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Slippery When Wet
Bon Jovi
1986
Wikipedia
Reviews
Like a review? Give it a thumb up to help us display relevant reviews!Can't really take this seriously. This era of pop/hair "metal" is one of my least favorite subgenres and one which I don't really understand. Maybe I just need to loosen up? I don't know. I mean the choruses are catchy for sure. But to me it sounds so superficial, and maybe that's intentional? I understand how this could make sense to kids and teens in a certain context but I feel like it doesn't age well outside of that context. It's like kids dressing up and playing rock star and I guess there's a certain amount of sincerity/directness and simplicity to that. I mean I grew up when this was wildly popular and I was never attracted to it then nor do I have any nostalgia for it.
These songs are so stupid and I hate his voice. This is the pinnacle of annoying 80's rock. The only thing saving this from 1 star is that some of these songs might be tolerable with a different singer.
Ive listened to this album at least a dozen times, and is definitely one of the best rock albums written. So many classic tracks, and even the ones that aren't are great. The only issue with the album I have is it's direction. You get some rock songs like "raise your hand" and "dead or alive" but others are pop rock. Still, no musical issues with this album whatsoever.
“Slippery When Wet” by Bon Jovi (1986) First a word about that album cover. American listeners got a toned down version. But the original cover (which I’ve included here) is better suited to the artistic thrust of the music. Prudish marketing decision again gets in the way of the art. The opening track sets the stage for highly competent stadium rock. References to Bach (“Toccata and Fugue in D Minor”) and The Doors (“Break on Through”) provide evidence of thoughtful glam rock (if that’s not a contradiction in terms). The album satisfies. High quality performances by vocalists, keyboards, and guitar. Rhythm section is solid, if not particularly creative or adroit. Lyrics are actually very good. A good rock album. 3/5
I thought I’d enjoy this, as I’m quite partial to a 80s cheesy number. But ultimately it’s just not very good, the rest of album didn’t have many hooks which stood out after the 3 big singles. Tempted to give a 1, but the biggies make that unfair so gets a 2. Bon Jovi, you give 80s cheesy rock a bad name bruv.
Flashy, big hooks, fun. Think the keyboards sound dated but even I, a somewhat jaded music nerd who never really cared for Bon Jovi, have to admit a large majority of songs on this record absolutely still kick ass. "Social Disease", which sounds like Huey Lewis trying to go glam, is the only real miss here. Favorite tracks: "I'd Die for You", "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' on a Prayer"
Look, Bon Jovi sucks, 80s hair metal sucks, synthersised stadium rock n roll sucks. But everyone has had that moment when they're at 1st year university and the cool older kids all know the words to Livin on a Dream and for a weird 18 months you get tricked into thinking that it's ironically cool in a daggy retro way. If you have taste you realise bon Jovi is shit around prac year, but it's a wild ride while it lasts. 3/5 based on that alone.
Confirmed my dislike of Bon Jovi. Just cheesy cringeworthy pop metal. Can't really stand it
very good album. so many absolute slaps throughout that i already knew and more that ive just found. easy 5 star
An album consisting mostly of my favourite bon Jovi songs, how can this be less than a 5?
Wat moet ik hier nu van zeggen. Ik heb nooit iets gehad met Jon Bon Jovi, al ken ik zijn bekende nummers wel natuurlijk. Het is gewoon een goede band. Geen overdreven bewijsdrang maar lekkere nummers met een melodie en toch dat stoere rock geluid. Ik vind de zanger ook goed met zijn beetje rauwe stem, maar lang niet zo irritant als Nickelback. Ten slotte de nummers zijn stuk voor stuk steengoed. Niet zoals bij veel albums en paar hitjes en de rest klinkt bekend naar. Ineens was het album al af. De tijd gaat snel als je lol hebt. *****
Some great metal-ish music! Don't like the album cover but the songs are cool :) Favorite Track: Livin' on a Prayer In one word: Slaps
This is the first CD I ever owned by my first "favorite band." Dad got it for me as part of his 'welcome" to Columbia House membership after he bought his first CD player. That was a big deal in our house because it sort of reinvigorated my dad's music consumption at an age that I was impressionable and interested in music for the first time. When I was 5-6 years old, I LOVED hearing "You Give Love a Bad Name" on the radio. My favorite pizza place at the time had a juke box with "Wanted Dead or Alive" B/W "Livin' on a Prayer." Man. Those were the days. $0.25 for those two songs to go with my 7-Up and pizza. So, obviously there is a lot of nostalgia here. But objectively, I think "Slippery When Wet" is one of the pinnacle moments of the 80s glam/hair rock. It's a well-constructed record, I like the pacing, and there are some big hits here. As far as I know, the members of the band haven't been taken down in any "me too" accusations, which is remarkable given the excesses of the time when they were touring. And, John Bon Jovi has turned out to be a real stand-up dude.
