Keep the Faith

It's funny. Despite being a child of the 80s, I don't, as a rule, like 80s music. And yet I didn't just manage to make an exception for this particular group -- they actually happen to be my very favorite band.

If you're a Bon Jovi fan, you get where I'm coming from.

There's kind of a lot of fans

Bon Jovi is not a "Favorite Band" pick that often wins you a lot of respect in serious music circles. But, to be fair to my musical tastes, they don't always get the credit they deserve. They've long since transcended their roots as an 80s hair band, and it's a mark of their talents as songwriters and performers that they've stayed relevant for nearly three decades.

For those of us who are fans, their apparently timeless appeal is easy to understand. Their songs are admittedly simple, but they're also infused with a real energy, making for tunes that are flat-out catchy fun. Their music's also packed with undefeatable optimism. Their lyrics have a message, and it's generally one of hope (you can't be a cynic and a Bon Jovi fan at the same time; it's a mathematical impossibility). In my experience, no one leaves a Bon Jovi concert in a bad mood. (And I've been to quite a few concerts.)

Lead singer Jon Bon Jovi recently celebrated his birthday (March 2), so that's exactly the excuse I need to talk a bit Bon Jovi. Allow me to recommend to you my top five album picks:

-- Slippery When Wet

Despite being their third album, 1986's Slippery When Wet was the album that catapulted Bon Jovi to success. Small wonder: the album contains the three songs that Bon Jovi is arguably best known for: "Livin' on a Prayer," "You Give Love a Bad Name," and "Wanted Dead or Alive."

The last song, which compares the life of a rock star to the life of a cowboy, is an incredibly catchy earworm with an unforgettable hook -- but it also has some interesting commentary on the world of rock 'n' roll and celebrity culture. It's the band's biggest singalong concert performance (with Jon Bon Jovi often bringing the audience in to take over for a verse), as well as their undeniable signature piece.



-- Have a Nice Day

Released in 2005, this ninth offering from the band is, at least to me, something of a turning point in Bon Jovi's musical sound.

In addition to the catchy song from the title, there's "Novocaine," "Last Man Standing" (a futuristic sci-fi piece on the music industry -- really!), "Story of My Life," and "Welcome to Wherever You Are" (my favorite song on the album).

This album's also notable for the song "Who Says You Can't Go Home,"  which appears in two different versions -- once as a solo for Jon, and a second version sung as a duet with Jennifer Nettles (one half of the country-singing duo Sugarland). While the duet version only made it to the 5th slot on Billboard's US Top 40, it made Bon Jovi history by hitting Billboard's #1 spot on the Hot Country Songs list.



-- Lost Highway

After the runaway success of "Who Says You Can't Go Home," it probably seemed like a no-brainer for Bon Jovi to try their hand at a full album's worth of country-inspired sound. This follow-up to Have a Nice Day is clearly influenced by the genre of country music, giving a different flavor to the band's unique sound.

While I am, admittedly, not particularly a fan of much country music, I was pleasantly surprised to find this release quickly becoming another one of my favorites. Much to my surprise, the songs I like best -- "Whole Lot of Leavin'," "Any Other Day," "We Got It Going On" (done as a duet with country music duo Big & Rich) -- are the ones that are most clearly a mix of Bon Jovi's rock roots and a newer, country music influence. The title song, "Lost Highway," is a great driving tune.



-- Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Collection

I'm absolutely positive it's cheating to include this album -- a 2-disc compilation of, well, what it says on the tin. But it's hard to deny the draw of this 2010 release, which dips into such albums as Crush, New Jersey, and Keep the Faith to pull together all their best-loved songs into one complete set. In addition to the three biggest hits from Slippery When Wet, we also get such fantastic classics as "It's My Life," "Blaze of Glory," "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night," "Bad Medicine," and "Keep the Faith" (that last's a particular favorite of mine).

 There's also a handful of new tunes in the bonus tracks. (One of them, "The More Things Change," is one of my very favorite Bon Jovi songs.) You can't beat that for a single album!



-- The Circle

"The Circle," Bon Jovi's eleventh studio album, is a unique album for me. While it is, in many ways, a return to the band's rock roots, there's a freshness to much of the music that makes the album stand out.

Many of the songs are clearly influenced by current events (the album was released in 2009). Such songs as "Work for the Working Man" and "Brokenpromiseland" bring to mind the aftermath of the economic crisis; "Bullet" and "Happy Now" seem to reference the fears of the time.

But the best song of the album (and, to my mind, the best Bon Jovi song there is) is the wholly unusual "When We Were Beautiful." A surprisingly poignant piece, the song has the strong hook and typical structure one might expect from a Bon Jovi tune -- but the sound itself is unique. It's fitting for a song that looks both to the past and towards the future, making it a whole new kind of signature performance for the band.

