Emmo’s Blog

This week saw Bon Jovi claim the third biggest slide in US chart history.

The Circle debuted in the US Album Chart at number 1 (the bands third consecutive) but this week it fell an astonishing 18 places to number 19. Only Marilyn Manson and Incubus has have bigger falls from grace from the number 1 spot.

The Circles first weeks sales were less than impressive. 163,000 copies were sold but a dreadful 50,153 were sold week 2. This could be the first Bon Jovi album not to sell more than 500,000 copies.

There was no reasons in particular for die-hards or even casual fans not to buy the album in the US. Wall mart had the CD for the special price of $6.99 and Amazon offered the download at $3.99. Those prices are more than reasonable in a time of world recession.

So what’s the reason behind the drop in sales? Illegal downloads? I’m not buying that (excuse the pun) some albums have sold by the hundreds of thousands in the last year despite the albums being leaked on the internet.

For me it’s a case of a Bon Jovi overload. From 1985-2002 the band released (not including the Greatest Hits, Live album & TLFR) 7 albums averaging nearly 3 years before each release.

Since 2003 they have released 4 albums lowering the average time between albums to 1.5 years.
But the main fact is that the band have released 3 albums in the last 5 years and that’s too much.

More albums will mean even die-hards are seeing and hearing to much of the band.
We would all like our favorite bands to release a new album every week but if they did the quality of song would suffer and that’s what’s happened to Bon Jovi.

While The Circle is a good album and the best since 1995s These Days, if you bought the three albums (Bounce, Have A Nice Day & Lost Highway) since 2003 then you would be well excused for giving the latest offering a miss and I believe that’s what’s happened.

Bon Jovi have finally released an album worth telling the world about but the world has heard too much mediocrity to give it any of its time.

Album sales will pick up when the band starts touring but The Circle may already be officially the worst selling Bon Jovi album of all time.

After the next tour the band need to go away and come back in 4 or 5 years maybe longer. They need to make people want/need/crave another Bon Jovi album. They need to be totally off the radar like when they took a break between New Jersey and Keep The Faith.

People were bored with Grunge which was everywhere at the time. People wanted Bon Jovi back and they returned with a 10 million plus selling album. I would even suggest no solo albums this time either. There has just been too much in a to short space of time.

If you get the chance to see them on The Circle tour then do so as they are still one of the best live acts around. It should hopefully for the sake of the band be the last time you get to see them in a long while….

Even most diehards would admit that Bon Jovi albums since the post 2000 have been patchy.
Crush, Bounce, Have A Nice Day and Lost Highway have all been OK. If you take the best 4 songs from each album and you would have a cracker of an album but in order to get that album you are losing a lot of songs.

So on their 25th Anniversary the band have decided to release a “Total Rock Record” and have gone full “Circle.”

2007 saw the band get a Nashville influenced sounding album with Lost Highway and although it was surprisingly good in places it wasn’t the album the fans had wanted. Lost Highway was never meant to be toured but it was for nearly a year and 2009 was meant to see the (unneeded) release of a Greatest Hits 2.

I’m a firm believer that a Greatest Hits album should be released when the band are no longer together (as I type this I find that Rod Stewart is set to release roughly his 10th Greatest Hits album!) The band announced that writing 2 new songs for the GH2 album became 5, which then became 10 and so on. In all 26 songs were written and 16 demoed. None of the new songs sounded like they fitted on a Greatest Hits so they decided to release a new album instead- postponing the GH2 for Xmas 2010.

So on 02.11.09 Bon Jovi released the The Circle and as fan of the band for over 20 years I can honestly say this is their best album since 1995s These Days. The albums theme is the usual Jovi theme of hope and faith and what makes that even better is the financial state of the  world now. The first 3 songs on the album We Weren’t Born To Follow, When We Were Beautiful and Work For The Working Man are all about the current situation the everyone finds themselves in at the moment.

