Tag: Bon Jovi

Richie Sambora – ‘Undiscovered Soul’ (1998) – Album Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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As I stated in Jon Bon Jovi’s ‘Destination Anywhere’ Review last week, after Bon Jovi’s very successful ‘These Days’ album and especially that tour which ran for 126 shows in around 43 countries, the band was ready for a break. The tour ended on July 19, 1996 and the band decided, it was time for a hiatus from the band. They did a self-imposed two year break from the band. That 2 year break would turn in to 3, but no one is counting. During that time, we saw solo albums, Jon went and did a lot of acting and the thoughts that Bon Jovi were done were on everyone’s mind. Jon’s solo album came first, but shortly after we received Richie Sambora’s solo album.

‘Undiscovered Soul’ was Richie’s 2nd solo album and was produced by Don Was which saw Richie work with a ton of musicians and writers and really push himself both musically and lyrically. He worked with Richard Supa who had worked with The Rascals and Aerosmith and he worked with his old Bon Jovi bandmate, David Bryan, who co-wrote a handful of songs. Richie didn’t stick with the straight blues-rock album like before, he experimented a little with rock and country and anything else he that inspired him.

The album came out on February 23, 1998 and saw four singles released, however, only one of those charted in the U.S. and not very high. The album only reached #174 on the Billboard Top 200 album charts and that isn’t very good. The first single only reached #39 on the Mainstream Rock Chart while doing better in the UK hitting #37 with the second single going to #58 in the UK with no U.S. charting. The album didn’t do as well as the debut and was gone before you knew it.

Thanks to Music on Vinyl, we finally received a vinyl edition to the album last year and that is what I am reviewing. It came on a 2 LP set on 180 gram records and sounded awesome. The album cut out all the crap you hear on the Apple Music version that goes on between the songs which makes you not take the album very seriously, where the vinyl makes it a more serious sounding record. The album didn’t do as well as the debut as I said, but is it worse? Let’s go through it and find out.

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Jon Bon Jovi – ‘Destination Anywhere’ (1997) – Album Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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After Bon Jovi’s very successful ‘These Days’ album and especially that tour which ran for 126 shows in around 43 countries, the band was ready for a break. The tour ended on July 19, 1996 and the band decided, it was time for a hiatus from the band. They did a self-imposed two year break from the band. That 2 year break would turn in to 3, but no one is counting. During that time, we saw solo albums, Jon went and did a lot of acting and the thoughts that Bon Jovi were done were on everyone’s mind.

Jon didn’t waste any time and was the first with a solo album as he beat Richie by about a year. Jon’ second solo album is called ‘Destination Anywhere’ which he was working on even during the “These Days Tour”. It was finished around January 1997 and it came out on June 16, 1997 which is a long time after the album was finished. A lot of that had to do with Jon’s little vanity project of ‘Destination Anywhere’…the FILM! I don’t actually own a copy and won’t be reviewing, but I’ve heard nothing good about it. It was a movie with some big stars all surrounded by the songs from the album, but this wasn’t a concept album. The songs were just in the film.

The album saw Jon break away from the Bon Jovi sound which a good solo album would do. It was more Indie Rock and Pop then the glam rock that Bon Jovi did and for that I was super excited because if I want to hear Bon Jovi, I’ll listen to Bon Jovi. I want to hear what he can do outside of that arena and this was a great set of songs to showcase he could do more. And he filled it with a lot of influence from British bands as well like Blur and Manic Street Preachers which is completely unexpected.

The album saw four singles, it had four producers other than Jon and it was filled with talented musicians as you’d expect. Heck, a could of the Bon Jovi boys appeared on the album as well (not Richie though). the album would go to #2 in the UK and sell over a million copies in Europe, but it only hit #31 in the US and not sure how many it sold. This continued the success of the band on Jon more overseas than in the states.

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Bon Jovi – ‘Live From London’ (1995) – DVD Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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The band’s first live concert video, ‘Live From London’ was released in 1995 on both VHS and Laserdisc. The tour was in support of their new album at the time, ‘These Days’ and the show was from their stint at Wembley Stadium on June 25, 1995. They played several shows I believe and all to a massive crowd of 72,000 screaming fans. This isn’t the full set either as I believe some tracks were cut for time and to get the runtime down to around 90 minutes, but it is a great setlist.

