John Bongiovi
The Power Station Years 1980 - 1983

THE REVIEW

John Bon Jovi, at various points in his career, decided to release 14 tracks from the era when he was known as John Bongiovi, spelled with a "g" and not with a "j". Futhermore, it was all one word. Why the delayed re-release of these works? I truly believe that John, already known and appreciated as a solo artist and honored by performances with Springsteen, wanted to protect his band, Bon Jovi, and give them space and airtime before indulging in sorting out his past.

The tracks in this entertaining collection were all recorded between 1980 and 1983. I have an American edition from 1994 that contains 14 songs, but there are other versions that go up to 20 and include the first top single of his career, "Runaway", which opened Bon Jovi's first official album. I will discuss the 14 tracks I have available by starting with a consideration: this Bongiovi compendium is certainly superior to the first two Bon Jovi albums, which, in my opinion, respectively deserve a 3.5 and a 1 (which I gave in my review a few years ago). Another consideration: for Jon's solo career, this work is a happy release, inferior to the Golden Globe "Blaze Of Glory" but, it took little, far superior to the weak pop of "Destination Anywhere", an album decidedly made for MTV and frankly crappy, but which definitively marked the turning point of "These Days", the beginning of the end.

In short, forget the Bon Jovi sound of today and, as a reference, take the New Jersey band from the eponymous to New Jersey. We are in that world. "The Power Station Years" takes its name from the recording studio of Jon's cousin, a reference point for the artist who at the time proposed a completely radio-friendly pop rock and sometimes explosive. Pop rock in the early 80s meant good music, perhaps excessively catchy but not trivial. It is an album influenced by the rock influences of the time, where the hard component is kept in check by keyboards/piano with a decidedly positive polarity and catchy choruses of viral and virile happiness. Apart from the a priori 1s, do not forget that here Jon is the one with the bushy chest and hair tousled to heron's-nest levels. He is the one who, after two limping releases, put a band devoid of ideas in line and brought out "Slippery When Wet" and "New Jersey", which, let’s face it, are two masterpieces of 80s rock.

The opener is immediately a track that rocks. "Who Said It Would Last Forever" presents us with John in magnificent form, the usual big voice boy grown on chips, who leads a band whose technical skills do not emerge, but who perform the few excellently fitting notes of this overture with orchestral perfection. The guitar riff is as simple as one can imagine but is enthralling and Jon rides it like a sponge soaked in optimism. A perfect track that would fit into Slippery or New Jersey eyes closed. "Open Your Heart" is an easy listening piece and typical “Good morning New York, it’s 8 AM…”, in which the pop music of the time enters the melodies with a sax also calm, but well-played.

What I feel is a pearl is the third, unattainable song titled "Stringin’ A Lime", a solo man's ballad, nothing romantic, genetically classy AOR. "Don’t Leave Tonight" isn’t my favorite, but, belonging to those years, in my opinion, it shows Jon's coherence: it’s a pop rocker for 30 years. "More Than We Bargained For" is the typical piece of Bongiovian epicness, which aims for the heart in a crescendo, has a bridge suspended in the clouds, and a celestial start with the chorus. "For You" is fast and nice but nothing noteworthy. "Hollywood Dreams", as the title suggests, is an excellent piece for me. It shifts the album’s geography from the east to the west coast. It’s a widely used AOR dipped for a tip in the atmospheres of Los Angeles, again with a lovely sax for the solo.

"All Talk No Actions", I assure you, only slightly harder in the guitars, could have been a piece from Poison's first album. The chorus is pure glam. The tradition of American rock comes out in the almost country and accordion-flavored "Don’t Keep Me Wondering". "Head Over Hills" is a good filler, that can be accused of the usual shameless positivity. "No One Does Like You" starts to make you think that there are too many tracks as the level is the same as the previous song or "For You" and you can’t listen to it more than once. "What You Want" brings back to a good decisive AOR level. "Don’t You Believe Him" is a very fun and typical rock n' roll for the dance floor. The version of the album I have ends with "Talkin’ In Your Sleep", which along with the first and third track represents the top of this collection. There are the first traces of the future "Wanted Dead Or Alive" and "Blaze Of Glory", and the first major guitar solo of the entire composition.

The production, by Tony Bongiovi, is superb for that era. The cauldron of sound boils without smudging with lots of body for bass, guitar, and drums. Keyboards enter without ever disturbing and John's voice delivers an outstanding performance in this AOR-pop rock mixture that helps showcase his singing qualities. Certainly, we could have done without three and maybe even four tracks. I am familiar with the six missing on this CD, and proportionally, the 20 tracks in total present the same qualities and flaws that I do not feel like censoring. The fact remains that John Bongiovi, the one with the “g”, was certainly a credible artist.