Reviews (page 8 of 10)
Le meilleurs album de Dad Rock
I’m not really a fan of what Bon Jovi represent: the hammy bloat of 1980’s hair-metal, the excess of corporate America, yadda yadda yadda. For many years, the cliched music critic’s stance has been that they are not a “cool” band to like. So on my first listen to “Slippery When Wet”, I was pleasantly surprised. It’s an album of truly colossal songs: huge guitars, huger choruses, all pumping with a vital energy and enthusiasm worthy of chart success and greatest hits comps forever more. Then on my second listen, and my third, I was quickly becoming less enthused. The incessant strangled shriek of Jon Bon Jovi, and the brute force of the music surrounding him, gives somewhat limited reward for repeat listens. Was it designed to be a flash-in-the-pan? To appeal to the fickle taste of hair-metal rockers? Or are Bon Jovi just having such a great time today, they don’t stop to think about tomorrow? One thing is for certain: “Slippery When Wet” is crafted in widescreen, songs becoming larger than life. Tico Torres’ thundering drums with nuclear snares, Richie Sambora’s monstrous guitar riffs (and flashy solos with squalling harmonics a-plenty). In the thick of it all is Jon Bon Jovi’s archetypal “rock voice”, often backed by an insistent wall of chorus singers in unison. “Raise Your Hands” is the most shamelessly transparent arena-rock number I’ve heard since “We Will Rock You”: a call for all the fans, anywhere on the world tour, to make some noise and have a good time. The closing number, “Wild in the Streets”, is a Springsteen cosplay. “Without Love” and “Never Say Goodbye” are lousy, sentimental tracks but they feel refreshing simply because the synths play a more prominent part, frothy guitars slowed to more of a chug. But even in “Slippery When Wet”’s quieter moments, it’s still a sledgehammer of sound. The lyrics are line after line of well ridden cliche and low-hanging fruit. Take “I’d Die For You”: it’s an utterly ridiculous notion that 1986 is some love-starved world where nobody knows Romeo and Juliet, ergo Bon Jovi is a lone lover representing the final beating heart of romance… but the passion in the delivery makes us just about buy it. In the end, “Slippery When Wet” requires a suspension of disbelief… and to some extent, taste. After all, three of the band’s very biggest hits are on here. “You Give Love a Bad Name”, “Wanted Dead or Alive” and of course “Livin’ On A Prayer” are all pretty much genre defining hits: high on calories, high on fun. No amount of snobbery or resistance can stop people listening to and loving them, so there’s always that. At the time of writing, Bon Jovi are the 188th most listened to artist in the world on Spotify, with “Livin’ On A Prayer” alone having racked up 1.4 billion streams. I’d love to get on my high horse about that, but I’d have to deny ever enjoying them… so I’ll just stay on the fence for now.
lol jesus every single one of their famous guitar hero songs is from this one album. Brings me back to annoying memories of high school sports teammates, but that's not really bon jovi's fault, 3/5
Listened to this on repeat all day and just fantastic start to finish.
Living on a Prayer is a classic... but this style is just not for me. Poppy arena rock. Lots of flash. Minimal substance. Just not what fills me.
Awesome Album
Banger after Banger
Every song sounds same except for the most popular one.
Can people appreciate the hackneyed music and stupid lyrics of this band *unironically*? Can they? Really??? A 3.28 global grade suggests a lot of them can. Unless it's a joke that went on for too long. The "contributor" to this app, who tried to mock "hipsters" through their review of this album, seems to be in on that joke, for instance. Maybe you've seen that review towards the top of this section? What's your take on it? Are you so easily categorized as that reviewer thinks all of us are? For one, I don't think I am. The thing is, you don't need to be a hipster to dislike the lame so-called "rock music" that big labels tried to shove down everyone's throat during the eighties, thanks to MTV and heavy radio rotations. At the exact same time, you had truly *great* bands in the underground trying to survive, goddamnit. Calling fans of those underground acts mere "hipsters", especially when it comes to that dreadful decade, is missing the point about who had the real economic power in the music industry at the time. And to put it bluntly, it was not the good guys who had such power--granted that you can find "good guys" in the music industry anyhow, of course. :D The tables have since been turned, starting from the nineties: the underground acts became prophetic and commercially viable, and hairmetal died a quick painless death, quite fortunately. Once again, one didn't need to be a "hipster" to draw a heavy sigh of relief back then. That's where--all "subjective" feelings about Bon Jovi aside--this reviewer I've mentioned earlier got it wrong: being unable to appreciate hairmetal unironically has nothing to do with being an elitist (otherwise I wouldn't have appreciated the "alternative" nineties as much as I did--after all, most of those indie bands exploding at the time sold a lot of units, didn't they?). No, all empty binary posturing aside, it's only that Bon Jovi's music had a very clear peremption date, as that *other* reviewer aptly puts it elsewhere. Many acts with clichéd reflexes such as this one--hailing from *any* decade--usually don't make it to such a list. And it's because they also had those peremption dates written on their foreheads. And this in capital letters. I can't see why Bon Jovi shouldn't be considered as one of them, their one-time commercial success be damned! I've given *Slippery When Wet* a fair try, just as I do for every album in here. I have to say, "Livin' On A Prayer" is probably not the most popular song by Bon Jovi *for nothing*: it's got an infectious chorus, propelling guitar parts and arrangements in the verses, and an overall energy that is contagious and fun. I readily admit that this single is good, and that Bon Jovi had a great calling card in their hands with this one. Yet *one* effective single doesn't necessarily mean the album it's from is good or even listenable. About the other few "highlights" from this LP: even if Sergio Leone, John Ford, John Wayne and Clint Eastwood had been locked in a room for hours, chances are that they wouldn't have been able to create a song with more laugh-out-loud clichés about the wild west than the ones found in "Wanted Dead Or Alive". Speaking of the strange "highlights" in this LP, "I'd Die For You" is also an interesting cut. It's got a nice intro section, as some other tracks have in the album (see the Bach-inspired organ at the start of the album"s opener). Yet in spite of the Bruce Springsteen influence, the main melody of "I'd Die For You" is a little flat. It seems that, contrary to "Livin' On A Prayer", the composition suffers from a lack of contrast between the verses and the choruses. Too bad, I almost thought I could file that tune under the "quite good" tag. Those two songs are somewhat bearable, at least. Especially compared to the other downright *horrible* tracks