Tag: Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi – ‘Live E.P.’ – 10″ Picture Disc (Record Store Day 2013) – Album Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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Back in 2013, Bon Jovi jumped on board the Record Store Day Bandwagon. On April 20, 2013, we get the first of 2 Live E.P. Picture Discs from the band. The first one is called simply ‘Live’ and is a 10″, 33 1/3 RPM, Picture Disc. It contains four live tracks, all previously released in some form or fashion.

The opening track, “Livin’ On A Prayer” was recorded at Madison Square Garden on either July 14/15 of 2008 and was released on the video ‘Live at Madison Square Garden’ in 2009. The song starts off with Jon singing “Livin’ on a Prayer a cappella and the crowd finishes it the chorus. The full band joins in and they show why they are a great live band. 

The second track is a personal favorite, “Blood on Blood” and this one was recorded at the Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey around May 2010. The song was released on the live album (and video) ‘Inside Out’. It feels untouched as you can here the little wobbles and cracks in Jon’s voice like a good live show should have. The song might not have the same grit live as it does on the studio version, but they do put their all in to it.

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Bon Jovi – ‘What About Now’ (2013) – Album Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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We are now to the band’s twelfth studio album and the last one to feature original guitarists, Richie Sambora. The album came out on March 8, 2013 in Australia and March 12, 2013 in the U.S. where it was the third straight Bon Jovi album to go #1, fifth overall. The album has gone on to sell over 200,000 copies in the U.S., but their biggest success is still overseas where the album has sold over 1.5 million copies. Crazy numbers to me for a band that was well past their prime…at least that is my opinion…I guess a lot of people might disagree with those numbers.

The band at this point is unchanged with Jon Bon Jovi, Tico Torres, David Bryan and Richie Sambora, but don’t forget Hugh McDonald on bass who hasn’t yet been promoted to full fledged member which I find strange. But that changes eventually. And sadly, at the helm is still John Shanks who has turned the band in to a predictable, paint-by-numbers band that has lost all creativity and imagination. There is no painting outside the lines on this album. You’ve heard it all before. They have turned into a band that tries to be positive and encouraging in their lyrics in a world that is much darker. It feels forced and is presented in a way that might seem bright and fun, but it is boring and a wonderful cure for insomnia. Am I being too harsh? We will see…

“Because We Can” opens with some gang vocals spouting positive affirmations that is bouncy, bright and full of sunshine. And about as exciting as a root canal. And sadly, it is one of the better songs on the album. It is fun, catchy and has a great hook…but holy crap how many times do we need the same song that has been on every album of this millennium but with different titles…hello, “It’s My Life”, “Have a Nice Day”, “Undivided”…should I go on…I think not. This was the first single and it made it to the Adult Top 40 and not the Billboard Hot 100 Top 40, so you know the band is now full on AOR. That speaks volumes.

The next track, “I’m With You”, does contain a killer guitar solo, but that is about it. There is a weird effect on Jon’s vocals that I don’t particularly care for. The song isn’t a ballad and yet not heavy enough to be a rocker, despite that solo. It drones on and on and doesn’t do much for me at all. I want to like it, but can’t.

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The Collection: Ep. 20 – Wrap Up June 2024

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As we end another month, it is time to go back and see what 2 Loud 2 Old Music added to the collection. This is June 2024 and we have vinyl, CDs, Cassettes, Singles, DVDs and even a book. So much to go through including not one…not two…but three Noble Record Exclusives. And to top that off we have some Kiss CDs & Cassettes and even a Billy Idol Floppy Disk…you read that right. So much to show for this month so I hope you enjoy the show!!

So go check it out as it will be live tonight right now, July 1, 2024 at 8pm. Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.

And for those that like to see all the stuff in one shot…here you go…

Richie Sambora – ‘Aftermath of the Lowdown’ (2012) – Album Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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In 2012, Richie was still in Bon Jovi. His departure was not too far in the future as he becomes unhappy with the direction of the band. His solo albums are his chance to do something he wants to do and I will say that this is better than anything Bon Jovi was doing at the time. Richie went deep in to his problems and laid them out bare for all of us to see. A very personal album, but based on what happens later, not sure it was a healing album for him. He was still fighting demons even after this release.

The album, ‘Aftermath of the Lowdown’, was released on September 12, 2012. Okay, that was the release date in Japan, the UK saw September 17th and North America saw the 18th (well, digital release, physical was even a week later on the 25th). Yeah, I hate these staggered release dates. Just do it all at once or none at all. The album only went to #149 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart, but did go to #10 on the Hard Rock Album Charts, so it had moderate success. But the real success is in the music. A Richie Sambora solo album is always welcome especially when a Bon Jovi album was not in my world. Bon Jovi had lost the plot, but Richie found his way with this one.

