All hail the mighty Aaron of the KMA. He is a very generous man. He is known to send parcels to friends all over the world, and he always keeps an eye out for things that people look for. He’s incredible that way, and he deserves a tremendous amount of recognition for all he does for the Community.
BON JOVI – Red Hot and 2 Parts Live (1985 red vinyl Polygram EP)
Preamble: Although I forgot about this, back in the fall Aaron did his regular Toronto shopping excursion. He found a Bon Jovi 12″ single that I’d never seen before. But I was tapped out, cash wise. I had done my own Toronto trip to pick up an an absolutely massive toy for my collection. Apparently he texted me about the Bon Jovi, and I asked him to leave it there because I couldn’t afford it. Naturally he bought it anyway and secretly stashed it away.
Aaron sent me a big box of goodies for Christmas (and reviews of those will come too!) but the Bon Jovi was the centerpiece. I didn’t actually open this box of goodies until Easter. Due to illness and circumstance, our family finally just got around to celebrating Christmas. I saved his box until then.
This three song EP, on brilliant clear red vinyl, has two live tracks and one remix. “Hardest Part is the Night” (from 7800° Fahrenheit) was mixed by David Theoner though the differences are minor. Interestingly, it was also issued as its own single with “Always Run to You” on the B-side.
The other two tracks were recorded live in Japan in 1985. “Tokyo Road” was later released on the remastered 7800° Fahrenheit as a bonus track, but that CD doesn’t look nearly as pretty as this vinyl. It’s a little odd hearing Jon introduce it by saying, “Welcome back to ‘Tokyo Road’…” when in fact they were the visitors in Tokyo, but whatever! Jon’s the professional frontman, not me. “In and Out of Love” is the real treat, featuring an extended guitar solo, and a different version from the one on 7800° Fahrenheit. The track is still over 10 minutes long with all that (smoking) noodlin’, but Sambora fans who miss him will want to have this.
Fans of early Bon Jovi — hunt down this EP. Get it or live your life without this awesome live Bon Jovi that you won’t get otherwise.
4.5/5 stars