plaguing this record from start to finish. By the way, it's quite a feat that those horrible tracks are both famous singles ("You Give Love A Bad Name") and deep, deep cuts that should have stayed buried deep if I had had my say about it (that terrible, terrible "Social Disease", for example--I wish I could erase all memories I have about that dreadful thing RIGHT NOW!). To put it in a nutshell, it's all very dumb. Dumb hairmetal guitar riffing, dumb hairmetal guitar solos, dumb synths, dumb vocals... Dumb, dumb, dumb. And don't get me started on the lyrics. The meter of those lines is often awful, but it's not even the worst: to wax poetical about such things in the most appropriate fashion, the contents of those lyrics... suck balls. Pardon my French, here. You can't change a leopard's spots, I guess. ;) I needed just one example of those terrible, terrible lyrics for this review--which I'm writing as I'm listening to the album again. And it seems that closer "Wild In the Streets" has just provided that perfect example for me. Funny how you don't need to look for long to find bad lyrics in this LP, since they are everywhere: "Joey comes from a sacred part of town / Where sometimes you talk so tough that your feet don't touch the ground". What the HECK is that even supposed to mean??? And it's not even the worst example of how bad most of those lyrics are, I can guarantee that. I've spent two hours of my life listening to this album and writing a review about it. That's two hours from my life that are never gonna come back. Maybe that's the true meaning of the "Slippery When Wet" title. Once you've tread on such mediocre grounds, you're bound to slip on them as you desperately try to find redeeming features that could save the album, to no avail. Sooner or later, you end up falling, and find out that it was all a waste of time. Hope I didn't waste yours with this lengthy review. Thank you for your attention, and have a good day. Number of albums left to review: 396 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 271 Albums from the list might* include in mine later on: 144 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 191 (including this one)
Good nothing ground breaking.
The unfortunate situation where the best songs on the album are overplayed to death thanks to classic pop-rock radio stations and minor league sporting games. The remaining songs are too bland to revisit, resulting in an album that is just not worth your time, even with the big hits being as big as they are, because you're already tired of them before they've even started.
Ha ok. Check your brain in at the door. This is no time to be po-faced. I probably wouldn't ever listen to any of this by choice (except for today) but I can't really argue with what it does. First half all well and good. This is so 1986 it almost hurts. Other stuff I might eviscerate for that but for some reason I just can't bring myself to do that to this. All I will say is partway through Raise Your Hands I realised I was bored, and was very much ready for the record to end three songs before the finish. Interesting how much the last song is a massive rip of mid 80s Bruce, fellow New Jersey bloke.
The hits are fun and familiar, but the rest of the album doesn’t do much for me.
Slippery When Wet is one of the albums I was forced to listen to when I was a kid in the late 80s. Overall my opinion of it hasn’t changed. The singles are good, everything else is a poor man’s guns and roses. The closer Wild in the Streets is a poor man’s Bruce Springsteen, they are better when impersonating Bruce than GnR. Maybe that’s only cause Bruce is better. All that being said, if you don’t sing along to Living on a Prayer at the top of your lungs, you are dead inside. 5.5
This album played and made very little impact. I suddenly realised it was back at the beginning. I think this is an example where the value is less than the sum of the parts. However, there are some obviously crowd pleasers on this album - and I include myself in that crowd.
Really iconic with so many classics. Rating: 4.2
'80s was best decade of the 20th century, by far. And it would had not been the same without this record
Didn't like the songs I already knew, didn't like the songs that I'd never heard before. Absolute shite.
I've always liked the singles very much but didn't pay attention to the whole album. Quite a good one but the singles definitely carry it a bit.
Bleh.
Biggest album of my freshman year.
Haven't gave this a listen in years. It's got the hits, so 80s in just the way I like. 4/5
This is the perfect example of 80s rock music. I've never been a huge Bon Jovi fan. They've got some bangers, but the lyrics are sophomoric, and the subject matter is full of tropes. I can't hate on it entirely, but I wouldn't have revisited this album on my own.
Hair metal is probably the stupidest genre to ever enter this earth
Da e nåken klassikera her. Plusspoeng for at Wanted Dead or Alive e så gøy på rock band
This guy really loves his pinch harmonics. Good guitar solo on the last song, lyrics abit corny and repetitive but some great songs in here. 3.5
Solid album
I don’t hate Bon Jovi and had some fun with this album. That said, if they were going to record one single song and copy/paste it 10 times, they could have picked a more interesting song.
OOOooooOOOO, Living on a Prayer! It's one of the most overplayed songs in the history of humankind, right after bones hitting the stones in a semi-rhytmic way. I probably even know the full lyrics, even though I never intended to. It's a hard listen nowadays, after being bombarded by it for years, same as the rest of the album that sounds like an elongation of said song, just not as catchy. I'll give it a good note, because the current, sarcastic me shouldn't come in front of the young, innocent person that has heard this song for the first time many years before. And the rest of the record is just there.
Classic 80s dad rock
In my book, this is the definition of rock music mediocrity. At the same time, I'll say with a straight face that Livin’ on a Prayer and You Give Love a Bad Name are rather catchy.
a couple of whatever songs but the record isn’t too long at least!! lots of all time classics to be found here. if the songwriting falters we have the performances to make up for it.
Ahh yes, hair metal. Metal for kids (like 12 year old me, for instance), grandmas, and ladies (it's actually documented how the subgenre finally got women into "metal"). I can see why Bon Jovi would be the champion of the subgenre. They're loud, catchy, and not as crude as other bands in the subgenre such as Guns'N'Roses. But Bon Jovi suffers the same problems as the other hair metal bands. First of all is of course the voluminous cheese all over it. Another is the fact that's it's more pop than rock/metal. It doesn't age well, it's predictable, and it's generic. Eventually, Bon Jovi, like their peers, would explore power ballad, then disappear, as if they ran out of tricks. Overall, Bon Jovi is as good as hair metal can get, and I still find myself vibing to their hits. But in addition to the subgenre problems mentioned above, Bon Jovi didn't make any daring feats (like GNR or Pantera). They just played it safe.
