August 11th, 2010
This has long been one of the songs that I want desperately to see performed live, right up there with ‘Living in Sin’. If I had decided to chance the rain and had gotten tickets for one of the Meadowlands shows, I might have gotten to hear it performed, but that’s beside the point now.
Anyway, when I heard that the folks in Chicago got treated to ‘Dry County’, I had to check out the videos. Especially when I heard that Jon added an extra verse at the end. Ultimately I never did make out the words to that extra section that Jon added; none of the videos that I found had good enough audio for me to make any of it out. However, Jon was looking pretty good that night–love that sleeveless blue shirt, especially with the blond hair–so watching it repeatedly was hardly a burden.
But one of the reasons that I’ve always wanted to see this live is because of the solos in it; not only does Richie get to come out and play, but Dave gets to join him as well. A lot of Bon Jovi songs feature Dave’s keyboards in a supporting role–but on ‘Dry County’, the keyboard is front and center, and Dave’s work on this song is gorgeous.
Tags: Bon Jovi, Dry County, The Circle Tour
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August 9th, 2010
I know, this has been up on BonJovi.com for several days already. I’m behind again. (As if that’s anything new.)
It actually surprised me how much I enjoyed this particular live track. You know that I’m a big fan of live tracks and albums, if you’ve been following the Random Song posts. But this is a rare one that I actually like better than the original studio recording. For some reason, I actually find this recording to be much clearer. Something about the way that Jon is performing it here just makes it a lot easier to listen to.
I think this version is slightly slower than the original, which contributes to the clarity of it. Also, the slower pace plays well with the bluesy vibe of the song. I listened to the version from New Jersey after this one, and it almost sounded rushed. This version also lets the guitar work really shine–and there’s some really great guitar work in the intro. Add some good vocals from Jon, and this is a great song.
The guys in Bon Jovi are excellent live performers–both Jon and Richie especially are at their best when performing live. This recording is an excellent example of the skill that they bring to their live shows.
Tags: Bon Jovi, New Jersey
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August 6th, 2010
Artist: The All-American Rejects
Album: Move Along
The All American Rejects are one of the few newer groups whose work I really enjoy. They always seemed to be one of the few who really got what rock should be all about. This particular song is one of my favorites off Move Along.
I like this particular song mostly because of the heavy drumbeat that drives most of it. It’s not a particularly complicated drum part, but it’s powerful. It shapes the entire identity of the song and provides the driving force that links the imagery of the lyrics with the instrumental part of the song.
If you’ve been reading some of my other posts, you also know that I’m a sucker for a good breakup song, especially the more defiant ones like this one. The lyrics of this song are especially good in that they really capture the ambivalence that comes with a breakup. The narrator is leaving because he can’t take a bad relationship anymore, but at the same time acknowledges that it hurts to leave as well. A lot of songs never really explore that kind of territory.
This kind of good, solid rock is why I really like this band so much.
Tags: All-American Rejects
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August 4th, 2010
E! Online has a video interview with Jon about the end of the current leg of the tour.
Most of the questions are the same ones that get trotted out in every interview when the band is on tour.
However, the way that Jon talks about the upcoming Greatest Hits album is interesting. He references Cross Road as a ‘volume 1′. To me, that sounds like the upcoming album will pick up where Cross Road left off. If that’s true, then my prior speculation about what would be on it was completely off base. It opens up a lot more space for the post-1994 hits and makes it easier to fit in the new songs that were promised.
And now, for the shallow stuff: Jon’s looking pretty good. Now, as you know, I’m a big fan of the blond hair, so videos like this one are a complete treat. The blue shirt looks especially good on him.
Tags: Bon Jovi, Greatest Hits, Jon Bon Jovi, The Circle Tour
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August 2nd, 2010
Of course, I have heard this song before, played over the sound system back when I saw the boys at the Wachovia Center back in March. I couldn’t really make out much of the words or even the melody, what with everybody else around me still talking and moving around.
However, an actual performance is a whole different animal. (There are videos of the debut of ‘This Is Our House’ at Blame It On The Love, if you want to see it for yourself.)
Lyrically speaking, this isn’t the band’s finest work. However, it doesn’t pretend to be anything it isn’t, and it is an excellent stadium-rock anthem. And that is something that Bon Jovi has always been very good at delivering. Musically, though, this song is pretty good.
It certainly seems to be a great song for live shows–it’s getting a pretty good reception from the audience for a new song. But it’s got good energy and that helps.
I have to say that this raises my hopes for what else we might get in the way of new tracks for the Greatest Hits album later this year.
Tags: Bon Jovi, Greatest Hits, The Circle Tour
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July 30th, 2010
Artist: Bon Jovi
Album: Have a Nice Day
I actually encountered this song for the first time on the ‘This Left Feels Right’ DVD. Except that performance was more like the version of this song that’s on the box set, which is a more contemplative, reflective and almost sorrowful performance.
