On disc: Bon Jovi

 
- One Wild Night
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
- Everyday (single)
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
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- Bounce
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
- This Left Feels Right
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
- Slippery When Wet (DVD)
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
- Live 2004 (DVD)
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 

Live 2004

(Falcon Neue Medien - 2005)



 
 

 

it seems that FNM is trying to offer DVDs for a nice price - this Bon Jovi DVD costs in Germany 4,99 €. They release concerts on DVD without any gimmicks or additional material. Sometimes this is a pity, but on the other hand only fair and gives fans a chance to get some stuff for a decent price. So you won't find any booklet, too.

The concert was recorded live in a hotel in Atlantic City on November, 21st 2004. As usual the Jersey boys play for more then 1 ½ hours. The setlist - see below - includes songs from Slippery When Wet up to their latest release Bounce. Some songs they have in their setlist for years, others haven't been played live that much. Interesting is Miss Fourth Of July where David Bryan is playing accordian and I'll Be There For You sung by Richie Sambora.

I only miss some songs of their first 2 albums which live always been great and much appreciated by the fans - at least here in Europe. With a running time of 104 minutes it's an average show for Bon Jovi. That the majority of the Bon Jovi fans is female, is no secret, but why is it necessary to show the chicks in the audience that often? I want to see the band on DVD, not their audience.

The DVD is region code free. Only the concert - Bon Jovi purely live. That's what you get.


Track list:



Why Aren't You Dead?

You Give Love A Bad Name

The Radio Saved My Life Tonight

Born To Be My Baby

Open All Night

Everyday

Miss Fourth Of July

It's My Life

I'll Be There For You

Love aint Nothing But A Four Letter Word

Wanted Dead Or Alive

Only In My Dreams

I Get A Rush

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead

Bad Medicine / Shout

These Arms Are Open All Night

Livin' On A Prayer
 

 






Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Slippery When Wet

(Falcon Neue Medien - 2004)



 
 

 

Bon Jovi fans surely know the album Slippery When Wet, but the video collection wasn't available for years. Now it's re-released on DVD. Actually this one has a different cover compared to the video collection. The photo shows Jon Bon Jovi at times of Keep The Faith and so give a wrong impression, coz there are only songs from the same named album. For younger fans of Bon Jovi it's interesting to see the old video clips again or probably for the first time... Recorded almost 20 years ago it doesn't look up-to-date, but therefor it's authentic. The looks, the clothes... All 80's!

The collection has 5 video clips - see list below - and a live version of Living On A Prayer - like on the 80's video release. Unfortunately they haven't add any bonus material and so the running time is just about 40 minutes.

It's code-free, but with Dolby Digital 2.0 it ain't state of the art, but well...
It's fun to see Bon Jovi's old video clips, especially if you saw them in the 80's it revives memories. New fans or younger fans might think it's funny to watch, coz it's so different from what Bon Jovi is these days.


Wild In The Streets

Living On A Prayer (live)

You Give Love A Bad Name

Never Say Goodbye

Living On A Prayer

Wanted Dead Or Alive
 

 






Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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This Left Feels Right

(Island Records - 2003)



 
 

 

The album has some of their biggest hits and is in a way a 'best of' album, but it's different. The songs are acoustic versions which are re-arranged and sound very different from the original. Especially Livin' On A Prayer which features Olivia d'Abo. In the booklet the story about This Left Feels Right is written in an interview format - the interview done by David Wilde. It's impossible to explain who the songs sound after they took this turn to the left. You have to listen! A good one to check out is Bad Medicine or It's My Life. The powerful hit It's My Life is now a emotional ballad! You Give Love A Bad Name has some jazzy vibe. Very cool! Or listen to Everyday. Almost fragile the song sounds after the overdoing. Especially in the beginning, but even when Torres joined in it's still an emotional ballad. The strings add the certain something to this version of Everyday.

The re-arrangement and production is done by Pat Leonhard. Jon Bon Jovi chose Leonhard, coz Leonhard did an incredible job on the unplugged albums of Bryan Adams and Rod Steward.

I'm not sure what the majority of fans will think about this album. It's very different from the originals and from the Bon Jovi sound, but it's cool. Very different, but cool. Hard rockers might not like it - only if they are really open-minded. I think that this album will get more appreciated in the States, where people are more open - musically. And there it will attract fans who aren't in rock music. I have no idea how the reaction will be in other parts of the world. In Germany this album will just attract die-hard Bon Jovi fans and fans of the early days might not like this... Give it a chance!

