Wednesday, August 26, 2009

We Weren't Born to Follow: the solo we never had

By now, most of my readers would have heard Bon Jovi's latest single "We Weren't Born to Follow". You would also have heard Jon yell "Guitar!" just before Richie plays... well, a very basic repeated pattern for 15 seconds. Yelling "Guitar!" in the middle of a rock song generally implies some sort of solo, especially when you have such a talented lead guitarist at your disposal, so this ends up being quite an anticlimactic moment. :P

Well, a guy called Rafael in Brazil has come up with a guitar solo to fill that space.



So what do you think? Should Richie Sambora be taking notes for the upcoming tour? ;)

Huey Mac, jack of all trades

In Utah on Tuesday night, Poison bassist Bobby Dall got sick about 20 minutes before they were due to hit the stage in their gig with Def Leppard and Cheap Trick. Our very own Hugh McDonald happened to be there and took his place and even did backing vocals for "Unskinny Bop".

Not only did three of the biggest names in rock play on the same stage before several thousand fans at the USANA Amphitheatre, but when one of the bands needed an emergency substitute, who should just happen to be hanging out backstage but Bon Jovi's bass player Hugh McDonald.

McDonald stepped up to the plate just 20 minutes before Poison was scheduled to go on stage when bassist and part-time Utah resident Bobby Dall became too ill to perform. Rather than cancel their set, singer Bret Michaels said McDonald volunteered his services and took a crash course in learning several Poison songs.

The band was a little late getting on stage, and Michaels himself seemed to be fighting something as his voice wasn't as strong as it has been in previous Utah shows. But Poison and McDonald deserve full props for their show-must-go-on attitude.


I saw Def Leppard and Cheap Trick in Perth last year and it was a great show; Poison weren't on the bill that night but I wouldn't mind seeing them live too, even if it's for nostalgia's sake. And if Huey had been there I'd have just about wet myself, I think! :P Although they didn't do "Talk Dirty to Me" in Utah and that's one of my favourites. ;)

Bon Jovi documentary trailer

A trailer for When We Were Beautiful, previously 25 Years in Black and White.

It's on Youtube but has been blocked in several countries so here's another link.

Looks exciting for us Bon Jovi fans, but I bet there's like one second of Hugh McDonald in the whole thing (which probably won't bother most of you but I've gained a bit of notoriety for my Hugh campaigns :P ).

EDIT: The above link has also been deleted. Evidently, even in this internet age, the powers that be have yet to figure out that having things like this available actually increases interest among fans and the public, and hence increases profit for them. Try Hath or Big Apple Jovi.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Bon Jovi Encyclopaedia review



Well, I recently wrote a review of the Bon Jovi Encyclopaedia by Neil Daniels on Suite101. The book is a very comprehensive overview (is that an oxymoron?) but as a diehard fan, I guess I was pretty nitpicky with a few things. Basically I think it's quite good overall, and relatively inexpensive, but certain flaws stick out like a sore thumb due to my passion for the subject and I reckon they are things most of my readership would notice as well. (Tico's name is also misspelled "Ticco" a few times but I'm blaming the editor rather than the author for that one :P ). In particular, the album reviews really grate me and could turn a casual fan off what I (and countless others) feel is Bon Jovi's best work. But at the same time, I understand that reviews are subjective pieces that are always going to rub SOMEONE the wrong way and even in standard journalism, you can never be truly objective because you're only human...

Now if you're American, the spelling of "encyclopedia" might be getting on YOUR nerves... All I can say is that "encyclopaedia" is the traditional British spelling, and guess who invented the English language? :P

Someone whom I was initially surprised to find has his own entry in the Bon Jovi Encyclopaedia is Aussie singer-songwriter Shannon Noll. He has worked with Richie Sambora and Luke Ebbin and I've blogged about him before. I actually met Shannon and his bassist Matty Cornell in Perth on Friday, and attended Shannon's unplugged gig "In the Raw: In Conversation and Acoustic" at the Burswood Theatre that night. He had a bit of a cold but it was still a wonderfully intimate evening, and audience members got to ask him questions in between the two sets that were played. Among other things, including a marriage proposal, Shannon was asked about his writing trip to the US a couple of years ago, which of course spawned "Sorry Is Just Too Late", co-written with Richie. Shannon said in America he could sort of escape the prejudice that came with being an Australian Idol product and be judged on his voice, music and work ethic. He also mentioned freaking out because Luke Ebbin apparently sent an e-mail to Jon Bon Jovi to say that he was producing the album of an Australian musician who was one of the best guys he'd worked with... Shannon's reaction was "What?! You can't send that, it's JON BON JOVI!" Hah.

