It’s been a long 16 years since Bon Jovi was last compiled, when Cross Road arrived for the holiday season of 1994, two years after Keep the Faith capped off a near-decade long run of dominance for the Jersey rockers. As it turned out, it was the first act of Bon Jovi’s career. A subdued second act followed in the ‘90s, with Jon Bon Jovi flirting with a solo career once again before returning to the fold late in the decade, with the band setting out for a decade of professionalism, sometimes cresting into the charts – usually with the assist of a canny country crossover – sometimes not. Greatest Hits condenses the highlights of this journey in a mere 16 songs, just two longer than Cross Road – its simultaneously released cousin, Ultimate Greatest Hits, adds a disc with 12 additional songs – and two of those are new tunes that are unlikely to show up on any subsequent best of.
Jon Bon Jovi's first official solo album, Destination Anywhere (apparently Blaze of Glory doesn't count because it was a soundtrack) finds the hard rocker attempting to simultaneously make his signature sound more mature and more contemporary. Producer Stephen Lironi tones down the sample-driven rhythms that characterized his work with Black Grape, giving Bon Jovi a laid-back and modern musical bed. Of course, the singer chooses to write melodies and lyrics very similar to those of his full-time band, only less bombastic. And that's the key to Destination Anywhere – it really couldn't have been made by the band, because there are too many subtle sonics and melodies for the group. So, in a sense, it's a breakthrough for Bon Jovi, because it is the first time he sounds like he's come to terms with adulthood. That doesn't mean Destination Anywhere is a complete success – it, like his other records, is hampered by filler – but none of his contemporaries were able to age this well, and the record is a fine example of late-'90s mainstream pop.
This DVD features an exclusive performance from Bon Jovi, bringing their number one album, Lost Highway, to life! Including the entire Lost Highway album tracklist plus interviews with the band and live performances of classics such as 'Wanted Dead Or Alive,' 'Have a Nice Day' and 'It's My Life.'
Bon Jovi had perfected a formula for hard pop/rock by the time of New Jersey, concentrating on singalong choruses sung over and over again, frequently by a rough, extensively overdubbed chorus, producing an effect not unlike what these songs sounded like in the arenas and stadiums where they were most often heard…
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi, pianist and keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, lead guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald. The band's lineup has remained mostly static during its history, with the only exceptions being the 1994 dismissal of bass player Alec John Such, who was unofficially replaced by Hugh McDonald, and the departure of longtime guitarist and co-songwriter Richie Sambora in 2013. Phil X and McDonald both became official members in 2016…
Jon Bon Jovi planned to release Bon Jovi 2020 early in 2020 but like everybody else in the world, his plans for the year changed. Taking advantage of his time in a Covid-inspired quarantine, JBJ rejiggered Bon Jovi 2020 so it reflected all the political turmoil of the year, adding songs about war, disease, empathy, and compassion…
Bon Jovi's four-CD/one-DVD box set of rarities, 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong, inspires two immediate reactions. The first: How in the world did Bon Jovi have four discs' worth of unreleased material in their vaults? The second: Who on earth would want to hear 50 rarities from Bon Jovi? To anybody who's not a devoted fan, the New Jersey group always seemed like a quintessential singles-driven band…
Jon Bon Jovi planned to release Bon Jovi 2020 early in 2020 but like everybody else in the world, his plans for the year changed. Taking advantage of his time in a Covid-inspired quarantine, JBJ rejiggered Bon Jovi 2020 so it reflected all the political turmoil of the year, adding songs about war, disease, empathy, and compassion. Jon Bon Jovi doesn't disguise his somber attitude. He reigns in both volume and hooks, keeping focus on lyrics and mood, resulting in a record that deliberately avoids good times even when Jon Bon Jovi is singing about love and transcendence. To his credit, Bon Jovi never avoids directly confronting America's ills – he lays it all out in "American Reckoning" and implores listeners to "Do What You Can" – but despite the good intentions, Bon Jovi 2020 winds up getting swallowed up by its heavy-handed rhythms and earnest murk.