Bon Jovi

Wed
24
Aug

BON JOVI's 'Slippery When Wet'; Jon Bon Jovi Recounts 1986 Breakthrough Album

Artist: 
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Categories: 
Podcasts & Radio

Dallas, TX - August 24, 2016.  North American syndicated Rock radio show and website InTheStudio: The Stories Behind History’s Greatest Rock Bands commemorates the 30th anniversary of Bon Jovi’s breakthrough album Slippery When Wet.

No hyperbole here: it is impossible to overstate how massively popular Bon Jovi’s third album Slippery When Wet was soon after its release in Summer 1986, or how influential its sound and success were for the rest of the Eighties. Slippery When Wet would produce three Top 10 singles, “You Give Love A Bad Name”, “Living On A Prayer” (both going # 1), and “Wanted Dead Or Alive”.  The album would go on to sell in excess of twenty-eight million copies worldwide.

Jon Bon Jovi and former Bon Jovi guitarist, songwriter Ritchie Sambora share with In The Studio host Redbeard the stories behind this blockbuster album.

“Bang! ‘Shot through the heart and you’re to blame, you give love a bad name’. As soon as the needle hit that record in 1986, our lives changed.”  - Jon Bon Jovi

“We learned a lot and we became a tight unit. I don’t think we really wrote any great songs until Slippery...”  - Ritchie Sambora


Also In The Studio will preview the title song to the new forthcoming Bon Jovi album This House is Not for Sale.

Bon Jovi ‘Slippery When Wet’ / InTheStudio program is available now to STREAM at: “http://www.inthestudio.net/redbeards-blog/bon-jovi-slippery-wet-30th-anniversary-jon-bon-jovi/

Direct Link to In The Studio broadcast affiliate radio station list: “http://www.inthestudio.net/radio-stations/www.inthestudio.net/radio-stations
Direct Link to: Bon Jovi:   “http://www.bonjovi.com
Direct Link to: InTheStudio:  “http://www.inthestudio.net
 
Wed
09
Sep

BON JOVI's Latest New Guitarist Is... Matt O'Ree?

Artist: 
Release Year: 
2015
Categories: 
News Feed
 
This just in from WRAT 95.9FM:
 
"The Rat wants to send out a hearty congrats to our local guitar hero Matt O'Ree. Matt has been signed on as the new guitar player for Bon Jovi as they tour Europe and other far lands. Congrats Matt! You deserve it big time! Couldn't have happened to a nicer or more deserving guy. It helps that Matt can play his ass off!"
 
Good news for Matt.
 
News in says that Phil X remains a member and Matt is second guitarist, replacing touring member Bobby Bandiera.
 
Tue
01
Sep

BON JOVI - Burning Bridges (Review)

information persons: 
content: 
10%
Produced By: 
John Francis Bongiovi, Jr & John Shanks
Running Time: 
Too Long
Release Date: 
2015
Released: 
Worldwide
Musical Style: 
Middle of the Road
Label: 
Mercury
Artist: 
Score: 
10
Release Year: 
2015
Categories: 
Reviews
 
So Jon Bon Jovi is all about ‘burning bridges’ in the twilight of his career. He’s burning Richie Sambora and he’s burning Mercury Records. And he’s using big words like integrity…but where is the integrity in throwing together some half-assed compilation of B (more like D) material and expecting fans to lap it up?
 
And right there is the third factor in the equation. With this album JBJ is so desperate to stick it to the man, he’s also burning fans. Fans that expect and deserve better.
This is supposed to be a contractual obligation album to free JBJ Inc and Irving Azoff to figure out a new paradigm to pillage the fan base, but having been burned by this release, how many will return for another dose in 2016?
 
The law of bad albums affects an artist in two ways – first word gets out that a turd has been delivered and it subsequently underperforms. But those fans that did purchase will now be far more weary next time around, meaning the following album could be a masterpiece, but no one may be left listening. So Jon, screw the fans if you must, but get ready for return fire.
 
The other absolutely disgraceful thing about this album is the shitty packaging for the CD. A plain single page cover and bare tray card offering zero information or lyrics or an apology from Jon for taking your money. Disgraceful.
 
The only remotely interesting track is the uptempo modern rocker We Don’t Run, which frankly is something we have all heard before and is hardly essential.
There are some absolutely dreadful songs on this “release”. Truly self-indulgent, slow, emotionless dross.
It may be fashionable to criticize recent Bon Jovi outings, but this takes it to a new level. This makes The Circle seem like Sgt Peppers.