Watch the band perform "When We Were Beautiful"

From the Catalog:

-- Music albums by (or featuring) Bon Jovi

-- Bon Jovi: The Crush Tour [DVD]

-- Lost Highway: The Concert [DVD]

-- Bon Jovi: Live at Madison Square Garden, July 15, 2008 [DVD]

-- Bon Jovi: When We Were Beautiful - Conversations with Phil Griffin - a book about the band



-- Post by Ms. B

Birthday Biography: Bono

I first heard U2 when I was in high school, and while one of my friends was a huge fan, they just didn't do much for me. Maybe I just wasn't ready for them. I was still quite influenced by the bands that my older brothers listened to, which was mostly groups like Eric Clapton, the Beatles, Yes, and Styx (yes, I know). It wasn't until college that I became more exposed to alternative music. Surprisingly, it took leaving suburban Pittsburgh and moving to little Clarion, PA to find out what great music there was in the world. Between my new friends and the college radio station, I started finding out about bands like The Cure, Psychedelic Furs, Squeeze, Crowded House, and so many more. By the late 80s, a little radio station called WXXP appeared in Pittsburgh. Finally, there was decent radio in Pittsburgh! This is when I "discovered" U2. After that, there was no stopping me.

 The real moment when my thoughts on U2 began to change was when I saw them perform at Live Aid in 1985. Although I desperately wanted to be in London to see the concert, I was home watching from my living room. But what a performance from U2! This moment was magical!

So, in honor of lead singer Bono's 52nd birthday on May 10, I'm going to review my favorite U2 albums.

War (1983)

War was the first U2 album I owned. After their powerful performance at Live Aid, I started exploring their albums. By then, the band had released 5 albums (Boy, October, War, Under A Blood Red Sky, and The Unforgettable Fire) and one EP (Wide Awake In America). I was aware of the hits, but once I got my hands on this album, I was no longer a casual fan. The world was a crazy place in the early 80s. The Cold War was in full swing and the threat of nuclear war was always just hovering above us all. These topics, along with The Troubles of Northern Ireland, were explored on War. Even though I lived a good, middle class life in America, I yearned for a connection to places outside of my immediate world. This album delivered. Their commitment to social issues and their Christian faith, that was interwoven into their songs, had a strong impact on me.  

Favorite tracks: Sunday Bloody Sunday, Seconds, "40"

Achtung Baby (1991)

This album came after a period when the band came very close to breaking up. After the huge and crazy success of The Joshua Tree (1987) and the release of the film and album Rattle and Hum (1988), Bono made a comment during a concert in late 1989 that the band had to go away and "dream it all up again," which had fans and the media in a frenzy. As we know, they didn't break up, but they needed to work out some issues they were facing as a band. After a long-deserved break, the band headed to Hansa Tonstudios in Berlin to work out their problems. The result is, in my opinion, their best album. It isn't as overtly social or political as their earlier albums, but that didn't stop a song like One from becoming an anthem of sorts for the fight against HIV/AIDS. The band donated a large portion of the proceeds from One to different AIDS charities. This song has proved to be one of U2's most famous songs, which touches so many people in so many different ways. At its heart, it talks about the need for the world to get along, whether we all like each other or not. In the early 2000s, Bono created a group to help fight AIDS, debt, and poverty in Africa, which eventually merged into One in 2008. You can read more about this organization here. 

Favorite tracks: One, So Cruel, Even Better Than The Real Thing, Until The End Of The World

Zooropa (1993)

This album was meant to be an EP, to be released before the band began the European leg of their Zoo TV tour for Achtung Baby. Initially, I wasn't sure how much I liked this album. It actually took several years before I really began to appreciate it. It's somewhat a continuation of Achtung Baby, but it delves a bit more into the electronic and house music that had been influencing them as song writers. The big hit from this album was Numb, which gave the lead to The Edge, instead of Bono. Personally, I felt this was a waste of the lovely singing voice of The Edge, which we usually only hear in combination with Bono. My favorite on this, and quite possibly any U2 album, is Stay (Faraway, So Close). It's a beautiful and haunting love song that was written for the Wim Wenders film Faraway, So Close and inspired by the style of Frank Sinatra. They don't perform it very often, but I was lucky enough to see them sing this song last summer on their 360 Tour when it came to Pittsburgh. That was a highlight of the show for me and my friend Michele!

While this album isn't as focused as most of the other work, it does have some very special moments, which is why this is one of my favorite albums. 

Favorite tracks: Stay (Faraway, So Close), Zooropa, Lemon, The Wanderer.

All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000)

This album marked another transition for the band. It's a return to more of a pop/rock album than the electronica and dance music they were exploring in the 90s. This album also put them back up on top as the biggest and most well-known band in the world. All is also a return to songs with more personal and social aspects to them. On the personal side is Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of. Bono wrote this in response to the suicide of his good friend Michael Hutchence, lead singer of INXS. As for the social commentary, the song Walk On was written about political activist Aung San Suu Kyi. All also has elements of pure rock 'n' roll fun in Elevation. Every time I have seen U2 perform this song live, it makes the whole arena or stadium vibrate with people bouncing in time to the music. Pure joy!

Favorite tracks: Beautiful Day, Elevation, Walk On, Stuck In A Moment That You Can't Get Out Of

I'm going to end this with another performance video. Just try and keep yourself from bouncing in your seat!

 -- Post by Tracy