Anyway, I thought I may as well share a sweet little video from the Perth gig of "Now I Run" which was written about Shannon's late father and dedicated to a young fan in the audience who had just lost her dad. (Please excuse the Elvis impersonation at the start of the vid :P ).



Everything that I am comes from a better man
And all that I've said and I've done
Can't rewrite my history right there for all to see
I'm just my father's son
He taught me to walk, now I run

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Verdict: Bon Jovi didn't copy I Love This Town

Remember that guy who sued Bon Jovi for $400 billion claiming they plagiarised his song "Man I Really Love This Team" in "I Love This Town"?

Well not surprisingly, US District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton has rejected Bart Steele's copyright claim.

As for claims that the two songs were lyrically similar, Gorton said that there were over 100 songs in an online database that use the phrase “I Love This…”

“The phrases ‘come on’ and ‘here we go’ are likewise too trite and common to warrant protection,” said Gorton.

“Another purported similarity, the fact that both songs rhyme ‘round’ with ‘town,’ is also commonplace as evinced by the fact that it is found in the popular children’s song ‘The Wheels on the Bus.’”


You can read a PDF of the full decision at Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly's blog, The Docket.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

More on We Weren't Born to Follow

For anyone who couldn't listen to the new single yesterday and still hasn't had the chance to, it's now streaming on the blog section of the official Bon Jovi site.

Presenting the artwork/cover for "We Weren't Born to Follow" (cheers to The Screen Door for this heads up):



Is anyone else thinking/visualising the same thing as me, or do I just have a dirty mind? :P

Lastly, the new Bon Jovi material has had some mixed reactions thus far. I was in stiches reading a mock press release posted on JoviTalk, though not everyone finds it funny... ;)

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

WE WEREN'T BORN TO FOLLOW debuts on radio!

Here's a rip of the first radio play of Bon Jovi's newest single "We Weren't Born to Follow" on Mix 96.9 in the US!

Listen to WE WEREN'T BORN TO FOLLOW

Thoughts? Impressions?

EDIT: I realised that whenever I click on any of the uploads on Youtube of this song I get the message: This video is not available in your country due to copyright restrictions. This wasn't happening earlier in the day but I guess the censors have got on their bikes now... E-mail me if you can't access the song.

Here are some transcribed lyrics as heard by Mike, Terri, and Marc from JoviTalk:

This one goes out to the man who mines for miracles
This one goes out to the ones in need
This one goes out to the sinner and the cynical
This ain’t about no apology
This road was paved by the hopeless and the hungry
This road was paved by the winds of change
Walkin' beside the guily and the innocent
How will you raise your hand when they call your name?
Yeah, yeah, yeah

We weren’t born to follow
Come on and get up off your knees
When life is a bitter pill to swallow
You gotta hold onto what you believe
Believe that the sun will shine tomorrow
And that your saints and sinners bleed
We weren’t born to follow
You gotta stand up for what you believe
Let me hear you say yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah

This one’s about anyone who does it differently
This one's about the one who curses and spits
This ain’t about our livin' in a fantasy
This ain’t about givin' up or givin' in
Yeah, yeah, yeah

We weren’t born to follow
Come on and get up off your knees
When life is a bitter pill to swallow
You gotta hold onto what you believe
Believe that the sun will shine tomorrow
And that your saints and sinners bleed
We weren’t born to follow
You gotta stand up for what you believe
Let me hear you say yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah
Let me hear you say yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah
Guitar!