The version I have is the International DVD release which was in 2003. There was a DVD release in 1998 in the US and Canada, but mine is the 2003 release. There is absolutely no difference between the VHS and the DVDs, no remastering or anything. It is the same cut. The film is directed by David Mallett and produced by Andy Picheta. These two have to reign in Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, David Bryan and Tico Torres along with touring member and studio member, but not band memer yet, Hugh McDonald.

The show kicks off with a couple of old classics with “Livin’ on a Prayer” starting the show. Richie comes out and immediately puts his mouth around the talk box and you know the song that is coming. The band kills it and like almost every song on here they don’t do a straight album version of the song, they change things up a little with either more musical breaks or longer, drawn out jams at the end of the song which makes things more interesting as you don’t know what they are going to do for each song. Then we get “You Give Love a Bad Name” and the crowd screams along with the band. Jon sound’s really great as he was still in his prime. Richie’s solo is quick and stellar and then the crowd gets involved with the chorus. Always a fun song live.

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Bon Jovi – ‘These Days’ (1995) – Album Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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After the end of the ‘Keep the Faith’ tour in 1993, the band need some time, so Jon Bon Jovi went on vacation and immediately started writing songs. Over the next 9 months, he and Richie Sambora wrote and demoed close to 40 songs. I guess they didn’t need much time. But the album was taking longer than anticipated so they agreed with the label to put out a greatest hits set called ‘Cross Road’ in 1994. The album did well. The band also ran in to trouble with bass player Alec John Such. Due to unsatisfactory performance during the live shows, they decided to dismiss Alec from the band in 1994 as well.

This made the album a four-piece technically as Alec is not on the album. Who is on the album is Jon, Richie, David Bryan and Tico Torres, officially. Unofficially, on bass was Hugh McDonald who we already met as he was the bass player on the song “Runaway” from the band’s debut album. They brought in producer Peter Collins to co-produce with Richie & Jon, but things weren’t easy. They started recording down in Nashville, TN. After 10 days of that, Jon wasn’t happy and erased all the tapes. Recording moved to New York to Jon’s home studio and also various studios in Los Angeles. One of the problems they had in New York was the band Fear Factory was recording their album and they were so loud that recording was not possible for them in their studio. Now, that is loud!

The album, ‘These Days’ was finally done and released on June 27, 1995. The album only went to #9 in the U.S., but overseas, the album was huge. It went to #1 in the U.K., Switzerland, Australia and numerous other countries. It sparked 5 singles and has sold over 10 million copies worldwide. They might not have been as popular in the U.S., but they were still doing fine. The album itself still sounded like Bon Jovi musically, but lyrically, it is a much darker album. It is not a rock & roll party full of sunshine. The band was in a good place funny enough. The music saw them really take the darkness of grunge but put it with the Bon Jovi sound. A lot of bands at this time were going heavier and completely changing their sound, but not Bon Jovi. And it worked.

The album opens with one of the heavier songs on the album, “Hey God”, and in the same epic way they open all their albums. According to wiki, the song was inspired by Jon looking out a window at 57 St. & Broadway and seeing a guy in an expensive suit standing next to a guy sleeping on the street. Also according to wiki, Richie was inspired by the song while looking out of his limo and seeing a homeless guy sleeping in a cardboard box. Who knos which is right or they both are. The song questions if God has forgotten about the world as all the good shit is gone and there nothing but bad. It is a darker tone, darker lyrics and sees the band questioning the world. A total ballbuster of a song. The song was the final single, but not in the U.S. and was released on June 24, 1996. It was a minor hit in Canada and several European countries. It is one of my favorites on the album.

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Bon Jovi – “Please Come Home For Christmas” (1994) – CD SINGLE (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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In 1992, Jon Bon Jovi did a cover of the Charles Brown song “Please Come Home For Christmas”. It was released on the Christmas album ‘A Very Special Christmas 2’ of that same year. Two years later, the band re-released the song as a charity single in Europe for the Specal Olympics. This time, they branded the song under the Bon Jovi label rather than as a Jon solo release even though no other Bon Jovi member was on this song. The CD Single was released on December 5, 1994 and the single did reach #7 on the UK Chart where it went Silver selling over 200,000 copies.

