The good folks over at Harper Collins sent me a copy of the new Bon Jovi book, When We Were Beautiful, before its release next week. I honestly had no desire to really even look at the book, because I figured it would be nothing more than a glorified tour program. While it's not a definitive history on the band nor does it shed light on anything a fan doesn't already know, I have to say the book is far better than I could have anticipated.
To see a full blown preview, check out the official site.
First off, the pictures in the book are great. Say what you want about Phil Griffin's direction of the documentary, but his black and white shots are vivid and potent reminders of the poetic glories that can be captured on film. While I was under the impression that the book would house only newer pictures, I'm happy to say the book traces the entire history of the band, including some childhood pictures and vintage shots of the band. Mark Weiss' photo's are a time machine back a few decades. While Weiss never received the praise the likes of Anton Corbijn, his pictures are priceless. I'm a big believer that artists let their guard down when they have a close personal relationship with someone. Whether it be an author, video director or a photographer, they usually pull something more from them, capture them at being more vulnerable or even gets a shot or quote the average person couldn't. The pictures Weiss captured during the bands heyday (1986-1990) make the book worth its weight in gold.
I wouldn't compare it to U2's superb U2 by U2, but this is a different type of book. It's not meant to be a definitive history of the band or a full-blown picture book. It's merely a stop-gap book showcasing the band's history over the last few decades. While I could nitpick about what is not here (pics from Ross Halfin, in-depth reviews of each album, etc), for a mere $17, this is one of the best bargains for a coffee table book in recent memory. While I wish it was longer, I was surprised to see it so full of life.
I included some brief pics of the book below. It hits stores on November 3rd. I'll do a full blown review on antiMusic next week. Check back here for a link.
You can pre-order the book for $17 right here.
