Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Bon Jovi commemorates the 40th anniversary of its self-titled debut with the digital release of Bon Jovi: Deluxe Edition on all streaming platforms today via Island/Ume.
Additionally, the Grammy Award-winning band has announced the release of an exclusive limited-edition ruby color vinyl LP on March 24 and limited-edition cassette on April 5.
Bon Jovi: Deluxe Edition consists of the remastered original album in addition to a total of nine bonus tracks, including unreleased studio recordings and four rare live cuts. Jon Bon Jovi co-produced Bon Jovi: Deluxe Edition alongside longtime sound engineer Obie O’Brien who also mixed the bonus material.
This expanded version showcases the evolution of “Runaway”—from Jon’s original cassette writing demo, the band’s early run-through and a full alternate take, to an extended version of the band’s first hit with a ripping second guitar lead. It also features an early incarnation of “Come Back” where Jon sings his idea for a guitar solo.
The live tracks were recorded during the group’s 1985 shows in Tokyo, which were first available on the CD release Bon Jovi: Special Edition in 2010. The live tracks have been newly mixed for Bon Jovi Deluxe Edition and will be available on DSPs for the first time.
Remastered from the original tapes, the limited-edition ruby color vinyl of the band’s original 9-track LP boasts an alternate cover design, high-end tip-on jacket, and an exclusive lithograph of an early Ross Halfin photo session.
Finally, the limited-edition cassette features all of the original album tracks with an enhanced design that now includes lyrics and the original band photo from the LP’s inner sleeve, elements missing from the original U.S. cassette release.
Exactly forty years ago, Bon Jovi was first issued on January 24, 1984, introducing the band to the masses, and kickstarting their storied career. The record went double-platinum and housed such classics as “She Don’t Know Me” and “Runaway.” A signature hit, the latter song has amassed nearly half-a-billion streams and counting.
Also in Bon Jovi news, a new docuseries called Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story will soon be streaming on Hulu. The four-part program, which was made in full cooperation with members of the New Jersey rock ‘n’ roll band, including lead singer Jon Bon Jovi, will premiere on April 26.
Gotham Chopra, whose credits include Kobe Bryant’s Muse, Man in the Arena and Tom vs. Time, is directing and producing the project.
“As thrilling as the story of a once-in-a-lifetime talent is, it is even more rare that a legend like Jon Bon Jovi lets the world into his most vulnerable moments while he’s still living them,” a press release from Hulu said.
“Forty years of personal videos, unreleased early demos, original lyrics and never-before-seen photos that chronicle the journey from Jersey Shore clubs to the biggest stages on the planet. The series relives the triumphs and setbacks, greatest hits, biggest disappointments and most public moments of friction.”
Buy or stream Bon Jovi: Deluxe Edition.