‘86 KIX! This came out a few months after I graduated, but it remains inextricably tied to that time when I graduated from high school. Hair metal at its most refined! I fell in love with “Livin’ On A Prayer” from the first time I heard it. But this album is an embarrassment of hits. “Let It Rock,” “You Give Love A Bad Name,” “Wanted Dead Or Alive,” “Raise Your Hands,” “I’d Die For You” and “Never Say Goodbye” defined the sunset of my teens and remain incredible hits! And hearing the deeper cuts “Without Love” and “Wild In The Streets” I go right back and can sing along even though until a few minutes ago I hadn’t hear them in 30 years. Several of the songs on this album have stayed in the rotation over the last 30 years. But listening to it now I realize that I’ve forgotten more great Bon Jovi than I had been listening to. Now I have to figure out how I’m going to see this group live in concert for a long-overdue in-person Bon Jovi experience. But whether or not that ever happens, SLIPPERY WHEN WET is back and in permanent rotation. I haven’t had this much fun since I got snowed in at the Elks’ convention!
This was a fun blast from the 80s. An album with so many sing-along singles but also just an awesome rock album.
One of my absolute favourite things in the world is how much hipsters loathe 80s Bon Jovi. Here's an analysis: Musically, this album is basically just hair metal/arena rock. Big ole guitars and drums, riffs and hooks, gang vocals in choruses, crisp production, etc. REVERB. Songs mostly follow convention, chord progressions are nice and predictable, even the track list does that thing where every few songs there's something that passes for a ballad. Image-wise, it looks like hair metal again, or maybe a bit like new wave/80s pop a la Duran Duran. Lots of shoulder pads, hairspray and FLAIR. There's a solid chance that they had style consultants PAID BY THE BIG BUSINESS RECORD LABEL!!!11! Lyrically it occupies the same kinda space as stuff like Bruce Springsteen: sentimental numbers about idyllic Middle America, songs about brotherhood and sticking up for your mates, then love songs about rooting chicks in the back of cars and having no money but that's ok because WE'RE GONNA LIVE ON LOVE ALONE BABY, etc etc. Cheeeeeeeese. So the hair metal sound, the "corporate 80s rock" outfits and the Americana themes just all add up to something that becomes hipster kryptonite. I guess they hate the perceived inauthenticity of it all? Maybe they hate that it's a good bit of fun? Or maybe simply because it's such a "white dude thing" and that's an easy target for hipsters. Either way, fucking lol. As for my thoughts: I was only 2 when this album came out, but I had a phase in the early 00s where I was totally into Bon Jovi and a bunch of other 80s hair metal bands. It really is a lot of fun. It's great for driving up the highway to, slammin' beers in the sun to, butchering at karaoke night... it's just genuinely fucking cool. And hat off to Richie Sambora, he's the real star of the show here. Desmond Child as well I guess lol. If I was rating this in comparison to the BJ catalogue (or even hair metal in general) I'd probably only give it a 3 or 4, but as an entry in this book and having just read what I KNEW would be the usual oblivious moaning about how fake and cliche it is in other reviews, I'm giving it full marks. 5/5.
What a great album. 3-4 of Bon Jovi's biggest hits are on here and the rest of the songs are also not far behind in terms of quality. 80s rock at its finest
The album that made hair metal an iconic moment of the 80s, combing pop with metal, with megahits that dominate radio and karaoke to this day. Production is spot on, BJ’s voice is great, Sambora is amazing, the album is the perfect 80s rock album
Nice throw back to the big hair era - some real well known tunes on there and some lesser favourites
4/5 3.5/5. The singles are timeless and carry the album, everything else is cool. Standout Tracks: You Give Love A Bad Name, Livin' On A Prayer, Wanted Dead Or Alive, Raise Your Hands
Has some of Bon Jovi's greatest hits on one album. The album has a theme of lack of love.
Awesome album. Rockin 80s guitar that's borderline cheesy but no where near as much as the likes of whitespace. Makes me want to blast the album in the cassette deck of an 88 corvette while sharing a delicious 40 of Olde English with my best buds. Only thing keeping it from a 5 is some weaker tricks near the end.
I'm not the biggest BJ fan, but you can't knock this album. It is HIT after HIT after HIT. If you've ever enjoyed a bit of hair metal, you've heard and enjoyed every one of these songs.
Ik dacht dat ik dit wel geinig zou vinden om weer eens te horen, maar puur vanuit nostalgie 4 sterren! 😁
Los mejores clásicos de Bon Jovi. No es de todo mi agrado, pero es un álbum disfrutable (especialmente con la buena voz que tiene).
I grew up with this album, so it's a little hard to separate my review from the nostalgia, but I can try. Every song is solid, but some suffer from being overplayed. Very of its time for the ballads and very karoakeable. Definitely didn't age well, but play as a history lesson to the kids. You know I haven't been writing very good things. Why is this a four? I'd rate it 3.75 because of the hooks and generally catchiness. It's not a deep album and sometimes sounds like a parody of itself, but its another everyman album. The production is good and the guitars are perfect. The drums are super 80s and I like them like that. The lyrics are fitting. Overall, a good album worth buying.
I have a soft spot for this album. In HS I played in a band that covered most of it. Made me love and hate it. Going with love now due to nostalgia.
This has gotta be the most iconic Bon Jovi album ever, right? Loved them when I was in high school and love them now!