I remember very well when this album was getting a lot of airplay. I was in college at the time so it was played at parties too. I didn’t think much of it, good or bad, at the time. Just kind of harmless, sometimes fun, pop. I know there’s a lot of nostalgia for some of these songs in my age group, and that’s always enjoyable to watch. Listening to it now, I have a similar experience. It’s not bad, sometimes fun and catchy, but overall doesn’t do much for me.
Love this album, reminds me of playing guitar hero with my brother
Bon Jovi at their Bonniest and their Joviest.
There's a few good songs on it.
I feel like I should hate it but I also kind of don't. Side A was way better than Side B, which got a bit unbearable and I had to skip a few. Last track brought it back a bit. Don't think I could listen to it over and over, but it was an enjoyable listen for now. 3.5*
4/5. Every song on this album is pretty good minus 1-2. I really liked the deep tracks as everyone knows “Livin on a Prayer” and “Wanted Dead or Alive”. I particularly enjoyed “Social Disease” and “Raise your Hand.” Good, fun 1980s listen.
Gotta be honest, I did not expect this to start with a Dracula ass keyboard solo. Perhaps I should have. "Livin' on a Prayer," "Wanted Dead or Alive," and "You Give Love a Bad Name" are the pinnacle of hair metal. Arguably that is damning with faint praise, but they are genuinely good. It's just tough to suffer through the rest.
This album turned heavy into mainstream pop.
Almost perfect. 4.5/5 Standouts: You Give Love a Bad Name, Livin' on a Prayer, Wanted Dead or Alive, Never Say Goodbye, Let it Rock, Raise Your Hands, I'd Die for You So iconic, maybe a little overplayed over the years.
I think, like most people nowadays, had the chuckle-eye roll kneejerk reaction to this album being generated. But, hair metal is pretty much just meant to be fun, and this album very clearly is just that. It rightfully belongs in the list, and I enjoyed listening to it. Favorite track: You Give Love a Bad Name
The mainstream songs on the album have been overplayed to death, so I’m not a fan of them. However the rest of the album screams 80s glam rock and I’m all here for it.
Hu!
Some absolutely GREAT stuff on this! Some, not so much! But Bon Jovi rocking you out is not a bad way to spend some time so very enjoyable!
I’ve always felt that Bon Jovi are a pretty easy-to-like band, but I’m also aware that they seem to have a lot of haters too. It seems they were the Nickelback of the 80’s in that they’re undoubtedly successful with a lot of fans, but people will say say it’s not “real” rock music. I’ve somehow never listened to this album in full before, so let’s listen! Songs I already knew: You Give Love A Bad Name, Livin’ On A Prayer, Wanted Dead Or Alive Favourites: Wanted Dead Or Alive, You Give Live A Bad Name This is an album where everybody will know three songs. Aside from those three, there isn’t really much of interest to be found here. Everything else feels a bit too copy-and-pasted, as if after writing Livin’ On A Prayer they decided to write another song that was as similar as possible while still being technically different. Everything was very radio friendly and inoffensive, and nothing was exactly bad, it just didn’t make me feel much. Overall, three really good songs. You could realistically skip the rest and not lose much.
The singles on here are undeniably brilliant. I wasn’t sold on the idea of listening to the rest so took a bit of a run up. It was all so very 80s.
A little repetitive towards the end and it blends together in a not good way BUT some really solid parts when it gets there Favorite track: You Give Love A Bad Name
shot through the heart and youre to blame you give new jersey a bad name 1.5/5
I used to listen to Bon Jovi back in the day as a kid and thought they were awesome. Listening back now a lot of this stuff seems so bombastic and cheesy. Just his voice alone is so exaggerated, "YeeeEEAaaH, huhh!" *rock riff* They DO do the bombastic, woah woah hair metal thing effectively and well though, and there is plenty to like, with lots of great hooks, choruses and riffs. I think people can be too elitist about some of this stuff. I mean, come on, Livin' on a Prayer is superb. I don't care if people are sneering at me while I'm punching the air, I'm having a good time!
Kitschy and overplayed, Slippery When Wet is definitely not a thinking man’s record, but it is still a lot fun. This opened up the masses to metal, so it has value beyond 80s bar nights. The top selling record in the year I was born and forever burned in my mind given the prevalence of Livin on a Prayer at frat parties and post-college 3rd avenue bars. There are some solid lesser known tracks here like Raise Your Hands, featured in Spaceballs, and Never Say Goodbye which is maybe one of the best 80s ballads.
Great songs with such an iconic 80s sound. -1 for the awful power ballad
Ну хиты тут знаковые, иконы прям. Сам альбом просто неплохой и приятный уху Алкоальбом: яблочный джек дениэлс
With some artists it's important to remember the 5 Ds : Dodge, duck, dive, dip and ..... dodge. Whatever it takes to avoid a crap album. Just be careful that you don't slip though (cue drum roll) boom
Eekk a shit horrible combo of guitars and hair
Tried give the album an unbiased listen despite my initial misgivings and low expectations based on memories from when it came out and the seemingly endless playing of the hits Wish I hadn't bothered, turns out I was right all along. It's shit.
Painful. It hit every nerve in me that cried, "This is terrible." Somehow I listened to the whole thing, but it wasn't for me at all I am quite aware that there will be people for whom this is their #1 of all time. Let's agree to disagree.
What can I say... gotta love a few power anthems for karaoke! 3.5
Not bad, some of the songs are rather cheesy.
Multiple classics line the beginning of this album, but once you get past those the rest of the songs are pretty standard.
"Fuck Jon Bon Jovi" - Steve-o
Hear it for the big hits (if you’ve never heard them before what rock have you been hiding under??) namely ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’, ‘You Give Love A Bad Name’ and ‘Wanted Dead Or Alive’. ‘Let It Rock’ is a nice opener and ‘Wild In The Streets’ along with ‘Raise Your Hands’ are also catchy. The rest of 'Slippery When Wet' is a precursor to that real schmalzy shit Bon Jovi would dish up throughout the 90s and 2000s, it’s just a bit more tolerable and less nauseating here.
