[Captain Walrus]

I like reviewing things, it's just what I do. And after Baikonur's rekindling of reviews for the albums, I thought I'd write some slightly more insightful reviews than the ones I did a few years ago. Which means .... they're going to be very long. So I'll split them up into different posts: One for an overview, one for each track, and one for a conclusion. This is the review for the first album. Songs get reviews out of 5, albums out of 10. So far I've only written the overview and the review for Runaway, but I'll get everything else up as and when I write it:

OVERVIEW:

In 1984, Bon Jovi released their debut self titled album. The band came about after the popularity of Runaway, a song performed by a temporary band fronted by Jon Bon Jovi, the song’s main writer. The lineup for the band changed prior to recording this first album, and the band Bon Jovi, with the lineup that existed until 1994 was formed in 1983.

Their debut album was never a huge hit, despite having similarities to other bands who were popular at the time. However, although the album did indeed share the huge singalong choruses and polished yet gritty pop metal sound of, among others, Pyromania by Def Leppard or Shout At The Devil by Motley Crue, it still did a fine job of drawing together these, and a number of other influences, and creating something that was not just a clone of any of them. Here in one album was the street poetry and twin guitar of Def Leppard and Thin Lizzy, the rock riffing of Motley Crue, the guitar virtuosity and pop sensibilities of Van Halen and Ozzy Osbourne’s solo work, and the songs that ordinary working class people could relate to of Bruce Springsteen. Yet also, it was an album of its own: youthful, hungry, and possessed of a fiery spirit.

The working title for the album was “Tough Talk”, which seems appropriate. The vibe of the album is of a bunch of kids from the street who are disillusioned, cheated and chained by burning, untruthful and unrecquited love, who keep company with prostitutes, and whose only escape is to go out to a club and take a girl home. There’s a solidarity of lyrical themes here, which may be seen as creating a united album, or may be seen as a lack of variation. There’s not much in the way of fantastic lyrics, but some solid metaphors and youthful poetic imagery show up enough that it’s not a lyrically bad album.

Musically, these first two albums were possibly the ones where each instrument was at it’s most pronounced stage … Tico’s drum sound was huge, Dave’s keyboards were a lot more prominent than they’d later be (which can sound a little dated at times by today’s standards), the bass at times sounds like an earthquake, Richie and Jon trade wild riffs and squealing licks all over the place, with Richie playing most of it like he’s the reincarnation of Randy Rhoads. This is both a good thing and a negative thing … it’s almost as though they haven’t quite figured out how to write cohesive songs yet, and the whole effect it gives is almost a trainwreck which is barely holding together … which I find to be quite exciting, but I can see how some people might see it to be a bit sloppy. Over the top of it all is Jon’s voice, distinctive from other vocalists of the day, youthful and hungry for life and fame. And love ‘em or hate ‘em, this is of course the album which is notable for those ridiculously high falsetto notes that usually come towards the end of the song. Also noticeable in the vocal department is the standard early 80’s rock gang backing vocal … the legendary Jon and Richie harmonies don’t seem to have been discovered yet.

As an entire package, it’s nothing really to write home about … a cover shot of Jon and what I assume to be a prostitute standing on a street, with the rest of the band further over to the left; and a booklet with lyrics and one black and white photo of the band looking tough … its not creative genius, but it works in terms of the original “Tough Talk” theme.

[Captain Walrus]

Onto the songs:

RUNAWAY: Beginning with an iconic keyboard intro, to which slashing guitars and a pounding drum are soon added, musically this fast, hook laden, anthemic singalong is a taste of things to come for the rest of the album, despite not actually being a Bon Jovi song, but Jon and the All Star Review. Lyrically it’s a bit of a departure from the rest of the album, it’s theme of girls forced to work of prostitutes is the most distinctive and mature on this album, and it sits a little oddly as the first track, although that intro is instantly engaging, and I know that it had to be the opening track as it was the song that got the band signed. Nowadays it’s regarded by the band and majority of the fans alike as the only real classic song from this album, which I disagree with … while it is a great song with fantastic hooks (the intro, the short keyboard and drum break just after the first chorus, the break just before the guitar solo, the guitar solo itself, the outro with the wild guitar and Jon’s falsetto), I think the main reasons it’s still regarded as a classic is that a) it was their first song, and b) it’s the song that was most similar to where they’d go in 1986. But whether it deserves its pedestal or not, it’s still an electrifying opener.

