Blaze Of Glory review: I blame this world for making a good man evil

Well, it's all opinion obviously. I think you can probably put it down to the fact that I'm a sucker for a long epic song and strings in a rock song too, and piano. So that probably informs my opinion of a lot of this

Of course. But an opinion is not set in stone so i gave it some more consideration
Totally agree with the quality of Justice, vocally and musically. and that bridge...you are right it is amazing. But it just isn't up there with Miracle and Sante Fe for me. I am not saying it isn't great, but the standard on this album is breathtaking in parts. 3 so far for me. but i think it will grow on me if i listened to it more and didn't just skip because of the intro

Never Say Die. Only listening now after you have mentioned it i can totally hear the Thin Lizzy thing! I just love the pace of this song, it builds up to the chorus and then boom. i am sure it's no faster, but the way it is sung it feels it. It's catchy..i like it. 3/5 is probably fair listening again. It's just a matter of which songs grab you i guess, and that's why i would give it 4.

You Really Got Me - unlike Love For Sale i actually buy that this one could have been recorded for fun in some bar or something...it has that feel. Just some mates all sat round a piano with some guitars and stuff jamming with each other. While Love for sale feels a bit staged, the drunken antics and stuff. 3.5 for me i think...if i am allowed halves i was torn with giving it a 4.....no i will stick with 3.5 because it's too short!

Good reviews Walrus! I agree on pretty much every one, especially Blaze of Glory, possibly the best song to come from both a solo project and better than anything the band has done.

I like what you say about You Really Got Me, that it sounds like some mates sat around a piano with a guitar, a tape recorder and a few drinks. I should have mentioned the bar room feel in my review, dammit! And sure you're allowed halves, I'm using them after all!

Cheers! But seriously .... you think Blaze is better than ANYTHING the band has done?

Bang A Drum - In my review of Lay Your Hands On Me, I called it a hard rock song with elements of gospel. That makes this song Jon's second foray into gospel music, although this one really be described as hard rock, more as a pop-rock-country-gospel hybrid. Beginning with quite an explosive burst of guitar and drums, the music soon fades down to a subdued bass, synth and drum beat. The music then proceeds to build through the song up to the guitar solo, with the acoustic guitar being reintroduced after the intro during the first chorus, and the snare kicking in immediatly following this chorus. The main hook of this song is the gospel choir: providing backing vocals all the way through (including during the guitar solo), and most notably joining Jon in the praise chorus showcased after each chorus and as a strong acappela outro, where Jon interacts with the singing girls in much the same way he did with the crowd on Lay Your Hands On Me. Lyrically this is inspirational, dealing with the loss and subsequent refinding of one's faith ... and not necessarily a religious faith, it could also be a faith in oneself, and the ability to overcome all obstacles. While it might be a bit unusual to have a song featuring little electric guitar, and a gospel choir singing a praise chorus on a rock album, if you are able to deal with that, you will find a truly uplifting song

4/5

I'm fairly sure my interest in writing these things will wane again for God knows how long fairly soon, so I'm going to try to fit as many in as I can before I rediscover that I do in fact have a life

Dyin' Ain't Much Of A Livin' - Beginning with another soundbyte from the movie - "You rode a 15 year old boy straight to his grave .... and the rest of us straight to hell" - this song lays itself bare from the start. The "wall of sound" intro (which is reprised at various points through the song, contrasting nicely with the quiter instrumentation during the verses and chorus), built from atmospheric synths, electric guitar, drums and percussive bells, calls to mind the desert plains at night; while the piano and Jon's hushed vocals in the verses highlight the gravity of the subject matters of death, forgiveness, adversity, and finding comfort in stange places. Highlights of this song are numerous: from Jon's simple "Oooooooooh" during the first reprise of the intro following the first chorus; to his whispered "I hope someone prays for me when it comes my turn to die", a hope which is followed by a shouted demand "Pray for me!"; and of course the spectacular wordless lament, as Jon recites a simple "Na na na na" refrain, the guitar echoing him, and the keys erupting between every line ... the way that so much emotion can be conveyed without any actual words being used is simply amazing. A highly dramatic conclusion to a highly dramatic album.

4.5/5

Guano City - I tend not to regard it as part of the album. A one and a quarter minute long instrumental, which Jon played no part in ... and it's not even a very good instrumental, it conveys a bit of tension, but has just about no use of dynamics and has no climax. If they had to add a track from the score to the album, I'm positive that there are much better and more complete ones they could have used.

Unrated

Overall: The first solo album by a member of Bon Jovi proved that the creative forces of the band were far from dead. By freeing himself from the confines of the band and the 80's hard rock / metal scene in general, and hiding behind a character, Jon was able to craft an album which saw him not only really mature as both a songwriter and a vocalist, but also release his emotions in such a way as was rare on the band's 80s material. Such highly dramatic songwriting would certainly play a major part in the band's successes over the coming the decade, and it was here that Jon really set the bar which he and the entire band would aspire to over the next couple of albums. And meanwhile, Richie was somewhere else doing exactly the same thing .....

9/10

Essential Tracks: Santa Fe, Blaze Of Glory, Justice In The Barrel, Blood Money, Dyin' Ain't Much Of A Livin'

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Wooooo, I cannot believe I've finally finished this review just a few days shy of a year and a half after I started writing it! Hopefully, the one for Stranger In This Town will take a mere fraction of that time Hope people enjoyed this one!