Yeah I unironically like Bon Jovi, its probably rock for your mum but it's harmless hair rock which is fun, enjoyed this album even if he is a bit of a bell
One of the first album I bought and my first concert was Bon Jovi. Album still hold up
First song quite good, second and third amazing, then just ok for a bit, then one more pretty good song towards the end
Ordinarily I'd ignore stuff like this - preposterous, overblown stadium rock. But my perspective has been damaged by the swathes of utter rubbish we've had forced on us lately. Consequently, this felt like a breath of fresh air. It gets 4 stars, principally for 'Wanted..' which is a real classic (though the live version is better).
bollarna är tömda till den grad att det värker efter tredje låten. Resten är som att kolla porr med post-nut clarity
I don't like Bon Jovi's 80's stadium rock but I understand why it should be included on this list. A 3 that I will begrudgingly give a 4 because I've just been sick of listening to bad british indie fuzz.
Oke, witte wijn, dit album EN 45+ jarige vrouwen die iets te geil staan en we hebben een zieke vibe! Die cover? Niet doen! (de japanse is veel beter)
The fourth star is purely for nostalgia. A pretty damn good album that has aged pretty well.
Enjoyed this a lot more than the other Bon Jovi album I listened to. The style can get a bit over the top and grating after a while, but there are enough classic songs on here to pull it off
Rating: 8/10 Best songs: You give love a bad name, Livin’ on a prayer, I’d die for you
4th October 2021 Listened while working out in the sun in Spain with seb and jen playing with my headphones. Love me a bit of dramatic power ballad and this is one of the greats. Got some good songs around the big hitters too.
Not heard for ages. Great fun. Some filler, but the big singalong numbers never get old.
Sloppy, hairy, excessive. This band is like a house made double cheeseburger and loaded fries. In the moment, its deeply satisfying. On closer inspection, its very bloated and doesn't say or offer anything new. But hot damn You Give Love A Bad Name hits like few other hair metal tunes do. And Livin' On A Prayer deserved to take over the world. Raise Your Hands is a sleeper hit on this record.
Bon Jovi, you know what you're getting here. Lots of his classics are on this album, Livin on a Prayer, Shot Through the Heart, Cowboy. Pretty consistent throughout.
Overall this album is good, but the singles are what really carry this album. Especially Livin' On A Prayer, that one really hits different. Although I did really enjoy Raise Your Hands too.
When I was about 7 there was this hit song on MTV called “Always”, me and my siblings liked it so much my parents bought us the CD (cross road) and we became obsessed with it. It wasn’t until many years later that I learned it was a compilation and that most of the songs were from before I was born lol. I had never listened to this album in full before but the hits I’m very familiar with and bring me back to my childhood even if the teems are not for kids. Even if glam metal is not my jam I have a soft spot for this one and I also praise the like instruments as opposed of the synth infested 80’s albums on this list
Excellent hard rock / hair metal. Drags a little bit in the second half, but the opening half (with all the big names: \"You Give Love a Bad Name\", \"Livin' on a Prayer\", \"Wanted Dead or Alive\") is exceptional and more than enough to carry the album.
Iconic 80s guitar tone and a few anthemic masterpieces slightly spoiled by the indulgent run time
43. Slippery When Wet - Bon Jovi 10 tracks. WHAT an album! Some people thinking that this stands on the back of 1 track are missing lots. I think it's a "proper album" with ebb and flow rather than just a collection of tracks thrown together. It doesn't make we want to listen to this album again, but it makes me want to listen to more like it. 4/5.
Pleasingly silly opening that reminds me of Argent. Pipe organ and distorted guitar, and the on the nose title "Let It Rock". Equally subtle lyrics... You Give Love A Bad Name rules, all Billie Jean ripoff and drama. Hating on Livin' On A Prayer would be so easy, but it is a perfect pop sound. Indeed, the only way you could hate on Bon Jovi is from a rock purist perspective. This is a failure to see Bon Jovi (up to c. 1995) are a near perfect pop group. A pinch of power balladry, a good wedge of Spandex metal, and a sprinkle of Bruce Springsteen's patented New Joisy blue collar relatability, and you've found a formula worth millions. It is no surprise that Jon Bon Jovi is related to the legendary producer Tony Bongiovi - who worked with the Talking Heads, Ramones and Shirley Bassey. Social Disease is the only hard rock song I can think of with full Motown horns on it. Points scored there! Wanted Dead or Alive is another slice of perfection. Cowboy rock. And if there is anything as enjoyable as singing the bit where it goes "Wanted....WAAAANNTEEEEED!" then you aren't taking enough joy in life. Raise Your Hands is the first disappointing entry on this album. Boring stadium singalong stuff. Without Love is very much something that could be used as filler on Magic (105.4) between better power ballads, so yet Mam's heart rate doesn't get too high. The whole back half of the album is disappointing to be honest. Never Say Goodbye is a better power ballad, and you can at least see what they were trying to do with Wild In The Streets. It's Judas Priest's Break-in The Law without the commitment. If this had kept its momentum up, it'd be an all the great album. As it is, I have a five star A side, and a 2 star B side.
It may be glam but it's a whole load of fun and you can't deny that there are a handful of absolute anthems here.
Man, "Livin' On a Prayer," "You Give Love a Bad Name," AND "Wanted Dead or Alive" are all off the same album? Wow. This must be an absolute smash for the album cuts too! That's what I thought when I looked at the track listing. The rest of the album is good but forgettable. Turns out, the tracks you remember off this album are well known for a reason, but the other tracks are forgotten for a reason. They're just okay. 4/5 because I can't ignore that three all-time classics are all on this album, but the rest of it really let me down despite being perfectly good.
