Ray Davies New Album Sound Very Cool

Ray Davies is rightly revered as one of the great songwriters in rock n’ roll history as well as being one of its more interesting characters. Thus it comes as no surprise when it came to recording his new album a fascinating cast of guests have been happy to appear.

Various confirmed and unconfirmed stories seem to suggest that some of these suggestions are close to the truth.

In 2009 Davies recorded a version of Better Things with Bruce Springsteen, while Bon Jovi contributed to Celluloid Heroes. An American magazine has reported that Billy Corgan has been working on the new album, with the Smashing Pumpkins singer contributing to a new version of  Destroyer from the under-rated Give The People What They Want album. If you know the song you can just hear Corgan sneering his way through that one with Davies playing the paranoid role!

Big Star frontman the late Alex Chilton is said to have recorded his contribution prior to his death earlier this year while Lucinda Williams also due to appear.

That would be worth the price of admission alone.

But to add to that there’s a few more contemporary stars said to be lurking around the studio.

Mumford and Sons,  Paloma Faith and Amy MacDonald are all expected to appear although a rumour of The Killers being involved is false.

Work on the new album is continuing with recent visitors to the studio including members of Spoon and possibly even Frank Black.

Bon Jovi Stadium Tour

Bon Jovi will return to Australia in December with a series of gigantic stadium shows as part of The Circle world tour. Bon Jovi will play Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and Brisbane. Tickets will go on sale on Thursday 8 July.

The Circle tour will see the band spend much of the next two years on the road, performing a staggering 135 shows in 30 countries. This brand new stadium stage production coming to Australia is one of the biggest sets ever to be seen in this country.

A massive stage, with an inner circle for 420 fans, is backed by the world’s largest high definition video screen, 35 metres long.

Speaking to Nui Te Koha in the Sunday Herald Sun, promoter Paul Dainty said the tour blows away all expectations.

Writes Nui, “Dainty, who saw the show with 55,000 fans in New Jersey said: “I thought I’d seen it all until I walked into this.

“This is beyond huge, this is amazing. Bon Jovi fans in Australia are in for the night of their lives.””

Having sold more than 120 million albums and performed more than 2,600 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 34 million fans, Bon Jovi is at their best when they’re on the move, and that’s truer now than ever before.

The November 10th, 2009 release of Bon Jovi’s new album, The Circle, and the band’s subsequent world tour, provides a powerful reassertion of Bon Jovi’s commitment to the hard-hitting rock & roll that has been the band’s indelible signature since it began more than 26 years ago.

Bon Jovi has established themselves as one of the world’s most dynamic live rock acts, Jon Bon Jovi said recently “I put out as much for 50 people as I will for 60,000. You want to be great every night. Every time you step in front of the microphone and pick up a guitar you want to be the best that you can be”.

Bon Jovi will perform at

Subiaco Oval, Perth, on December 8;
Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, on December 11;
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, on December 14;
Sydney Football Stadium on December 17.

Keep The Faith – Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi had been huge for a generation before this song was released as the title track of what was clearly their best album. They’d survived the hair-metal era with their popularity, if not their complete credibility, intact, but it was clear that they needed to step up a level if they were going to survive as a force.

That was in 1992. It’s now 2010 and the Bon Jovi caravan is still rolling. I think its safe to say that Keep The Faith did its job.

The song works as a re-invention because it manages to build a bridge between the big, bombastic rock anthems that had made the band chart topping machines and a more organic, heartland rock style that allowed them to grow up in public. Keep The faith was built around an incessant rhythm track that introduced a very welcome “funk” to the Bon Jovi formula. Bass and drums actually drive this song and lead vocalist Jon Bon Jovi seems content to settle into the groove.

Of course there’s still a big fist pumping chorus and a Richie Sambora guitar solo in there but these elements are able to play a more balanced role than they needed to in the past.

The song is actually the prototype for Bon Jovi’s later hit songs – it’s a suburban call to arms – it doesn’t actually give any instructions about how to break the cycle of mediocrity but it strongly urges not to succumb to it either.

There’s actually better songs on the Keep The Faith album (like Dry County, Woman In Love and If I was Your Mother), but as a statement of intent this song was as important in Bon Jovi’s career evolution as any.