A Review of Bon Jovi's Greatest Hits

Whether someone was introduced to Bon Jovi during its "hair band" days, its more sophisticated adult contemporary era, or through the opening credits of Discovery Channel shows, it's easy to understand the appeal of the band's catchy hooks and heavy beat. With a career spanning more than 25 years, the members of Bon Jovi have done well for themselves, and their new greatest hits collection is a reflection of that.

Bon Jovi found their niche early on in rock anthem tributes and power ballads. From "Livin' On A Prayer" to "It's My Life," their songs are on the edge of inspirational, holding short of saccharin.

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Even though the songs on Bon Jovi's Greatest Hits span 1983 to the present, it's hard to hear the difference in the song's years from a production standpoint. It retains a timeless quality, perhaps because 80s cliché's, strange synths and over-the-top guitar solos, barely creep into just two of the tracks, "Bad Medicine" and "Born To Be My Baby." The only song truly "hair-band", cringe-worthy track is the band's first hit, "Runaway." Even so, it's forgivable because the band's true voice still comes through, and it's still a good tune... and historically speaking, it was significant to their future success.

The only departure from their heavy sound in the one-disc version of "Greatest Hits" is the country-inspired "Who Says You Can't Go Home," a duet with Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland. It sounds a bit out of place next to the rest of the hard rock collection, but this charted better than its rock version, hence its inclusion.

For total fans, the Ultimate Version of "Bon Jovi's Greatest Hits" includes a second disc with songs that, while not chart toppers, include some of the band's best work. These include more country sounds such as "Lost Highway," the mellow "(You Want To) Make A Memory," and more hard-driving rock in "Keep The Faith."

The only place this album lets down the listener is the new, never-before released numbers.

The lone standout amongst the new tracks is "This Is Love This Is Life" on the second disc of Bon Jovi's "Ultimate Collection." This track is as hard-hitting an anthem as any of Bon Jovi's best, worthy of becoming a single with the band's signature lyrics and beat married perfectly.

Disc two's other new song is "The More Things Change," which is schizophrenic in nature. The opening notes set the listener up for more hard rock, but then deliver a bit of a country or southern rock tune about how things in the music business today are the same as they were when the band started, by listing things that have changed in the past few years. The message there seems muddled.

The new songs on disc one are "What Do You Got?" and "No Apologies." Both are decent tunes, but "No Apologies" sounds like it would be more at home on a Meat Loaf record than here.

Overall, though, fans new and old cannot deny the staying power of a band that survived the backlash of 80s metal and has kept going through the years with very few changes to its sound. Good music always has staying power, and "Bon Jovi's Greatest Hits" is good music, no matter the decade. It's worth a good close look.

A Review of Bon Jovi's Greatest Hits

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