Bon Jovi's third album - with a few of their most popular songs - was an instant commercial success for the glam metal / hard rock band. It was the best selling album of 1987, along with being Bon Jovi's best selling album, and has been certified 12x platinum, which makes it diamond certified! It's chock-full of amazing songs to listen to for any occasion. This album is a jammer for anyone from Generation X or younger!
I never listened to the entire album before, so I discovered some new songs. Even the really overplayed ones are actually good after not hearing them for a year.
Muy buen disco, aunque la mitad del disco no le llega a los talones a los sencillos, pero está muy prendido
heavy yet not too heavy and with a playful edge, have listened to it before will probably listen again
listened to this one a lot as a kid. i feel like it's loaded with hits. i'm alone in this feeling haha.
I love the singles, and the other songs were not as dull as I expected; there's some genuinely great 80s rock songs on here that aren't "Living on a Prayer"!
this album is the essence of 80s rock can't believe he managed to put so many bangers on 1 album
Is this "great" music? Objectively, no. But, is it fun? Yep. Is it, perhaps, the quintessential 80s rock album? Maybe. Not much else to say. If you want to understand 80s music, this is a must-listen.
Negatives - it's "hair rock", it's cheesy AF Postives - you know all the words, its catchy, sounds good loud, and just leaves you happy..... (all assuming you are of the appropriate age and demographic - which I am).
Obvious classics, great guitar, a little slow and predictable at times, but overall a very good album.
Bon Jovi is IT when it comes to hair metal in the 80s. Their music has transcended to every wedding and company party in 2022. Richie Sambora is a great lead guitarist for Bon Jovi and it’s too bad he left the band. Love the album as a whole, but there are a couple misses “Let it Rock” and “Social Disease” don’t stand out. But 3 of his greatest hits ever come from this album, there’s a reason it’s on this list.
They do what they do well! Many of their songs are classics for good reason but it's not my favorite kind of rock, so when listened to as a whole, it becomes a bit one-faceted.
This was some rocking fun, as well as awesome nostalgia. The first "side" of this album was nearly perfect. Yay Bon Jovi!
I feel like this should be a guilty pleasure but I really am not even that guilty. This is just a damn good rock album.
Haha, well, I was never a HUGE Bon Jovi fan, but this really does take me right back to 1986ish. So, extra star for you. :-)
Great album! With a couple of all time hymns like "You give love a bad name" and "Livin' on a prayer". It was an important piece in the stadiums rock boom during and after the 80's.
It hurts because of my affinity for glam. This was competent and dated-sounding (in an endearing way, but not endearing enough). There's nothing wrong with mass appeal, of course, but without referring to that I struggle to explain my indifference. It also seems like Mr. Bon Jovi is a pretty neat dude, which makes it hurt a little more. Anyway, nothing wrong with liking this music: It's good and sneerers should be sneered right back at. But is there anything to love?
Since I'm from Jersey, I'm pretty much contractually obligated to appreciate Bon Jovi to some extent. I definitely do have some sentimental attachment to the boys from Sayreville, at least more than I would have for the likes of Dokken or Motley Crue. The album itself is listenable if a bit samey, and not bad if you've got the sudden urge to drive down the shore in your IROC. Best song: Wanted Dead Or Alive is utterly flawless as an '80s hard rock song, but that's about the most entry-level choice I could make, so I'll go with Let It Rock for the sake of contrarianism.
Stereotypical dad/stadium rock. but who doesn't love some of that. I wasn't blown out of the park because of the album, but that's not the point. It was fun laid laid-back, epic rock music. 6/8 will be playing it during a cookout.
I don't love Bon Jovi. But, I get why people would like it. I can't deny You Give Love a Bad Name and Livin' on a Prayer are just kinda fun, the choruses are catchy. I don't mind his voice, it meets the super earnest party rock fuck ya brah attitude. This all sounds very 80s montage though, which I always think is dumb fun. Never would listen to any of it on my own, but if it came on I'd enjoy it for what is is... and move on.
I totally get the earned place this has in the pantheon of Rock and Roll, and I could listen to any song from it at any time without rancor, but I don't ever need to hear it again.
ok this kinda hit but not enough to make it a 4 idk. I really liked never say goodbye 😁
What a collection of chart-topping head-banging hair-metal anthems. Talk about a genre classic. This used to represent all that was wrong in the world of rock but the mellower disposition of mature age helped me appreciate it for the great craft it is.
Pues yo creo que sólo le tengo cariño a "You Give Love A Bad Name" y un tanto a la clásica "Livin' On A Prayer", pero no veo mucho que rescatar del disco. Supongo que esto es glam, que no suele despertarme tantas emociones. "Wild In The Streets" es otra buena, yo digo. Y pues ya, quiero rescatar que Jon Bon Jovi grabó una película en el pueblo de mi papá, en el Estado de México, la sensación cuando se vio en pantalla a un señor conocido con su burrito. 7/10
3.2 - Bon Jovi's magnum opus. A high octane hit parade that crams in all the excesses of 80s rock. Richie Sambora slays. This record’s three blockbuster hits continue to dominate radio airwaves, and they're on constant blast at any given stadium, sports bar or dive.