The limited edition comes with a bonus track - The Distance - which was recorded live in Yokohama. And a bonus DVD! On the DVD are 6 tracks which were recorded in December 2002. It shows the guys in a recording studio playing the songs acoustical. They just decided to record other songs for the DVD then for the CD. No menue to choose from, but you can skip from one track to the next. Especially Joey is shining brighter in this stripped down version. It's more intense. Different is Misunderstood which is the song closest to the original.

So, if you like the acoustic stuff, you should check this one out. If you should find the limited edition somewhere, buy it! Okay, the DVD is just giving a few more songs recorded in a studio, but it gives a good impression about how they did this one.
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Bounce

(Island Records - 2002)



 
 

 

The first single of Bon Jovi hit straight the charts and the video was on every music TV channel, now the album Bounce is in the stores. It seems that the single should show the direction, coz Bounce is more guitar-oriented then their last releases. Even songs like The Distance which is less powerful as the single release has screaming guitars, but also slower parts and a violin in the background. It seems to me that Bon Jovi found the balance between the more guitar-oriented hard rock of the past and the sounds of Crush and These Days. And again mastermind Jon Bon Jovi and his partner in crime Richie Sambora wrote some great tunes. A track like Misunderstood is guitar rock and very touching. And of course they recorded some ballads! Even if they might need a few more spins to discover... Like All About Lovin You. A piano based ballad is Open All Night and Richie's guitar adds the melancholy touch to it.

A mixture of both - the grooving guitar rock and the ballads -  is Hook Me Up which I really like, coz it rocks and has smooth parts as well. A catchy song which keeps spinning in your head for days! One of the best track on Bounce! A up-tempo track like It's My Life is the title track Bounce which will move the fans live. This will be live a highlight of the album!

The New Jersey boys are back!
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Everyday (single)

(Island Records - 2002)



 
 

 

The single Everyday is out now! There are 2 versions of Everyday, both have the beside the single title also 3 songs which are demos / unreleased tracks. Even if I don't know why one or the other haven't made it on the album... Another Reason To Believe has the potential to be a hit, but perhaps rocks too much and wouldn't fit in the entirety. While Breathe probably hasn't the quality to keep the level of Bounce.... A nice track, but there is something missing... Everybody who thinks of Gensis when reading the title We Can Dance and expects a cover will be proofed wrong. A slow song, but hasn't the magic of other slow Bon Jovi tracks. Seems that the New Jersey boys decided to release the tracks which didn't make it on the album as single 'B-sides'. Nice Idea!

On the other single version you find with Lucky a track which sounds a little bit like Beatles...  A simple rock tune which has a certain charm. The best of the non-album tracks is No Regret. A song with rocking parts and balladesque ones, live this song most be a lot better... A pity that this one didn't make it! Last, but not least is Standing which is a rocking tune which remind me of another track... But I can't tell which one... Anyway, this has different sounds to the other songs, more modern sounds, even is there is a keyboard sequence which is in the vein of Deep Purple.

At least I can say, both versions are interesting and for fans a must!
 
 






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Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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One Wild Night (Live 1985-2001)

(Island Records - 2002)



 
 

 

This is the first live album of one of the world's hottest live acts in rock. But...  Well, it has most of the highlights of the history of Bon Jovi, but songs are recorded at different shows, different locations and so they fade in and out. Personally I would have preferred a complete show, even if that means a double CD. Most tracks are recorded on the tours in 1995 and 2000. Just Something To Believe In - recorded May, 19th 1996 in Yokohama, Japan - and the 'oldest' tracks (Runaway / In And Out Of Love) which were recorded on April, 28th 1985 in Tokyo (Japan) represent other tours. Actually I think it was a good to chose the 1985 recording of Runaway and In And Out Of Love coz it shows the band at the time the songs were new & fresh. You Give Love A Bad Name has changed a lot since 1986 and the new version - recorded in 2000 - lacks in my opinion the magic of the original song. On the other hand there are a lot of young fans who just know it this way. Not a bad album, but they could have done better! So I can just hope that they'll make up their minds and will release a complete live album and why not add a 1985 live recording as a bonus CD to the next studio album?!?
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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