The Circle also sees Bon Jovi  write their best ballad since 1994s Always. Since the release of Always the slower songs on every album since have all come up way short in comparison so step forward Superman Tonight (2nd single) which is a belter of a song.

Other stand out tracks are Thorn In My Side, Love Is The Only Rule, Happy Now, Brokenpromiseland & Fast Cars all songs are great rock songs and will sound great live.
 
The only disappointments for me are the song Bullet which at the moment hasn’t struck a chord with me yet and Live Before You Die which has a great chorus but the verses sound like Walk Like A Man (HAND) and Joey (Bounce) re-written.

So all in all this is a excellent effort from Bon Jovi and they finally have an album which can stand proudly with the albums released pre 2000. After 25 years the boys from New Jersey still know how to rock.

Track list:

We Weren’t Born To Follow
When We Were Beautiful
Work For The Working Man
Superman Tonight
Bullet
Thorn In My Side
Live Before You Die
Brokenpromiseland
Loves The Only Rule
Fast Cars
Happy Now
Learn To Love

Rating 8.5/10

2009 has been a strange year for me musically.
I have bought a lot of CDs but not many new ones. I have spent most of the year getting my back catalogue in order.
Iron Maiden, Enuff Z Nuff, Poison & Terrorvision have all had their back catalogues completed.
2009 also saw me get rid of some bands from my collection. I think I must have sold around 30+ albums this year.
Artists that have gone include NIN, Pearl Jam (last 4 albums), Papa Roach, Daughtry and Theory Of A Deadman.
My music taste has changed.

So below is my top 6 albums of the year and my turkey of the year. Agree? Let me know.

Chutzpah! – The Wildhearts:
Without doubt my number one album of 2009. From the opening track The Jackson Whites to the self titled closer this album doesn’t let up. Chutzpah! was a different album than the bands previous efforts as other band members also had a go at lead vocals with stunning results. For an extra few pence the Japanese Import was well worth the purchase as it came with an extra 4 tracks including the frantic one minute pre-opener Chutzpah! Jnr. So if you want harmonies thunderous guitars and chorus’s that stick to you like spunk in the bath Chutzpah! is the one album of this top 6 you must own. Never being a band to do things the easy or normal way Newcastle’s finest then toured the album in September and played the album live from start to finish every night. After nearly 20 years this band still produce the goods.

The Circle – Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi now sound like the sons of New Jersey legend Bruce Springsteen and that’s not a bad thing is it?
They were always going to end up sounding like the Boss even if 2007s Lost Highway Nashville influenced album took them on a slight de-tour.  The Circles theme is set in the current global recession but it’s not a doom and gloom album.
The album opens up with a traditional stadium anthem track in We Weren’t Born To Follow and then Springsteen’s influence kicks in during When We Were Beautiful and Work For The Working Man.
The Circle is triumphant return to form from Bon Jovi after a couple of average releases over the last few albums.

Babylon – W.A.S.P
Blackie Lawless and his band returned in late 2009 a new album. Babylon is an immense album that is surely WASPs best release since the epic Crimson Idol in the early 90s. Lawless and band members are on top of their game with the performances on Babylon. The song Get To The Fire for example is 6 minutes of quality WASP metal with 3 (yes 3) guitar solos. The only downside to this album is that there are only 9 songs and one is a cover of the Deep Purple classic Burn. I don’t understand why bands put cover songs on albums as they should be saved for B-Sides or a rarity album. Still, if you have never heard Burn it don’t matter so much. WASP will never match The Crimson Idol but Babylon comes pretty darn close.

21st Century Breakdown – Green Day
How would Green Day follow up the multi selling multi award winning and critically acclaimed American Idiot? By releasing 21st Century Breakdown that’s how. 21CB is in my opinion better than its predecessor. Yes its overblown, egotistical and way too long but we would expect nothing less from Green Day after the success of American Idiot.
21CB is another concept album and is broken down into 3 sections over 18 songs and clocks in at 70 minutes. The album tells the story of a couple of kids (Christian and Gloria) trying to make it in America after the reign of President Bush.
The pressure was really on Green Day with this release and it took them nearly 5 years to complete. A job well done.

