Box Set songs "Histories" on BJ.com
 

BOX SET SONG HISTORIES
(Friday, March 18, 2005)

Below is a breakdown of the when and where the songs from the 100,000,000 BON JOVI FANS CAN'T BE WRONG... box set originated. This is not scripture - it took some work culling this info from the archives (even on the box set DVD vs. the box set booklet you might find contradictions -- the truth is, 20 years of tapes unearthed with less than stellar labelling!):

DISC ONE:
1) WHY AREN'T YOU DEAD? (Unreleased demo circa 1994.) Recorded in NJ.
2) THE RADIO SAVED MY LIFE TONIGHT (Unreleased demo circa 1992.) Recorded in Vancouver and New Jersey. Vocals were, indeed, done while JBJ had a head cold.
3) TAKING IT BACK (Unreleased demo circa 1992.) Recorded in New Jersey.
4) SOMEDAY I'LL BE SATURDAY NIGHT (Unreleased demo of song that continued to be worked on until the version most are familiar with appeared on the 1994 Cross Road album.) Written in the islands, this was recorded in New Jersey in 1994.
5) MISS FOURTH OF JULY (Unreleased demo circa 1992.) Recorded up in Vancouver and back in New Jersey.
6) OPEN ALL NIGHT (Unreleased demo circa 1994.) Recorded in New Jersey.
7) THESE ARMS ARE OPEN ALL NIGHT (Unreleased demo circa 1998 recorded with the Big Dogs in New Jersey.)
8) I GET A RUSH (Unreleased demo circa 1996.) Recorded in New Jersey.
9) SOMEDAY JUST MIGHT BE TONIGHT (Unreleased demo circa 1996.) Recorded in New Jersey.
10) THIEF OF HEARTS (Final Studio Track from 2003.) Recorded at Sanctuary Sound II in New Jersey for intended inclusion in This Left Feels Right cd.
11) LAST MAN STANDING (Final Studio Track from 2003.) Recorded at Sanctuary Sound II in New Jersey for inteded inclusion in Thsi Left Feels Right cd. (Band has recorded a much different version of this song for planned inclusion in forthcoming studio album.)
12) I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR MAN (Unreleased demo from 1994.) Recorded in New Jersey.

DISC TWO:
1) GARAGELAND (Unreleased demo from 1999.) Recorded in New Jersey.
2) STARTING ALL OVER AGAIN (Remixed for the box set; original demo released as a b-side from the 1992 Keep The Faith album.) Recorded in Vancouver and New Jersey.
3) MAYBE SOMEDAY (Unreleased demo from 1999.) Recorded in New Jersey.
4) LAST CAHNCE TRAIN (Unreleased demo from circa 1998.) Recorded in Los Angeles with Aerosmith's Joe Perry on guitar.
5) THE FIRE INSIDE (Unreleased demo circa 1994.) Recorded in New Jersey.
6) EVERY BEAT OF MY HEART (Unreleased demo circa 1992.) Recorded in New Jersey.
7) RICH MAN LIVING IN A POOR MAN'S HOUSE (Unreleased demo from 1998.) Recorded in New Jersey and Los Angeles with Dave Stewart.
8) THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY (Unreleased demo from 1999.) Recorded in New Jersey.
9) YOU CAN SLEEP WHILE I DREAM (Unreleased demo circa 1999.) Recorded in New Jersey.
10) OUTLAWS OF LOVE (Unreleased demo from 1992.) Recorded in New Jersey.
11) GOOD GUYS DON'T ALWAYS WEAR WHITE (movie soundtrack song from 'The Cowboy Way' in 1994.) Recorded in Los Angeles; video shot in NYC.
12) WE RULE THE NIGHT (Unreleased demo from 1985.) Recorded in New Jersey and Philly.

