A few weeks ago, I introduced you to a Canadian trio called Nightwood. These Canucks (two chicks and a dude) bring back the glory days of Nineties female-fronted alternative rock. A little Breeders, a little Hole, a little Sleater-Kinney with some Liz Phair (pre-sellout) thrown in. Very good stuff.
Well, they’ve just shot and released a brand new video for the song “The Bikeriders”, and it’s quite the titillating clip-it would be perfect for “120 Minutes”-if “120 Minutes” still existed and MTV actually played videos nowadays. Shot in arty black and white, the video features shots of the trio rocking out (watch out for Eric, the drummer’s unruly hair) amid (ooohhhhh) chicks making out and (ahhhhh) gratuitous ass shots.
Bon Jovi had five Top 40 hits in 1986 and 1987. Can you name them all? Livin’ On A Prayer, You Give Love A Bad Name, Wanted Dead Of Alive, Never Say Goodbye and Edge Of A Broken Heart. Of course!…. Wait a second. What is Edge Of A Broken Heart? Stumped you, huh? Don’t worry, even the most die-hard Bon Jovi fans don’t even know what I’m talking about when I refer to this magnificent tune. I wish I was making this up.
Edge Of A Broken Heart was Bon Jovi’s fifth Top 40 hit in the 1986/1987 period, peaking at #39 in 1987. It was never issued on Bon Jovi’s classic album Slippery When Wet. So how did it become a hit song?  It was surprisingly featured in the camp classic movie Disorderlies starring the Fat Boys. Which reminds me, why aren’t the Fat Boys given more credit for their influence on hip hop music. Oh yeah, that’s right, because they sucked!
The Disorderlies soundtrack has been out of print since 1995, and the song was tough to get my hands on until a fun little internet program called Napster. I don’t think you’ll find any music outlets carrying a copy of this soundtrack, although the album did feature songs by other noted artists like the Fat Boys, Gwen Guthrie, Bananarama, and Art Of Noise. This album could be a nice little find in a local record shop. Edge Of A Broken Heart was eventually was released in 2004 on Bon Jovi’s box set of B-sides, demos, and rarities, 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong.
I personally think it’s one of Bon Jovi’s best songs. Don’t mistake this song as a predecessor to Vixen’s hit song of the same name. Edge Of A Broken Heart has a great hook. and features the typical 80’s pop/rock sound. David Bryan’s keyboard work is outstanding on the track, and it makes me yearn for the days when Bon Jovi rocked. The country shit they have recently put out really bothers me. Enjoy!
If I can turn off the snark for a second, I wish a speedy recovery to Travis Barker and DJ A.M. and also send my heartfelt condolences to those that were killed in the plane crash in South Carolina Saturday morning. While no one would choose the alternative, can you imagine the memories those two guys are going to carry with them for the rest of their lives?
OK, snark back on. Here are this week’s most interesting stories from the world of music:
Kanye vs. 50 Part 2: Guess He Didn’t Learn The Last Time
With Kanye’s new “808’s and Heartbreak” album coming out on December 16th, 50 Cent has decided to revisit the “battle” that put his last album, “Curtis” against Kanye’s “Graduation” and release his fourth album, “Before I Self Destruct” at the same time…sort of (50 will release his album on December 9th). For those that don’t remember how that one ended, Kanye sold something like 30% more than 50 did in its first week, and has sold about 60% more over the cycle of release. So, unless Curtis has one hell of a publicity stunt in his pocket (which isn’t outside the realm of possibility), I think it’s fair to say that Kanye will whoop his ass once more. How much you wanna bet 50 sells less in two weeks than Kanye does in one?