That would be one of the greatest surprises ever. If the album got delayed because Jon and Richie were secretly working on doing something epic, but I highly doubt it... but hell, I wish I'd be wrong.

Why hire new management of his own as well as Bob Rock if you're not gonna use 'em? Doubt that he's working with BJ as of now.

Richie is NOT playing on this new album... Period...

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I stand by it, the album would have to start from scratch for Richie to be involved.

RE: Doc
Perhaps Richie realized that if he's planning to return to Jovi, at any point, it might be a good idea to have his own representation within the band (someone familiar with how things work inside the circle?) as well as for his own solo projects.

RE: Bob Rock
Did Richie or Ori ever say that they had hired Rock for their album? Or were they perhaps just working on Roman's album together? (I've lost track...)

I agree that Richie may very well not be working with the band now or planning to tour with them. I never said he was doing either of those things. (But even if he did, I don't think he would drop his and Ori's project, so I'm not really sure what Rock has to do with it.)

I just suggested, in response to Jay Jay's question, that he wasn't the only one thinking that it's not beyond the realm of possibility that Richie would tour. And I seem to remember stating pretty clearly that even that is just a theory I have been toying with.

But I guess I might as well stop playing around with it anyway (sigh). It seems that the World's Most Knowledgeable Bon Jovi Fan in the Entire Universe has received a definitive message from on high. He has spoken.

Pardon me now while I kowtow - then ponder my next question: In whose Alternative, er, sorry I mean, Entire Universe is it where the World's Most Knowledgeable Bon Jovi Fan reigns supreme? :p

I'm not going to entertain your Conspiracy Theory because that's all it is... As much as I'd like to see Jon and Richie get back together, there are no indication that is currently leading me to believe that this album is being delayed because Richie is adding in guitar parts...

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Relax, RDK! It was a joke, son!! A snarky joke, I admit; but a joke nonetheless ;) Seriously, no offense was intended.

I'm not asking you - or anyone else, for that matter - to buy into or to "entertain" any of my theories. And, for the third time, I clearly stated that it was only a theory - not to be confused with something that even I believe is fact! I know it's only a possibility, but stranger things have happened!

That said, there is a world of difference between "there are no indication that is currently leading me to believe that this album is being delayed because Richie is adding in guitar parts" and the way you previously declared "Richie is NOT playing on this new album... Period..." as if it's an indisputable fact (which is what prompted my snarkiness).

And for what it's worth, whether you realize it or not, both of your statements are also nothing more than theory. Unless you KNOW something for a FACT, and it's not just your assumption, then it's theoretical, no matter how reasonable or generally accepted it may be. At least I recognize my theories for what they are. :D

Bottom line: MOST of the comments on this board, or any other, are speculation (or theories, if you will). And, tbh, many of them are at least as half-baked as any theory I've ever posted. Facts are facts and there's not much you can say about them. Most discussions are generally based in theory.

Somebody updated Wikipedia with a new date: June 10th

I couldn't find any other reference to that date so take it with a grain of salt

Well its not much to go on, but if you track the IP address of the computer that made the edit it comes from Staten Island, NY. So at least it's in the right part of the world for someone from the band to be making such an edit.

Oh Yeah! You can trust anyone from Staten Island NY!!!

Absolutely! It's called a conversation... As long as Facts and Opinions are noted correctly as such....

Am I the only person who is glad the band aren't done with the album yet? How many times have we complained about the band rushing things over the past 15 years or so?

We got 'Burning Bridges' 6 months or so ago. It's not like we genuinely haven't had anything since 2013. Also, a tour can wait with Jons current vocal struggles. Hopefully he is working more and more to get in good shape for a tour and that's why things are slow too.

The album and tour will come.

I agree with liljovi93 although when it comes to BJ material I'm like a todler : I want it right now!!!
But it's a really thing if Jon is working on his vocals and they are also tweaking the album. It's better to wait a few more months than to get a crappy album la WAN which sounded like a bunch overproduced demos.

best things come to those who wait.

if bj history tells us anything the more jon is working on an album the better it gets

only 2 years between SWW and NJ

4 years between the circle and what about now. How'd that work out for them?

I think that he was trying to say about years without any activty. From The Circle to What about now, really 4 years between, but there were 2 tours and a Greatest Hits album. So, we can say that what about now had only one year dedicated to it or even less. Since the end of BWC tour to now, is almost 3 years without nothing. (Let's not consider Burning Bridges on this.)

Maybe this could make a difference...or not. Who knows.