The version I have is the European version with a wonderful picture of Cindy Crawford and Jon on the cover for which a video was made with her as well. The CD Single also had two other Christmas songs from the band including “I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas” and the other was “Back Door Santa”.

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Bon Jovi – ‘Cross Road’ (1994) – Album Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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After the release of their last album ‘Keep the Faith’ in 1992, the band set out on an extensive worldwide tour. They hit 37 countries while performing over 177 shows and those shows saw reached over 2.5 million people. The boys were busy and as a result of this tour, very tired. They also needed more time to work on their next album. To hold fans over, a greatest hits compilation was released by the band and the label. The album came out on October 11, 1994 and contained songs from every album including 1 from Jon’s solo album and 2 unreleased tracks. The U.S. version got a special track of Livin’ on a Prayer which had been redone and called “Prayer ’94”, however, my vinyl set of the album does not have that song.

The album was titled ‘Cross Road’ which is possible that was where the band saw themselves at. The music landscape was changing rapidly, their 80’s rock glam style was no longer popular, yet this band kept on chugging. ‘Cross Road’ sold went to #8 in the U.S. and #1 in so many country. Worldwide they sold over 21,000,000 copies as Bon Jovi was even bigger around the world than at home. The cover art was taken at a diner called the Roadside Diner and it was near the crossroads of Rout 33 and Route 34 so it was a very appropriate cover.

The one strange thing about the album was inside they had a picture of all the band’s albums including Jon’s solo album and even Richie’s solo album, but no song from Richie’s album made the set yet Jon’s did. Another prime example this was Jon’s band and even the back cover only had Jon on it. A picture says a 1,000 words I believe is the saying.

The compilation kicks off with one of their most popular songs, “Livin’ On A Prayer” off the album ‘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. The funny thing about this one is that Jon didn’t like it, but Richie was able to convince Jon that this was a hit and it should be on the album. Thankfully for the band, it was as it went to #1 as well. Hugh McDonald who is currently the bass player for Bon Jovi in 2023, was the bass player on this song back in 1986.

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Bon Jovi – “I Believe” (1993) – 7″ Single (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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The first track on the album, ‘Keep the Faith’ was “I Believe” which was also the fifth single and released in the UK Where it went to #11. The song was written solely by Jon Bon Jovi and was released on September 20, 1993. The single is not the album track, but the single mix down by Bob Clearmountain thus the name Clearmountain Mix. The B-Side of this UK version of the single is a live version of the song. So, both versions on here are not really album tracks.

The song is about hope. Believing in yourself to fulfill your hopes and dreams. The main protagonist is disillusioned by the world, but yet they still have things they want to do and accomplish. They need to look from within to find the power to still believe in themselves. A pretty great, positive message. Jon really pushes himself on this song and album to be a better songwriter and I think he succeeds.

SIDE 1:

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Bon Jovi – ‘Keep The Faith’ (1992) – Album Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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After 16 months of touring for ‘New Jersey’, the band was simply exhausted. Without so much as a goodbye, the band members went home and did their own things for awhile. Jon Bon Jovi became real disillusioned with the music “business” so he fired everyone from management to advisers to even agents (which was Doc McGhee). Jon took control. And in October 1991, he brought the boys back together down in St. Thomas in the Caribbean where the band hashed out their issues and decided it was time to work again.

In January 1992, the band headed back to Little Mountain Studios in Vancouver, Canada to start work on their fifth album. They tried to get Bruce Fairbairn back to produce, but he was busy with a little band from Boston called Aerosmith and their smash album ‘Get a Grip’. So, they got the next best thing, Bob Rock, who engineered their last two albums with Bruce so he was taught very well. They worked on the album through August of that year and wrote/recorded over 30 songs for the album. Of which, 12 made it and a couple were used for various bonus tracks whether in Japan or Australia.

Things had changed significantly since their last album. Some thing called Grunge had taken over and even Rap was growing in popularity. But the boys ignored all that, they also ignored their old sound which was full of cliches. Instead, the focused on righting real songs about more serious topics. Now, not all the songs were that way, but enough were that we got a band that sounded more mature, more focused and more serious.