I got my copy of Have a Nice Day not too long after that. Needless to say, this version of the song was a bit of a surprise.
However, after I’d listened to it a few times and I got over the initial shock, this version of the song really started to grow on me. Of course, I’ve always been attracted to the more defiant aspects of rock and roll, and this version of ‘Last Man Standing’ definitely has that. It’s one of the few songs that Bon Jovi has done recently that really has that rock star swagger to it.
Jon’s a bit nasal on this song. However, since this performance of the song isn’t really a vocal showcase, that doesn’t distract me too much. Most of this version of the song is really driven by the bass and Richie’s guitar work. (The solo here is a special treat for fans of Richie’s playing like me.)
Over time, I’ve actually come to like this version of the song better than the version on the box set. I think it’s that whole rock star attitude thing that Jon really brings out here.
Tags: Bon Jovi, Box Set, Have a Nice Day
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July 28th, 2010
Ozzy is one of the undisputed legends of metal, and I’ve long enjoyed Ozzy’s stuff. This new album seems to be a solid addition to Ozzy’s catalog.
Scream certainly starts off strong with ‘Let it Die’ and ‘Let Me Hear You Scream’. Both are good, solid metal songs, bringing all of the hard, heavy sound that you’d expect from Ozzy. ‘Let Me Hear You Scream’ is an especially good one to rock out to.
The ballads on this album are another highlight. ‘Time’ especially takes advantage of Ozzy’s unique vocal style to produce a unique song that only Ozzy could have delivered properly. (That being said, if you don’t care too much for Ozzy’s voice, this wouldn’t be your cup of tea. ‘Time’ really showcases Ozzy’s vocals more than the other songs do.)
Some of the other songs later in the album are a bit weak, and less memorable than the first few tracks. I found that ‘I Want It More’ and ‘Latimer’s Mercy’ just weren’t in the same class as the first couple of songs that I mentioned above. But the stronger tracks more than make up for these deficiencies.
All together, I don’t think that this is going to be a ‘classic’ Ozzy album. However, I think it’s a a very solid album. And it definitely has a bunch of good songs on it.
Tags: Ozzy Osbourne
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July 26th, 2010
Artist: Dio
Album: Holy Diver Live
Holy Diver Live is one of my favorite albums. Apart from my deep affection for Dio and his work, this is a really good live album. It strikes a really good balance between capturing the rough edges and improvisations of a live performance and creating a solid album of music.
This track in particular has an energy to it that is hard to pin down. I think part of it is the blazing guitar work in the solos–I’ve always liked the sound of electric guitars, and that’s part of what attracts me to songs like this. The other half of it is the solid bass work. The best songs always have a synergy between the lead guitar and the bass.
I also like this track because it’s not so rushed. Believe it or not, I’ve actually managed to collect two different live versions of this song, and the version on Holy Diver Live clocks in at over a minute longer than the other one. That means that the song has room to breathe. You can actually understand the lyrics in this version, and Dio’s voice really gets to shine. Plus, the solo isn’t anywhere near so muddy. It’s amazing how different two performances by the same artist can really be.
This is one song that really makes me regret that I never sought out tickets to see Heaven and Hell on the last tour.
Tags: Dio
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July 23rd, 2010
I found a video of the cast performing on America’s Got Talent on Blabbermouth.net.
Maroulis’ performance on ‘I Wanna Rock’ was interesting. I’m very used to the original version, and Maroulis was actually bringing a more melodic sound to the performance rather than belting it out the way that Dee Snider did. He actually takes it and makes it into a real Broadway song, which is pretty cool. Plus, Dee Snider himself shows up halfway through the song.
‘Don’t Stop Believin’ came out much better as far as I’m concerned. The song actually lends itself amazingly well to an ensemble production. It comes out rather drastically different from the original recording, but once again they’ve taken it and made it perfect for use in a Broadway musical. Also, this song seemed to be better suited to Maroulis’ vocal style than ‘I Wanna Rock’. ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ really lets him shine.
Tags: Dee Snider, Journey, Rock of Ages, TV, Twisted Sister
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July 21st, 2010
I’ve really got to remember to check the news on Bing more often. It turns up stuff that hasn’t been showing up in Google News. Anyway, I used Bing on a whim today and found out about the Broadway.com 2010 Audience Awards and the fact that Dave got one of them for his work on Memphis.
There’s a video on Broadway.com of Dave and Joe DiPietro accepting their award. It’s a really cute video that even includes the two guys singing (or trying to, at any rate).
You know, (and I’ve said this before), I didn’t always pay a ton of attention to Dave. He was just kind of there, and his keyboards did bring a certain extra dimension to the music of Bon Jovi. But with all of the awards and attention that he’s picked up from his work on Memphis, I’ve really started to notice just how talented he really is.
Tags: awards, David Bryan
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