I thought it would prudent to post a mini-review today, lest some of you thought I had lost my mind earlier. What’s the date again?
BON JOVI – “Born To Be My Baby” (1988 Polygram 7″ single)
This single is a beauty. I bought this 45 at the Zellers store at Stanley Park Mall in Kitchener when I was a young fella. It doesn’t have any exclusive tracks — not even single edits which were very common on Bon Jovi 7″ singles. Instead it came in a collector’s package with cardboard picture sleeve, and three postcards.
The postcards are interesting to me for a reason. Look at the group photos of the band. Jon’s face is always obscured. These pictures from the New Jersey period represent a brief time when Jon was trying to give the band more face time. Check many photos from that era — his back is often to the camera while the others look straight ahead. I read a quote in a magazine where Jon was pissed that people only knew Richie Sambora as “the guy in the cowboy hat”. He was trying to give them attention and I think that’s cool.
The two tracks on the single are two of my New Jersey favourites! “Born To Be My Baby” was always a cool groove. I enjoy listening to Tico Torres’ drums on this track. Understated but perfect. But “Love For Sale”? Shit, I think that’s the best tune on New Jersey! Proof of the talent of this band, drunk or sober. Hard to imagine it was just something that happened and got recorded. It actually makes me a little sad today — sad that Jon and Richie have now broken up this amazing chemistry.
Fun single though! Glad to have kept it all these years.
4/5 stars
Wait, what?!?! Your new direction ISN’T mushrooms? Aw man, I was looking forward to spewing anti-mushroom vitriol until your new direction change! ;)
This is a cool single, good on ya for hanging on to it. I was thinking maybe the reason JBJ kept his face obscured was he’d had a bad breakout of zits or something, until that one pic (chest hair and all) proves that theory wrong. Oh well, maybe your nice guy theory is right after all.
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Sorry man, it was all a cruel prank on the internet. While I can’t promise you will never see a mushroom here again, it was a mere prank.
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Haha I knew that, I was in on it, remember? :) Guess I should have put a ;) after that first bit in my comment. Sarcasm really doesn’t translate very well into type…
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No I know, I was trying to be sarcastic too! Hahaha.
I don’t know if you saw Tool’s prank. They released “new music” today.
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OH and just in case you ever thought you were alone on mushrooms in any way — you are FAR from alone. I know more than one person who HATES them as much as you! I’m married to one!
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Well it’s official, all sarcasm and nudge-nudge humour must now be followed by a ;) or a :) for clarity’s sake!
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No I didn’t see Tool’s prank, but I’d have fallen for it – I REALLY WANT NEW TOOL MUSIC. It’s been too damn long.
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Yeah a lot of people do (9 years since last album) and they kinda played that up.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/tool-leak-music-for-annual-april-fools-day-prank-20150401
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Born To Be My Baby is in my top 3 Bon Jovi tunes. Possibly as number 1.
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Wow that’s pretty cool man!
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“Bon Jovi” is French and translates to “Good Fluff” in New Jersey … at least I think it does —and this is as good as fluff gets :)
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Sounds like a good translation to me! He is indeed very fluffy.
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Especially that luxurious chest hair.
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Don’t make me look; I had to scan the thing!
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Do it, Mike. You know you want to look. Look at it, Mike. Look at it! So gorgeous. Hahahaa
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ARHHHH! I feel like I have hair in my eyes.
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Well, when it comes to this subject, I might venture to say that’s better than having hair on your palms because of it, but hey, there wouldn’t be anything wrong with that either. Each to their own! ;) Hahahaaaaaa this is FUN!
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I always think of Police Academy 2 when I think of hair on the palms — don’t know if you ever saw it. They swap a guy’s shampoo for glue and, well, that’s what happened.
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By the way Leslie Neilson insisted in his book that “Bon Jovi” translates simply as “Good Jovi”.
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OK… so what’s a Jovi, then? ;)
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That’s what I liked about the joke. He explained nothing!
The Naked Truth was the name of the book. Good funny read.
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I probably saw that in the 80s but… well, that was a while ago, now. I don’t retain much of that stuff except the dude that makes all the funny noises and Bobcat Goldthwaite.
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Yeah and #2 was Bobcat’s first Police Academy movie, so you probably saw it way back.
I like the first movie enough to wanna own it. I bought the entire Police Academy 7 disc box set for the price of the first movie alone! Then I sold it…I did OK on that one.
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Oh and a chesty blonde. Because bewbs.
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7 discs? Of that shit? Woooowzers. Does that mean there were 7 movies of it or discs of, what, more fart jokes as extras? Either way, I doubt such a thing required such a thing.
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They made 7 of those things. Every from 4 and up is UNWATCHABLE. I know because I tried.
The sad thing is that a great actor, Christopher Lee, was in #7. He must have needed the work at the time.
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You mean Goldthwaite wasn’t in all of them? Shows how much I know about it.
Maybe Christopher Lee liked the chesty blonde.
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Heh heh. Leslie Easterbrook! Oh yeah.
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Wasn’t Wayne Gretzky’s wife in those movies?
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I can’t believe I know this. But yes. Janet Jones was in #4. Jesus Christ. Why the fuck do I know that.
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I only had vague recollection because hey! I have a great idea! Let’s take the greatest hockey player of his generation and move him to a town that couldn’t care less about hockey so that his wife can get starring roles in… well, whatever the hell that was.
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Yeah…my mom, she’s always been the sports fan in my family. She was PISSED. She basically stopped considering Gretzky a true Canadian.
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I am partial to “Living on a prayer” great blue collar suburban angst!
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Yeah this track is good I like there live version when JBJ actually earns some street cred for playing harmonica at the end of it!
Hard to believe how this band has deteriorated so fast into one big musical touring bullshit act! Sad really!
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There’s another thing target got wrong in Canada – they weren’t selling Bon Jovi 45s like Zellers!
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I enjoyed this one. When I’m in a band I think I’ll give the other members more face time too – it won’t be fair otherwise, just because I’m the sexy one.
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BRING BACK ALEC
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Only Bon Jovi I owned was a greatest hits. I don’t think either of these songs were on it. I might be wrong, though.
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