Pues como que canaliza el hair metal ochentero con pop?, y pues eso lo arruina para mí. Gracias, pero no, gracias. Jajaja. Me gustó solo You give Love a Bad name porque ya la conocía, Living on a prayer también la conocía, pero no me gusta. Mood: Gracias, pero no, gracias
I gave this a 3 rather than a 2 purely for the nostalgia hit it gave me. One of the first albums I owned on cassette. A couple of classics on there, primarily ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ which I’d forgotten how good a song it actually is. Livin on a Prayer is obviously the ‘big hit’ off the album but all I associate it with now is being utterly smashed in a Wetherspoons in Sunderland...which isn’t as much of a negative as it sounds. Apart from those two tracks and ‘You Give Love a Bad Name’ the tracks are pretty forgettable. Bon Jovi have better albums in their discography and they still hold a place in my heart for the good childhood mems.
De hits zijn goed te doen, maar de rest is dan toch wat minder sterk. In mijn jonge jaren vond ik dit nog wel leuk, maar nu toch iets te gedateerd.
Master of his trade. Just not a massive fan of his trade. There’s defo a time and a place for the hits which are undoubted hits and great fun, the rest is pretty meh
Some big hits, but let down a bit by the other tracks, nostalgic as hell for me as I had these on CD back way back and remember countless nights hearing "living on a prayer" out on Camden! Also the guitar work is siiiiiick!!
Rock clásico. Melenas y destrozar hoteles, solos de guitarra y sintetizador a lo que marca.
First time listening 7/10 Everyone knows the big hits. The others are okay glam metal. Less theatrics and more guitar and singing, which I'm totally okay with. "Never Say Goodbye" is REALLY good and underrated compared to the bigger songs. 3 songs saved
Estoy seguro que en su época fue la voz, pero hoy suena como un cliché con patas y melena
A glam rock album with some great highs in its well known hits but also feels like a bit of a slog outside those. I feel like the album would've been much more effective if trimmed down by 15 minutes. It would've made its momentum and energy more meaningful instead of it starting to blend a bit together.
The Glam-metal/rock esthetic is not my thing, but Bon Jovi definitely tries his best to make it work on Slippery When Wet. "Let It Rock" is energetic and quite catchy, the next two tracks are obviously absolute classics, "Social Disease" is OK. "Wanted Dead or Alive" stands out as being too sweet and desperate, and the rest of the record all largely sounds the same. I am not very impressed, but due to Bon Jovi giving it his all, a 3/5 is fitting.
If you want a definition for Arena Rock, here it is. This album was clearly written and produced with the idea that every song would be a live spectacle. The hits are hits for a reason (they’re so damn good) but I’m not much for Bon Jovi overall.
There are some absolute bangers on this album, but to me the rest of the album isn't as good as the two big hits.
Reminds me of AC/DC in that the songs are either a thesaurus-full of "let's have sex" synonyms, or repeated descriptions of how they do, in fact, rock and roll. Nice guitar though, pinch harmonics abound.
Underrated band. Richie Sambora is a great guitarplayer. This is not the best album of Bon Jovi. Albums like Keep the Faith, These Days and New Jersey are way better, bit this is there breakthrough. This album has the problem that it has songs like Livin' on a Prayer and You Gave Love a Bad Name on it.
Three incredibly overplayed early hair rock anthems, and some mediocre filler. We have neighbors who have been playing those songs on their patio fir the past 25 years😐. This album may not have started the hair-metal genre, but it fueled that fire to the white hot disappointment of multiple Poison albums and beyond. Listworthy? = 👍
NJ represent! It's 80s cheese, but it's got good 80s cheese moments. Songs like You Give Love a Bad Name and Livin' On a Prayer are rock anthems for a good reason. I admit I really like Wanted Dead or Alive. One thing I noticed about the album is the recording qualityis very 80s. It's got that 80s hair metal lack of bass. I've got really good headphones and it's pretty bad how little bass sound comes across on this album. I think the tracks can all be dropped into four categories: Classic 80s rock anthems: You Give Love a Bad Name, Livin' On a Prayer, Wanted Dead or Alive (my favorite track on the album) Not bad, but definitely 80s hair metal cliches: Let It Rock, Raise Your Hands, I'd Die for You, Wild In the Streets Cheesy 80s rock anthems: Without Love, Never Say Goodbye Just plain bad: Social Disease (even if you remove the first 15 second of porn).
Hate the cheesy opening to Let it Rock...standard 80's fare and studio exec belief in what was cool. But you can't deny the sheer awesomeness of the hits. Somewhere Nickelback is probably thanking Bon Jovi and the producers for creating the formula for making a slick album. I dare you to not sing along to Livin on a Prayer or You Give Love a Bad Name if it comes on in a crowd (or resist the urge to at least bop along). Wanted Dead or Alive is one of my favorite rock songs of the 80's and proof that Sambora isn't a total hack. Raise Your Hands is also a solid, rocking song but otherwise the lesser known or non-hits hold the album back. If I must listen to this album before I die it has to be due to its ability to rock and move me - because it can't be the lyrics (bubblegum) or the musical skill (average). It has no substance. It is quintessential 80's hair/glam rock and that's fun and all, but 3 massive tunes do not an album make. The rest of the songs are kind of forgettable.