The album opens with “Burn the Candle Down” and it is a wall of sound with an explosive opening, a killer riff and some distorted vocals by Richie. The guitar sounds like a siren warning of the onslaught of rock we were going to get. A heavy rocker, with drum beats that will break your balls. The solo shreds harder then anything BJ was doing at the time; heck, there are even two solos in this song. Damn it is killer. The song really gets the blood flowing and kicks off the album in style.

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Bon Jovi – ‘Inside Out’ (2012) – DVD Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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Only the band’s second live album, ‘Inside Out’, was released on November 27, 2012. It was not one show though, it was spread across 3 epic venues as the back of the box states. The songs are from the 25th Anniversary show at Madison Square Garden, the Hometown opening night at New Meadowlands Stadium and then from the Historic 12 night run at London’s O2 Arena. 12 nights…damn!! Usually, I would hate something that wasn’t all one show, but this works. If I’m not mistaken, this is only available on iTunes. Well, that is unless you are able to find the Australian promo of the actual video…which I do. And that is what we are reviewing here, the DVD and not the iTunes version.

The DVD is a promo as it says on the back of the box and on the disc itself, “not for sale”. The video is the actual screening from the theatrical release and it does something cool. We get 14 tracks from the 3 venues and what they do at times during the songs is switch to split screen and show shots of them performing the song from the other arena or arenas in some cases. An interesting way of doing things and it makes it fun to watch. It is 75 minutes of pure Bon Jovi live energy.

The show kicks off with one of my favorite tracks, “Blood on Blood”, from ‘New Jersey’. It feels untouched as you can here the little wobbles and cracks in Jon’s voice like a good live show should have. The song might not have the same grit live as it does on the studio version, but they do put their all in to it. “Lost Highway” sees Jon dripping wet with sweat and when they show the split screens, he is perfectly dry in those which tells me one song was played early in the set and the other later.

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Bon Jovi – ‘Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Video Collection’ (2010) – DVD Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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To coincide with the release of the band’s ‘Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Collection’ on CD, the band also released a DVD full of the band’s video hits and live versions as well. The DVD was released on November 10, 2010 about 2 weeks after the CD. It isn’t a full career retrospective as it is only 17 of their numerous music videos. And it omits anything from the first two albums which is a huge misstep by the band as they continue to ignore those two albums. I honestly hate when a band does that. It is stupid and an insult to fans who love those albums even if they don’t. You guys truly suck for this!!!

But what is here, is really great. It kicks off with two tracks from ‘Slippery When Wet’ with “Livin’ on A Prayer” and “You Give Love A Bad Name”, two videos that really showcased the band’s live performances and what helped draw millions of fans in to the fold. They then jump to “In These Arms” from ‘Keep the Faith’ and surprisingly enough, it is another live concert performance to the studio song. Honestly, these type of videos are great as they aren’t some cheesy video telling a story that is not what is in the song, but gives you an idea of what the band is live. Now, I say that and you then get Sam Kinison and people talking through cut-outs of Elvis for “Bad Medicine” But that was only the opening as the rest was live concert shots as well.

“Born to Be My Baby” is full of studio shots as if the band was recording the song for the first time done in black & white. Very laid back and I like it because it isn’t the exact studio version of the song, it is a different edit. Then we go full on color with the ballad “I’ll Be There For You” which is more stage performance except this time it is in front of an empty arena. A great song shot perfectly here. “Lay Your Hands On Me” gives us another live style video. Honestly, I don’t remember all their videos being basically concert style.. They did not waste a lot of money on videos and it paid off for them and save them a ton of money. The videos are all professionally done, no denying that.

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Bon Jovi – ‘Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Collection’ (2010) – Album Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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After the Circle and subsequent tour, I am guessing the band was taking a little break because it would be 3 more years before another album. In the meantime, why not another greatest hits package since the last one was ‘Cross Road’ which was about 15 years earlier. This time around it was simply called ‘Greatest Hits’. Well, that is unless you bought the 2 CD set which was called ‘Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Collection’. The package was released on October 29, 2010 and it di really well going Gold in the U.S. and selling millions in Europe going multi-times platinum in numerous countries.