This album has some of Bon Jovi's biggest tracks, which are notable for being some of Bon Jovi's biggest tracks. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: Livin' On A Prayer Date listened: 15/06/23
Yeaaa
Hmm... was kind of surprised when this popped up. Robert Dimery must have had some affection for this in order to be included. I'll be amazed if anyone considers this to be their favorite album of all time because it sure as hell is not mine. Yeah, it is anthemic but there are moments throughout that reassures its overall one track minded nature (of course, it was the 80s and spandex worn rock and roll was the rage) and sense of sameness. Uh, it's Slippery When Wet. Yeah, no shit. Favorites: Livin' on a Prayer, Wanted Dead or Alive, Raise Your Hands, Without Love, Wild in the Streets.
Look. I will admit that this is a 25 year old having a great time with his band, singing high energy songs. I just can't enjoy it. To me it represents a community that has ruined the sound. 10 points for effort though, so I'll meet it half way.
I know lots of people hate this type of music, but I just can’t hate it. The songs probably aren’t good, but they’re fun to listen to in the car or with friends. I’m not ashamed to say I enjoyed this album.
Esto es otra cosa, jejeje :) (ONB) Lo ochentero casi nunca defrauda (PSP)
Great collection of songs that are absolute classics. Not much more you could ask for in a single release. These songs defined a decade.
i was quite prepared to dismiss this but it’s got solid heart and hooks and i’m man enough to admit i was wrong
It’s kind of like a three hit wonder. As if they blew the wad on the first album and sold their souls to the devil to get absolute rock ballads. The rest of the album has the same energy, and the same tired pop-metal; not quite hair metal, not quite MJ, but somewhere in the middle. Of course the 3 big boys are infectious classics that make even the most hardened rockers wail out in unison after a beer or two at the local saloon, and for those tracks alone this is a remarkable record. I just think it’s the toughest sophomore follow up ever… the put themselves in a huge hole. Other than that, I’ve heard these songs sooooo manyyyyy timesssss. Subjectively not something I want to hear again.
ok
People who don't like this album are the people who think rollercoasters are only for kids. They're just snobby and sticks in the mud. It's not a perfect album, but it's fun, and when you're from New Jersey, it's practically illegal to dislike Bon Jovi. That might make me a bit biased, but this album is full of stadium anthems and is the definition of a good time. Livin' On A Prayer and You Give Love A Bad Name are absolute classics, and the non-singles are great.
It's 80s rock - while it is a good example of it, it really is of its time.
YOU'RE LISTENING TO FUCKLER ROCK FM RADIO *eagle sound effect* THE ONLY RADIO STATION WITH BALLS. THIS AIN'T YOUR GRANNY'S MUSIC *explosion sound effect* ROCK SO HARD, YOUR DICK WILL GET HARD AS WELL *Livin' On A Prayer starts playing* Cheesy, fake, plastic, but also kind of endearing in a way. Can't say I'm not glad that Hair Metal is a thing of the distant past now, but it sure was a thing that happened.
I didn’t hate this one actually a lot of good songs and I was surprised how many I’d already heard. Name of the album and the album cover is pretty cool.
Album 46 of 1001 Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet Favorite Track : Never Say Goodbye Rating : 4 / 5 Good solid album. Many so-called aficionados like to pan it, but I think it was an apt representation of the genre and the time.
I can smell the aqua net just listening to this album.
I love it and I hate it
det här är ett skämt va?
I thought i'd give this a 2 rather than a 1, as it does have A LOT of hits (although they're all pretty bad). But the deep cuts on here are some of the worst songs i've ever heard.
2.5
Ok I hated Bon Jovi back in the day. But man he can write bangers. And now with hindsight and without him being overplayed to death, objectively this album is full of well crafted songs. You won't catch me listening to this album regularly willingly, but if it's on, I'm going to like it.
Bon Jovi is silly fun to listen to and impossible to take seriously. It's not a masterpiece and will never be one. Is it something that I listen to frequently or would actively play? Nope. But it is definitely something that I don't mind when it's playing and I actually quite enjoy when songs like "Livin' On A Prayer" comes on. It's something of a guilty pleasure to be completly honest. Bon Jovi, at least for me, isn't an album listening experience. It's a song here and there that puts a smile on my face when it plays.
Power ballad heavy. Fun to Jam to
I thought I would hate it and I didn't!
my childhood in an album
Oh it makes lots of other people happy, it's a vibe, it's a snapshot of a certain time in history, I ain't being a snob.
So couple of stray thoughts on this one. Genius inclusion of Wanted Dead or Alive in the original Rock Band game. You had to really explore the space while singing ‘I’ve been everywhere, still I’m standing tall!’ I was fully prepared to give this a 5 sight unseen but the non-single tracks are so forgettable. Top 10 worst album covers for how many good songs are on this. I know the story behind why they had to change it last minute but come on.
I'd rather just die.
80s metal is one of my least favorite things.
I owned this on tape. It's not my fault, my mom bought it for me. It made them Millions.
Three bangers on this album and the rest are not bad. A strong four.
Big songs on this one, Jon isn't my favorite but this is a decent album.
Pretty solid 4
Are we halfway there yet?
Some well known classics along with a enjoyable rock sound. Most of it is pretty forgettable but fun to listen non the less
It's shit, I hate it, but it would seem disingenuous to give it 1* as it was defo influential and catchy.
Classic 80s rock. A slight whiff of cheese but fundamentally awesome riffs and banging tunes
Sinceramente pensé que iba a ser un disco aburrido. El disco se me pasó rápido, hay tracks olviables pero los clasicos lo remontan. También cabe destacar que Bon Jovi suena como la banda de rock que quiere sonar como rock poniendo distorición y piques con 5ª. En fin este disco da una idea de lo que es Bon Jovi, una banda con buenos hits, pero que suenan como una banda de pop cuando el rock pesado la estaba rompiendo. Se curten de extravagantes y no son más qeu una combinación popera de lo que estaba sonando en ese momento. Eso no quiere decir que no la hayan roto toda y suenen bien. A veces recuerdan a Van Halen, solo que con menos rock, se nota en sus letras y en su delivery al cantar, los coros, etc. Como dije un disco difrutable pero no muchp más que eso 6/10.
Droit au but
il me saoule de ouf mais comment ne pas dodeliner de la tête sur livin on a prayer .......