DISC THREE:
1) EDGE OF A BROKEN HEART (the sorely-missed Slippery When Wet song not included on the 1986 breakthru album.) Recorded up in Vancouver.
2) SYMPATHY (Unreleased demo from 1992.) Recorded in New Jersey.
3) ONLY IN MY DREAMS (Unreleased demo from 1994.) Recorded in New Jersey. A version with Jon on vocals was captured but the one with Tico's vocals was included on the box set.
4) SHUT UP AND KISS ME (Unreleased demo from 1997.) Recorded in New Jersey with the Big Dogs.
5) CRAZY LOVE (Unreleased demo from 1998.) Recorded in Los Angeles and New Jersey.
6) LONELY AT THE TOP (Previously released b-side from the 1995 These Days project.) Recorded in New Jersey however, remixed for inclusion in the box set and cello parts were added by Garo Yellin for a more meloncholy feel.
7) ORDINARY PEOPLE (Previously released b-side from 2000's CRUSH album.) Recorded in New Jersey.
8) FLESH AND BONE (Unreleased demo from 1994.) Recorded in New Jersey.
9) SATELLITE (Unreleased demo from 1999.) Recorded in New Jersey.
10) IF I CAN'T HAVE YOUR LOVE (Richie solo demo circa 1991.) Recorded in Vancouver featuring David Bryan on keyboards.
11) REAL LIFE (Movie soundtrack from 1999's EDTV.) Recorded in New York City (at Avatar Studios, which had originally been the Power Station where Jon Bon Jovi had started his music career as a gofer) and New Jersey. It was remixed for inclusion in the box set.
12) MEMPHIS LIVES IN ME (Original composition for the musical 'MEMPHIS' co-written by David Bryan, written in 2003.) This studio recording was done in New Jersey specifically for inclusion in the box set.
13) TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING
(Unreleased demo from 1999 prior to CRUSH album.) Recorded in New Jersey.

DISC FOUR:
1) LOVE AIN'T NOTHING BUT A FOUR LETTER WORD (Unreleased studio recording from 1992.) This was recorded up in Vancouver and New Jersey, and is much more fleshed out than the original demo version.
2) LOVE AIN'T NOTHING BUT A FOUR LETTER WORD (Original demo from 1992.) This is the first version fo the song as written by Jon Bon Jovi and recorded in New Jersey, prior to taking it further and fleshing it out.
3) RIVER RUNS DRY (Unreleased demo from 1996.) REcorded in New Jersey.
4) ALWAYS (Original demo from 1994.) Recorded in the UK.
5) KIDNAP AN ANGEL (Unreleased demo from 1999.) Recorded in New Jersey.
6) BREATHE (B-Side internationally and Target CD.)- released in 2003; written and recorded 2001/2002 in New Jersey.
7) OUT OF BOUNDS (Unreleased demo from 1986.) Recorded in New Jersey.
8) LETTER TO A FRIEND (Unreleased demo from 1994.) Recorded in New Jersey.
9) TEMPTATION (Int'l b-side from CRUSH album in 2000.) Recorded in New Jersey.
10) GOTTA HAVE A REASON (Unreleased demo written on spec for a movie sountrack in 1993.) Recorded in New Jersey and Singapore (as documented in the video footage on the box set dvd.)
11) ALL I WANNA DO IS YOU (Unreleased demo from 1997.) Recorded in New Jersey.
12) BILLY (unreleased demo from 1992.) Recorded in New Jersey.
13) NOBODY'S HERO (Unreleased demo from 1994.) Recorded in New Jersey.
14) *Hidden Bonus Track: LIVIN' ON A PRAYER (Original demo of Livin' On A Prayer from 1986... definitely written and recorded in New Jersey!)

Hope this adds some insights into the background of these songs.

aboout freaking time!!

