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Bon Jovi(album)

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Bon Jovi
Studio albumby
Bon Jovi
ReleasedJanuary 23, 1984(1984-01-23)[1]
Recorded1982–1983
StudioPower Station(New York City)
Genre
Length38:33
Label
Producer
Bon Jovichronology
Bon Jovi
(1984) 		7800° Fahrenheit
(1985)
SinglesfromBon Jovi
  1. "Runaway"
    Released: February 1984
  2. "She Don't Know Me"
    Released: 22 May 1984
  3. "Burning for Love"
    Released: 17 October 1984

Bon Joviis the debut studio album by AmericanrockbandBon Jovi,released on January 23, 1984, byMercury Records.Produced byTony Bongioviand Lance Quinn, it is significant for being the only Bon Jovi album in which a song ( "She Don't Know Me") appears that was not written or co-written by a member of the band. The album charted at number 43 on the USBillboard200.[5]

Aside from the hit single "Runaway",songs from the album were rarely performed live after Bon Jovi releasedSlippery When Wetin 1986. However, on the band's 2010Circle Tour,songs including "Roulette", "Shot Through the Heart" and "Get Ready" were performed. The album was ranked the 11th best rock album of 1984 byKerrang!magazine.[6]

The song "Shot Through the Heart" should not be confused with the much better-known "You Give Love a Bad Name"fromSlippery When Wet.[7]

On 25 January 2024, the band announced and released the 40th anniversary edition of the album on the same day.[8][9][10]

Background

[edit]

In 1980,Jon Bon Jovi(born John Francis Bongiovi) began work atPower Station,aManhattanrecording facility co-founded by his cousin,Tony Bongiovi.Jon made severaldemosand sent them out to record companies, but failed to make an impact.

In 1982, Jon went to local radio stationWAPP 103.5FM "The Apple".DJ Chip Hobart listened to the demos and loved "Runaway", deciding to include it on the station's compilation album of local homegrown talent. The studio musicians who helped record "Runaway" were known as The All Star Review. They were: guitaristTim Pierce,keyboardistRoy Bittan,drummerFrankie LaRocka,bass guitaristHugh McDonald,and additional singers David Grahmme and Mick Seeley (Seeley also composed the distinctive keyboard riff that opens the song). In 1994, McDonald would later replace Alec John Such as Bon Jovi's bass guitarist, initially only as a touring and session musician, before becoming a full member in 2016.

The song began to get airplay around New York. Jon signed toMercury Records,part of thePolyGramcompany. He wanted a band name and theA&Rstaff at PolyGram came up with Bon Jovi.

In March 1983, Bon Jovi calledDavid Bryan(then known as Rashbaum), who in turn called bass guitarist Alec John Such and an experienced drummer namedTico Torres.At that time Bon Jovi's lead guitarist wasDave Sabo,who later formed the bandSkid Row.Sabo was soon replaced byRichie Sambora.

"We weren't a good band", Bon Jovi said in 2007. "We didn't become a good band untilthe third record,but we hada drummer who could keep time,which you should never take for granted. But I did okay for a 22-year-old. I'd only been in a studio for three years total prior to that record and I didn't know anything about comping a vocal – where you take a word or a line from one track and piece it together. I was thinking, My God, I'm so bad that they have to put my vocals together for me. Theengineerwas saying, Don't fret, Jon: evenFreddie Mercuryand the greats have to comp a vocal. "[11]

Release and reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[12]

AllMusichas retrospectively ratedBon Jovithree-and-a-half out of five stars. Leslie Mathew, who reviewed the album, said: "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", and called the album "an often-overlooked minor gem from the early days of hair metal".[2]

Track listing

[edit]
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
1."Runaway"
  • Lance Quinn
  • Tony Bongiovi
3:50
2."Roulette"
  • Quinn
  • Tony Bongiovi
4:38
3."She Don't Know Me"Mark Avsec
  • Quinn
  • Tony Bongiovi
4:02
4."Shot Through the Heart"
  • Quinn
  • Tony Bongiovi
4:16
5."Love Lies"
  • Quinn
  • Tony Bongiovi
4:06
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
6."Breakout"
  • Jon Bon Jovi
  • Bryan
  • Quinn
  • Tony Bongiovi
5:20
7."Burning for Love"
  • Jon Bon Jovi
  • Sambora
  • Quinn
  • Tony Bongiovi
3:51
8."Come Back"
  • Jon Bon Jovi
  • Sambora
  • Quinn
  • Tony Bongiovi
3:56
9."Get Ready"
  • Jon Bon Jovi
  • Sambora
  • Quinn
  • Tony Bongiovi
4:07
1998 special edition bonus CD PHCR-90011/2
No.TitleLength
1."Runaway" (live Le Zenith 1988)5:18
2."Roulette" (live BBC Friday Rock Show)5:39
3."Shot Through the Heart" (live Japan Tour 1985)
4."Burning for Love" (live Japan Tour 1985)
5."Get Ready" (live Japan Tour 1985)7:04
6."Breakout" (live Super Rock '84)6:26
7."Runaway" (live Super Rock '84)
2010 special edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
1."Runaway" (live Japan Tour 1985)5:18
2."Roulette" (Live Japan Tour 1985)5:39
3."Breakout" (live Japan Tour 1985)6:26
4."Get Ready" (live Japan Tour 1985)7:04
2024 40th Anniversary bonus tracks (CD release only; not found on vinyl or cassette editions)[13][14][15]
No.TitleLength
10."Runaway" (cassette writing demo)2:14
11."Runaway" (pre-production studio demo)4:08
12."Runaway" (alternate version)4:18
13."Runaway" (extended version, 2024 mix)4:42
14."Come Back" (reference vocal version)4:15
15."Roulette" (live Tokyo 1985, Obie O’Brien mix)5:38
16."Breakout" (live Tokyo 1985, Obie O’Brien mix)7:06
17."Runaway" (live Tokyo 1985, Obie O’Brien mix)5:17
18."Get Ready" (live Tokyo 1985, Obie O’Brien mix)7:03