Recognized some songs I heard when ai was a kid, so that was a nice reminder. Overall it was an alright album. Would listen to it again sometime
Just not mine, not fish not flesh
Wild this is almost 40 years old. The wailing guitars are iconic. Wanted Dead or Alive is one of my favorite songs. There are bangers here. That being said, it felt like a collection of songs with a bunch of stand outs rather than a top-to-bottom killer. 4/5
Nothing challenging here, (apart from the high note on the chorus of 'Livin On A Prayer' after the key change), but it's a perfectly serviceable 80s rock album. I listened to this a lot as a teen, but have no recollection of about three songs on the second half!
The problem with this one is it is played out! But that's no fault of Bon Jovi's and every song on here bought each band member a house. So, when something goes so mainstream it defines mainstream and in itself becomes a stereotype, do we blame the art? No, we blame whatever derivative garbage came next that tried to rip this off. Therefore, there are some solid, iconic riffs and staples of the genre all over this album. Ballads, arena rockers, and everything in between. Is it a bit "by the numbers?" YES! But this album rocks and gathered tremendous success as one of the most famous rock records of all time. The album does feature catchy hooks and sing-along choruses, but the songs lack the depth and complexity that make a great rock album. The lyrics are often clichéd and predictable, and the music is formulaic and lacks innovation. Overall, "Slippery When Wet" may be a decent album to put on in the background during a party, but it doesn't offer much beyond surface-level entertainment.
2.5/5
Full of bangers. Well, 80% bangers, which is better than most.
Mid
Cheesy and a bit silly
This just kinda fucking sucks
Hit and miss. A few songs are okay, and others are practically begging to be radio singles. Meh.
I was born and raised in the greater Philly region. I believe that they piped this album into the water supply during my middle school years. My fist-pumping responses to these tracks are born of genetic indoctrination. That said, it’s not a bad album, even if the lyrics are a bit puerile.
Bon Jovi's music is rock music that is just too polished for me. The album is fine enough for some background music though.
Ick
Damn, when did I start unironically enjoying cheesy 80s hair metal? I thought this was a banger of an album to be honest, with quite a few songs I already knew well, a couple of great songs that were new to me and one or two I didn't much care for, but overall I can't fault this at all. I enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting. Favourite: I'd Die For You
An impress list of all-timers throughout this album. Even the lesser known songs are so damned catchy and well-performed. This is an ascending rock band at the point where they’re going to takeoff. A true moment in 1980s rock n roll.
Much hair! Such hits! Fun listen. Crazy how redundant the lyrics are.
something a dad would really like
Def Leppard wishes they could rock as hard as these butts. Makes me wish I could retroactively change my Def Leppard score.
This is an interesting one. This had a lot of low ratings. I don’t really get it, sure it’s dated but the hits are still huge today. It’s not a perfect album, but it does what it’s meant to pretty well: be a fun album. You could do a lot worse, especially in the genre of hair bands.
A bunch of hits on here, but, well, it’s pretty average isn’t it? Sanitised rock with nothing interesting to say and only vaguely enjoyable to listen to.
Ok
Another new one for me. Decent album with a few killer tracks
I'd give this a 3.5 if I could but have gone for 3. It's samey but also the sort of album with songs on that you meet at certain important points of your life and your life feels a film with a soundtrack.
living on a prayer, the perfect song if you want a more grating and less poetic Springsteen song to play at a Christian fundamentalist wedding
I'm a bit mixed on this one. On the one hand, it was pretty nice background music and most of the albums lately have been pretty bad. On the other hand, in terms of hard rock or even heavy metal, it's hard to take this album serious. Bon Jovi sounds like a fictional rock/metal band in a romcom movie about a rocker and a girly girl falling in love - made to sound non-offensive to the moviegoers who don't like rock music. The music doesn't have any depth at all. But I do get the appeal of the easy stadium anthems and there are few hard rock songs that work so well in karaoke as Livin' On A Prayer or You Give Love A Bad Name. Rounding up from 3.5 stars, mostly because I gave the last two albums 1 star and this is still so so much better.
Great songs to start of the album, then it falls of quite a bit. Still some iconic 80s sounds, good stuff!
Obviously the three amazing songs on it make it a great album but honestly there's a lot of average songs on here.
3,5
This was my first tape cassette. My mom bought for me when I was 6 or 7. We were a MTV household, I grew up on music videos and you give love a bad name and living n a prayer were in heavy rotation. I had no understanding of what the lyrics in those songs meant but the music grabbed me. Rocking guitars and catchy chorus's. I used to jam to it on a little yellow, one speaker cassette player. Then one day my baby bro no older than 2 got a hold of the cassette and ripped the tape out and I haven't listened to the whole album since. It comes out fires blazing with 2 out of the first 3 tracks being those I already mentioned. Wanted Dead or Alive is another great track but the rest of the album falls short. It'll probably another 35 years before I listen to anything other than tracks 2,3 or 5 of this album.
Some BIG stadium classics and some very questionable lyrics. Stadium rock that isn't really for me.
You Give Love A Bad Name, Livin' On A Prayer, and Wanted Dead Or Alive — two good songs and one great one. If you only heard those three songs, you wouldn’t know how terrible this album is. They saved it from a one star rating. There's some variety to their failures: D-grade Van Halen impressions and bad Journey vibes top my own list. Apologies should've been issued to their influences for this mostly terrible record.
Great straight forward meat and potatoes, suburban anthem rock and roll. I enjoyed most of it and can't deny there is some catchy stuff going on. Close your eyes and it is stone wash and teased mullet big hair for miles
Power Ballads and arena rock abound. The singles have transcended into omnipresent pop culture.
It was good but nothing too exciting, was enjoyable though
There are definitely some bangers here, but, yea.
This album aged like milk for me, it inexplicably got worse every listen. There are a few great songs scattered throughout the record but for the most part the entire album comes off as highly repetitive and simplistic. There isn't much depth to the tracks, which isn't inherently a problem but makes repeated listenings exhausting - I got almost everything I could out of the album just from the first listen. Standout tracks for me were You Give Love A Bad Name, obviously, and Raise Your Hands, but I actually don't particularly foresee myself returning to any other song from this LP, including the other two singles. This gets a lukewarm, but strong, 2/5. It was originally going to be a 3 but the sheer exhaustion I got from repeated listenings soured the taste too significantly.