Blue Gives Way To Gray – Alice In Chains
Of all the bands that came out of the early 90s “Grunge” scene in Seattle Alice In Chains were head and shoulders above the rest. Following a temporary split after the death of front man Layne Staley in 2003 from a drug overdose, AIC re-grouped and hired long time friend Robert Duvalle to take over vocal duties. The results on this album are outstanding. It’s always hard replacing front men and there are more bands that have failed than succeeded in a change of vocals. But what helps AIC is that DuValle sound just like the man he replaced. Throw into the mix Jerry Cantrell’s backing vocals and velvet guitar and you have the ingredients that make Blue Gives Way To Gray a masterpiece. 

Sonic Boom – KISS
Ok here’s the deal. Never been a fan of KISS. Never got what the big hoo-hah was with them. Maybe I’m too young but most of the bands I like say they were influenced by them so they must have something about them. This album was a no go until I read a few reviews and they all said that Sonic Boom was the best KISS album in 30 years. This album has  Big riffs, big chorus’s and big hair. What more do you want in an album? Chuck in some great guitar work and cheesy lyrics and you have a great Rock record. The new members of the band seem to have gelled with Gene and Paul and even have a go at taking over vocal duties on a few tracks. Sonic Boom is a pleasant surprise. Enjoy

GOBBLE GOBBLE – Turkey of the year:

Manic St Preachers – Journal for Plague Lovers
Loved the Manics first three albums of which all were mostly wrote by “missing” guitarist Richey James. The band lost their way when he disappeared in 1994 but released a corker of an album in 2007 titled Send Away The Tigers. I was looking forward to this album as the band used the lyrics that Ritchey never got round to using. The result? An album of dire songs. There must have been a reason why these lyrics were never used by Mr James and now we know why. The band just seem to be trying to re-create the Holy Bible era again and fail miserably. Back to the studio lads and leave Ritchie’s song book at home!

Well it’s a Rock-tastic week this week at Emmo Towers.

Why?

Well last week I sold some dire albums I’d bought over the years on eBay.

The 10 albums raked in about £60 so I went on a mission to get 11 of the 12 Iron Maiden studio albums I needed.
Amazingly I got them all for roughly £40 on eBay which was amazing as they were all the re-mastered versions.

I am now the proud owner of every Iron Maiden studio album except the two with Blaze Bailey on vocals. Maiden are an awesome band and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to really get into them even though I’ve had Number Of The Beast for nearly 10 years.

With the Pay-Pal pot still a little in credit I purchased the new KISS album Sonic Boom and the new WASP album Babylon. Both have turned up today so I’ll review these as soon as I can but I have some serious music to get through.

I have never been a fan of KISS but I have read some good reviews about Sonic Boom. Most reviewers have said that this is their best album for nearly 30 years. It’s a gamble for me as I have never really got what all the fuss was about with KISS.

I have only been into WASP for about 18 months but they are amazing. The Crimson Idol is one of the best metal albums of all time and if Babylon is half as good then I’ll be happy.

So that’s 13 albums to get through and they should keep me going until at least Nov 2nd when Bon Jovi release The Circle.

Last month also saw the release of Alice In Chains excellent new album Black Gives Way To Blue. A fine return to form for arguably the finest band to come out of Seattle and the grunge scene. Its hard to change vocalist not that they had much choice after the death of the original front man Layne Staley. The new guy fits in well and the fact that he sounds exactly like Staley will help the fans take to the new album quicker.

Pearl Jam have also released a new album recently titled Backspacer. I haven’t yet bought this album and doubt that I will. The reviews for the latest offering haven’t made me want to go buy it so I doubt that I will. Pearl Jam will never top their first two albums Ten and Vs so in my opinion everything since those releases have been average at best.

