In an era of 4K upscaling, seeking out a standard definition Bon Jovi - Cross Road The Best Of - 1994 -DVD9- might seem archaic. However, for the serious Bon Jovi collector, the home theater enthusiast, and the 80s rock preservationist, this disc remains essential.
It captures the band exactly as they were before the supernova fame of It’s My Life changed their trajectory. It is gritty, loud, and un-remastered. The DVD9 provides the highest possible quality of that unvarnished era. Whether you are listening to the uncompressed roar of the New Jersey tour on "Lay Your Hands on Me" or watching the tear-streaked mascara in "I’ll Be There for You," this disc is a time capsule.
Rating: 9.5/10 Best For: Fans who want the original video mixes without digital revisionist history. Warning: Ensure your DVD player handles the layer break gracefully (most modern players do).
If you enjoyed this deep dive into the Bon Jovi - Cross Road The Best Of - 1994 -DVD9-, check your local record fair or eBay for a first-edition pressing. Just bring a magnifying glass to check that "DVD9" print on the inner ring.
Released in 1994, Cross Road: The Best of Bon Jovi was the band's first official greatest hits compilation, marking a decade of rock dominance. While originally released on CD and VHS, the collection has seen various high-capacity digital reissues, including DVD9 formats (dual-layer DVDs) often found in deluxe "Sound & Vision" or international box sets. Key Album Features
New Tracks: The album debuted two massive hits: the power ballad "Always" and the rock anthem "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night".
Classic Hits: It features essential tracks from Slippery When Wet, New Jersey, and Keep the Faith, such as "Livin' on a Prayer," "Wanted Dead or Alive," and "Bad Medicine".
Regional Variations: North American versions often included "Prayer '94," a stripped-back, updated rendition of their signature hit. DVD & Video Content
The DVD9 format typically accommodates the high-quality video content associated with this release:
Music Video Compilation: A video release titled Cross Road launched alongside the album, featuring 16 music videos, including previously unreleased ones for songs like "Always" and "Dry County".
Live in London: Many deluxe versions, such as the Deluxe Sound & Vision 3-disc set, include the Live from London DVD, capturing the band’s high-energy performance at Wembley Stadium in 1995.
Technical Specs: Standard DVD releases are typically Region 0 (All Regions) with a 4:3 aspect ratio and Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 audio. Commercial Success
Global Impact: The album was the best-selling album of 1994 in the UK and topped charts across Europe and Japan.
Longevity: As of 2024, it has been certified 7Ă— platinum in the United States and 13Ă— platinum in Australia.
The 1994 release of Cross Road: The Best of Bon Jovi was more than just a standard hits compilation; it served as a monumental pivot point—a literal "crossroad"—for a band that had defined the 1980s and was fighting to remain relevant in the grunge-heavy landscape of the mid-90s. A Decade in Review
By 1994, Bon Jovi had transitioned from New Jersey "hair metal" contenders to global stadium icons. Cross Road captured this evolution, spanning their debut with the synth-heavy "Runaway" (1984) through the anthemic peaks of Slippery When Wet and New Jersey, to the more mature, stripped-back sound found on 1992’s Keep the Faith. Bon Jovi - Cross Road The Best Of - 1994 -DVD9-
The compilation featured 14 established classics and introduced two massive new singles:
"Always": Originally written for a film soundtrack, this power ballad became one of their biggest hits, spending six months in the Billboard Top 10.
"Someday I'll Be Saturday Night": A countrified pop-rock track that signaled a shift toward a more narrative, blue-collar storytelling style. The "Sound & Vision" of DVD9
The DVD9 version of this collection, particularly as part of the Deluxe Sound & Vision reissue, offered fans a deep dive into the band's visual identity.
Visual Evolution: The DVD included 16 music videos, tracing the band's aesthetic shift from the big-hair, high-energy performance clips of "You Give Love a Bad Name" to the cinematic, narrative complexity of "Always" and the gritty, "road-weary" vibe of "Wanted Dead or Alive".
Technical Spec: Released in a DVD9 format (dual-layer), it provided roughly 90 minutes of content with Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 audio and a 4:3 aspect ratio, preserving the original television-standard broadcast feel of the 90s.