I LOVED this record when I was little kid. It's very polished pop music with a hard rock (hair metal?) shroud. There are some bangers here and it brings back some good memories but it doesn't do much more than that for me anymore.
Too much of this growing up
⭐Livin’ on a Prayer
Era defining: sounds like sweaty people with big hair rocking out in the 80s. It’s fun, not really my vibe, but I can understand it in the context of its time.
Mid-80s stadium rock with a slick production, good players and fantastic hooks. The downside is Jon Bon Jovi, who is taking himself way too seriously, with his over-the-top singing and corny, cringeworthy lyrics. Best example for all of these points: Never Say Goodbye. Still, in the right mood, this album can be quite enjoyable, albeit in a guilty pleasure kind of way. 3.5/5
What an album, Slippery When Wet is what I'd call an essential 80s album. Bon Jovi really knocked it out of the park with this one. With all time classic tracks like You Give Love A Bad Name and Livin' On A Prayer, it doesn't get much bigger than these. What was most surprising to learn was that Jon Bon Jovi thought that Livin' On a Prayer was not a great song, guess he ate his words pretty quick. Best: You Give Love A Bad Name; Livin' On A Prayer Worst: Wild In The Streets 3.5 Stars
first half of this album is truly dog ass; second half is tolerable. whole experienced is saved only by the big hits and "I'm a cowboy on a steel horse I ride" (ironically). best tracks: you give love a bad name, without love
beautiful. i love rock. long live bon jovi!
Absolutely excellent album. 5/5
my dad’s a huge fan of hard rock — it was never really that hard tho for some reason like it was mostly just Queen and Bon Jovi but yeah, I feel like I haven’t heard You Give Love a Bad Name in like a decade so it’s pretty fun hearing that again and Living on a Prayer is amazing too looking back on it now, it’s a pretty cheesy album, but I can still really enjoy it I wouldn’t say I’m a huge fan of Bon Jovi, but on a personal level, I LOVE Jon Bon Jovi ❤️ he’s an amazing person
I expected to hate this but turns out it's pretty perfect pop music - fun to listen to but immediately forgettable. Feels like McDonald's for your ears.
so hard to take bon jovi seriously these days, but it's actually pretty good.
Bland, generic 80s hair metal.
fuck Bon Jovi
A real crotch rocket of a banger-fest we have on our hands with this one, packed to the gills with pure 80's hair metal and gold plated bona-fide rock god classics with You Give Love a Bad Name, Livin' On A Prayer and Wanted, Dead or Alive. Want something to rock out to and smash a couple of jack and cokes this is the fucking ticket to ride. Would listen to again for sure.
I was familiar with a lot of the songs. I had not heard the entire album before. It was a fun album. The most of the songs are catchy. The first half of the album is better than second half. I would probably listen to it again, but I don't think I would pick the album. It is better than a 3, not really a 4, but I will round up.
This album probably got an extra star because I was listening to it while riding a motorcycle.
Thoroughly enjoyed. Felt like I was 16 again!
Good album. Some classics on this one that's for sure.
Pretty good, a bit poppy for my tastes
This album was great for what it was.
Horrible
Great album, quintessential 80’s rock.
It's hair metal but one of the few hair metal bands who are pretty good. Richie Sambora really loves his pinch harmonics and his solos are simplistic compared to his peers but they still fit. This album would be much better with some epic solos though. This album has a lot to offer in hits and deep tracks.
Damn, Bon Jovi really broke out their Big Book of Cliches for this one. I feel like it is only on this list due to its commercial success, and it only had commercial success because of three hits which are 'good' at best. The second half packed with cheesy, soapy love songs really put me off this album. 4/10
ja good soup
I sure as Hell won't become THIS kind of uncle. I draw the line here.
Classic 80s!
There’s a lot of whiplash when you read the reviews of this album on this website. It’s fine. I don’t think I really, really like any 80s hair metal songs, but I also don’t really mind them when they’re on. So this is just a 3 for me.
I wasn’t a fan of this when it came out and it’s not my genre but the album has grown on me. I went to Rock in Rio in 2013 and Bon Jovi played one of the nights. I didn’t attend that night but all the concerts were streamed throughout the city. I enjoyed seeing them play some of the songs from this album. Living on a Prayer is an anthem that I quite enjoy these days. Also, this album is the favourite of one of my sons. Enough said.
So Bad. I think the lyrics are the worst part. They're one rock and roll cliché piled on top of another with rhyming schemes that are laughable. I'm proud that for the most part I don’t recognize any of these songs. By 1986 I was listening to college radio exclusively and managed to be oblivious to all of this horrid 12X platinum pop metal for the masses. Some of the guitar solos seem OK but I'll let my brother be the judge.
The album cover sucks, the title "slippery when wet" is cliched and the music is an abomination. Why 1,001 decided that this horrible hair-band album deserved inclusion is beyond me. This is one of the worst that I've heard yet.
Vraiment insipide. Même les hits n'arrivent pas à remonter la moyenne d'appréciation de l'album.
Few bangers but overall meh
Honestly a lot of bops. I don’t like Bon Jovi but you gotta respect this albums hits.
Surprising number of hits on this album. Stereotypical 80’s lite metal sound, which is not intended to be negative. Memorable rock anthem, great writing, playing, and performing. I remember this album being very popular when it came out.
Overplayed and overhyped. JBJ was a better actor than musician
This has the Bon Jovi songs I like so this was actually enjoyable.
Couple classics but pretty average except for then
Some absolute bangers. Reminds me of my tape of Crossroads from growing up
This is a great, fun album with some knockout tracks!
A classic. The hits are all fantastic: #2 You Give Love A Bad Name, #3 Livin On A Prayer, #5 Wanted Dead or Alive, & #9 Never Say Goodbye.
good good. better than i was expecting
I honestly like his newer stuff even better.
This was way better than I thought it would be.
Not liking this album is like not liking Top Gun. Is it the best thing ever made? Of course not, but just enjoy yourself and stop over thinking it.