The album came out on November 3, 1992 and would spawn six singles – four in the U.S. and two around the world. The album would chart at #5 in the U.S., #1 in the UK and high on so many charts around the world. It would sell over 8 million copies worldwide and have 3 Top 40 hits. Bon Jovi was back and in a big way. They were actually more popular around the world then in their home country. Why did this album do so well, let’s dig in to the songs and see.

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Richie Sambora – ‘Stranger In This Town’ (1991) – Album Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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While Bon Jovi was on an extended hiatus, Jon Bon Jovi wasn’t the only to put a solo album. The band’s lead guitarist, Richie Sambora, decided to spread his wings and release a solo album as well. Richie would step out of the shadows and take on the lead vocals as well as most of the guitar duties as well. And like Jon on his solo album, Richie brought along a few friends for the ride including fellow Bon Jovi bandmates, Tico Torres and David Bryan. On bass, he had Tony Levin, but he also had Randy Jackson on one song who also worked on Jon’s solo album too. The biggest guest on the album would be one of his idols, Eric Clapton for Mr. Bluesman.

Speaking of Blues, Richie didn’t stick with the same Bon Jovi sound. He shook things up and focused the album on more of a blues sound and I would say he captured it beautifully. The album would be released on September 3, 1991 and would #36 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #20 on the UK Charts. He would release 3 singles officially as well as one promo single. None went Top 40, but they still had moderate airplay and one single did hit #13 on the Mainstream Rock Charts. Richie might not have sold as many albums as Jon, but for me had the more interesting album of the two.

My version is a Japanese reissue from 2020 and came with the ever cherished OBI strip as well as a bonus track which is the cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “The Wind Cries Mary”. You can’t have a Japanese edition without a bonus track, then it is just an overpriced copy of the CD. I have to say that I think Bon Jovi isn’t the same without Richie for the reason of his backing vocals (and songwriting abilities). His solo work gives us the chance to hear how well Sambora can sing and a chance for his vocals to be front and center. Too band Bon Jovi, the band, didn’t utilize the two singer approach as it wouldn’ve been awesome. But it is and willl albums be Jon’s band so I get it. I am off on a tangent now, so let’s get back to the album.

The album opens with “Rest in Peace”, an atmospheric, bluesy piece that sees Richie sparsely place the licks as David Bryan gives the orchestrated sounds that give it an ethereal tone. Richie’s vocals are sparse as well, sounding angelic and little sad. The song is more of an opening for “Church of Desire” than a song on its own, but the tone is set and we know this is NOT going to be a Bon Jovi style album. When “Church of Desire” comes bleeding in, the tempo picks up, the bluesy riffs keep coming and Richie’s vocals come in strong. The song is polished, all glossy and perfect production which doesn’t make it pure blues, just dashed with its essence. The solo is exciting as it plays for the song while showcasing the talent he is and then the 2nd solo is pure joy as he takes it to another level. The thing we learn from this song is that Richie’s vocals are better than we ever heard as backing vocals with Bon Jovi.

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Jon Bon Jovi – “Blaze of Glory” (1990) – Cassette Single (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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After being approached by actor, Emilio Estevez, to use the Bon Jovi song “Wanted Dead or Alive” for the soundtrack to his new movie, the western ‘Young Guns II’, Jon declined the offer. Instead of flat out declining though, Jon offered to write a new song for the movie and that one song turned in to a whole album of songs from and inspired by the movie.

The title track, “Blaze of Glory” was written on a napkin while Jon was sitting with the cast while they were eating hamburgers. Keifer Sutherland said that Jon wrote it in like 6 minutes and it made him feel stupid as he wrote a number one song while they ate. Jon played the song to Emilio Estevez and producer John Fusco. Fusco took the song to his co-producers in the trailer and the decision was made right then and there to make it the theme song for the movie.

The single was released on July 21, 1990 and was Jon’s one and only #1 song on the Billboard Charts outside of his day job band Bon Jovi. The song had a hell of a line-up on it including Elton John, Aldo Nova, Randy Jackson, Kenny Aronoff and on guitar was Jeff Beck. Not too shabby. As you can see here my version of the single is a Cassette Single or “Cassingle”. The B-Side is the Jon and Little Richard duet, “Your Really Got Me Now” and no , not the Kinks’ song.

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