My doctor diagnosed me with a rare form of amnesia where I can’t recall the existence of 80s bands … …there is no Cure I totally stole that joke from Reddit. But the strange coincidence is that right before I read it (!), I was telling myself that I’m just not into 80s hair metal bands. Like literally 10 seconds before I saw this joke. The guitar part on Raise Your Hands reminds me of Ozzy Ozzybourne. There are some all timer songs on this album that I would scream lyrics to if I were out at a bar. I’ve stood on bar benches and emphatically rocked out to Livin’ On A Prayer. It’s a great song for that situation, but I just don’t care if I ever hear it again. Same story with You Give Love A Bad Name and Wanted Dead Or Alive, which is probably my favorite song on the album. To be more specific, I have 80s hair band amnesia. I respect the album, but it’s just not my thing.
I think I might like Bon Jovi?! At least for walking the dog. It kept me moving and I didn’t get bored. I could do without the intro to Social Disease though.
I rolled my eyes and groaned when I saw Bon Jovi pop up. I lumped it in with Ratt and Poison and any other number of 80s hair bands that you would love to forget but their enduring cultural legacy will not allow it. But maybe I should give Ratt and Poison another chance? Because I enjoyed Bon Jovi's "Slippery When Wet" more than I expected to. It was definitely carried by the strength of the hit singles. I still can't tell though if I really enjoy them, or if they are just so ingrained into the collective consciousness of my generation that they seem like they feel just right. Trying to dig deeper into these feelings, I noticed Richie Sambora's guitar playing more than I had in previous listens. It got me thinking about the evolution of rock styles that led to bands like Bon Jovi. Interestingly, I feel like rock got progressively heavier through the 60s and 70s until it gave birth to heavy metal and thrash metal. Then the 80s took that heavy sound and dialed it back for pop radio and consumerism, and thus came hair bands. Some of the edge remains, and it is most noticeable in the sometimes impressive shredding of Sambora. Past the singles, the album is a bit more uneven. Still, there was enough to like to surprise me. Not enough to go back digging for Ratt and Poison though.
Outside of the big hits kinda lame. Especially lyrics. But would have never guessed 75 percent of all the Bon Jovi I’ve heard was from one album. Clearly a huge album for them
Classic hair metal from the purveyors of hair spray! This isn’t all that bad and I’d be slightly disingenuous if I gave it a really low score.
One of the best-selling albums of all time (twenty million copies), perfected the style with an even more vehement production and roar (You Give Love A Bad Name) and epicness (Living On A Prayer). To paraphrase Rob Tyner of the MC5, you’re either part of the problem, or part of the solution. (6/10) FT: see above
3.2 - not a good album, but a fun one. Overall, a remarkably digestible heavy metal album. The hits, if you can stand them, are all here - along with some solid songs I hadn’t heard before like “Wild in the Streets” (which I’m utterly astounded that Bon Jovi never once rhymed with “Wild between the streets”). Likely won’t be listening to the album as a whole again anytime soon, but won’t mind when some of its hits next pop up.
Perfect Hair band album. Love ballads, rock songs, screaming guitars. There were five songs (including the hits) that I liked. Raise your had was fun and I had never heard that before.
Another hair metal album that treads the fine line between enjoyable and crap. It's My Life is my Bon Jovi guilty pleasure of choice but You Give Love A Bad Name is a close second. 2.5 / 3
Goddammit. I really, really want to hate Bon Jovi. Their product is a lowest common denominator synthetic approximation of music, delivered without so much as a knowing wink. They either have contempt for their audience or are too stupid to know the difference. I imagine it might be some of both. But, as the great Robert Christgau says, "Are you really immune to 'Livin' on a Prayer'?" No, Robert. I am not. Best track: Livin' on a Prayer
"The weekend comes to this town Seven days too soon For the ones who have to make up What we break up of their rules" (Let it rock)
I didn't love this album... but the singles off it are very catchy. Favorite: Livin' on a Prayer
Knew this album from my parents. Felt like I needed some hairspray. I prefer the alt album artwork.
I always thought I didn't like bon jovi, but it turns out their worst songs are their biggest songs! "Let it rock" was the stand out for me, although listening to the whole album made me appreciate "wanted dead or alive" a little more.
Well that was a wild flashback to a cassette I got for my 11th birthday. Haven't listened much since then, but this is solid '80s rock.
I can't conceive the idea of pop and metal together, for me it's a contradiction. I am reading that Bon Jovi had the idea of integrating synths into their sound. I am not sure whether they were the first hard rock/metal band to do this, but, surprisingly too, the synths work flawlessly here. But somehow this Bon Jovi album remind me of same period Aerosmith, which I definitely prefer. As Let It Rock, the first song on this album, came up I was taken aback at how hard it hits. Then there are the hits: You Give Love A Bad Name, Livin' On A Prayer, Wanted Dead Or Alive (my overall favourite on the album), and Never Say Goodbye. All songs that I wouldn't want to reach for but I don't mind listening to them once again. I'd Die For You and Wild In The Streets sound both a bit like this batch of songs but I don't know if they ever were hits. Less popular songs like Social Disease and Raise Your Hand hit as hard as the first song. Without Love sounds like Huey Lewis And The News though. All in all I am glad I gave this a chance, but still it is not something I would come back to anytime soon.