4/5

[Captain Walrus]

Roulette – Another fantastic intro, with a winding guitar fading in, a shout of “One, two, three, four!” before a mammoth armour plated riff kicks in. This song is a different beast to Runaway, heavier, less galloping, and more about a slower hard rock groove. In this song, the bass is brought more to the forefront while the keyboard is downplayed a bit, acting as more of a companion to the alternately riffing, chiming and screeching guitars. The backing vocals are also given a more prominent spot here. Overall, the song feels like one of the more complete songs on the album, and probably would have made a good opening track.

4/5

[Captain Walrus]

She Don’t Know Me – A pounding drum ushers in this, the only song on any Bon Jovi album completely written by an outsider. It has a completely different feel to any other song on the album, and indeed any other Bon Jovi song; built more around the piano, an absolutely massive drum sound, and a simple repeated plucked guitar pattern than massive riffs, although the typical Richie riffing is present in the intro and choruses, restrained a little though. This is easily the most poppy song on the album, although not necessarily in a bad way: yes, it has to do with the downplaying of guitars; but also the fantastically hooky chorus, where Jon repeating what the backing vocals sing sounds like he is voicing his thoughts a few seconds after thinking them. Jon on the whole sounds even younger on this song than any other, or perhaps just more … earnest and wistful? The backing vocals as a whole contribute nicely too, especially in the building, multi tracked instrumental break. Overall then, an odd one, but a song I have a sneaking fondness for … perhaps it’s the uniqueness of it, or perhaps it’s the hopelessly romantic tones of it.

3/5

[SuperCoolAl]

So is the point of this thread to post count +10?

[Captain Walrus]

Originally Posted by SuperCoolAl

So is the point of this thread to post count +10?

No. The point is to write a review. If I wanted 10 extra posts, I'd just go and post them in the Fun And Games forum. The splitting it into seperate posts is just to make it easier to read and more manageable



Shot Through The Heart – Creates such an atmosphere right from the get go, as Jon’s singing of the first line turns an understated guitar line into a spine tingling piano pattern. From their the music ebbs and flows fantastically, really kicking off partway into the first verse, before stripping back to the piano and slashing guitars (but with an awesome added lick), then revving back up again culminating in an absolutely shredding guitar solo, coming to a halt for a brief breakdown, a fast drumming buildup bringing it back up to full, and finally with, a climax of ascending guitar, the whole thing screeches to an end. Jon keeps the vocal acrobatics to a minimum here, instead keeping the atmosphere alive with slightly huskier, almost snide vocals (see “Now you’ve come back here to say you’re sorry, HA!”) Simultaneously hard, heavy and haunting, this is a masterclass in how to write a dynamic rock song.

4/5

[TheseDays2005]

Well well, How do I get my posts up?

I like it, but please in one post....

[Mr Bluesman]

Walrus - post as many as you want, man!

[Captain Walrus]

Originally Posted by Mr Bluesman

Walrus - post as many as you want, man!

Cheers dude Like I said, its not about getting extra posts ... if I wanted them that bad, I'd a) go spam the hell out of the Fun And Games Forum, and b) post these replies in seperate posts to the review. The point is, people were moaning at Baikonur for his reviews being too long, and this one is longer, so I wanted to make it more easily digestible ... like dividing a book into chapters.

Aaaaanyways:

Love Lies – Although Runaway has arguably the most mature lyrical theme of the album, I think this song has the best lyrics, a nice bit of ‘poetry of the streets’, and a good example of ow to tell a story in four minutes. The balladic piano intro is deceptive, although some of the guitar during the verses drifts nicely (and seems to go at a different tempo to the vocals at points, which I think adds to the drifting effect well), the chorus features the typical slower heavy rock that’s common throughout the album, although the bass seems to be extra prominent. Overall then, lyrically very good, musically a reasonable attempt at some dynamics; but one which falls just slightly flat in comparison to the last song.

3/5

[Captain Walrus]

Breakout – A none more 80s song, with its shout along gang vocals, prominent synth pattern and powerchord riffs … whether you think it sounds dated or classic depends I suppose on how much you liked the 80s! The verses are robbed of momentum slightly by the gaps between lines, a problem remedied in the second verse by the use of the “Woah-oh-oh” hook, which then throws up the additional problem of the hook being overused. The best parts of this song are the breaks and builds …. First the build up of voices, synths, and finally guitar after the second chorus and into the guitar solo is masterful, and it’s at this point that the bass sounds absolutely thunderous; and the outro building to a guitar climax then fading out is also particularly effective. Some good parts in this song, but this is one case where the whole is less than the sum of its parts.

3/5