Pros: tons of great, previously unreleased material, great insight on the DVD/in the book
Cons: at times, too many ballads, a few cheesy numbers/lyrics
The Bottom Line: 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong is an essential piece to any diehard fan's collection, and it would be a solid addition to a casual fan's collection as well.
MattA75's Full Review: 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong... [Box] ...
In the past decade or so, the box set has become a way for artists and bands to draw even more cash out of a diehard fan's bank account. At times, the things are so monstrous that only a diehard or big fan would have the patience to wade through all the material. At times, bands have used the box set as a way of collecting most of their essential material and putting it in one place, a kind of one stop shop for the casual fan (see: Zeppelin, Led). Others have released box sets of strictly live performances. Or b-sides. Or unreleased studio tracks. Either way, a box set is an investment and not many casual fans are likely to invest in something that big if they merely think an artist is ok.
The new Bon Jovi box set, 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong, is a mix of rarities, b-sides, soundtrack efforts and previously unheard of studio outtakes and demos. With four discs of music, plus a DVD, it is a MONSTER of a set to get through. However, there is so much good to great stuff here, that it is well worth it. Since every disc was carefully put together by the band to sound like a cohesive album, that is how I'll dive into these discs: as if each were a separate new album from the band. Just as with the last box set I reviewed, this is probably going to be a very long review, so consider yourself warned. Off we go...
Disc One
It doesn't take long before you realize that the problem with trying to create four cohesive albums from tracks that are from all different eras of a band's career is that you get a lot of songs that don't really mesh in terms of maturity and songwriting. There is no better example of this than the first track on the set, Why Aren't You Dead?, a song that sounds like it wouldn't have sounded out of place on New Jersey or Slippery When Wet, with it's cliche'd lyrics and sleazy sound. It's not a bad song, it's just odd hearing that side of the band again.
Things improve rather quickly though. The Radio Saved My Life Tonight is a solid rocker with a simple riff from Richie and an impassioned vocal performance from Jon. The chorus possibly could use a bit of tightening up in terms of the vocal harmony, but there is something kind of refreshing about its rawness.
As with most Bon Jovi albums, this disc is split pretty evenly between upbeat tracks, midtempo numbers and ballads. Taking It Back is one of the band's angrier numbers, directed straight at the changing musical landscape of the 90s. The track has a whole lot of attitude, and its amazing to me it didn't make the Keep the Faith record. I Get A Rush is a solid mid-tempo track built on a simple power chord progression, though it does feature possibly the most embarrasing lyric of Jon's career ("you're as close as the hole in my shoe," what the hell?). Thief of Hearts is probably the strongest ballad here, thanks to a pretty melody laid down by Richie. Then again, that's not saying much, considering the relative weakness of the other ballads, like Miss Fourth of July and the somewhat cheesy and cliche'd I Just Want to Be Your Man.
Somehow, on this box set, comes the promise that one of these tracks will be prominently featured on the next album. Surprising? Absolutely, but that's what the band claims about Last Man Standing, a song inspired by the death of Johnny Cash and the current state of radio and MTV.
The band also revisits previously released tracks, albeit in different forms. Both Open All Night and These Arms Are Open All Night differ lyrically and musically from the Open All Night found on the Bounce record, but these are early versions of that track. I personally think the Open All Night here is far superior to the Bounce version, mostly because the song is more upbeat and while the lyrics definitely aren't Jon's best, the music makes up for it. These Arms... is a slow ballad and most likely, the inspiration for taking the Bounce version where they did.
The demo version of Someday I'll Be Saturday Night, the original of which was featured on the Cross Road hits collection, differs lyrically and has a bit more kick and rawness than the version on Cross Road.
Overall grade for Disc One: A-/B+ Even the songs that are weaker are tough to skip because there is something there to redeem them, and while the disc loses steam over the last 1/3 or so, that has more to do with the pace of the music than the actual quality. BEST PICKS: The Radio Saved My Life Tonight, Taking It Back, Open All Night, I Get a Rush, Last Man Standing SKIP: These Arms Are Open All Night
Disc Two
The second disc of the box starts off with a Crush outtake, probably the band's worst album since Slippery When Wet made them superstars. Upon one listen to Garageland though, and you'll find yourself wondering how and why it didn't make that record over some of the out and out crap that they released instead. The song is a good mix of old Bon Jovi, with the "na na na na" chorus, and the more focused, more melodic side of the band that has emerged in the last decade.
