40 Years Ago: Bon Jovi’s Debut Album Points to Bigger Things
It’s easy to forget that Bon Jovi faced odds as steep as any lottery when they released their self-titled debut album on Jan. 21, 1984. After all, they went on to dominated airwaves and concert arenas for decades.
Recorded as a solo single in 1982, with the help of available session aces including E Street Band regular Roy Bittan, “Runaway” seemed bound to vanish without a trace until it surprisingly won a New Jersey radio station’s Best Unsigned Band competition and went on to become a regional hit.
It was this organic breakthrough that ultimately got the newly rechristened Jon Bon Jovi signed to Mercury Records, paving the way to the recording of that self-titled first record in 1983. But first Bon Jovi had to hustle an actual band together.
Watch Bon Jovi Perform ‘Runaway’
The urgency of the situation certainly explains the hodgepodge collection of musicians that became Bon Jovi the band: a veteran rhythm section comprised of bassist Alec John Such and drummer Tico Torres matched with three young guns in Jon, his high-school pal and keyboard player David Bryan and hot lead guitarist Richie Sambora.
It also explains the somewhat uneven collection of tunes that the latter threesome whipped together on very short notice for the Bon Jovi album, including formulaic (and now mostly forgotten) second-side cuts like “Breakout,” “Come Back” and “Get Ready,” which were rife with early-‘80s rock cliches. Not that the A-side fared all that much better aside from the LP’s original catalyst, “Runaway” (which scraped into the Top 40, peaking at No. 39), and second single, “She Don’t Know Me,” which stalled at No. 48 and wasn’t even written by the band. (Mark Avsec, a member of Donnie Iris & the Cruisers, penned it.)
Bon Jovi eventually built up more of an audience a year later with its much-improved sophomore album, 7800° Fahrenheit. But it wasn’t until the world-conquering, multi-platinum Slippery When Wet, released in 1986, that they began their true domination.
In the group’s defense, Bon Jovi turned out quite well for such a hastily assembled first effort. And no one can argue with the long-term results, as Bon Jovi powered forward toward late-‘80s ubiquity and then survived the grunge era that felled so many of their peers.
News
Video: Mike Tyson Talks Diet for Jake Paul Fight, Reveals He’s Been Eating Raw Meat
Video: Mike Tyson Talks Diet for Jake Paul Fight, Reveals He’s Been Eating Raw Meat Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Ahead of his July 20 fight against Jake Paul, legendary heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson provided some insight into his…
(VIDEO) “Celtics Legends Unite: Jayson Tatum and Paul Pierce’s Pre-Game Chat Sets the Stage for Game 1”
“Celtics Legends Unite: Jayson Tatum and Paul Pierce’s Pre-Game Chat Sets the Stage for Game 1” In the storied history of the Boston Celtics, few players have achieved legendary status quite like Paul Pierce. A key figure in the Celtics’…
Record show of “King Midas” Taylor Swift: Helped an entire city earn 16,000 billion, 90% of hotels were sold out, airlines also made huge profits
Record show of “King Midas” Taylor Swift: Helped an entire city earn 16,000 billion, 90% of hotels were sold out, airlines also made huge profits Taylor Swift is currently the “King Midas” of the music industry, the most influential pop…
As Taylor Swift basks in the success of her latest album, at least one person is not a fan as Drake is said to take aim at Taylor Swift.
As Taylor Swift basks in the success of her latest album, at least one person is not a fan as Drake is said to take aim at Taylor Swift. Drake takes aim at Taylor Swift and others in Kendrick Lamar…
“Taylor Swift’s Eco-Conscious Move: Sells $40 Million Private Jet After College Students Track Emissions”
Billionaire Taylor Swift plays big again: Sells her $40 million private jet when college students track her emissions. Fans were wondering how she made the mad dash from her Eras Tour stop in Tokyo, Japan to get to Las Vegas…
Travis Kelce responds to Jana Kramer’s claims he’s a bad influence on girlfriend Taylor Swift because he’s ‘always drunk’… and the Super Bowl winner is NOT impressed
Travis Kelce responds to Jana Kramer’s claims he’s a bad influence on girlfriend Taylor Swift because he’s ‘always drunk’… and the Super Bowl winner is NOT impressed Travis Kelce has fired back at Jana Kramer’s claims that he’s a bad influence on his…
End of content
No more pages to load