Finally, The Wildhearts are rumoured to be releasing download only track on Friday 16th October. It will be available from their website www.thewildhearts.com  No news on what the song is but I reckon it’s a song that didn’t make the latest album the excellent “Chutzpah!” I hope that it’s the song “Some Days Just F*cking Suck”  but who knows what these guys have in store!

On December 17th Wildhearts front man Ginger is playing a Birthday Bash gig at Highbury Garage. Tickets are £12.50 and are well worth a purchase. Expect some special guests to help Ginger celebrate his birthday. I will be there so make sure that you are!

Away from music and next week sees the release of Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer 2010. After the disappointment of Evo 2009 Konami have been working hard to please the army of loyal fans. The have been working hard and trying their best to reclaim the crown back from Fifa.

If you read this site last year I was gutted with Pro Evo 09 and bought Fifa09 but after while I went back to Pro after I found Fifa too scripted. I have played Fifa10 this year and again I dislike it. I have also played the Evo10 demo and am liking it….a lot.

 A full review of Evo10 will be on the site sometime in the next 10 days.

This week’s frosted little gems for the ears are:

 
Juvenile Offender – Little Angels

I Could Never Live Without You – Enuff Z Nuff

Sweet Soul Sister – The Cult

The Bleeding – Five Fingered Death Punch

Don’t Follow – Alice In Chains     

                                     
Nuggets Of Ear Candy returns in a fortnight…

 Music News

Alice In Chains release their first album since 1995s self titled album on 28th September.
Black Gives Way To Blue will be the first release to feature new vocalist William DuVall who replaced original singer Layne Staley after his untimely death from a drug overdose in 2002.

Neil Young wannabes Pearl Jam release their 9TH studio album Backspacer on 21st September.

80s glam rockers Danger Danger are back with original vocalist Ted Pooley and they release a new album Revolve on 21st September. The band have said this is their best work since 1991s Screw it! album which was the bands biggest seller.

Guitarist George Lynch and his band Lynch Mob return with a new album Smoke And Mirrors in early October.
This will be the bands first release since 2003. Will it be as good as Wicked Sensation? We will soon find out!

WASP release their new album Babylon on 10th November and this will be followed by a UK tour.

Finally If you like songs that go on forever and a day then the Porcupine Tree release their double album The Incident on 15th September. Disc 1 is just one song that’s broken down in twelve parts and goes on for 55 minutes!!

 Classic Jovi from 1989

Some song titles for the new Bon Jovi album The Circle  have been given to a Tokeyo radio station by Jon Bon Jovi himself.  Its not clear what songs will appear on which version (normally the UK version differs to others)  but Jon named these in the interview the other day.

Below is a list of 12 songs that will appear on the different versions. Having heard 3 of these songs the order of songs will be different to what’s below.

JBJ also mentioned there is another song to be added but as yet thats unamed.

We Weren’t Born To follow
When We Were Beautiful
Work For The Working Man
Superman Tonight
Bullet
Thorn In My Side
Live Before You Die
Broken Promise land
Love’s the Only Rule
Fast Cars
Happy Now
Learn To Love

 The Circle is out on 10 November and will be preceded by the single We Weren’t Born To Follow which is already on heavy rotation on radio stations in the UK.

I have over 300 CDs in my collection and I was wondering what my favourite is.
It’s hard to pick a favourite out of so many classics. But like the cream some easily rise to the top.

The Wildhearts P.H.U.Q, Guns N’ Roses Appetite For Destruction, Skid Rows self titled debut & Motley Crues Shout At The Devil are up the top. Pantera’s Far Beyond Driven, Pearl Jam’s Ten and Extremes Pornograffiti are more classic albums but at number 1? It’s a very special album.

I stumbled across this album when I was 14 which was 20 years ago. Seems like yesterday.

