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Bon Jovi: Greatest Hits
We must be pretty close to Christmas time. I know this to be so, because we're being treated to more greatest hits compilations of bands who already have a compilation or two under their belt. In 1994 Jon Bon and crew released "Crossroads: The Best of Bon Jovi", which was pretty close to complete (albeit for missing the songs, "She Don't Know Me" and "Raise Your Hands"). So just what has this New Jersey gang done since '94 to warrant another Best Of package?
The Good: After their last Hits Collection, Bon Jovi released the poorly-received These Days album then took a few years off to re-think their game. They returned with the Crush album and completely reset their career easier than a Nintendo game. If you're a fan of the second generation Bon Jovi, then this is an absolute must-have collection for you. You get "Have A Nice Day", "It's My Life", and "Who Says You Can't Go Home?" as well as the lighter side of classic Bon Jovi. It's no secret that Jon Bon knows how to write a #1 love song, so it's also no surprize that this CD is peanut buttered with them. If you get the 2-disc version, you get even more Bon Jovi ballads (Bon Jallads, for short). It's nice to see songs like "In These Arms" and "Born To Be My Baby" were included, when they were left of the '94 Crossroads. You could argue that, like many bands, Bon Jovi lost their edge with age. Maybe. I think they just got older and now write songs about things older people write songs about. The "deluxe" package comes with a t-shirt. It's nice to see the record industry thinking outside of the box to sell CDs again.
The Bad: Well, let's just say I'm a bigger fan of the "Raise Your Hands" Bon Jovi. Sure, they didn't forget to include "Livin' On A Prayer", "Bad Medicine", or "You Give Love A Bad Name". A Bon Jovi collection without those songs would be like a Tim Burton movie without Johnny Depp. But to be perfectly honest, I could do without "Blaze of Glory". Oh, and where are the songs from Bounce and 7800 Degrees F? C'mon, "In & Out Of Love" is one of their best tunes. And still, another hits collection and "Raise Your Hands" is nowhere to be seen... or heard in this case. Really, it's their best song ever and quite possibly the greatest rock song of all time.
The Verdict: I didn't buy it. I have all the Bon Jovi studio albums already, so I don't really need duplicates of these songs kicking around. I looked the CD over several times in the CD store, and decided that $13 for two songs I didn't have wasn't worth it. Or $20 for four new songs on the 2-disc album didn't turn me on either. I like "What Do You Got?", the first single, so I might buy it on iTunes.
I've been a fan of Bon Jovi since I was seven years old. I stole my sister's LP of Slippery When Wet and have listened to every album since. I can safely say there are two generations of Bon Jovi, and this collection most definitely appeals more to that second generation. I'm not saying 'don't buy this compilation'. I think it's a pretty good retrospective of their softer side. But if you are gonna shell out cash for this, then definitely get the 2-CD set. You'll be happy you did.
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