It’s been a year–time to check in and see what I was actually listening to in 2012. Some are predictable, but things have shaken up a little bit this year. (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘Box Set’
My Top 10 Bon Jovi Songs (January 2012)
Tuesday, January 24th, 2012Random Song: Out of Bounds
Monday, August 8th, 2011Artist: Bon Jovi
Album: 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong
The Bon Jovi box set is a fascinating treat if you’re a fan. This was the first insight that I had into just what did and didn’t make it into the band’s albums. (And it helped secure my personal feeling that this is a band that simply does not get enough credit for just how much skill they have when it comes to creating rock and roll music.)
When life gets crazy, music helps
Monday, April 11th, 2011Two weeks ago, I wrote a post about how I turned to Bon Jovi’s Live in London DVD to clear up a bad day. So far, this week hasn’t gotten any quieter–I’ve been crazy busy, between work and the rest of my life. (I’m sorry about missing the posts on Wednesday and Thursday of last week.)
Video Catch-up
Friday, April 1st, 2011I haven’t caught up with the videos from the tour this past month yet at all. (I know, I’m behind on my Jovi watching, but March was a busy month.)
Ultimate Valentine’s Day Playlist of the Unlucky
Monday, February 14th, 2011For those of us less lucky in love, I present my personal list of the Top 5 best ‘love sucks’ songs…
My Current Top 10 Bon Jovi Songs (January 2011)
Wednesday, January 19th, 2011Every once in awhile, I like to check my favorite songs against the ones that I really listen to. I usually find a bit of a surprise, since what I think I like usually isn’t what I’ve been actually listening to. Here’s the top 10 Bon Jovi songs that I’ve actually been listening to, according to the play count in Windows Media Player.
Review: ‘Garageland’ Live
Wednesday, September 8th, 2010The latest video posted on the official site is a performance of ‘Garageland’.
I didn’t really have any preformed opinions of this song. For some reason, this song never really stood out enough from the rest of the tracks on the box set for me to really take notice of it. (A quick check of the play counts on Windows Media Player reveals a total play count of 2 for this particular track.)
Random Song: Last Man Standing
Friday, July 30th, 2010Artist: 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.
My Current Top 10 Songs (June 2010)
Friday, June 4th, 2010There are the songs that you consider to be your favorites, and then there are the songs that you actually listen to. And at least for me, the two don’t always line up. Here, I present my current top 10 songs, according to the play count in Windows Media Player:
- Poison
Artist: Alice Cooper
Album: Trash
I knew I liked this song–after all, I specifically ordered Trash just to get it. But I had no idea that I played it so much that it had gotten all the way to #1! - Hell is Living Without You
Artist: Alice Cooper
Album: Trash
Not a surprise here–this is actually one of my favorites, being a collaboration between Alice, Richie, Jon and Desmond Child, and I knew I listened to it a lot. It’s in most of my custom playlists. - Cum on Feel the Noize
Artist: Quiet Riot
Okay, a bit of a surprise here. I like Quiet Riot well enough, but they aren’t one of my all-time favorite bands. But evidently I really like this song. - Roulette
Artist: Bon Jovi
Album: Bon Jovi
Odd choice here. I’m guessing because it shows up early in the list when I list out all of the songs in my collection, so I end up starting here a lot. Otherwise, I don’t really seek this one out. - This Ain’t a Love Song
Artist: Bon Jovi
Album: These Days
I would have actually expected this one to rank a bit higher–in the #1 or 2 range, because this is actually a favorite that I do seek out on a fairly regular basis. - Rainbow in the Dark
Artist: Dio
Album: Holy Diver
I would have put this one as another of my top favorites–I know I seek this one out a lot, and include it in my playlists. - Why Aren’t You Dead
Artist: Bon Jovi
Album: 100,000,000 Million Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong
This isn’t a song that I truly think of as one of my favorites–if I were asked, I probably wouldn’t list it in my favorites. But I do include in a lot of playlists, which most likely accounts for its rank. - Temptation
Artist: Bon Jovi
Album: 100,000,000 Million Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong
This is another song that I would have expected to clock in much higher. This is one of the songs that I truly do think of as a favorite–but I guess I don’t actually listen to it as often as I would have thought. - Santa Fe
Artist: Jon Bon Jovi
Album: Blaze of Glory
Another well-liked but not essential track. Evidently I listen to it way more than I thought I did. - Nobody’s Hero / Livin’ on a Prayer (demo)
Artist: Bon Jovi
Album: 100,000,000 Million Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong
I think this only got up this high because I replayed it a bunch of times when I was writing up a random song post on it. I can’t think of any other explanation for it.
I find it interesting that there are no songs whatsoever from Stranger In This Town–even though I’ve long considered that to be my favorite album of all time. Also conspicuously absent–anything from Slippery When Wet–only the most essential Bon Jovi album ever…
Random Song: The Fire Inside
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010Artist: Bon Jovi
Album: 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong
This was one of the tracks the box set that I found difficult to get into when I first got the box set. I suppose a lot of it was because the song starts off so simply with just Jon’s voice and the guitar. Without the keyboards, drums and the heavier production of the regular album tracks, it was too far outside the boundaries of what I had accepted as Bon Jovi’s music.
But once you get to the chorus, this song really opens fire, and then I got it. Jon’s voice isn’t perfect here, but this song is built around the passion in the chorus and the slow burn of the verses that build up to it. Those choruses hit like the blows of a musical sledgehammer.
This is one of the songs that led me to truly appreciate Jon’s musical skills. The lyrics might not be the greatest–some of the choruses tend toward the repetitive, and the lyrics border a bit on cheesy. However, the building tension of the verses that lead up to the power of the choruses is very well performed here.
In a lot of ways, this song showcases the core of the best of Bon Jovi’s songs–their ability to write songs that build perfectly up to big choruses. This structure is what the best arena rock is built on–and ‘The Fire Inside’ displays the technical grasp of this format that made the band great. Like the demo version of ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ that’s also on the box set, this song really helped give me an insight into what made Bon Jovi so great at what they do.