My number 1 album is an album that had to deliver. The band had released the biggest selling Rock album of all time just two years earlier. By selling 16 million copies the pressure was on. Although they had released two albums prior the one that put them on the map they remained fairly unknown outside of America. Due to the success of their third album they spent two full years on the road touring. Was it a flash in the pan? Was it a fluke? Album number four was give us the answers….

If you haven’t guessed the band was Bon Jovi and the album that was the follow up to the monstrous Slippery When Wet, is New Jersey.

Bon Jovi had hit the big time with SWW and became household names over night. The singles You Give Love A Bad Name, Livin’ On A Prayer and Wanted (Dead or Alive) were never off the airwaves and MTV all over the world.

The two year tour that followed the album release only paused for the recording of New Jersey. The idea was release New Jersey as the SWW tour came to an end and then get straight back out on the road for another two years.

BJ did exactly that and it nearly finished the band. Nearly four years on the road is too much for anyone. They played a ridiculous amount of concerts to a ridiculous amount of people. They even visited some countries three times. But after the final date in Mexico the band went home and didn’t return until late 1992.

New Jersey was released in September 1988 and went straight to number 1 in the US where it stayed for four weeks selling 5 million copies. It also set a new record that’s yet to broken which is 5 top 10 singles from a hard rock album.

New Jersey was also the band’s first album to go to number 1 in the UK where it stayed for two weeks. The album has now sold 16 million copies worldwide. NJ proved SWW was no fluke.

The album itself consists of 12 songs and lasts just short of an hour. Once again Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora drafted in Desmond Child to help with a few songs as he did on SWW.

The album starts with three big stadium rock songs in the form of Lay Your Hands On Me where Jon asks “Are you ready, willing and able?”  The party fuelled Bad Medicine and Born To Be My Baby a tale of two lovers financially struggling world but don’t need anything as they have each other “table for two on a TV tray it ain’ fancy babe but that’s ok, our time, our way.”

The album slows down for a second on track for the ballad Living In Sin. A song about two people who want to be together but their parents won’t allow it. The Video caused a stir on MTV and was cut in some states of America.

Blood On Blood follows and it’s a tail of friendship, honour and loyalty between best friends. JBJ takes us back to his youth with his blood brothers Danny & Bobby and tells us of losing their virginity to the same woman, buying drink with fake ID and becoming best friends. The songs best moment is when the music stops and Jon tells us “Now Bobby, he’s an uptown Lawyer, Danny is a Medicine man and me…I’m just the singer in a long haired Rock N’ Roll band… “

The pace starts again with the ferocious Homebound Train which is one of the heaviest songs the band have ever done.

From here on in the album has a cowboy feel to it. Wild Is The Wind, Ride Cowboy Ride and Stick To Your Guns could all have easily been used on the soundtrack to Young Guns. JBJ eventually wrote a whole album for Young Guns II after they wanted to take a few songs from New Jersey.

Wild Is The Wind tells of a man’s struggle to keep his lover happy. “I tried to make you happy, God knows I tried so hard to be…what you wanted me to be..”  The song has a great line in “Maybe a better man would live and die for you, baby a better man would never say goodbye to you”  and is a real album highlight.

Ride Cowboy Ride sounds like an old vinyl record that’s been stuck under the floorboard, dusted off and stuck on a broken gramophone. Its starts off with a ton of crackling and the singing can hardly be heard.

Its only just over 1 minute long but is a perfect way to proceed the song of the album in Stick To Your Guns which comes crashing in like a bulldozer. “So you want to be a Cowboy? Well you know it’s more than just a ride..”  Jon sings before saying “Stick to your guns, ain’t nobody gonna hurt you baby, go for the trigger but only if you have too..”

The album slows down again with the “lighter in the air” ballad I’ll Be There For You and its probably the best ballad the band have done. Yes, even better than Always. Jon apologises to his lover by signing “I wasn’t there when you were happy and I wasn’t there when you down, didn’t mean to miss your birthday baby, I wish I’d seen you blow those candles out..”