Building on the energy found on Garageland, the band unleashes a great anthem in Starting All Over Again, which was written for the Keep the Faith record. With songs like this left on the sidelines, its not hard to see how Faith is the band's best record by a mile. I love the the stuttering guitar riff laid down by Richie, and Jon's voice sounds awesome on the chorus. The one complaint I do have about the track is that the production could have been cleaned up a bit, perhaps. The song just shouldn't sound this dirty, not for what it is at least.
It isn't long though, before the problem with disc two becomes very much evident. There is a littany of ballads here, and few, if any, are worth a couple of listens, nevermind repeated listenings. Maybe Someday has some gorgeous harmonizing between Jon and Richie, and it at least builds to a nice crescendo and a solid, if nondescript, solo from Richie. That's more than I can say for perhaps two of the most whiny ballads the band has ever written that are both found on this disc: Every Beat of My Heart has nothing redeeming going for it. The song goes nowhere, and the lyrics, even for Bon Jovi, are horribly cliché'd. Perhaps worst of all, when Jon and Richie harmonize, they sound like a pair of whining brats. The One That Got Away is slightly better, since it has a better melody to it, but again, the song doesn't really go anywhere, and Jon once again sounds overly whiny.
The midtempo songs here are solid though, and help to make up for the abundance of ballads. The Fire Inside is completely acoustic, but it has a great build up, solid lyrics, and finds Jon sounding emotional rather than whiny, even if he is almost doing his best Springsteen impersonation. Rich Man Living in a Poor Man's House has a catchy melody, and some solid backing work from drummer Tico Torres and keyboardist David Bryan, who lays down an understated keyboard line. Add in a great solo from Richie, and you have a winner of a song.
Thankfully, the band gets back to rocking towards the end of the disc. The riff laid down on Outlaws of Love is dark and almost evil sounding, and while it's not surprising the band doesn't continue that theme throughout the song, I still dig the hell out of that riff. The best song on the disc, Good Guys Don't Always Wear White, was released years ago as a single to the movie soundtrack for The Cowboy Way, and had it been released as a single for an album, it would've been huge. Torres is an animal on the drumkit on this track, laying down rapid fire fills while Richie lays down a classic Richie riff, something in the vein of Slippery or New Jersey but with a bit more of an edge.
Disc two closes out with We Rule the Night, which is one of the more dated sounding songs on the entire box. It's not bad, and it's not all that good, it just sounds dated to hell, and in some ways, it shows how far the band has come not only as songwriters, but as instrumentalists as well. There had to of been a better way to end this disc.
Overall grade for Disc Two: C+/B- The biggest problem with disc two is that it lacks a cohesive flow. If this actually were a Bon Jovi album, I'd be hard pressed to give it more than three stars for this very reason. The tracks don't really flow well, and the overabundance of ballads clogging everything but the front and back of the disc really kills it in spots. BEST PICKS: Good Guys Don't Always Wear White, Garageland, Starting All Over Again SKIP: Every Beat of My Heart, The One That Got Away, We Rule the Night
Disc Three
The third disc in this set begins with a song that sounds somewhat dated thanks to its production values, and sure enough, in the extensive liner notes, Edge of a Broken Heart turns out to be a rather popular diehard fan favorite recorded for the Slippery When Wet record. It would've fit perfectly on that record too, and probably would've been one mean single, to go along with the four or five that record already had. Man, listening to a song like this brings me back to when I was about six years old and discovered this band for the first time.
Sympathy follows, and it is further proof provided by this set that the Keep the Faith sessions were absolutely sick in terms of how many truly great songs the band was writing at the time, and so its no real surprise that said record is the band's best. Sympathy is the type of swaggering rocker that the band has kind of abandoned writing in recent years, but hopefully finding this in the vaults will jump start them to create more songs like it on their next record.