Part of the greatness of the 80s
In retrospect, writing a glowing 5 star review of Springsteen’s “Darkness at the Edge of Town” that doubled as a homage to New Jersey, my home state, was…a mistake. There’s no doubt that the generator saw that review and is now challenging me. “Oh, you love New Jersey, huh??? New Jersey’s the best place in the country, is it? Well, let’s see you defend this New Jersey-shaped turd.” I can’t and won’t. Bon Jovi is a blight upon the Garden State. You can make that my epitaph. This album cover is literally a photo of a trash bag. If that doesn’t tell you everything you need to know about Slippery When Wet, then nothing I say will change your mind.
"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. Our testosterone was at a very high level back then." PREFS : Raise Your Hands, Wild in the Streets MOINS PREF : Social Disease
3.5 stars. Album has some big catchy hits, but it also seems like this is what you'd get if you told an AI to write radio-friendly 80s stadium rock.
I've always enjoyed Bon Jovi and know he was a rock legend, but I never listened to anything but his greatest hits. Slippery When Wet is an incredible 80s rock album that doesn't slow down. It's basically all killer, no filler. 5/5. Favorite Track: Livin' On A Prayer
Big hooks, big sound, big feeling. This was absolutely not my thing when it came out, but I've come around a bit on it. The singles hold up well and are a fun listen. And as an album, it's extremely well conceived and arranged, a whole vibe. Catchy, anthemic 80s music that rocks. Fave Songs: You Give Love a Bad Name, Livin' on a Prayer, I'd Die for You, Never Say Goodbye, Wanted Dead or Alive
Lot of hits.
JBJ is really convincing. He is 100% in it. And there are some really enjoyable songs on this
A great rock album with three huge singles. Big.
It was passable
Very good, can't really go wrong with this album
I remember when I was a kid thinking this is what a proper rockstar is. After listening to this, I was wrong.
I've always enjoyed Bon Jovi and know he was a rock legend, but I never listened to anything but his greatest hits. Slippery When Wet is an incredible 80s rock album that doesn't slow down. It's basically all killer, no filler. 5/5. Favorite Track: Livin' On A Prayer
4 stars for the fact it has 3 amazing hits on it and that they are all actually solid musicians. Sambora in particular is great. Trashy, broad, stadium rock mostly though
This album provides for an interesting comparison with Hysteria by Def Leppard, as both of the two albums were pop rock mega hits. I really enjoyed Hysteria, but this album left me a bit cold. I think that part of it is due to familiarity, since I've heard this album more than that one, and the hits have definitely been overplayed relative to Def Leppard. Slippery When Wet also feels a bit generic, though. It reminds me of how I feel when I listen to the Black Keys. It just feels like generic rock, like they're just playing what they're supposed to play without trying to do anything interesting or personal. It's fine, there's a place in the world for stadium rock, and Bon Jovi does that well. It's just not that interesting to listen to a bunch of those songs back to back Still, though, 3/5
Straight 80's time capsule. Some of the hits have persevered and have been prominent my whole life. Interesting write up in the article about how this was a breakthrough for metal to go mainstream, but this will always be Classic Rock for me
Shit sandwich
er eiginlega springstein plata með þungarokksáhrifum. mér finnast smellirnir ágætir en restin frekar döll. efast um að við eigum frekari samleið.
Urgh… insincere Didn’t like it then … don’t like now
noooooooo, horrible
Absolute sing-a-long classic rock
Never really been a Bon Jovi fan. Pretty standard sound.
Objectively speaking, this period of the 80s wasn’t the best time for hard rock, and bon jovi proves that. That being said, I do get a bit of enjoyment out of listening to him, so the 3/5 is just personal preference
Hair metal
Two stars... Livin on a prayer get in the bin.
This isn't my favorite hair metal, but as hair metal goes, it's pretty good. I mean, just in terms of listenable songs, song structure-wise and melody-wise, pretty good. I appreciate the attempts at story-songs, too. If somebody was like "Is hair metal any good?" then I think you'd give them this and let them make up their mind.
I like hair metal. A lot. I never really dug Bon Jovi. I would suggest there were better songwriters (Jani Lane of Warrant), better musicians (Extreme spring ti mind), and guys like Skid Row whose peaks were higher than Bon Jovi's. But what this collection demonstrates is that the Jovi boys had enough of all these elements to hit the sweet spot - rocking, yes, but with broad everyman appeal and hooky tunes precision-tooled for stasis. I can't hate it. Even the songs I've heard a thousand times still do a job. Heck, 'Wanted Dead or Alive' absolutely rules. "I've seen a million faces - and I've rocked them all" is one for the ages.
A lot of classics here, a lot of Bon Jovi growl and shredding guitars
I mean its bon jovi so its really what you would expect, still has some undeniable bangers on it though 6.5/10
Banger first half ,ok second half
osea seamos sinceros alguien esperaba que me encante bon jovi? 6/10
This was the second album I ever fell in love with, all the way back in middle school, and it is still straight up fire through and through. The High point of hair metal.
Fuck, this is jampacked. I did not anticipate this many potent songs, I figured Bon Jovi had a bit more of a spread, but now I see they had an excellent birth of pop hair metal that really grabbed a stranglehold on Gen Xers everywhere.
Cheesy as hell, feels very forced but there are saving graces like the production, especially the mixing (the high bass was a very pleasant surprise) but it can't hide the fact that the music included just isn't very good. I especially dislike the lyrics that are just Robert Plant knockoffs, substituting bland cliché for bland cliché. Overall, the record felt forced and uninspired, much longer than the 40 minute runtime would have you think. A disappointing record.
Obviously has some bangers. Also enjoyed a lot of songs I didn’t know, Wild In The Streets especially was fun - great guitar! Very cohesive. Becoming slightly fatigued by decades-old rock after four in a row though.
Good can’t believe all the big hits from one album. Classic
Kova! En edes muistanut, että Jovikin on tehnyt joskus "raskasta" rockia.
BJ ei ikinä mulle breikannut mitenkään, mut onhan tää ihan hyvä levy, sisältäen aikamoisia hittejä
The singles are head and shoulders above the rest of the album cuts, but these guys are 80's rock legends, with good ol' JBJ's boyish charm, kickass voice, and wingman Sambora's squealing pinch harmonic guitar breaks and vocal harmonies.
