Tag: The Circle

Bon Jovi – The Albums Ranked Worst To First – Updated (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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Welcome to the final post in the Bon Jovi Collection Series. I have spent the past 14 months going through everything in my Bon Jovi collection and that included full reviews of ALL 16 Studio Albums. I had done a Ranking back in 2020 after the album ‘2020’ came out but that was based off what I thought listening to the albums only. No deep dive. I will admit this one is slightly different than before as I spent a week with each album and dove deep in to the songs. It isn’t entirely different as the #1 is the same, but there is a lot of movement below.

I am not going to go in to the band’s story here because you can read that if you want by going through the reviews yourself by clicking on the links at the bottom of the post. Bon Jovi has been through changes and some challenges, but they are still going strong…not necessarily with the same crew but Jon, David & Tico are still there holding down the ship…well Jon is as it is his ship as he is the dictator…I mean captain if we are staying with the ship analogy. So, hoist the sail, raise up the anchor and let’s cruise through the 16 Studio albums and see what is the best and what is the worst…I hope you enjoy.

THE WORST – ‘2020’ (2020):

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The Collection: Ep. 33 – Bon Jovi Vinyl (Part 2 – The 2000’s)

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To Celebrate the end of the Bon Jovi Series, it was time to do a show on The Collection where we walked through the Bon Jovi vinyl. For Part 1 was last week and we walked through their peak years of The 80’s & The 90’s. For Part 2, we are going to go through the vinyl in the collection that covers all of The 2000’s from 2000 to 2024. We will capture all the studio albums, compilations, and even some 10″ Picture Discs. Come join as we talk all things Bon Jovi from the 2000’s Crush’ to 2024’s ‘Forever’. I don’t know if this is everything you can get in the 2000’s, but it is everything in my collection and that is the show!

So go check it out as it will be live tonight right now, September 9, 2024 at 8pm. Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.

Bon Jovi – ‘When We Were Beautiful’ (2009) – Documentary Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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Bon Jovi’s 11th Studio album is ‘The Circle’ and came out on November 10, 2009. My version of the album has a bonus DVD entitled ‘When We Were Beautiful’. The video is documentary movie that was recorded during the 2007 Tour for the band’s ‘The Lost Highway’ Tour. The film premiered at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival and was directed by Phil Griffin. This isn’t your typical behind the scenes video, there is more depth and expertise to it and a purpose behind it. A story that was meant to be told.

The video shows them on stage and off and some very intimate moments. This isn’t some wild, crazy party video, but an opportunity for the guys to be shown as people and far more than just Bon Jovi. Don’t get me wrong, there are some fun moments. For instance, it was hilarious, and a little bit scary, when a woman jumped on stage in Dublin just to kiss Jon. That girl was bound and determined to do it and she succeeded.

But the interviews here with the band members are the most enjoyable part. You get to see a very serious side of Jon Bon Jovi, the smoker, the businessman, the CEO of a major brand over the last 25 years. A man who struggles more with touring, the stress, the loneliness. There is an artistic side to the film as well. I love when they show Jon singing “Hallelujah” and intersperse an interview with him as the song is playing. Jon talks about his insecurities about performing and how he hates the lull in the show and always wants to have it going up, up and up. It is moments like this that keep this film interesting and a step above most documentaries you have seen.

Tico Torres, the man who doesn’t look to the past, and lives in the moment and loves to spend his down time playing golf, but family is his most important thing. Tico had a serious drinking problem and had so many issues with his dad leaving him at a young age. He has dealt with those demons and today might be the most together person of the whole band. He has found salvation in his art.

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Bon Jovi – ‘The Circle’ (2009) – Album Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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We are now up to Bon Jovi’s 11th studio album called ‘The Circle’. The band has been on a massive schedule of album, tour, album, tour for years now and honestly the quality is starting to show. Producer John Shanks is back and a lot of people believe that is the problem, but for me it is more than that. It is the fact the fact they are still chasing that hit and everything has become formulaic and tired. More on that later.

For now, let’s discuss the album itself. The title, ‘The Circle’, has many meanings one possible is that they have come full circle back to the rock & roll sound of before after dabbling in to that country genre for a second…a very long second. Or it could be that the band is a circle of guys and that circle is hard to get in to (and hard to get out unless your Richie and you stop showing up – but that hasn’t happened yet and I’m getting ahead of myself). That circle still consists of Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Tico Torres and David Bryan. Poor Hugh McDonald still hasn’t been made an official member yet, but that will change eventually.

The album was released on November 10, 2009 and sold over 163,000 records in its first week alone. The album would reach #1 on the Billboard Charts and numerous countries around the world. It stayed at #1 for all of one week, but hey, it is a #1 album. It would also go on to Gold Status in the States and 5 other countries as well as Platinum in Canada. The band was still having success, but for me that loyalty had faded and faded fast. It was years after this album was released before I ever bought it and the only reason I pulled it out today, is so I could do a review. And after a couple more listens, my thoughts haven’t changed. Are you ready for it?

The opening track is the song “We Weren’t Born to Follow” and is very typical of every album since 2000. An uplifting song that talks about the tough times people were facing in the current economic environment. It was a charge to arms to stand up for you believe. But like every opening track on the past batch of albums, it feels like a been there and done that kind of song. Yeah, it ain’t bad, but it ain’t anything new either.

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Bon Jovi – ‘The Albums Box Set’ (2017) – Album Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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We are starting out things a little different. We aren’t starting with the earliest Bon Jovi piece in the collection. We are going to start the Bon Jovi Collection Series with the piece that convinced me to start the series. I picked this up around Christmas of last year and when I had all the album on vinyl, I thought, let’s do it. I took some time filling some holes in the collection and arranging what I wanted to review and now here we are. Currently this collection is going to take some time as there are around 60 pieces to review so this will take over a year to complete so I hope you are along for the ride. We will save the history of the band and how it got started to later. For now, let’s look at this box set in all its glory.