It starts slow, ends slow and is slow in the middle. This is a record without life. Without energy. Without any artistic integrity.
For many years Bon Jovi shat gold nuggets, but this is without any doubt whatsoever, a giant lump of turgid dog shit.
I’m off to play the new Iron Maiden to clear out my ears.
 
Sun
23
Aug

BON JOVI Departs Mercury Records With Final Obligation Album

Artist: 
Release Year: 
2015
Categories: 
News Feed
 
BON JOVI have walked from their decades long association with Mercury Records. JBJ talked to Billboard about the departure, which you can read below.
But taking a look at recent developments, here's my little cobbled together theory.
 
Bon Jovi has long been run as a family business. Jon's signing to Irving Azoff Management suggests to me that Jon is looking at the end game now. Azoff does not do small. Azoff only does big, or bigger. So this to me looks like a partnership designed to ensure the most amount of money possible can be extracted from the remaining years of BON JOVI.
 
My guess is that Azoff has gone to Mercury with a deal in mind and the label has rejected it based on the lack of Richie Sambora involvement. So the guys walk, delivering a final studio album that's really cobbled together with little effort and no real passion. 10 tracks, mainly leftovers (for good reason) and a really shitty physical product with no liners, no pictures, no nothing. 'Burning Bridges' indeed...
 
So be on the look out for a new mega-deal that someone will swallow encompassing a huge worldwide tour, that 'great' new studio album Jon has already spoken of and a merch tie-in deal beginning in 2016. Perhaps then you'll see a final 'reunion' world tour for even bigger money.
Watch this space I guess!
 
 
Here's the Billboard article:
 
After 32 years on Mercury Records, "It's the end of an era," the singer tells Billboard.
Bon Jovi's 32-year relationship with Mercury Records is ending, Jon Bon Jovi tells Billboard.
 
"It is the end of an era," says the singer just before taking the stage for a show with his sideband, Jon Bon Jovi & The Kings of Suburbia at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada
The news comes one day after the release of Bon Jovi's "fan album," Burning Bridges. The record, he explains, is a collection of songs that was meant to accompany the group's upcoming 12-show tour of Southeast Asia, but in reality, it was something more, he said.
 
"[It fulfills] a commitment to Mercury Records," he tells Billboard. "After 32 years, we have parted ways. That is the big news. If you listen to 'Burning Bridges,' the song, it is clearly spelled out."
The song is last on Burning Bridges' tracklist, and includes the scathing lyrics, "After 30 years of loyalty, they let you dig the grave / Now maybe you can learn to sing or strum along / Well I'll give you half the publishing / You're why I wrote this song."
 
The Sayreville, New Jersey native says he's fully aware that the song is targeting the label, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group which effectively operates under the Island Records banner. Says Bon Jovi: "This hits it right in the head and tells you what happened. Listen to the lyrics because it explains exactly what happened. And that's that."
Bon Jovi has sold 21.8 million albums in the United States, according to Nielsen Music, including five which hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The band has also notched 25 Billboard Hot 100 hits, including 10 top 10s and four No. 1s.
 
Bon Jovi adds that he is looking towards the future with a new album and tour scheduled for the spring of 2016. He intends to complete recording by the end of this year, and he promises that the material -- which comes after a difficult 2014 that saw longtime collaborator Richie Sambora leave the group -- is worth the wait.
"A lot happened," says Bon Jovi. "Richie's sudden departure, my trying to buy the [Buffalo] Bills and now this with the label. I have a lot of material to write about. Believe me, the new record is good. It's pointed. It is something we are going to be very proud of in the spring when we put it out."
 
Right now, Bon Jovi says he is focusing on the evening's show at Rogers Arena, which was scheduled to take place in Stanley Park but moved to the arena after plans fell apart with the original promoter, Paper Rain Promotions. A "stressful" week involved discovering all of the pieces weren't in place for his show with The Kings.
"When it all fell apart, my initial reaction was it's too bad, make sure everybody gets their refunds," he shares. "And the second sentence was, there isn't going to be any refunds. Now we got to take over. So we called the arena and God Bless them for coming to help and the Tourism Board. We made it happen."
 
Bon Jovi describes the Kings as a group of friends from New Jersey who give him "the freedom as a player to go and make music when it's not in official capacity." And the snafu as "a situation that turned left," adding, "All I care about is the folks who paid their hard-earned money. We are like the International Silver String Submarine Band from The Little Rascals... We're gonna do a show! So we're playing baby!"
 
Billboard has reached to Mercury/Island Records for comment. 
 

