Number

Album

Artist

About

Song

Release

36

7800 degrees Fahrenheit

Bon Jovi

Okay so, Bon Jovi was and with no doubt one of my all-time favourite bands. Not for a long period but a period from about 14-20 years old and within that period it’s probably all I listened to (I lie, I had every ACDC album in that period as well). It was my first ever real stadium concert “Slippery When Wet” and I also went onto to see them on two other occasions. But I have to say after the Keep the Faith album they totally lost me I can’t really finger point the real reason why but I’m guessing my music tastes evolved along with I feel they almost turned to Pop – they reached their Crossroads and so did I, the real music punter will get what I just said. So, you could imagine the tough choice I had picking an album out from that period when I knew every album, every song, every lyric. I loved Jon that much I even managed to have the old mullet permed on several occasions and looking back now I’m typing away with a smirk, the real “Bevan”. They wrote some great music over the years which was brought to life with absolute masters of instruments in Bryan, Torres and of course Sambora. Before I discovered drugs latter in life (the upper type and no I don’t dabble anymore) I can remember that natural high that coincided with this album I have chosen. I had this old 10 speed racer push bike in which I use to travel to my first job on when I was about 16. Now to set the scene I had this album-cassette blaring on my Walkman at 530am every morning and there used to be this hill – Daisy Hill Road in fact. Now this old 10 speed racer was purchased second hand and it was probably one of the first ever produced when it went from the Penny-Farthing said smirking again. But for those people that don’t know Daisy Hill Road it would be one of the steepest and longest hills in Logan City where I grew up. Now to be fair back then it never had any traffic lights (still had the same turn offs though) but where the ridiculous “natural” high came from the bike didn’t have any brakes well non-functioning ones anyway, thinking about it now I was probably always destined to experiment with drugs coupled with music. I certainly had evolved from the old pot in a dark room with Pink Floyd in the background. But the point is I don’t remember the speed wobbles I would have had going, I don’t remember ever thinking about the consequences if I had fallen off or if a car had of pulled out in front of me, but I remember vividly having this particular album playing whilst pedalling away. Now I never knew this album when it first came out (no radio airplay) but I went back to it after Slippery When Wet – it was their first album. The one that was recorded in six weeks, the one that I know every oh ooh la la, drum beat, every word sung and every Sambora rip. What does shock me however it was the band’s least favourite but hey didn’t it lead them into a long-standing career in music – they’re even back touring this year. Ain’t music grand!!

The whole album but hey I will keep to my word…

Only Lonely

Always Run to You

My Pick – The Hardest Part is the Night

1985

Number

Album

Artist

About

Song

Release

37

St Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band

The Beatles

Things are starting to get serious now, how do you pick one particular album from the Beatles? – with great difficulty. The apparent experimental album is the claim recorded by their alter ego’s but I am sure every album after the 2^nd-3^rd one was an experimental album “they were the Beatles after all”  What can you really say about four musicians coming together to create arguably the greatest band (will argue this a bit later though they are still the biggest selling band in the world) in the universe leaving behind such a huge legacy and back catalogue of timeless hits. You could say they were almost mythical Greek gods created by the magic of what we know as music. I could just write and write about all the members of the fab four, but I will hold back and just say I respect with all my music prowess that I hold much love on just how good the Beatles were in a cultural, historical and musical sense. In John Lennon’s words they were truly bigger than “Jesus” apart from the bible I have no doubt they have been quoted and written about more than what he ever will be, is music possibly a religion within itself? Again I could have chose 3 or 4 albums but this one contained 3 of my favourite thus the albums inclusion.

Lucy in the Sky of Diamonds

With a Little Help from my Friends

My Pick-A Day in the Life

1967