And now compare it to the list, which Becky (at least I think so) posted long time ago.... :o

Disc one:
"Why Aren't You Dead?" (outtake, 1994)
"The Radio Saved My Life Tonight" (outtake, 1992)
"Taking It Back" (outtake, 1992)
"Someday I'll Be Saturday Night (Demo)" (demo, 1994)
"Miss Fourth of July" (outtake, 1992)
"Open All Night" (outtake, 1994)
"These Arms Are Open All Night" (outtake, 1998)
"I Get a Rush" (outtake, 1996)
"Someday Just Might Be Tonight" (outtake, 1999)
"Thief of Hearts" (outtake, 2003)
"Last Man Standing" (outtake, 2003)
"I Just Want To Be Your Man" (outtake, 1994)

Disc two:
"Garageland" (outtake, 1999)
"Starting All Over Again" (bonus track for Japan release, 1992)
"Maybe Someday" (outtake, 1999)
"Last Chance Train" (outtake, 1998)
"The Fire Inside" (outtake, 1994)
"Every Beat of My Heart" (outtake, 1992)
"Rich Man Living in a Poor Man's House" (outtake, 1998)
"The One That Got Away" (outtake, 1999) "You Can Sleep While I Dream" (outtake, 1999)
"Outlaws of Love" (outtake, 1992)
"Good Guys Don't Always Wear White" ("The Cowboy Way" soundtrack, 1994)
"We Rule the Night" (outtake, 1985)

Disc three:
"Edge of a Broken Heart" (from "Disorderlies" soundtrack, 1986)
"Sympathy" (outtake, 1992)
"Only in My Dreams" (outtake, 1994)
"Shut Up and Kiss Me" (outtake)
"Crazy Love" (outtake, 1998)
"Lonely at the Top" (B-side, 1995)
"Ordinary People" (B-side, 1999)
"Flesh and bone" (outtake, 1994)
"Satellite" (outtake, 1999)
"If I Can't Have Your Love" (unreleased Richie Sambora solo track)
"Real Life" ("EDTV" soundtrack, 1999)
"Memphis Lives in Me" (from musical "Memphis," 2003)
"Too Much of a Good Thing" (outtake, 1999)

Disc four:
"Love Ain't Nothing But a Four Letter Word" (outtake, 1992)
"Love Ain't Nothing But a Four Letter Word" (demo, 1992)
"River Runs Dry" (outtake, 1996)
"Always" (demo, 1994)
"Kidnap an Angel" (outtake, 1999)
"Breathe" (B-side, 2002)
"Out of Bounds" (outtake, 1986)
"Letter to a Friend" (outtake, 1994)
"Temptation" (B-side, 2000)
"Gotta Have a Reason" (outtake, 1993)
"All I Wanna Do Is You" (outtake)
"Billy" (outtake, 1992)
"Nobody's Hero" (outtake, 1994)
"Livin' on a Prayer" (demo, 1986)

very interesting THANKS for posting this !!

JOSY .. thanks too for the comparison list !!! 8)

Aloha !

And I think that this list isn't really correct but just an estimated guess just like us fans did.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

Seb do you mean the bj.com list ? I don't know but there is almost just 1992/1996 circa stuff ... I don't know what to think because when we listen the voice doesn't sound like 1992 on some of them .. maybe that's just me .. I am happy to get a list but also very surprised by some dates provided today

It was about time!

Do you think? Maybe they're not even catalogued so guessing is all they can do :?

Well, they said on the box set EPK on bj.com that they didn't even remember they had a lot of the songs so it would make sense that they didn't know when they are from.

Here is what Obie said on the QandA:
Question:
Quick question: is it still in the plan to release the dates of the boxset songs? Thank you for answering!
asked by Sunny G on Thursday, March 17, 2005
Answer:
Yes - I was asked to turn in the dates of the songs six months ago and I've harassed by a certain someone at BJM ever since... after my dog went missing and I got the note on the crumpled piece of paper written in crayon, I knew she was serious. So I finally turned the info in - what little we could actually recall anyway. So they'll be up eventually. (I'm not hanging myself upside down to kiss any stone, Blarney or not.)
answered by OBIE on Thursday, March 17 , 2005 4:19 PM

Aloha !

Yes, I really think those dates are guessed just like we did, therefore, this makes it look "official" but our guesses could be more accurate because of our knowledge (I don't know how to call it otherwise) of Jon's voice. Or what is left of it after a certain period.

And he's still not funny.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

Never said he was :D Just pointing out that even they admit that they don't know when the songs are from.