We weren’t born to follow
Come on and get up off your knees
When life is a bitter pill to swallow
You gotta hold onto what you believe
Believe that the sun will shine tomorrow
And that your saints and sinners bleed
We weren’t born to follow
You gotta stand up for what you believe
Let me hear you say yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah
Let me hear you say yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah
We weren’t born to follow, oh yeah
We weren’t born to follow, oh yeah


ADDENDUM: My thoughts? It's basically a typical Bon Jovi song. A typical Bon Jovi 00s lead single. Catchy, melodic, "It's My Life, Part 4" if I can be so crude, but it's got enough hook in it to be my flavour of the month so I'm enjoying it. That said, I do hope this was the lead single because it's catchy or because of the success of "It's My Life" and "Have a Nice Day" -- and not because it's the best song on the record. Hopefully the rest of the album is a lot stronger in substance.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Richie Sambora remembers Les Paul

Richie shares his memories of his friend, the late guitar legend and innovator Les Paul in this Rolling Stone article:

“All of us have to thank him for giving us a job, man,” Sambora adds. “Because let’s face it — without the electric guitar and multitrack recording, where would musicians be? Everybody should give a big thanks to Les for that, for sure.”


“That’s the unique thing about Les — he was a legend in his own lifetime. He realized it. He understood what he did and what he had done for the world and our business. That really satisfied him. Right now, I think I’m sad for myself and the rest of the world, but Les realized his goals in his life, and really reached a lot of his goals and dreams.”


Full article at this link.

Obie spills on the new album: The Circle!

Breaking news: Obie O'Brien actually says something useful. :P

To save you from having to listen to "I Love This Town" blaring out of your speakers and eating up bandwidth, I've summarised his August 14 Q&A responses on the Bon Jovi site:

  • The new album is called The Circle and will be released on November 10.
  • The lead single is called "We Weren't Born to Follow" and will hit radio next week (in the US I'm assuming).
  • The album is "BIG guitars and BIG drums".
This more or less confirms what has already been leaked so all power to the internet, but it's good to hear it from Obie O'Soon as well. ;)

I hope his definition of big guitars and big drums is the same as most other people's though. :P

EDIT: Obie has now added that tour info should be announced in two weeks' time and info about new BJTV episodes in September.

Friday, August 14, 2009

David Bryan for Memphis/VH1 Save the Music

If you're in the New York area on August 26, Dave will be performing at a special barbeque in front of Shubert Theatre. Click on the image below for ticket details and other information.

New Bon Jovi album "Circle"?

The latest rumour about Bon Jovi's new album is that it's entitled Circle.

1WildNight has just posted a recap of everything we've heard about the new release so far.

RIP Les Paul

Guitar legend Les Paul has died at the age of 94.

In memory of the great innovator, here is a re-post of Richie Sambora performing "Great Hall of Fame" as last year's tribute concert.


The Goddess Hathor has posted a charming interview with Richie from that time on her blog.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

We Weren't Born to Follow: another Shanks tweet

Following on from his last Jovi tweet, producer John Shanks has revealed:
yes.we werent born to follow,thats the name of the bonjovi..smash!!!!
Whether that's an album or single or whatever isn't immediately clear, but the title had been mentioned on other forums.

The Goddess Hathor had quite a colourful rant about this title. ;)

My personal view is that it sounds like it could either be a great rock song OR another "It's My Life". Shanks would be excellent at producing the latter but I really hope it's the former.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Bon Jovi rumour mill: new releases

According to various rumours floating around on various parts of the web:
  • A new single will hit the airwaves on August 31.
  • The new album is set for release on November 10, with a Today Show performance soon after.
  • The title "We Weren't Born to Follow" has been mentioned...
  • An appearance on Oprah will coincide with the release of the When We Were Beautiful book on October 29.
  • The documentary will be released in theatres sometime after October.
  • Dates will be announced in mid-October for a tour in 2010.
Some of these might be less true than others but are we getting excited yet? :)

Saturday, August 8, 2009

John Shanks confirms new releases on Twitter

John Shanks, producer of Have a Nice Day, half of Lost Highway, and the upcoming new album tweeted this today:

yes, there is a new bonjovi record coming...the single is in aug
8:12 AM Aug 7th from web

Friday, August 7, 2009

August 7, 4:15

If you've got Jon Bon Jovi's 1997 solo album Destination Anywhere, you'll be familiar with a song called "August 7, 4:15". This haunting track is dedicated to Katherine Korzilius, the six-year-old daughter of Bon Jovi manager Paul Korzilius. On August 7, 1996, Katherine went to collect the mail at 4:15pm and never returned. Her mother drove out to search for her and found Katherine's bruised and cut body laying on the road. Katherine was admitted to hospital with a fractured skull and pronounced brain-dead at 11:30pm. She had apparently been abducted, struck in the head, and then either jumped or thrown from a vehicle. Today marks the 13th anniversary of Katherine's death. The case has never been solved.



