Island Def Jam's official pre-order page finally revealed the track list to Bon Jovi's upcoming Greatest Hits package, and - well, it's exactly what you might expect.
A friend said it best: for Bon Jovi, the grunge-inspired These Days (1995) was a fork in the road for the band. They could either continue down the path of rock royalty, or they could follow the newest trends in pop-rock music, no matter what the cost to their sound. They chose the latter, and it led to things like having songs written by Max Martin, the guy who wrote "Baby One More Time," or the mid-2000s clutch of country snoozers.
Admittedly, this new set does slightly hew more toward tunes from the early days of the band (from 1984's self-titled debut to 1994's Cross Road, their first compilation - almost all the tunes from said compilation are here). But it's the Cliff's Notes version. Early singles like "In and Out of Love" and "The Hardest Part is the Night" are nowhere to be found, which isn't much of a surprise - this is a greatest-hits set devoted to the most mainstream of fans, plus the band doesn't seem to like those pre-Slippery When Wet albums (they briefly attempted to incorporate some of those album sides on their latest tour but quickly gave up when audiences failed to respond much). But as a fellow New Jerseyan who regards Jon, Richie, Tico, David (and Alec) as part of the Garden State's pop-cultural legacy, it's awkward to see them move some distance from their roots.
In any case, this set will be available in two packages: the standard, single-disc edition, boasting 14 hits and two new tracks; and the two-disc Ultimate Collection, armed with another disc of hits and two more new tracks. Those who pre-order the set from Island Def Jam directly will receive lead single "What Do You Got" a day earlier than its September 21 release date and an exclusive new song as well.
The whole affair streets on November 9. Hit the jump to get the track list.
Bon Jovi, Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Collection (Island, 2010)
Disc 1
- Livin' on a Prayer
- You Give Love a Bad Name
- Runaway
- Bad Medicine
- Born to Be My Baby
- I'll Be There for You
- Lay Your Hands on Me
- It's My Life
- Always
- Wanted Dead or Alive
- Blaze of Glory - Jon Bon Jovi
- Who Says You Can't Go Home (Duet with Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland)
- Have a Nice Day
- We Weren't Born to Follow
- What Do You Got? *
- No Apologies *
Disc 2
- In These Arms
- Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
- Lost Highway
- Keep the Faith
- When We Were Beautiful
- Bed of Roses
- This Ain't a Love Song
- These Days
- (You Want to) Make A Memory
- Blood on Blood
- This is Love This is Life *
- The More Things Change *
- This is Our House * (Island Def Jam pre-order only)
Disc 1, Track 3 from Bon Jovi (Mercury, 1984)
Disc 1, Tracks 1-2 and 10 from Slippery When Wet (Mercury, 1986)
Disc 1, Tracks 4-7 from New Jersey (Mercury, 1989)
Disc 1, Track 11 from Blaze of Glory (Mercury, 1990)
Disc 2, Tracks 4 and 6 from Keep the Faith (Mercury, 1992)
Disc 1, Track 9 and Disc 2, Track 2 from Cross Road (Mercury, 1994)
Disc 2, Tracks 7-8 from These Days (Mercury, 1995)
Disc 1, Track 8 from Crush (Island/Mercury, 2000)
Disc 1, Tracks 12-13 from Have a Nice Day (Island, 2004)
Disc 2, Track 9 from Lost Highway (Island, 2007)
Disc 1, Track 14 and Disc 2, Track 5 from The Circle (Island, 2009)
Diss 1, Tracks 15-16 and Disc 2, Tracks 11-13 are new songs
Jacob says
I wish they would have put the songs in chronological order, otherwise, not a bad tracklisting. Too bad "Only the Lonely" from 7800 Degrees didn't make it, I really like that song.
Mike says
I've got the first album, "Slippery", "New Jersey" and "Cross Road", so unless something monumental happens, I think I'm good with Bon Jovi forever. Their most recent stuff (everything post-"Crush") is pretty damn bad.
Jacob says
I agree, I will need to hear these new songs before I think about purchasing.
Mace says
Alec left the band 16 years ago Mr. reviewer
Mike Duquette says
...and deserves as much respect as the other members.