a record but then Fairbairn passed. Good score % wise on tracks that didn’t make the albums.
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You’re right, each disc is an improvement from the last one. I really love Ritchie’s guitar solo on “Flesh and Bone.”
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Sounds like they had some gold sitting around in their music vault. I hadn’t heard Edge Of A Broken Heart before, that is a banger of a song. I bet Vixen and Richard Marx are happy that Bon Jovi didn’t release it.
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I liked when Bon Jovi let the other guys sing. Even Tico had a lead vocal on Crazy. I hate to say it but Tico is a better singer than Jon now….
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Listening to it again, I would have thought Edge Of A Broken Heart was recorded during the 7800 sessions. This would have fit in well there. It’s the closest thing they have to a Springsteen song if you ask me.
I like Tico’s vocals in Only In My Dreams, Same with Richie in If I Can’t Have Your Love.
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I’ll be scratching my head for the rest of my life wondering why “If I Can’t Have Your Love” was left off Richie’s first solo album! That track is simply perfection!
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