Closer is more than likely One Step Closer. Rage of Angels was never for THINFS, that was a rumour that stared here that caught on.

I'd love to hear Rage of Angels, too; but I doubt that one will see the light of day. According to one of the co-writers, Joe Lynn Turner, it was "vowed not to be released". Even though it was mentioned among possible titles for THINFS, I agree that it wasn't an outtake from that album, unless it resurfaced for some reason, because the quote from Turner was published in 2009.

https://drycounty.com/jovitalk/bon-j...st1244883.html

Aerosmith albums Desmond Child has co-writing credit on:
-Music From Another Dimension! - 2012, but the song he contributed to that one might actually be older, seeing how some songs on that one were old outtakes. Anyway, it's unlikely that JLT was talking about this album in 2009, seeing... 2012 is after 2009. So, the most recent one would be...

-Nine Lives - 1997. One song, "Hole In My Soul". Doesn't sound a lot like LOAP.

So that would date the song to AT LEAST 1997. The FIRST Aerosmith album DC appeared on as a writer is '87's Permanent Vacation.

Joe Lynn Turner wrote with Desmond Child, too. The second Sunstorm album had the song Walk On, which, afair, was an old song. I thought the Sunstorm records used some stuff from a discarded solo album by Turner. His first solo album was in '85, his second in '95, so that would put these songwriting sessions somewhere around the time when JBJ & DC had indeed begun writing together.

https://www.ascap.com/repertory#ace/...rkID/333186815

So you think that the song "Closer" sung by Westlife is not originally written and sung by Bon Jovi and the song on ascap is One Step Closer?

I don't think that's right. Westlife's Closer has a completely different set of writers (https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/westlife/closer.html lists one set of writers. Wiki lists John Reid, John Shanks)

The Closer it lists has the same set of writers as One Step Closer as well.

Haha, I knew which one would lead that list after the first sentence of your post :mrgreen:

Hahaha :D :D :D

Speaking of that song. The new-ish upload by Poets themselves lists the writers, which include Richie Supa. Considering how much the pre-chorus (especially) and the chorus (still somewhat) sound like vocal lines Richie would probably sing, could this song actually date back to his Undiscovered Soul writing sessions? The arrangement and all are more regular Bon Jovi, probably why it was held back (and later tackled with Jon), but I'm not sure the band even did any writing with Richie Supa for the Bounce album.

Yep, that's what the singer had told me some time back on FB - that Richie Supa had written the song with Jon and Richie. Back then some wouldn't believe me because some songwriters database listed it differently. Goes to show that not every information in there is spot on either.
I actually think that the song, "One To Say Goodbye", was a left-over from the Crush sessions where all kind of material was brought together (Jon solo / Richie solo / newly written songs) and it was then passed on to the Poets.

Good theory :)