Maybe I misunderstood, but I don't see a reference to the time lapse between albums. I thought he was referring to the amount of time and effort Jon/the band spends working on a particular album (i.e., not rushing the process).

true...the period between the albums doent mean they worked for them 2-3 years obviously...2 references, bob rock kept them in the studio 3 moths for ktf and jon said it was the harder they had worked on an album till then...wan was an album where john shanks persuaded jon to stop further working on it and leave it be, there was a specific comment by shanks some years back and the result was nt good...

Bingo. They could spend ten years between albums, the only time that we're talking about is the amount of months of work they put into the album.

You can't compare anything from today to the past. Different times, different Jon, different talent, different passion, different players...

Jon cranked out the Blaze Of Glory album out in a month. There is no way he could ever do that again today and achieve those results.

Also, Slippery might have been recorded in 6 months but they also went away TOGETHER as a BAND and lived the music. It wasn't just Jon making daily trips back and forth to his home studio.

The problem is the direction and inspiration. A new direction with John Shanks never be something new. Jon used as a source of inspiration the newspaper and flirtation politics for their albums... and their results are too artificial. I do not think this will change in the short term.

Just commercial defeat and a flop tour are things that could change the future on this band. Maybe Jon reconsidering, and make true changes later.

Not only you.
But more time has two sides.
Good:
+ They can do much better versions of their songs like they did with "I Want To Be Loved", "Bells Of Freedom", "Undivided", "Just Older" ecc.
+ They can made more songs like "Complicated", "One Last Cigarette", "Dirty Little Secret" ...
+ They have time to not push crap on tracklist. Jon said many times that he put something on it just because it was fresh song ecc.
+ They have time for really good promotion and really good videoclip

Bad:
+ They can destroy little good song like original and raw "Have A Nice Day".
+ They can make new and fresh song and replace better songs from tracklist like "Novocaine"/"These Open Arms", ""Love Me Back To Life"/"No Regrets"/"Another Reason To Believe" ecc.

Based on Bon Jovi history. More time spending on makeing album is better. Even if you look on Bounce tracklist whic is sh**t you have many fantastic demos and you can do your own tracklist ;)

Jon can say about newspaper inspiration but when he put "A teardrop to the sea" on the tracklist I hear his real problems not newspapper stories.
I think he didn't say I wrote song about Stephany but when we heard it we will all know that he wrote that one.

Phil is recording guitars and background vocals in NYC. But he didn't mention what it was for and he's been doing a shitload of session work lately so, could be for Bon Jovi, could be for something else.

Yeah. And I like that song. But Jon said a few months that he continued to take inspiration in the newspaper and on current political events of his country.

This is going to turn out to be the most blown out of proportion quote in the history of the band. Do some of you really think his only source of inspiration is the newspaper? He's ALSO said that he has a lot to write about for this album, a lot to get off his chest. Why does THAT keep getting forgotten?????????????? FFS.

Great point Becky.

Call it paranoid or over the top but if you look at the picture he posted of the carpet while playing guitar it looks very much like the carpet I've seen in pics of Avatar Studios. Does this mean it's the same studio or project? It doesn't mean it does or doesn't I guess, but I'm hoping so.

I hope to hear more of Phil's backing vocals live - he sounded great on WDR in the Asia tour.

Phil did a great job on WDR and he also does a great job on singing the key change on LOAP, but I really miss Richie's backing vocals especially on IBTFY and Wanted. Everytime I hear Phil or Bandiera singing WANTEEEED I feel like it's an amateur cover band.

Which song about Stephanie do you mean? Certainly not Teardrop?! The only one I know of is I Got The Girl...

They just about indirectly confirmed it. Phil said on Instagram he's been at Electric Lady Studios for the last few days. John Shanks posted a picture of the board of that studio as well 8 hours ago. Realistically it could still be for different projects but sorry, this cinches it for me.

Yep I think you are right, he is doing backing vocals too :). Excellent stuff, something to look forward to.

Awesome!! I guess that means that at least one song will have Drop D tuning...

so it looks like bj really moved on

I mean yeah....? It's been over 3 years, they moved on a long time ago.

maybe in a way its harder for us fans cause there is always a gap between the artist and the fan, at best we love the songs the artist has composed 1-2 years back, we are always stuck in the past in a way...:grab:

I think at the end of day, Jon needs to prove that there is a Bon Jovi without Richie... Here is a full album and tour without him... I do however think there will be a reunion between the 2 one day...

What would be more interesting is, when there is a reunion, would Richie play those songs? Unlike Richie doing Blaze, these are Band songs that another guitarist wrote parts on... It would be interesting to see Richie's take... It would probably be in the contract that everything after WAN (maybe even everything after TC) is void... I doubt he'd learn Phil's parts or rewrite them... But that's years and years away

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