Personnel

[edit]

Bon Jovi

Additional musicians

Production staff

  • Tony Bongiovi– producer
  • Lance Quinn – producer
  • Larry Alexander – engineering
  • Jeff Hendrickson – engineering
  • John Bengelshmy – engineering
  • Arthur Mann – executive producer

Design

  • Spencer Drate – album design
  • Judith Salavetz – album design
  • Geoffrey Hargrave Thomas – photography

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications forBon Jovi
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[25] Gold 50,000^
Hong Kong (IFPIHong Kong)[26] Gold 10,000*
Switzerland (IFPISwitzerland)[27] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[28] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[1] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

*Sales figures based on certification alone.
^Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ab"American album certifications – Bon Jovi – Bon Jovi".Recording Industry Association of America.April 14, 1987.RetrievedJuly 20,2012.
  2. ^abcdBon JoviatAllMusic
  3. ^Popoff, Martin (2014).The Big Book of Hair Metal: The Illustrated Oral History of Heavy Metal's Debauched Decade.Minneapolis, Minnesota. p. 59.ISBN978-0-7603-4546-7.OCLC858901054.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^McPadden 1/26/2015, Mike."Kingmakers In Makeup: 15 Future Metal Superstars That Opened For Kiss".VH1 News.Archivedfrom the original on May 17, 2022.Retrieved2021-05-29.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^"Allmusic (Bon Jovi charts & awards) Billboard albums".
  6. ^"Rock List Music.uk".
  7. ^Schonfeld, Zach (May 10, 2018)."Every Bon Jovi Album, Ranked: Celebrating 'Slippery When Wet,' 'New Jersey,' and All the Rest".Newsweek.Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  8. ^Rivadavia, Eduardo (2024-01-21)."40 Years Ago: Bon Jovi's Debut Album Points to Bigger Things".Ultimate Classic Rock.Retrieved2024-01-27.
  9. ^Peacock, Tim (January 24, 2024)."Bon Jovi's Self-Titled Debut Album Celebrates 40 Years With Deluxe Edition".UDiscover Music.RetrievedJune 3,2024.
  10. ^"Bon Jovi Commemorates 40th Anniversary Of Self-Titled Debut 'Bon Jovi Deluxe Edition' Out Now".Universal Music Enterprises (UMe).Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). February 7, 2024.RetrievedJune 3,2024.
  11. ^Blake, Mark(August 2007). "My brilliant career: Jon Bon Jovi".Q#253.p. 67.
  12. ^"Rolling Stone Album Guide".Rolling Stone.Archived fromthe originalon 2011-06-28.Retrieved2017-08-24.
  13. ^Rivadavia, Eduardo (2024-01-21)."40 Years Ago: Bon Jovi's Debut Album Points to Bigger Things".Ultimate Classic Rock.Retrieved2024-01-27.
  14. ^Peacock, Tim (January 24, 2024)."Bon Jovi's Self-Titled Debut Album Celebrates 40 Years With Deluxe Edition".UDiscover Music.RetrievedJune 3,2024.
  15. ^"Bon Jovi Commemorates 40th Anniversary Of Self-Titled Debut 'Bon Jovi Deluxe Edition' Out Now".Universal Music Enterprises (UMe).Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). February 7, 2024.RetrievedJune 3,2024.
  16. ^"ARIA Top 100 Albums – Week Commencing 28th January 2008"(PDF).The ARIA Report.No. 935. January 28, 2008. p. 5. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 26 February 2008.RetrievedJuly 20,2012.
  17. ^Pennanen, Timo (2006).Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972(in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki:Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava.ISBN978-951-1-21053-5.
  18. ^Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005(in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo:Oricon Entertainment.2006.ISBN4-87131-077-9.
  19. ^"Charts.nz – Bon Jovi – Bon Jovi".Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  20. ^Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005).Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002(in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid:Fundación Autor/SGAE.ISBN84-8048-639-2.
  21. ^"Official Albums Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  22. ^"Bon Jovi Chart History (Billboard200) ".Billboard.Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  23. ^"Top Pop Albums of 1984".Billboard.June 23, 2022. Archived fromthe originalon December 31, 2012.RetrievedJuly 31,2021.
  24. ^"Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1987".Billboard.Archived fromthe originalon May 14, 2018.RetrievedJune 23,2022.
  25. ^"Canadian album certifications – Bon Jovi – Bon Jovi".Music Canada.March 31, 1987.RetrievedJuly 20,2012.
  26. ^"IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1989".IFPIHong Kong.RetrievedNovember 29,2019.
  27. ^"The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('1st Album') ".IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.RetrievedJune 23,2022.
  28. ^"British album certifications – Bon Jovi – Bon Jovi".British Phonographic Industry.July 22, 2013.RetrievedOctober 10,2021.
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