AHH what are they doing. Kidnap an angel is a Jon solo song so it couldn't have been recorded in '99. Sebs right. Theres' no way Outlaws of Love is a KTF demo. If Richie was involved with "All I Wanna do is You", there's no way it would have been recorded in '97. Augh, way off. I was so looking forward to this as well.

Says who? To me it sounds like pre-Crush demo, so 1999 sounds pretty right to me.


That I agree 100%. I always thought it was SWW demo.

ME TOO .... that does sound an ealry Jovi song ....


Also I could have swear that Last Chance train was older than a 1998 song .... Jon's voice is very high ...

I still think it was a sex sells demo. I remember reading a list of all the songs recorded for his supposed third solo album, and I recall it saying "Kidnap and angel" So I 'm going to have to assume it's the same one. It even sounds like Bobby's guitar playing to me.

On the boxset dvd Jonis saying that Outlaws of love was for a movie starring Anthony Michael Hall. Was he still starring in movies in 1992??

I read an interview with Jon a long time ago about Destination Anywhere, and he said that he gave up what was to become the first single of the album because it sounded like he was rewriting always and he wanted the Destination album to be something different.
I don't know why but i think that song might be Rivers Run Dry.

No, you're thinking of Out of Bounds.

why there are a lot of JBJ solo tracks and only one solo track for the others?

You are right. And he is still starring in movies up to this very day.

Which is clearly what they said in this very same update:

:roll:

The list is pretty accurate even when you do factor educated fan guesses. Just because you can't accept Satellite as being Crush era doesn't make it not, the writing style of it doesn't fit These Days or earlier. You find certain themes/phrases in lyrics that help mark what period it comes out of. The only reason a phrase crosses over into another writing period is when it is a deliberate reference (such as in Breathe, "If all that we've got is each other...etc.") As I said in the other thread, more evidence pointed to it being from relatively recent sessions, Jon does have the ability to hit those notes, not doing it is another story. You have no proof that Jon is unable to do it, only that he doesn't do it. But God forbid any optimism about Jon or the band be sparked by recorded proof they do have the ability to put it out. It's stuff like Satelite that keeps me paying attention in the hope they stop holding back or self censoring the creative process, choosing crap for the albums and shelving what reflects their maturation as artists now.

I'm betting the guessing has more to do with the early 90s songs than the more recent ones. The only surprises I found where Outlaws of Love and Last Chance Train, I really didn't pay much attention to either one to care to try and figure out the era.

Im surprised about Maybe Someday.. I thought Jons voice sounded more like it did during the KTF era. It sounds powerful like on KTF. There is a difference between his voice on Maybe Someday and The One that got Away and according to the info, they were recorded around the same time.


Outlaws of Love sounds VERY 80s. Even Jon says on the DVD he doesn't know where it came from. I think he would have remembered if it was from KTF.

for me the biggest surprise is that LAST CHANCE TRAIN being from 1998 !!! :shock: THE JON'S VOICE IS HIGH REALLY ...I have friends who told me (since they heard that it was from 1998 lol) that it sounds like Say It Isn't So or Real Life but i can listen to those 3 songs for hours for me it's so not the same voice .. maybe Jon sang Last Chance Train after breathing some helium who knows :shock:

for me when he says this is the last chance traiiiiiinnnn he has his baby voice nothing like his 98 voice


ok about the voice and the high notes and all I think that there are periods where even lately Jon CAN hit the high notes without any problem I don't recall who said that (so forgive me for this :wink: ) but I think Jon can still hit high notes it is more like if he doesn't want to ... :roll:

The band have said that the songs on the box set are not necessarily bad song, it was just that they didn't fit inot the vien of the record that they were doing at the time. So it would make sense that songs such as Outlaws of Love sounds like it is from an earlier time because it fits more into SWW than KTF when actually it could have been recorded for KTF, we don't know.

I always thought Outlaws Of Love was a NJ demo. Besides the cowboy fixation it has a Living In Sin feel to it.

Yep, exactly. I agree with you. :)

deb

Well it's about time :!:

YES :D


Did you notice this?