Meh. You can tell Bon Jovi is a singles band, not an album band. Livin on a Prayer fucking SLAPS. You Give Love a Bad Name is infinitely screamable out of your car window. But then after the absolutely S-tier three opening tracks, where do you go from there? The rest falls flat for me. Fave track: Livin' on a Prayer. Duh.
Very bimodal album. Songs that aren't the hits aren't that great Standout tracks You Give Love a Bad Name Livin' on a Prayer Wanted Dead or Alive
Ok so I'm NOT a Bon Jovi fan. This album has lots of hits no denying that. My favorite song is Dead or Alive...sucker for that power ballad formula when it's done right. The real question is are any of the songs...the non-hits worthy of my attention and my answer is an empatic; no fucking way! (OK maybe album closer Wild in the streets). So what we have here is a generic hard rock album with some mega hits. 3 🌟
Me: “Man I really don’t like Bon Jovi, theirs stuffs too overplayed” *Turns on radio Radio: WOAHHHHHH WERE HALFWAY THERE WOOAHHH OHHHHHH LIVING- Me: GOD FUCKING DAMN ITTTTT. EVERY FUCKING TIMEEEEE
I certainly don't care for metal stadium rock from the 80s but there are some catchy choruses here that make you want to get up and cheer and be part of something.
arggh, didn't finish this one - I acknowledge the importance, but too much exposure for it to be fresh
😩… Die stilistische Nähe von Richie Sambora zu Erik Johnson war mir vorher nicht aufgefallen, was zu einem Gutteil daran liegt, dass ich mich stilistisch mit Sambora noch nie auseinandergesetzt habe und mit Johnson nur nach ein zwei Hör- Eindrücken. Zum Album: eine Platte aus den tiefsten Achtzigern mit den bekannten und erwartbaren Gitarrensoli mit zu vielen Noten und zu wenig Musik. Die songschreiberische Finesse bewegt sich auf überschaubarem Niveau, die beiden bekanntesten Songs Living on a Prayer und You Give Love a Bad Name sorgen zumindest für so etwas wie Schunkel-Nostalgie, mehr bleibt dann von diesem Album auch nicht übrig und auch nicht zu sagen. Niemals mehr als 2 Sterne.
I'm still not a fan, but I tried to listen to this with an open mind. Ultimately, it's just dumb fun.
Classic 80s rock, but sounds pretty dated now. Wasn't a fan of Bon Jovi back in the day and they haven't grown on me.
A little surprised a panel of music critics put this one in. For me, a couple of novelty megahits drag this album into the 1001 list. There's a lot of filler, so I'm scoring this largely on the popularity of two or three songs above anything else. I quite like those songs but they mostly remind me of cheesy nightclubs. 5/10
Bon Jovi ROCKS!!! 🤘 In like a sort of Gen X, classic rock radio kind of way. They play a commercial for Naproxen and your local mattress store before coming back with "15 minutes of non-stop ROCK!" and they kick it off with Livin' on a Prayer. What I'm saying is that in the wide world of rock music, from Deep Purple to King Gizzard, Bon Jovi is kind of lame. A little fun, but also a little lame. It feels like Jovi is performing rock, but is never really hitting the mark. Oh, and the b-sides are b-sides. It probably has a reason to be here.
Shitty synth patches and drum machines destroy whatever impact this music might have had. And let's just say that David Gray's voice is an acquired taste. The compositions are utterly undistinguished as are the arrangements. Bland and forgettable middle of the road pop. I can't speak to the lyrics because I couldn't get past the music.
If you view this as a bit of fun and not to be taken too seriously, it certainly passes.
Hook-driven pop music with a hair metal edge (mainly in guitar riffs and solos), because it was the popular genre at the time, loud drums and big crowd-like back vocals tailored for the arenas don't necessarily make a good album. Bon Jovi's big breakthrough album was a smash hit when it came out, but it really hasn't aged well. A lot of the hits from this album (Livin' On A Prayer, You Give Love A Bad Name) are still played regularly on Classic Rock radio stations nowadays (2021) in my hometown and we're kinda saturated tbh !
A few musical tricks, competent soloing and "Raise Your Hands" having a good riff saves this from total musical failure. I thought punk had gotten rid of this kind of music
How an rock album can be so featureless? Total impotency. But "Wild In The Streets" somehow saves it from getting 1/5. However, I can understand why this album is among the 1000.
Only gets two stars because I heard several of these songs on the "80s, 90s, and today" radio station on repeat when I was a kid in the car. 'You Give Love A Bad Name' is a killer track, but the rest is bland, repetitive, overproduced fare that should have been left in the 80s.
Oh man, I can't believe how bad this actually is. I'm tempted to give it one star but I'll give it 2 because I think I actually like Livin' on a Prayer when I was kid.
Ugh. I. _HATE_ Bon Jovi. Damn you, rabbithole, for making me listen to this. As some of us are from NJ, and grew up during the Bon Jovi hysteria, you could not avoid Bon Jovi, he was everywhere. And listening to this album made me remember why I hated him. The lyrics are so insipid (although not as bad "only time will tell if we stand the test of time," BUT THEY COME CLOSE!!). Every cliche is in the lyrics and it makes me cringe. And the music? It's a blueprint for every 80s and early 90s "hair-metal" band would do. It's all there, the rockers, one or two songs to pull out the lighters. Gah. Nothing special to these songs at all. The production is skilled, but the keyboards, drums, nothing spectacular AT ALL. What they do here they do well, so they are lucky to get two stars.