One thing they did with this release is that depending where you lived, what version was available. All single disc versions had 2 new songs on them. All 2 CD versions had 4 new songs on them. The difference was the U.S. version on had 26 songs while the International version (Europe/Australia) had 30 tracks and Japan had 31. The U.S. didn’t get any songs from 7800º Fahrenheit, International got 1 and Japan were blessed with 2 (including “Tokyo Road” of course). I will say it does suck they ignore that album here and only give us one from the debut. And it does effect my score. There is nothing else to say about the release so let’s get to the music as there is a lot to get through so I hope you’ve had a nap and are well rested.

DISC 1:

The first disc kicks off with “Livin’ On A Prayer” from ‘Slippery When Wet’. It opens with a wicked bass line, finger cymbals and a talk-box. But that wasn’t all that was great about it, it is the story of Tommy & Gina in “Livin’ on a Prayer” that makes this such a great song. Jon has a way of making the songs human and easy to connect with. The everyday person with problems just like you so the songs feel personal.  The song is loosely based on Desmond and his girl-friend as she worked in a Diner, but he was a taxi driver and not working at the docks.  It was that Blue Collar feel to the song that made it resonate with so many people.  It was a time when Bon Jovi actually wrote songs that told a story that connected with people and not try to write just to make a hit. 

“You Give Love a Bad Name” is next and also from ‘Slippery’. It was originally written for Bonnie Tyler and called “If You Were a Woman (and I Was a Man)”, but the song did nothing so Desmond Child re-wrote it for Bon Jovi and the rest is history. The song went to #1 and the beginning of the rise to super stardom had begun. The song checks all the boxes, big chorus, epic guitar solo, killer bass line, pounding drum fills and pure intensity. The song will have you singing along instantly as the song feels familiar and exciting. You can’t get it out of your head.

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Friday New Releases – June 7, 2024

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It is the first new release post of June and we already have a major release. Yes, Bon Jovi is back with their new album ‘Forever’. With Shanks still on board, my hopes are not high for this one but I will listen as I always have hopes they will be good again. I have it on order and it will get reviewed, but not until it’s slot in the Bon Jovi Collection Series that is currently running. Maybe 3 more months. I also want to hear the Loverboy Live album from 1982…their prime!! What are you interested in hearing this week? Let me know and what we may have missed. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

  • Bon Jovi – Forever – (Captain Kidd Corp / Island Records / UMG)
  • Loverboy – Live in ’82 – (earMusic / Edel Music & Entertainment)
  • Apocalyptica – Plays Metallica, Vol. 2 – (Throwdown Entertainment / BMG Rights Mgmt)
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The Collection: Ep. 16 – Wrap-Up May 2024

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We are to the end of another month so it is time to what 2 Loud 2 Old Music added to the collection this month. We hit a couple local shops including Noble Records and Mad Jacks. I also ordered some new releases from Amazon and bought a few things off Discogs including one I’d been wanting a while. In fact, had to sell a couple things to be able to afford it. If you like Kiss, Aerosmith, Motley Crue and Billy Idol, then it is a must see. If not, you should still see all that is in store. We have cassettes, CDs and Vinyl for you this week. Enjoy!!!

So go check it out as it will be live tonight right now, June 3, 2024 at 8pm. Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.

And for those that like to see all the stuff in one shot…here you go…

Bon Jovi – ‘Live at Madison Square Garden’ (2009) – DVD Review

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Bon Jovi at this point is still putting out material on a steady basis. This time around we get their 5th live video called ‘Live at Madison Square Garden’. It was released on several different dates around the world, but here in the U.S., it was released on May 11, 2010, but elsewhere around the world it was released in November 2009. In the States this thing did go to #1 on the Video charts.

The show was recorded on July 14 & 15, 2008 in New York City at the famous Madison Square Garden…I know, that was a shock given the name of the video. It was directed by Anthony Bongiovi and Brian Lockwood, glad to see Jon keeping it in the family. The version I have is the DVD, but if you buy the Blu-Ray, you get the great documentary we discussed last week, ‘When We Were Beautiful’. The story around that DVD centered around the free Central Park show which was like a day or so before these fine concerts. The band was tight and ready to go.

The video doesn’t waste anytime and once you hit play, the band is there ready to go at full speed. They open with the song “Lost Highway” and not just because I don’t like that album, but what an awful song to kick off the show with. They used to kick off with something so powerful and energetic that this falls flat. With that being said, this is probably the only mistake they make the whole night. You get a band that is still in their prime, Jon’s vocals sound amazing and the band is as tight as ever. They go in to “Born to Be My Baby” and then Jon pulls out his acoustic guitar, Richie picks up his slide guitar and they go in to “Blaze of Glory” and things pick up from there.

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