One of the cooler elements of disc three that is not present on the other discs is that the other members of the band get a chance to shine on lead vocals. First up is the drummer, Tico Torres, who showcases a terrific, if very Tom Waits-like, voice, on Only In My Dreams. The great thing about this track is that if Jon were singing it, it'd be just another Bon Jovi ballad, but with Tico, he manages to make it sound, well, much much different. It's a refreshing change of pace.
Guitarist Richie Sambora has made a couple of solo records, and interestingly enough, I've never actually given either of them a chance, despite the fact that I love his voice. If I Can't Have Your Love is another great showcase for his voice and for the passion that he brings on the microphone, and again, while I realize it was a Richie solo track, I can't even begin to imagine Jon doing justice to this song.
Lastly, keyboardist David Bryan gets a chance to shine on Memphis Lives in Me. Who knew that David Bryan had a voice that was like listening to Elton John on country whiskey? Taken from a musical theatre production that David wrote called Memphis, this song is fantastic as well, with only simple accompaniment on piano, meaning you really get to hear how full and rich David's voice is.
So what about the songs that Jon does sing? Well, there are some real gems on this disc as well. The closing Too Much of a Good Thing has a shuffling guitar riff and drumbeat before turning into a fun party song on the chorus, which just makes you want to get up and dance your a*s off. And the mid-tempo Real Life marks the last time the band would work with producer Bruce Fairbairn before he passed away. Given the hand Bruce had in the band's success (he produced both Slippery When Wet and New Jersey), including this nice little number (from the EdTV soundtrack) is a solid tribute.
The band's darkest record is unquestionably 1995's These Days, so it's somewhat interesting to see the band talk about a pair of outtakes from that album that makes this disc as well. Flesh and Bone is called "too dark" for that record, as is Ordinary People. Flesh and Bone starts off slow but it gains steam quickly, and production wise, in terms of it's general sound, it certainly doesn't fit the overall mood of the These Days record. Ordinary People certainly doesn't fit the overall mood of the record, as it sounds, at least musically, much more happy and hopeful than many of the songs that made up the bulk of that record.
Even the straight up Bon Jovi ballads on this disc are solid. Lonely at the Top features some of the best harmonizing between Jon and Richie on the whole box, and, as a penned tribute to Kurt Cobain and his daughter, it works well. Meanwhile, Satellite is extremely melodic and has a pretty little solo from Richie.
Overall Grade for Disc Three: A/A- With no really bad or skippable tracks, Disc Three is the class of this box set. While some may say there are too many ballads here, what sets it apart is who is singing them, and the magnificent quality of not only the songs, but the vocal performances. BEST PICKS: Edge of a Broken Heart, Sympathy, Only In My Dreams, Memphis Lives in Me, Too Much of a Good hting, Flesh and Bone SKIP: NONE
Disc Four
One of my all time favorite songs is U2'sAngel of Harlem, so to hear Bon Jovi write a song similar to that one is ok by me. Love Ain't Nothing But a Four Letter Word is soaked in horns and it has a great, classic R&B swing to it. It's a departure for the band, but it works really really well, and lyrically, it's one of the better socially conscious numbers Jon has written.
A second version of the song follows, this time in its original demo form. There are some lyrical changes, and it is much more of a "classic" Bon Jovi song, with a swaggering chorus (though it doesn't have nearly the swagger as the version with the horns) and tight musical backbone.
This last disc of music is heavy on ballads, though unlike disc two, these flow a bit better. In addition, the songwriting isn't quite as cheesy on the ballads, and in some cases, they are quite good. Some might find the inclusion of Always here to be a bit odd, but this demo version, for my money at least, makes the version on Cross Road sound woefully inadequate. Firstly, the instrumentation is crisper, and because it is just a demo, this lends to a more majestic sound. The harmonizing on the completely awesome bridge (by far the best part of the song) is also much better here.
The band's pop ballad side appears on Kidnap An Angel, a simple acoustic chordal track that works well for two reasons: Jon's vocal performance, and the powerful, blues inspired solo laid down by Richie. River Runs Dry is another acoustic ballad that takes some time to get going, but once it does, it's well worth repeated listens.