Great album, don’t own a copy but for its genre, really very good
Pretty fun not much to say tho rly, contains some absolute bangers Fav (new) song: raise your hands
Not a lot of variety, and the lyrics are really dumb; but the big hits are sure catchy!
Goeie cheesy glam metal
Everyone knows every song on here, I enjoyed it in the context of 1001 but wouldn't rush back as I'm fairly sure the big songs will keep popping up till the end of time anyway. Always been a bit too cheesy for me, but I respect what they're doing.
Not for me
JBJ - being married to his childhood Sweetheart for 30+ years is nice! JBJ - as a philanthropist is great JBJ as a singer is grating BJ as a band is mindnumbing I don’t even have the energy to mock them. But they have written some successful ear worms and I don’t hate them.
The usual hits were good, also liked "Wild In the Streets"
a 5 just for having all of those hits
a few real bangers here
Big Hair P(l)op
Hit after hit. There are few albums that scream 1986 as loudly as this one. Great songwriting and production land an album that still holds up!
This is a tough one for me. I grew up with it, it just devoured the airspace around me. But was just never a Bon Jovi fan. I have seen them live and live with one of their biggest fans...but again, not my thing. Still, hard to deny, You Give Love a Bad Name (the nerve to open it with just vocals before kicking into the track), Livin' On A Prayer, Wanted Dead Or Alive, I'd Die for You. This is one of the ultimate mid 80s albums to be fair, and I know most of it already...I just hold grudges I guess about being forced to hear it ad nauseam. Going middle of the road, again, grudgingly.
some of their biggest hits on here, the Bon Jovi fans must have lost their minds when this came out, felt like an extended end to a night in a club cheese room though
Actually liked it, some pure cheese and soft core porn sounds but generally a good album
Dedícame una bon
omg I know this album so well
Прослушано! Альбом супер, слушать и слушать.
didn't seem to age as well to me, although liked it a lot back in the day.
Absolute banger of an album, maybe it's just nostalgia from listening to this growing up, but I love it.
I wonder what Tommy and Gina are up to these days?
I had never listened to a Bon Jovi album coming into this, though I had a fully-formed opinion about the band (and its frontman). In this case, that has been thoroughly reinforced having sat through "Slippery When Wet." Jon Bon Jovi has a vocal range and a timbre made for this style of hard-edged pop-rock. Great range — dude can sing. When the songs are at their best — you know the mega hits — they're just fine. You've learned the melody by the end of the first chorus, you can sing along by the time we're midway through. Made for radio (MTV), it's easy to understand why these were popular songs. It doesn't make them any less silly. "You give love a bad name" was always just shy of clever — like a framed embroidery you might buy at the Cracker Barrel shop. Feed the masses something that tastes like food but is mostly devoid of substance. What surprised me was just how much of this album I recognized. So, a 3-star rating for how deeply this burrowed into the collective consciousness. But Bon Jovi has been elevated to a status beyond his merits. He's deserved to enjoy a nice life based on his massive sales and popularity. But he's revered as some sort of songwriting genius, and that's taking this music too seriously. "Love is a social disease" might make for a line that makes you smirk upon hearing it, but it's no great revelation. I guess that could have been my entire review.
I remember when this was out and popular. It was maybe the first time I realized I had nothing in common with most of America. Jon is such a poser of a singer and the album is just one cliche after another. As Sadie put it: "This band is mid." Having said that, "Living on a Prayer" is fucking great. So it's gets an extra star.
I find this band boring. I've got such a bad association with New Jersey and this band, this album, this year all congeals in trite lyrics and stereotypical riffs. I know it's an important 80s album to people who like this sort of thing. I do think the album title is funny and clever.
Just superb.
I certainly recall how this album dominated in the 80's. It's rock with a heavy flourish of pop that at times seems a bit dated, but i certainly can appreciate the 3 bangers on this album as well as a lot of the other strongs are strong. Even though i hadn't heard many of these songs before, i didn't think of any of them as filler. A landmark album.
Not as bad as I was expecting but man it is cheesy. You give love a bad name is top notch though
Enjoyed the inane rhyming.
Listening to a Bon Jovi song on the radio every once and a while is fun but a whole album? no
I’m not wet but this album definitely fucks. Only song that truly sucks is Without Love. Probably a true 3.5 but fuck it 4 stars!
It's only right that this list represents as many genres as possible, and that includes beerhouse classics. These are the songs that dudes love to sing after they've had one too many beers, thinking that they're such talented and charismatic rockstars. Spoiler alert: they're not. Five stars for the confidence that Bon Jovi offers people, but no five stars for the music I'm afraid. Listening to this confirmed my belief that this music is full of clichés. The lyrics scream about the power of rock & roll, brotherhood, or PROUDLY declaring your love to your girl. The vocals are heavy and raspy, plus guitar solos and drum parts are abundant. If you asked younger folks to describe what they thought music was like in the '80s, this is exactly the album they would imagine. All of that makes it big, bold, and fun - for sure. But this record is nothing mindblowing really, it's another case of "If you've heard the singles, you've heard the whole album." The deep cuts are just lesser versions of the big hits. Give me a greatest hits album and I'll 5-star that baby easily, but can't do that here.
https://i.imgur.com/csnW6i7.jpg 3/5 very nice
I’ve never heard this album cover-to-cover but I’ve heard all the hits on it dozens of times. And I’m pretty familiar with Bon Jovi and their tricks. As a former songwriter myself, I’m well-versed in the “musical crack” techniques that just always make songs better- hand-clapping, modulating up a half step on the last chorus, cowbell, massive everyone-in-the-crowd-shouting backing vocals, etc. Some bands are more or less shameless about abusing these, but I don’t think anyone quite has zero shame like Bon Jovi. The big one they use here is huge chorus vocals, but all the favorites are mixed in. Four-on-the-floor drumming on the last chorus of “You Give Love a Bad Name”. Basically all of “Livin’ on a Prayer”, which is basically a clinic in how to make a monster hit. And it’s not like it doesn’t work- in fact it works spectacularly well, it’s just a little cheap. I also didn’t totally understand until hearing this CD how Bon Jovi was considered metal in 1988. Even vs similar bands like Poison they always seemed a little light. But you get more of that on here. