Bon Jovi – Bon Jovi (Deluxe) (1984/2024) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Bon Jovi – Bon Jovi (Deluxe) (1984/2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:23:10 minutes | 1,78 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Island Records

Bon Jovi have been part of the rock landscape for so long, it’s hard to remember a time when they weren’t yet world-beaters. But on January 21, 1984, they were just getting started, releasing their first, self-titled album on the Mercury label.

Bon Jovi was produced by Lance Quinn and Tony Bongiovi, who was not only the cousin of Jon Bon Jovi, but founded the Power Station studio in New York, where the album was recorded. It was a showcase for a hungry young five-piece in a hurry to go places. The material was almost entirely co-written by Bon Jovi himself with various collaborators, including lead guitarist Richie Sambora (newly installed in the band as the replacement for Dave Sabo, who went on to Skid Row) on four numbers.

The exception, and the only time that the band have ever recorded anything by an “outsider” on a studio record, was “She Don’t Know Me,” by Mark Avsec. He was a member of Donnie Iris and the Cruisers, themselves a chart act in America in the first half of the 1980s, notably with fine singles like “Ah! Leah!” and “My Girl.”

The Bon Jovi album also featured contributions from such notables as unofficial band bassist Hugh McDonald, Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band drummer Roy Bittan, and Canadian guitarist Aldo Nova, who had scored a Top 30 US hit of his own in 1982 with “Fantasy.”

Now, UMG releases a brand new Deluxe Edition for the album’s 40th anniversary, featuring 9 tracks bonus material including alternate mixes and live versions!

From the opening track, “Runaway,” which rode to glory on E Street Band-mate Roy Bittan’s distinctive keyboard riff, to the sweaty arena rock of “Get Ready,” which closed the album, Bon Jovi’s debut is an often-overlooked minor gem from the early days of hair metal. The songs may be simple and the writing prone to all clichés of the form, but the album boasts a pretty consistent hard rock attack, passionate playing, and a keen sense of melody. The prominence that keyboardist David Bryan (credited as David Rashbaum in the liner notes) gets on this record is an indicator, perhaps, that Bon Jovi had more than a passing interest in the pop market, which was then dominated by new wave and synth pop. Mixing Journey-like ’70s rock (“She Don’t Know Me”) with shout-along stadium anthems (“Love Lies”), the self-titled Bon Jovi lay the foundation for the band’s career, which reached its apex several years later with that very same combination of pop melody and arena-sized amibiton. – Leslie Mathew

Tracklist:
1-1. Bon Jovi – Runaway (03:51)
1-2. Bon Jovi – Roulette (04:40)
1-3. Bon Jovi – She Don’t Know Me (04:01)
1-4. Bon Jovi – Shot Through The Heart (04:20)
1-5. Bon Jovi – Love Lies (04:09)
1-6. Bon Jovi – Breakout (05:23)
1-7. Bon Jovi – Burning For Love (03:53)
1-8. Bon Jovi – Come Back (03:56)
1-9. Bon Jovi – Get Ready (04:09)
1-10. Bon Jovi – Runaway (Cassette Writing Demo) (02:14)
1-11. Bon Jovi – Runaway (Pre-production Studio Demo) (04:08)
1-12. Bon Jovi – Runaway (Alternate Version) (04:18)
1-13. Bon Jovi – Runaway (Extended Version / 2024 Mix) (04:42)
1-14. Bon Jovi – Come Back (Reference Vocal Version) (04:15)
1-15. Bon Jovi – Roulette (Live In Tokyo, 1985 – Obie O’Brien Mix) (05:38)
1-16. Bon Jovi – Breakout (Live In Tokyo, 1985 – Obie O’Brien Mix) (07:06)
1-17. Bon Jovi – Runaway (Live In Tokyo, 1985 – Obie O’Brien Mix) (05:17)
1-18. Bon Jovi – Get Ready (Live In Tokyo, 1985 – Obie O’Brien Mix) (07:03)

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