Rarities: It featured previously unreleased videos for tracks like "Blaze of Glory" (Jon's solo hit) and "Dry County," a fan-favorite epic that showcased the band's progressive rock leanings. Legacy and Impact
Cross Road was a commercial behemoth, selling over 21.5 million copies worldwide. It became the best-selling album of 1994 in the UK and solidified Bon Jovi as a "global brand," allowing them to build a massive international fanbase that would sustain them through the late-90s hiatus and into their 2000s resurgence.
The album also marked a somber transition: it was the final release to feature original bassist Alec John Such before his departure later that year, truly marking the end of the band's first era. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
The collection captures the band's visual evolution from 1984 to 1994, featuring 16 classic music videos: Livin' On A Prayer Keep The Faith Wanted Dead Or Alive Lay Your Hands On Me You Give Love A Bad Name Bed Of Roses (Short version - contains bar scene) Blaze Of Glory (Jon Bon Jovi solo) In These Arms Bad Medicine (1st Version) I'll Be There For You Dry County (Previously unreleased on video) Living In Sin (Jon Bon Jovi solo) I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
(Previously unreleased - directed by Marty Callner, featured Keri Russell) Key Details & Trivia The "Always" Factor:
The video for "Always" was widely anticipated and featured a young Keri Russell in her early acting days, highlighting a dramatic, emotionally intense storyline that fit the ballad's massive success. Production:
The collection was originally released in 1994 on VHS and VCD, and later on DVD (including Japanese versions and Deluxe Sound & Vision sets). The "Prayer '94" Addition: In North American audio releases of Cross Road
, the version of "Livin' on a Prayer" was replaced with a new, updated version titled "Prayer '94". Accolades: Cross Road video compilation was highly regarded, winning a 1994 Metal Edge Readers' Choice Award for Best Video Cassette. Running Time: The video compilation runs for approximately 80 minutes. Cross Road
solidified Bon Jovi's place in the 90s, with "Always" becoming one of their biggest hits and the compilation itself acting as a retrospective of their "cock rock" era turning into mature, heartfelt arena rock. In an era of 4K upscaling, seeking out
Cross Road is the first official greatest hits compilation by Bon Jovi, released on October 11, 1994, to celebrate the band's 10th anniversary. While the original 1994 release was primarily on CD, cassette, and VHS, the "DVD9" format often refers to high-capacity dual-layer bootlegs or later official reissues, such as the Deluxe Sound + Vision edition, which bundles the hit music videos and live performances on a single disc. Album Significance & Content
Best-Seller: It was the best-selling album of 1994 in the UK and has sold over 21.5 million copies worldwide.
Track Selection: The compilation covers the band's career from their self-titled debut (1984) through Keep the Faith (1992).
New Tracks: It introduced the massive hit ballad "Always" and the fan favorite "Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night".
Regional Variations: North American versions included a reworked version of their signature hit titled "Prayer '94", while international versions featured "Never Say Goodbye" or "In These Arms". DVD & Video Specifications
The video component—originally released as Crossroad: The Video—was later transitioned to DVD formats like DVD5 and DVD9 for collections.
Core Content: Typically includes 16 music videos, with then-unreleased clips for songs like "Always" and Jon Bon Jovi solo tracks like "Blaze of Glory" and "Miracle".
Live in London: Later reissues (like the 2005 Discogs Deluxe edition) included the full Live in London concert.
Tech Specs: Most official DVDs are Region 0 (All Regions), use a 4:3 aspect ratio, and feature Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 audio. Notable Tracklist (Video/DVD) Livin' On A Prayer Keep The Faith Wanted Dead Or Alive Lay Your Hands On Me You Give Love A Bad Name Bed Of Roses (Short version) Blaze Of Glory (Jon Bon Jovi solo) Always Bad Medicine I'll Be There For You Dry County Living In Sin
Watch the official music videos and highlights from the era celebrated by this compilation:
In the autumn of 1994, Leo found the disc at a pawn shop in Hoboken. It wasn’t a CD, but a DVD9—a dual-layer relic that hadn’t even been officially released in most stores. The case was cracked, the plastic smelled of cigarette smoke, and the cover showed the band looking like kings of a world that was already starting to fade.