 
Sat
01
Aug

BON JOVI'S Contractual Obligation Album

Artist: 
Release Year: 
2015
Categories: 
News Feed
 
UPDATED WITH FINAL CONFIRMED TRACK LIST
 
The August 21 release of BON JOVI's "fan album" Burning Bridges is in Jon Bon Jovi's words, a "contractual obligation album" and will put to a close the history of the band up until this point.
 
CONFIRMED FINAL TRACK LISTING:
 
1. A Teardrop To The Sea
2. We Don't Run
3. Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning
4. We All Fall Down
5. Blind Love
6. Who Would You Die For
7. Fingerprints
8. Life Is Beautiful
9. I'm Your Man
10. Burning Bridges
11. Take Back The Night (Japan Bonus Track)
 
And this from a long time friend and source - JBJ addressed fans at a recent Fan Club VIP outing - "Tonight Jon said the Burning Bridges album is for the true fans and was a contractual obligation. It ends and era and 'when you hear it that will make sense'. But not to read into anything otherwise. He is excited about the new album that is expected out in April or May 2016."
 
So there you go folks, make of that what you will!
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Mon
20
Jul

BON JOVI Prepares 'Burning Bridges' Release To Close Out Sambora Era

Artist: 
Friday, August 21, 2015
Categories: 
News Feed
 
Ok, so here’s the Billboard BON JOVI article – so far the only official source of news for this newly announced Burning Bridges release.
 

 
Bon Jovi is releasing a special fan album leading up to its overseas fall tour, Billboard has learned.
 
The band is releasing two new tracks not even one month before the Aug. 21 release of their new album, Burning Bridges.
 
A spokesperson for Bon Jovi tells Billboard: “Burning Bridges, which will be released August 21st, is an album for fans and will accompany an upcoming international tour. The band is hard at work on their next album, which will see a full-scale release in 2016.”
 
The first track -- “We Don’t Run” -- is written by Jon Bon Jovi and Grammy-winning producer John Shanks. An anthem in the Bon Jovi tradition, the tune features meaty production and a shredding guitar solo by Shanks. Shanks has a long history with the band, having produced What About Now, The Circle, Lost Highway and Have a Nice Day.
 
The song leads off with a driving  drum beat and a chain-gang chorus before Bon Jovi gets down to business with a gritty vocal throwing down the gauntlet as he sings, “Not afraid of burning bridges/ 'Cause I know they’re gonna light my way/ Like a phoenix from the ashes/ Welcome to the future, it’s a new day!”
 
The second -- "Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning" -- is a happier, more romantic, bright pop song with a hooky chorus featuring the lyrics “Saturday night gave me Sunday morning/ Opened my eyes and it’s a new day dawning/ Think I might have pushed my luck a time or two/ Everything about us is what gets me through.” It's classic Bon Jovi and sure to inspire a big sing-along on the road.
 
Credited to Jon Bon Jovi, John Shanks and former guitarist Richie Sambora, the song -- released internationally on July 16 -- was written previous to Sambora’s departure from the group.
 
While the band's live dates kick off overseas on Sept. 11, fans can catch keyboardist David Bryan in a solo headlining spot Aug. 29 at the  Rock the Farm event at Regan's Hollow Farm in Farmingdale, New Jersey.
 

 
So what’s behind this album?
 
What I’m hearing is conflicting information. I’m told it is an album of unreleased studio tracks from the last 2 albums. That part seems confirmed.
 
But that would therefore suggest that Richie Sambora will be part of the performances on the album. But one source suggests that Richie’s parts might have been taken out and replaced, as he would have to grant permission for his parts to be used. Whether that has occurred is unknown (but unlikely given the animosity between Sambora and band boss Jon Bon Jovi).
 
Only the two tracks mentioned in the Billboard article are brand new.
 
The album’s title is a not so subtle dig at line-up changes within the band, but is it Jon suggesting Richie has burned bridges by leaving the band, or is it Jon declaring that this album represents the last of the Samboa era and it is therefore he who is burning that bridge and moving on?
 
Bon Jovi are heading to Asia for a short tour starting September 11.
 
Meanwhile, check out the new single from Nickelback Bon Jovi:
 
 
Stay tuned for more details.
 
 
 

 

 
Wed
25
Jun

LET IT ROCK – THE MAKING OF BON JOVI’S SLIPPERY WHEN WET

Artist: 
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Categories: 
News Feed
LET IT ROCK – THE MAKING OF BON JOVI’S SLIPPERY WHEN WET
 
BY NEIL DANIELS
PUBLISHED BY SOUNDCHECK BOOKS
UK RELEASE DATE: MAY 27, 2014
PUBLISHED IN THE USA: JUNE 15, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-9571442-8-6
 
28 Million People Can’t Be Wrong
 
1986’s Slippery When Wet not only put Bon Jovi at the top of the rock tree, it went on to become one of the biggest selling albums ever, spending eight straight weeks at the top of the Billboard chart and going 12 x Platinum in the States, as well as No.1 in the UK.
Although some people won’t admit to liking the album, most of us have a copy somewhere and classics such as ‘Living On A Prayer’ and ‘Let It Rock’ are guaranteed to get folks singing.
 