I think one of the more fascinating aspects of the fourth disc is the amount of styles found, and the amount of experimentation found. In terms of those factors, it is by far the best disc. Temptation is hard to describe, other than to say it's like nothing I've ever heard the band do it. There's a swirling keyboard riff at the heart of the song, and the song has a dusky, late night feel to it. It isn't surprising to see Bon Jovi be sleazy, but this is a much more sophisticated form of sleazy. The song absolutely fascinates me; it isn't the best song on the set, but it just makes me listen to it over and over again.
On Breathe the band channels Collective Soul via the Goo Goo Dolls. The acoustic opening just sounds like a GGD song, while the echo effect on the guitars in the chorus just make me think Collective Soul. It's an interesting dichotomy, and I like the general sound of the song, even if I'm not wild about the lyrical content.
Letter to a Friend has that sweeping, majestic feel that so many of the band's hits have had, and that's the problem with the song: it feels like we've done all this before, and since this is a big theme for the band in this set as to why certain songs didn't make albums, it's not hard to see why this sat on a shelf until now.
A pair of stomping rockers comes toward the end of the disc, with All I Wanna Do Is You and Billy. All I Wanna Do Is You has a classic R&B feel to it as well, though it doesn't go nearly as far down that route as Four Letter Word. Billy is much more straight-forward and harder edged, and while it does sound dated, there is energy all over the track, which can make one forget about the dated sound.
The box set closes (or does it?) with a sweet piano ballad titled Nobody's Hero. Nothing more than Jon with some barebones accompaniment from Richie on acoustic guitar, the song is yet another showcase for how well they harmonize together.
There is a hidden track placed at the end of disc four. Since it's not actually credited in terms of year, I can only guess that it's one of the original, early demos for Livin on a Prayer. I would guess this since the song sounds very rough. The parts of the song that became its most identifiable aren't really there yet, though the song is close. However, after twenty years and 100,000,000 records sold (shipped) worldwide, there is probably no better way to end a box set celebrating both of those milestones than a rough blueprint of the song that really started it all.
Overall Grade for Disc Four: A- While the first half is littered with ballads, they are some of the highest quality of the entire set. The other songs here, the midtempo numbers and rockers, are of a high quality as well. BEST PICKS: Love Ain't Nothing But a Four Letter Word (final version), Always, All I Wanna Do Is You, Kidnap an Angel, Breathe SKIP: River Runs Dry
Disc Five: the DVD/The Booklet
The accompanying DVD is a joy to watch, although I might question how much replayability it has. It is essentially broken down into three parts: the band reminiscing about the songs on the box and giving their thoughts about them, Jon, alone, talking about the songs and which years/sessions they were from, and home movie footage from across the band's career.
Essentially, watching Jon alone talk about the songs is nothing more than the notes on the songs that are found in the booklet. I went back to see if he covers anything on disc that he doesn't in the book, but everything seems to be in both places.
The joy of the DVD comes in the band reminiscing and giving their thoughts about some of these songs. It's interesting because it gave me a different perspective on some of these tracks, especially Miss Fourth of July. I still find the song to be too slow and I still think the song takes too long to get anywhere, but I definitely appreciate the lyrics more after hearing Jon and Richie talking about it. I also found it to be extremely enjoyable to watch the band members talk about the songs they sing lead on, while also making fun of some of their own songs.
The home videos give you a good idea of where the band has been, while also providing a glimpse into how they get along on the road, and showing their personalities. With footage like this, it isn't hard at all to see why the band has developed the fanbase they have, and why said fanbase has remained loyal.
Overall Grade for Disc Five: B/B-
Final Thoughts
Box sets are normally reserved for diehard fans. But this set is a bit different, in that I think a lot of casual fans would get a lot of mileage out of this set as well. Is every song perfect? No, of course not. Does the set maybe have a few too many ballads? Sure. But it is a highly enjoyable set with plenty of gems on each disc. Both diehards and casual fans should splurge for this. 4 stars.
The greatest hits you never heard! Thirty-eight never-before-released songs.Nearly 4 hours of music... 4 CDs of previously unreleased songs, rarities ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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