Every single person in their 50's has definitely had at least one terrible sexual experience with this playing in the background. Thankfully I'm not in my 50's. This album is fucking rotten.
Meh. Cheesy, poppy arena rock. Some of the songs are kinda catchy, I guess, it's not grating or offensively bad, just mostly boring.
I would die happy if I never had to listen to this album again! For many (definitely NOT me!), this is a defining album from the 80's. If you had to buy one Bon Jovi record, this is the one with the hits that are on constant rotation on "classic rock" radio stations that still play the crap out of this record. Besides the middle-age woman that still believe Jon Bon's hair is magical and karaoke singers that think they're cool drunkenly shouting, Living On A Prayer, who else still listens to this schlock? What's wrong with people? Expand your tastes, there are so many, many, many better albums and bands from the 80's!
Even though there is a LOT of hard rock and heavy metal I love, I really don't love much pop metal or glam metal like this. I vastly prefer British rock to American rock, I must say, even though I'm American born and raised. The cheesiness is slightly sickening to me at parts. I do love the solo guitar work and tone, I hear some Van Halen influence there I think. The vocalist is talented but the voice does get on my nerves a bit. Didn't hate the album, didn't love it. When I tell people I like rock and metal this isn't what I mean. I don't knock other people for liking it though.
This passage from Wikipedia tells you everything you need to know about this album: "...the band named the album Slippery When Wet after visiting The No.5 Orange strip club in Vancouver, British Columbia. According to Sambora, "This woman descended from the ceiling on a pole and proceeded to take all her clothes off. When she got in a shower and soaped herself up, we just about lost our tongues. We just sat there and said, 'We will be here every day.' That energized us through the whole project."" I really don't understand why this album is on this list. Sure, there are some hits with catchy, anthemic melodies, but it doesn't break any new ground, it's basic, simplistic, generic arena rock with mediocre lyrics and singing that makes me believe Jon Bon Jovi was constipated throughout the making of this album. Hated it then, still hate it now. 2 stars, only because I can't deny some songs are catchy.
Picture yourself in a night club on "rock night" and the DJ turns down the chorus to Livin on a Prayer so you can all go WHOA-OH!
The hits make me feel drunk as I'm immediately transported to cheesy nightclubs from my uni days. I wouldn't describe the feeling as nostalgia, as that puts too much of a positive spin on it. The non-hits are all a bit crap The exception to those two categories is Wanted Dead or Alive. A bonafide great song that has not been run into the ground through being over played.
This has lots of familiar songs on it. It makes me feel nostalgic, but with a more critical ear, it is pretty bland rock.
This album is considered a breakthrough for 80s hair metal. Having now actually heard it in full, I am even less convinced this is a good thing.
Not even the undeniably catchy singalong karaoke classic Livin’ On A Prayer can rescue this puddle of non-threatening, meaningless, bubblegum metal drivel. Everyone involved in this project has heard heavy metal rock and merely copied the basic building blocks without having any flair, originality or purpose.
Ridiculo. Fora "you give love" e "livin" não vale nada. Achamos até alguns exemplos de que eles reaproveitaram a mesma melodia em outras músicas. Pfff...
Christ this is cringe rock. Perfectly fun after a couple of cans at a bar and some interesting and the production is good at points. Never knew how straight cheese rock lots of their songs are. Didn't have fun with this one.
vaya pedazo de mierda humeante. tiene 3 rolas buenas y las 3 fueron los sencillos. las demás, vomitivas.
Yeah this sounds like the same song over and over and over. Some albums can get away with that. This one definitely doesn't.
Ugh. No. Just no. Will give it the old college try, but I'm surprised to see anything by them making the list. Turns out I like Some of it, especially the Desmond Child songs. It's fine. Just never completely grabs me. Probably a 2 at best, but that's an achievement coming from me (my head was screaming "1" from the moment the album appeared). Nope, sorry. It's a 1.
What would the world of Karaoke be without Bon Jovi..........? Better. It would be infinitely better. This album is washed out, dated, and embarrassing. I try to imagine the people who still listen to this recreationally and am instantly awash in a sea of peroxide, silicone, and yager. Gross.
I groaned when I saw this as my album of the day; but as one does I soldiered through it and thought that maybe I would be pleasantly surprised by the deep cuts. I was not. They were exactlt what I expected them to be. To be fair I can see why people would like this, but its just not for me at all. To be unfair there were so many better metal albums released in 1986, some that were rather iconic even. The fact that this album helped push the godawful genre of hair metal to new heights of popularity is an unforgivable sin. Frig off, Bon Jovi.
Why does anyone listen to this shit. The most overproduced garbage out there the death of a decent genre. Thanks mtv
Quintessential cockrock, almost every song goes on for a bit longer than it needs to. Fav tracks: - Without Love (cuz it's the shortest one) Least fav: - Let it Rock - Social Disease - Wanted Dead Or Alive - Raise your Hands
Crappy 80's arena rock. There's a few kind of listenable songs but most are just obnoxious filler.