Top rock writer, Neil Daniels, looks at not only how and why the album was made, but what preceded Slippery When Wet; what went after; a song-by-song analysis;  the Slippery When Wet tour (complete with tour dates) and more. He canvasses opinions from musicians who know the band, such as Dokken, Joe Lynn Turner and Jonathan Valen, plus top rock writers, such as Steve Rosen, Jason Ritchie and the Bailey Brothers, who all share their views.
 
Ex-Kerrang! writer Paul Suter provides a foreword, and ex-Gentle Giant frontman Derek Shulman, who signed the band to Polygram Records when he was senior vice-president of A&R there, writes the afterword. This is all topped off by some rare photos of the band at work and play.
 
Bon Jovi polarize opinion, but the band and album have an army of fans from mum’s and dad’s to followers of melodic rock and more, who will love this celebratory book.
 
Neil Daniels is the author of over a dozen books on rock and metal and has contributed to many music magazines, fanzines and websites. Visit www.neildanielsbooks.com
 
For information on how to buy this book go to www.neildanielsbooks.com

 

 
Thu
22
May

BON JOVI ‘NEW JERSEY’ IN REMASTERED, DELUXE, AND SUPER DELUXE EDITIONS

Artist: 
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Categories: 
News Feed

 

Bon Jovi Celebrate Three Decades in a Career That Gets Bigger & Bigger

Extensive Island/UMe Catalog Campaign Launching July 1 With ‘New Jersey’ in Remastered, Deluxe, and Super Deluxe Editions

 

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

 

For three decades, the iconic, world renowned BON JOVI has steadfastly earned and maintained a stellar reputation as ambassadors of American rock ‘n’ roll, performing for more than 37.5 million fans, selling more than 130 million albums and racking up 96 No. 1 chart debuts around the globe. On the heels of yet another record-breaking year in 2013, which included another No. 1 record and the No. 1 worldwide tour, Bon Jovi announces plans for an extensive 30th Anniversary catalog campaign with Island/UMe. The initiative will launch with the July 1 release of the seminal album New Jersey in a remastered 1-CD and digital edition, a 2-CD and digital Deluxe Edition, and a 3-disc (2-CD/1-DVD) Super Deluxe Edition. More 30th Anniversary commemorative titles, including newly-compiled collections of studio and live recordings, are scheduled for release this year.

Released in September 1988, New Jersey spent four straight weeks at No. 1 in the U.S. and spawned five Top 10 singles (“Bad Medicine;” “Born To Be My Baby;” “I’ll Be There For You;” “Living In Sin;” and “Lay Your Hands On Me” – the only rock album ever with that many Top 10 hits. The album is multi-platinum in the U.S. and has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.

Bon Jovi originally envisioned the New Jersey project as a double-LP, using the working title Sons Of Beaches. But in the end, Mercury Records released the album as a 12-track single LP and the band renamed it simply New Jersey, in honor of their home state. With the new Deluxe and Super Deluxe editions, the New Jersey originally imagined by Bon Jovi can finally be shared with fans.

The 2-CD Deluxe Edition, which will also be available digitally, includes the remastered original album, plus three bonus tracks which were originally released as B-sides or CD-single bonus tracks. The Deluxe Edition’s second CD features the 13 Sons Of Beaches demos: more than an hour of previously unreleased demos from the New Jersey recording sessions, remixed exclusively for this project. Also included is a 32-page booklet with rare images of the band from the New Jersey era, including never-before-seen photos from the making of the album; images and memorabilia from the mammoth 16-month, 26-country, 267-show New Jersey world tour; insider commentary on the bonus tracks and much more.

The 3-disc (2-CD/1-DVD) Super Deluxe Edition also features the remastered original album and all of the bonus audio tracks included on the Deluxe version, plus a DVD with the behind-the-scenes documentary ‘ACCESS ALL AREAS: A ROCK & ROLL ODYSSEY.’ Groundbreaking, highly-acclaimed director Wayne Isham, who also directed the music videos for Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet and New Jersey singles, followed the band around the globe with a documentary film crew to chronicle the entire New Jersey tour, including Bon Jovi’s Homecoming concert at Giants Stadium, the band’s history-making concert at Lenin Stadium in Moscow, and their visits to iconic landmarks and historic concert venues around the world. The extensive footage was edited for 88-minute film released in 1990 on VHS, but never before available on DVD in North America. Also included on the set’s DVD are the seven official music videos commissioned from Isham for the New Jersey album. The Super Deluxe Edition will be housed in a special DVD-sized digipak with a 60-page softcover book including rare photos and memorabilia.

