Dangerous, Dirty, and Unfun

So the Official Little Brother of Dangerous, Dirty, and Unfun has a birthday today. So, how to celebrate? Here’s the top 20 songs from the week he was born. (Poor guy! The previous week, “Blaze of Glory” was actually number 1!) It also turns out that the demo for “Enter Sandman” (and pretty much the entire Black Album) was recorded on September 13, 1990, which is quite frankly awesome.

Of course, it’s his 21st birthday, so instead of looking to the past, let’s look to the present! Happy birthday, pal. Listen to a little “Cigarettes and Alcohol.”

Anyone with ears to hear understands that Jon Bon Jovi is the greatest poet of this or any generation. Today just so happens to be the 25th anniversary of Slippery When Wet, the album that put Bon Jovi on the road to rock immortality and gave us such cover band anthems as “Living on a Prayer,” “You Give Love a Bad Name,” and “Wanted Dead or Alive.”

Regular readers of Dangerous, Dirty, and Unfun understand that I march to the beat of my own Tico Torres. In that spirit, here are what I consider to be the two best songs off Slippery When Wet, an album that is almost literally wall to wall hits.

I’d Die for You

Without Love

A few months ago, the Boston Phoenix ran a feature that named the all-time best band, all-time best solo artist, and best new band, for all 50 states. Naturally, I turned to Jersey first. Check it out. I’ll wait.

Regular readers of Dangerous, Dirty, and Unfun, of course, understand that I dismissed this poll out of hand. The plain and honest truth of the matter, precious reader, is that the discussion of music in New Jersey begins and ends with John Francis Bongiove, Jr., and his band. So that’s that.

However, comma, since we’re dealing with Jersey here, the best damn state in the whole damn union, I still decided to engage the Phoenix’s decisions critically. Jersey deserves no less. I ignored the best new act, Nicole Atkins (at my peril; I later realized she’s teh awesome and will invariably be featured in a future MIMIF post); the Boss was declared the best solo artist, which is only just (what with Springsteen being the John the Baptist to Bon Jovi’s Jesus); and the best band was a tie between the Misfits and the Four Seasons. I’ll buy the Misfits, seeing as how the Phoenix IS Boston’s alt weekly. And the Four Seasons? I mean, I guess. “Big Girls Don’t Cry” was a big song. Sure. Whatever.

All of this is to say that I saw Jersey Boys, the bio-musical about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, last night, and it made me think about how, if you leave aside the egregious overlooking of Bon Jovi, the Phoenix’s judgment about the Four Seasons was positively absolutely right on the money.

Every now and again, you come across a band and you think you’ve got a good bead on their catalog. Then you’ll go to a show, or listen to a block on the radio, or come across a greatest hits album and you’ll say “Wait a minute, they sang this song too? Wow.” I’ve had that experience with the Kinks, the Bee Gees, Electric Light Orchestra, and the Steve Miller Band. And then I had it with the Four Seasons.

I knew “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and “Walk Like a Man,” and “Stay.” And honestly, I knew those were great songs, so I gave the Four Seasons their due. But I forgot about “Sherry.”

And “Bye Bye Baby.”

And “Dawn.”

And “Working My Way Back to You.”

And “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”

And “December, 1963 (Oh What a Night).”

Maybe I just haven’t been paying attention, but all these guys ever did was record gold records! So, as the title of the post suggest, last night was a very pleasant surprise.

Listen to what, before yesterday, I didn’t even realize was my favorite Four Seasons song.