99 In The Shade follows and is a feel good song. It mentions the two characters that Bon Jovi have referenced in nearly all their albums. Jon tells us “Somebody tells me even Tommy’s coming down tonight  If Gina says it’s alright..”

All good things must come to an end and Love For Sale closes the album. It’s an acoustic live track recorded in a small bar when the band are drunk on tour. Jon drunkenly mumbles the words “Let’s just, let’s just say that the records done Ok?”  Before Sambora gives a “Yeeehhoooo Love For Sale..”

It’s not often that an album has 12 songs all of which are shear perfection but somehow Bon Jovi managed it with New Jersey.

Kerrang! reviewed the album in 1988 and said “New Jersey is truly amazing journey from start to finish. Buckle up, set the volume to maximum and enjoy the ride”

I don’t think I could have put it any better.

Track listing:

Lay Your Hands On Me
Bad Medicine
Born To Be My Baby
Living In Sin
Blood On Blood
Homebound Train
Wild Is The Wind
Ride Cowboy Ride
Stick To Your Guns
Ill Be There For You
99 In The Shade
Love For Sale

Its finally landed. At long last!
The Wildhearts 8th studio album Chutzpah! arrived through my letterbox on Monday.
I decided to order the Japanese Import for the 4 exclusive to Japanese release bonus songs.  I’m glad I did as the UK version has only 10 songs. The Wildhearts also gave away a free download from a song that didn’t make the final mix so that takes the total from 10 to 15 songs.
That’s more like it!

Chutzpah! is different to other Wildhearts albums in that the song writing and vocals are not all left to group leader Ginger. Every band member has contributed with either lyrics, vocals or both. This means the album has a more widespread sound but at the same time they stick to what they are best at. Great songs.

Every member has brought their influence to the table. You can hear Bassist Scott Sorrys punk influence as well as guitarists CJs poppy influences (including that of Honeycrack his side project in the 90s.) Ginger has maybe been listening to a lot of American bands now he lives there as this album also has an American sound/feel to it.

I am not going to give you a song by song review telling you what I think each song means but rest assured this is another great Wildhearts album. Probably the best album since 1996s Fishing For Luckies. It has taken me about 4 listens to find my feet with it which is unlike any other Wildhearts album but now it’s all fallen into place.

There are some instant classics in the form of The Jackson Whites, The Only One, Mazel Tov Cocktail, You Are Proof That All Women Are Not Insane & title track Chutzpah!
I found a few songs hard to get into on the first couple of listens. Tim Smith, John Of Violence and Low Energy Vortex were the strange ones for me but now it’s just the latter than I’m still not sure on.

The Japanese songs consist of Chutzpah Jnr which is a one minute song that tells you how to pronounce the album (drop the CH!), All that Zen, Zeen Requiemn and a cover song People Who Died which is again sung by Sorry.

The download freebie is The Snake The Monkey, The Lion and The Spider which is another good song but I can see why it was left off as it don’t sound in the same vein as the rest of the songs on the album.

All in all its another triumph for Ginger and his band of merry men but did we expect anything else?

Track listing:

Chutzpah! Jnr – (Japanese Exclusive)
The Jackson Whites
Plastic Jebus
The Only One
John Of Violence
You Are Proof….
Tim Smith
Low Energy Vortex
You Took The Sunshine
Zeen Requiemn – (Japanese Exclusive)
All That Zen – (Japanese Exclusive)
People Who Died – (Japanese Exclusive)
The Snake The Monkey, The Lion and The Spider (Download only)
Mazel Tov Cocktail
Chutzpah!

Rating 9/10

US Rockers Bon Jovi have announced details of their new album.
 
The new album, Circle will be released on 09/11/09 and it will be the bands 11th studio album.
We Weren’t Born To Follow will be the first single lifted from the album and is scheduled to be released on 31/08/09.

Tour dates are to be announced later in the year around the time the album is released.

Bon Jovi have sold over 120,000,000 albums worldwide.