Beginning with their 1986 breakthrough album Slippery When Wet and back-to-back No. 1 songs “You Give Love A Bad Name” and “Livin’ On A Prayer,” Bon Jovi’s unique blend of straight up rock ‘n’ roll and universal, everyman lyrics that speak directly to fans’ lives have made the band a mainstay on the charts worldwide. A phenomenon during the mid-to-late-eighties, Bon Jovi bucked labels and defied the ever-fickle music industry to not only survive but thrive during the ‘90s, emerging again in 2000 with the massive hit single “It’s My Life,” which ushered in an era of unprecedented popularity and success in the band’s career, including a GRAMMY® Award for their 2005 No. 1 hit single, “Who Says You Can’t Go Home.”

Led by charismatic front man and namesake Jon Bon Jovi, the band has cultivated a devoted fan base captivated by Bon Jovi’s legendary live performances. Part jukebox-come-to-life, part rock ‘n’ roll tent revival, a Bon Jovi concert is a marathon performance of songs which have permeated the pop culture zeitgeist. For three decades, Bon Jovi has consistently released new music and toured the globe, establishing themselves as one of the most beloved and enduring bands in rock ‘n’ roll history.

Last year, Bon Jovi released What About Now, their 12th studio album and the third in a row to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. The band’s “Because We Can – The Tour” was 2013’s No. 1 tour, filling arenas and stadiums worldwide, proving that Bon Jovi is still the world’s number one band.

For more information on Bon Jovi, please visit the official website: www.bonjovi.com.

BON JOVI: New Jersey [CD, digital]
1. Lay Your Hands On Me
2. Bad Medicine
3. Born To Be My Baby
4. Living In Sin
5. Blood On Blood
6. Homebound Train
7. Wild Is The Wind
8. Ride Cowboy Ride
9. Stick To Your Guns
10. I’ll Be There For You
11. 99 In The Shade
12. Love For Sale

BON JOVI: New Jersey (Deluxe Edition) [2CD, digital]
DISC 1: NEW JERSEY (original album, remastered) + bonus tracks
1. Lay Your Hands On Me
2. Bad Medicine
3. Born To Be My Baby
4. Living In Sin
5. Blood On Blood
6. Homebound Train
7. Wild Is The Wind
8. Ride Cowboy Ride
9. Stick To Your Guns
10. I’ll Be There For You
11. 99 In The Shade
12. Love For Sale
Bonus Tracks:
13. The Boys Are Back In Town (Cover of the Thin Lizzy classic; previously released on Stairway To Heaven/Highway To Hell compilation; released in the U.K. as a 12” single B-side)
14. Love Is War (B-side from Living In Sin single)
15. Born To Be My Baby (Acoustic Version; previously released as a B-side in Japan)

DISC 2: The ‘SONS OF BEACHES’ Demos
(** All tracks on DISC 2 are previously unreleased)
1. Homebound Train
2. Judgment Day
3. Full Moon High
4. Growin’ Up The Hard Way
5. Let’s Make It Baby
6. Love Hurts
7. Backdoor To Heaven
8. Now And Forever
9. Wild Is The Wind
10. Stick To Your Guns
11. House Of Fire
12. Does Anybody Really Fall In Love Anymore?
13. Diamond Ring

BON JOVI: New Jersey (Super Deluxe Edition) [boxed 2CD/DVD]
DISC 1: NEW JERSEY (original album, remastered) + bonus tracks
DISC 2: The ‘SONS OF BEACHES’ Demos (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)
DISC 3 (DVD):

1. ‘ACCESS ALL AREAS: A ROCK & ROLL ODYSSEY’
Directed by Wayne Isham.
The original 1990 88-minute documentary of the band’s epic 16-month world tour in support of the NEW JERSEY album; includes rare backstage, on-the-road, and live concert footage.
First time released in the U.S. on DVD format

2. MUSIC VIDEOS From the NEW JERSEY album
All directed by Wayne Isham
-- Bad Medicine (1st Version)
-- Born To Be My Baby
-- I’ll Be There For You
-- Lay Your Hands On Me
-- Living In Sin
-- Blood On Blood
-- Bad Medicine (2nd Version)

Original audio produced by Bruce Fairbairn; engineered and mixed by Bob Rock

 

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