Leo was seventeen, broke, and convinced that the best music had died sometime around Keep the Faith. He paid three dollars for it.
That night, in his basement, he slid the disc into his father’s clunky player. The menu loaded—grainy, 4:3 aspect ratio, the sharp opening riff of Livin’ on a Prayer blasting through blown-out speakers. But the DVD9 format held more than just hits. Hidden between the layers, there was a "Cross Road" exclusive: a thirty-minute documentary called On the Other Side.
In it, Jon Bon Jovi sat backstage in a faded leather jacket, talking about how they almost quit in 1991. How Richie Sambora had shown up at his door at 2 AM with a bottle of whiskey and a new riff. How success felt like quicksand. "You think a greatest hits album is the end," Jon said, looking straight into the lens. "It’s not. It’s a map of where you don’t want to get stuck."
Leo rewound that part three times.
His own life felt like a greatest-hits reel of bad decisions: expelled, estranged from his dad, working a dead-end job at a garage. Everyone in his town thought he was already a finished story.
But watching that DVD9—with its dual layers of music and melancholy—Leo realized something. A "best of" wasn't a tombstone. It was a crossroad. You could look back at every anthem and heartbreak, then choose which direction to walk next.
He didn’t become a rock star. He didn’t even buy a guitar.
But the next morning, he walked to the community college and signed up for the GED course. He kept the DVD9 in his jacket pocket for luck.
Twenty years later, Leo was a sound engineer in Nashville. The disc was scratched beyond repair, the case long gone. But he still remembered that night in the basement—the hum of the dual-layer laser finding hidden grooves, a voice from 1994 telling him that the past was just a song you could skip.
And that the best crossroad is the one where you finally choose to keep going.
Title: The Definitive Milestone: A Retrospective on Bon Jovi’s Cross Road (1994)
Format Focus: DVD9 (Dual Layer) Audio/Visual Fidelity
In the autumn of 1994, Bon Jovi released Cross Road, a compilation that did far more than simply recap a decade of hits. It served as a definitive punctuation mark on the band's stratospheric rise, their hedonistic peak, and their subsequent maturity. While the CD version flew off shelves globally, the DVD9 release (often sought after by audiophiles and collectors for its higher bit-rate capacity and uncompressed PCM audio) offers the most authentic way to experience the visual and sonic weight of the band's first era.
For those digitizing their collection, here are the specs of the original Bon Jovi - Cross Road The Best Of - 1994 -DVD9-:
Watching Cross Road today carries a bittersweet weight. The collection features Richie Sambora at his absolute peak. His backing vocals on "Prayer '94" (a re-recorded, stripped-back version included on the audio album but often represented by the original video on the visual disc) and his guitar heroics in "In and Out of Love" remind the viewer that Bon Jovi was always a dual-threat band. The visual fidelity of the DVD highlights Sambora’s charisma and interaction with Jon Bon Jovi, a chemistry that defined the band’s golden era.
In an age where you can stream Cross Road in seconds, owning the DVD9 version is about preservation.
Many of the "official" music video releases from the 90s are now out of print. Finding a high-quality DVD9 transfer is often the only way to see the original music videos in their full, uncropped glory (before YouTube compressed them to 360p and ruined the cinematography).
Furthermore, this specific release often includes bonus features that casual listeners miss. Depending on the region and pressing, the DVD releases tied to this era often included:
Arriving four years after the multi-platinum behemoth New Jersey and the subsequent solo projects of Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, Cross Road was a stock-taking exercise. It captured the band at a crossroads (hence the title), bridging the gap between their 80s anthemic metal roots and the mature, rootsy rock direction they would take with These Days in 1995. If you enjoyed this deep dive into the
For the DVD9 format, this meant a collection of music videos that acted as a visual history lesson. The dual-layer disc allows for a seamless viewing experience, free from the compression artifacts that plagued earlier single-layer DVDs or VHS tapes. The grain of the 80s film stock and the vibrant colors of the 90s digital transition are preserved with striking clarity.
If you find a copy of the Bon Jovi - Cross Road The Best Of - 1994 -DVD9- in a jewel case (not the later slimline reissue), you have a piece of rock history.