Young Guns II recording period

Probably the fact the Japanese version was released early (with a rough unfinished mix) in 1997 and in the rest of the world in 1998. There was a Japanese tour edition too, also in 1998 with a bonus Live CD.

Indeed, the version with the black cover and Richie's face is from 1997. The other version is from 1998 and features a plastic cover, and there is yet another version with the same cover but includes two discs. However, this one is marked with a publishing date of 2002 and a copyright of 1998. Both Japan-released discs have the same tracks and sound identical, including the live disc. I appreciate the information you have provided.

There is no "Cross Road Era" though. Well, Cross Road era and Open all Night/Early TD tracking are one and the same. Songs like Prostitute, Letter To a Friend, Lonely at the Top and (I assume) When She Comes stem from that era. Timeline wise I'm not sure where Always and Saturday night fall into this but since always was released in Fall in 1994, it stands to reason it was the same time period.

The double disc was originally released in 1998, it must have been reissued in 2002.

Now everything seems to fit in my mind. It's possible that "Always," "Good Guys," and "Saturday Night" were recorded during the same period as songs like "TAALS," "SFTP," and the rest of the tracks we know today that are part of the album "These Days." I believe I understand that initially, Jon did not want a Greatest Hits album (or perhaps he doesn't like them at all); maybe he wanted to give a preview of what was coming in the next few months.

Assuming that must be the reason because I recognize the Mercury Records label and the other one I believe is called JASRAC or something like that (I have no idea about Japanese record labels), but it's the same one that appears on the Japanese editions.

It's possible but it's more likely they predated that batch and were part of the songs that were rejected when the album "re-started"

What you mention is intriguing; however, it evokes a certain nostalgia to witness how the band's production process has shifted from something artistic to a somewhat hollow assembly line, lacking in the amalgamation of talents.

That's an interesting point. I think it works in certain points. The sessions for This House is Not For Sale probably had 25-30 songs recorded for it and it didn't lead to results where people were wowed.

What you mention is valid. However, the problem with turning art into a mass-produced product is that it not only loses its essence but also its content. For example, the 2000s band boom was just that – a trend that was mass-produced, and as such, it lost not only its popularity but also disappeared. Bon Jovi is a cult band, so to speak; it's not a band created as a fleeting product by some entrepreneur. However, I've noticed that since 2012, this has been the direction they've taken. There's an abyss between being a big band and believing you're a big band. Bon Jovi was the former, but it changed to the latter with the idea of "attracting new generations." And if we consider that the music market, rife with decay, is nothing more than a puppet show, Bon Jovi doesn't fit because it's the longtime fans who have been pushing them. Unfortunately, I had the chance to attend one of their concerts in 2022 and seeing people leaving halfway through the show says a lot. It's not that Jon doesn't have his vocal issues; it's more about delivering a product filled with memories in an indifferent and "modern" manner that, instead of attracting, disperses.
Hey, doesn't love buying those "high-quality" Chinese products for less than a dollar, which, of course, last about as long as a deep breath?