The Box Set was released on February 10, 2017 and was released on both vinyl and CD. I chose the Vinyl collection as I love to have their albums on vinyl. The set carries all studio albums up to that point which means it stops at ‘This House is Not For Sale’. But that isn’t all, it has both Jon Bon Jovi solo albums as well as an “Extra” LP with a bunch of their international B-Sides which is a nice treat. But that is it. There no extra posters, stickers, booklets or anything. Each album though is remastered on 180g LP and the 16 albums are spread over 24 LPs. At the time this was released, 7 of the albums had never been released on vinyl and then you have the “Extra” LP which is the first time this had ever been released. So, for the vinyl collector this was the easiest way to get everything. Now, they did release the albums individually, well the Bon Jovi ones were, I don’t think I ever saw the Jon Bon albums ever in the stores…I mean ever.

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Coming Soon to 2 Loud 2 Old Music – The Bon Jovi Collection Series

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You read that right. The next series here at 2 Loud 2 Old Music will be Bon Jovi. It is coming July 4th, 2023. What better way to spend America’s birthday then to start reviewing one of the most American Bands there is…BON JOVI!!!

This Collection Series will include everything I have in my collection and that includes Jon Bon Jovi Solo stuff as well as Richie Sambora as to me, they are Bon Jovi (even if it is Jon’s band). No Richie, No Bon Jovi…okay, no real good Bon Jovi without Richie. There, I said it and got that out of the way. We have around 60 reviews coming to you and of course, that is going to take over one year to get through as we normally do 1 post a week on a series.

Here is what we are going to cover….

The Studio Albums…

The Live Albums…including Bootlegs

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Bon Jovi – Bon Jovi Tour 2011 – Tour Program

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Welcome to the next Tour Book in the Bon Jovi Tour Book collection…and I only own two so a small collection at the moment. I didn’t start out collecting Tour Books for Bon Jovi, nope. I was only going to collect the Kiss Tour Books. However, life has a funny way of changing things. While out walking around an antique mall, I found my first Tour Book from the New Jersey Tour. It was cheap, so I bought it. This next one, I was out for Record Store Day on August 29, 2020 and after picking out my RSD vinyl and while I was waiting to check out, I saw another Tour Book for Bon Jovi. The price was right and so there you have it. I now have two and now seem to have started a Bon Jovi collection as well.

This Bon Jovi Tour Book is from the Bon Jovi Live Tour in 2011 in support of their sixth greatest hits compilation which is probably 4 too many as how many do you really need.  The tour went from February 9, 2011 until July 31, 2011 and was around 59 shows between North America and Europe.  It was huge success as most of their tours are and it was interesting one in that Richie Sambora would miss part of it due to having to go to rehab for “exhaustion” and alcoholism.  His replacement for part of the tour was Phil X who would end up replacing him in the long run a couple years later.

The band at the time was still the main four guys (Hugh McDonald was still not a full-time member).

  • Jon Bon Jovi
  • Richie Sambora
  • Ticco Torres
  • David Bryan

And the typical setlist was pretty impressive at 24 songs… Continue reading “Bon Jovi – Bon Jovi Tour 2011 – Tour Program” →

Friday New Releases – May 10th

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Happy Friday!!  It is when there are new releases that I want and this has a few.  Some I will buy and some I will stream, but it is new music and that is what I look forward to on Fridays…well that and the work week ending.  Let me know what you are looking forward to hearing this weekend and let me know if I am missing anything.  Mine are marked in Blue.  Have a great listening weekend!!

  • 81SGZps2uQL._SS500_  Whitesnake – Flesh and Blood – (Frontiers Records):  The first album with Joel Hoekstra on lead guitar and around 8 years since the last album of new material.  That is quite a break.  Now, I haven’t listened to anything yet as I want to listen to it all for the first time at once.  I hope it is heavy, loud and simply fantastic.

  • 71WHiV6RogL._SS500_  Sammy Hager & the Circle – Space Between – (BMG):  Sammy and Micheal Anthony seemed to be joined at the happy and Michael is part of every project Sammy does (except the Tequila business).  This one throws Vic Johnson on guitar and Jason Bonham on drums.  Another one I haven’t listened to anything yet. I will take it all in at one time.

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Bon Jovi – The Albums Ranked Worst to First

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Formed in 1983, just a mere 35 years ago, Bon Jovi defined the 80’s music scene.  They have since had 13 studio albums, 3 live albums, numerous compilations and even a box set.  With so much music, some of course is bad, some is good, some is great and some is legendary.  They have had line-up changes as most bands have had and yet the still keep rolling on.  They have even made it in to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  Since there is so much about the band, they deserve to have their albums ranked from Worst to First.  I am going to do all 13 of their studio albums, plus 1 compilation which I thought was a studio album, but apparently not…who knew.  So, 14 albums in total will be coming at you.  I hope you have time to get through all of them.

And as always, let’s start with my least favorite album and work our way to my favorite…so sit back and enjoy…

15. THE WORST – ‘THE CIRCLE’ (2009):

‘The Circle’ was supposed to be the band’s return to rock after a very Nashville based previous album, ‘Lost Highway”.  The big problem for me with this album was the lack of credibility the songs had with me.  They tried to return to a “working man” sound such as “Work for the Working Man”, but I didn’t believe it.  It felt forced and fake.  Nothing on this album resonated with me in the least bit.  Even today, I can’t think of the names of the songs on this album.  They were not memorable and just seemed stale and uninspiring.

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