LAST MAN STANDING
Band has recorded a much different version of this song for planned inclusion in forthcoming studio album

new record info... :?

You didn't know that? They've been saying that for months now

supossedly it's much more agressive.
I can hear the angrynness in the lyrics but I'm really curious as to whatthey will do to it musically.

You know how people were saying that most of these songs came from the 90s? I guess they were right. I wishe there were more demos from the 80s.... Ah, well. Ya can't have everything. :roll:

I'm reviving this thread in hope that there is some new knowledge about the boxset songs.
I'm sorting them to eras and to albums and I came across problems. There are songs which are supposed to be from 1997 - which suggests they are demos for Destination Anywhere but why some of them have Richie as co-writer? Eg Shut Up And Kiss Me, this one was even recorded with Big Dogs (does this mean Bon Jovi + Big Dogs, or just Jon + Big Dogs?)

And then there are songs from 1998 which are song for Jon's third album which became band's next album. So can I list them as demos for Crush?

Another complicated year is 1994 because there were sessions fro Crossroad - Always, Sat Night, Good Guys but also These Days was written and recorded in 1994 (they played some TD song during the Xmas concerts in Dec 1994). So were songs such: Open All Night (99% sure it was), Why Aren't You Dead, I Just Want To Be Your Man, The Fire Inside, Only In My Dreams, Flesh And Bone, Letter To A Friend, Nobody's Hero written for These Days and can be listed with this album??

And 1996 - there are songs written in 1996, one with Richie: Someday Just Me Be Tonight and two without - River Runs Dry and I Get Rush - are those demos for DA? I don't think so, they sound like recorded by Bon Jovi and not Big Dogs...

I'm all confused now. Thanks for any help.

I think anything written in 1993 / 94 would be aimed at These days, with the choice of using one or two from Crossroad.

Wasn't aware Jon had planned a third solo album.

as per some interviews that I can't for the life of me find right now, Jon started working on what would become DA even before the These Days tour finished. It is entirely possible that both the band and the big dogs where on had to help with those demo sessions.....

Jon's third solo album was originally going to follow straight after Destination Anywhere, but some of the song he'd written were then carried over to the next Bon Jovi album that would be Crush.

Some of those dated 1992... I really doubt it, they are coming out way different than the stuff in KTF. I would guess most of those came from between 1995 to 1999.

This box set remains one of the most solid box sets from a major rock bands ever. Only 'drawbacks' are:
1. The cover
2. Too many songs from 90s and not enough from 80s.

Wow, didn't know that was Joe Perry on Last chance Train. I really like the song, but i guess i never listened close enough to realize it wasnt Richie. seems so obvious now, listening to it again..

So did Bonjovi.com ever release a more accurate list of recording dates for the songs?

No, only the one that was posted by (I think) Obie not long after the box set's release and that always seemed to be based on assumptions mainly.

One thing is for sure though is that Outlaws is DEFINITELY 100% cast ironed without a shadow of a doubt from 1992 Keep The Faith demos. It's questionable when Jon sings the low bits but when he springs into the high bits his tone is of that from that era. It's when his voice is changing from the gravely Jersry/Slippery era to a more clear and crisp tone. Also David'd Hammond organ tone isn't the 80s tone that was prevelant in the NJ demos and album.

Someone prove me otherwise but it's deffo 1992.

That's exactly what I think,it was probably written and recorded in very early 92,that's why it has some influences from the previous album(NJ) but I think they wanted give the songs from the new album a total different style so the song didn't make it on KTF.

For some reason I always thought that Why Aren't U Dead was from 1992 and Taking it Back from 1994. Oh yeah,wasn't Miss 4th of July written in 1992 but recorded during 2002-2003 or something like that?

I'd put Taking it Back to 1992. Not sure sure where someone said Miss 4th of July is from the 2000s, where did you see that?

Huh? I thought Miss 4th Of July was TD era.

Quick question, though - were the writing sessions for Cross Roads and TD actually two separate ones? Or did they just use whatever tracks they already had for the Greatest Hits release?