Bon Jovi: a sound larger than life

Bon Jovi: Limited Edition Keep the Faith with 8-Track Live EP. THERE is no doubt Keep the Faith is a good rock 'n' roll record, and this special limited edition box is released to coincide with the band's Hong Kong performance at Ocean Park on Saturday.

There is little point in going over the studio album because it has been reviewed into the floor already. Suffice to say it is well performed, well produced and superbly sung.

The live EP, however, proves the worth of Bon Jovi. These are no mere boys thrashing away at three chords, these are men who have honed their skills over a decade of non-stop touring and recording.

Jon Bon Jovi's voice is startlingly accurate and guitarist Richie Sambora's back-ups are in perfect harmony. Sambora shows himself to be a top axeman on the live EP: fast when he has to be, spare when spare is best.

If anything, Bon Jovi sounds better live than it does in the studio. This set offers some comparisons, containing both live and studio versions of Keep the Faith, In These Arms and B ed of Roses. On each occasion, the live version wins out, being more urgent, energetic and better performed.

Where Bon Jovi suffers, however, is with the rock 'n' roll cliches it cannot seem to shake. During the live EP's Bad Medicine, Jon suddenly forgets we are now in the '90s and piles into an embarrassing voice-over about all the girls in the audience ''shakin' their asses''.