It was another day, a perfect Texas afternoon
A mother and two children play the way they always do
As they raced home from the mailbox, a mother and her son
Against a little girl of six years old, the independent one

The deputies went door to door through all the neighbourhood
They said I got some news to tell you folks, I'm afraid it ain't so good
Somehow something happened, someone got away
Someone got the answers for what happened here today
Oh no, oh no, oh no no no no

Tell me it was just a dream
August 7, 4:15
God closed his eyes and the world got mean
August 7, 4:15

Now the people from the papers and the local TV news
Tried to find the reason
Cop dogs sniffed around for clues
Someone shouted hit and run, the coroner cried foul
Her blue dress was what she wore the day the laid her body down
Oh no, oh no, oh no no no no

Tell me it was just a dream
August 7, 4:15
God closed his eyes and the world got mean
August 7, 4:15

I know tonight that there's an angel up on heaven's highest hill
No one there can hurt you baby, no one ever well
Somewhere someone's conscience is like a burning bed
The flames are all around you, how you gonna sleep again?
Oh no, oh no, oh no no no no

Tell me it was just a dream
August 7, 4:15
God closed his eyes and the world got mean
August 7, 4:15


--Jon Bon Jovi

Rest in peace.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Work for the Working Man FULL SONG

The video below includes Jon's complete performance of new song "Working Man" from the National Conference on Volunteering and Service earlier this year.



I don't know what the final version sounds like but considering I've been critical at times of Bon Jovi's seeming preference for quantity over quality this decade, I'm really, really liking this song. Aside from the acoustic intro sounding an awful lot like the acoustic intro of "Livin' on a Prayer"... :P

These are the lyrics to "Working Man" as far as I can hear (corrections are welcome):

I'm here trying to make a living
And I ain't living just to die
Never getting back what I'm giving
Won't someone help me, someone justify
Why these strong hands are on the unemployment line
And there's nothing left, what's on my mind

Who's gonna work for the working man?
Work for the working man
Get their hands in the dirt, who's gonna work off the curse?
Brother I'll be damned if I don't raise a hand
For the work work work for the working man
Working man

Empty pockets are full of worry
I had to get two jobs and it was hard enough just getting by
But with the grace of God I'll get us through
I only know what I know how to do
And I'm the only one who's gotta look my family in the eye
Day after day and night after night

Who's gonna work for the working man?
Work for the working man
Get their hands in the dirt, who's gonna work off the curse?
Brother I'll be damned if I don't raise a hand
For the work work work for the working man
Working man...

I lost my pension
They took my ID
These were my friends
These were my dreams
These were my hopes
These are my streets
Can you hear me?

Who's gonna work for the working man?
Work for the working man
Get their hands in the dirt, who's gonna work off the curse?
Brother I'll be damned if I don't raise a hand
For the work work work for the working man
Working man...

These were my friends
These were my dreams
These were my hopes
These are my streets

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Terri Seymour on how to greet JBJ

Google alerted me to this interview with British TV presenter and Simon Cowell's ex-girlfriend Terri Seymour:
What is your most embarrassing experience?
Some years ago I went to a pub in Primrose Hill in London to meet friends, and Jon Bon Jovi was sitting at a table. I recognised him and assumed I knew him from somewhere but didn't realise who he actually was. So I walked up to him, gave him a big kiss and said, 'It's so nice to see you again, how are you?' We had a long chat, and then I walked over to join my friends. They were all staring at me in awe and asked, 'How do you know Jon Bon Jovi?' I said, 'I don't', and then I realised what I had done. I was just cringing inside.


It may have been embarrassing for her but if I ever see Jon sitting alone in a pub and manage to summon the confidence, I can't guarantee I won't try the same technique. :P