Review of BJ box set
 

http://the-screen-door.blogspot.com/...-be-wrong.html

A few years ago I wrote an in depth of the BJ box set before it had been released. I just started a blog to house most of the writings I have written for online magazines over the years (many of which have been Bon Jovi)...so I figured I'd let everyone know the box set review is up there for your reading pleasure.

xTony
http://the-screen-door.blogspot.com/

While I disagree with some of your assumptions as to what was recorded for when, it was really well written and made me want to put on the box set instantly. Nice work!

i agree very good review but if u want to argue over the times they were writtian check out bj.com because they gave a list of when they were recoreded. hink it should in the old news section somehwere

There's a lot of those I refuse to believe. At the end of the day, it just comes down to common sense. I fully believe Ordinary People is from 99/2000, same with All I wanna do is you. Meh.

well was it not done by odie i know he can joke around a lot but i dout he would have lied about the times and dates and i think he would have a better knowledge than us on it no matter what ears it sounds like its from!

No, they flat out said there are errors due to shoddy labelling and a bad memory. The majority of them seem right but there are a handful of them that just can't be from the time period said. Even in the dvd, Jon says Ordinary People has a vibe like Lullaby by Shawn Mullins, and that wasn't even recorded until '98ish, so it can't really be from These Days.

I have to go with my gut on some of the songs, I think. I wish they had been labelled better, I don't like having to guess.

Imagine how stupid they feel--can't even remember when they wrote certain songs! ;) I think some of Tony's guesses are just as good as some of their guesses. :lol:

Hahaha I gotta think they've written so many that to think "why aren't you dead" is from Crush? I can't even imagine how many songs they've written, total.

Well done
 

It´s ok my friend it was a good challenge to write all the review.

Congratulations

1998 is the latest I can imagine for that song. The mention of flying high like Michael Jordan tells me that the latest this song could've been recorded is 1998 since that's when MJ retired, and a line like that wouldn't work unless he was active.

I never even considered that, good point. I still think the song was heavily influenced by that one hit Shawn Mullins had. It just SOUNDS like a late 90's track. It's not like the band to recycle old tracks for b-sides. The only exception that comes to mind was Fields of Fire but that's it. They write enough that they wouldn't use an album left over 5 years later as a b-side.

Well considering that Ordinary People (demo) is found on one of the Crush singles (I think it was Say it Isn't So), I'd guess it was written for Crush/DA.

Yah I agree on it not being from These Days. I'd peg it as 1997 or early 1998 and written for DA.

It sounds a bit similar to Lullaby but also similar to tons of other late-90's songs. So I could envision there being no connection between the two.

See, that's what I'd spent the last 4 years believing but now we hear Temptation and Ordinary People are TD left overs, which just boggles my mind.

I hear a big connection, there's no doubt in my mind it was influenced by it and it's nice to hear Jon finally admit it. The spoken word verses are just so similar, there's no way OP came from '95. But even saying that, it's still in my top 10 Jovi songs so meh.

Ordinary people was written in the these days era, along with the end and flesh and bones, those three song was written by jbj, richie and david brian.

But what are you basing this one? Something the band said on the dvd/press interviews for the box set? Jon first said Why aren't you dead is from Crush and it isn't, why is this any different.

i dont think Temptation was a TD left over i have the Demo version of it on an Its My Life single! and Ordinary People to be sounds like a Crush cast off more than a DA. Good song tho!

Both Temptation and Ordinary People were Crush b-sides. Which just furthers my case that they're not TD songs. I never considered OP to be a DA song. Anything with a Richie co-wrote, or when you can clearly hear him playing/singing isn't a Jon solo song.

lol chill im backing you up!! lol

Haha I know. I'm just giving my reasons why I agree with you, totally.

This is probably just a mystery that'll never be solved. Boo.

i dont think it is a mystery! i know its from crush because lets be honest it just sounds like a crush song! the tone of it and the lyrics just scream crush! its not a song with the sound r lyrics of TD!

Okay, here is the last history on the box set songs that was posted on bonjovi.com. It doesn't say much about OP and Temptation other than that they are Crush bsides. It does say there are contradictions between the dvd and the booklet. The one thing I noticed is that nearly all of my favorites like Satellite, The One That Got Away and Too Much Of A Good Thing are all post 1999.



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 labeling!):

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.

I don't know and don't venture a guess as to when Oridnary People was written, however I don't think that Michael Jordan's retirement date is relevant.

Jon has mentioned that he has met and talked with Michael Jordan and that he respects the way Michael Jordan presents himself on and off the court. MJ told Jon that he realizes that kids look up to him and he tries to never behave in public in a way that would be a bad influence. So I think that the reference to MJ is out of respect for the man's life and the way he lives it, not just a reference to his amazing career. To fly high like Michael Jordan doesn't necessarily mean just on the basketball court, but also in taking the high road in life. MJ probably influenced Jon in creating his "no thug" rule for the Soul.

Good point, I never thought about it that way. I only thought his retirement date mattered since Jon has always been pretty obsessed with staying relevant and all that so I figured he wouldn't write about MJ after his retirement. Your answer, though, totally makes sense.

I'm thinking the longevity of his career will keep Michael Jordan relevant. You still hear about Babe Ruth. I also think it was a wiser choice to go with MJ as a reference than some hottie of the moment like Kobe Bryant. That wouldn't have made a very good song. ;)

It's funny, Jon DOES tend to keep things relevant because down the road, if that person isn't popular, the refrence is lost. I found it odd he mentioned Dr.Phil in a song. It was defintely a different move for him.

Becky, do you remember when Jon talked about meeting Michael Jordan? On the Centerstage interview in Feb. 2004 he said Michael was someone he "always wanted to meet". Michael Kaye, the host, made a joke and said, "can't you pick up a phone, you are as famous as he is". Jon said, "no" and then Michael said, "well you're as rich" and Jon shrugged his shoulders as if to concede that point.

deb

Interesting. Maybe it's a play on words in itself. "the modern man in me," sounds like a psuedo-psycho-fad (like getting in touch with your inner child. Maybe it's a reference to a marriage passing away because something shiny and new has come along and the hope that in a few years the pain of the breakup won't be relevant to the man anymore. It won't mean any more then than the references used now mean then.

Yeah, did you follow that? :lol:

No, sorry. But that interview being in 2004 makes me wonder if Jon was talking about an interview he saw where MJ said that rather than a face-to-face meeting. I would have sworn I heard him talking about how he respected Michael Jordan before 2004.

I love Michael Jordan though being from NC, there were always a lot of rumors about him and his womanizing ways. I just remember being surprised when Jon said he hadn't met him.

deb

i write about the three song based on booklet, also the end was in the this ainá love song single, and i download ordinary people among with wedding day in 1996. that´s my facts.

....No you didn't. Ordinary People wasn't released until the year 2000, so you couldn't have "downloaded" it.

Well that said, song's like Nothing for example haven't been officially released at all, and we still have them ...

Yah, It's 2006. Internet piracy is pretty impressive but how was it 10 years prior? And how would we not have heard of this sooner. The guy just has his facts mixed up, that has to be it.

I remember that in 1995-96, used to be in the net a bonjovi´s page that you can download a lot of song, live, demos, cover, let me see if in my old archives i can find the name of the page.

i have got wedding day and the voices on both trakc dont even sound near the same! there in no way in hell ordinary people was writtan pre DA at the most! its crush all the way for me!

Heh, touche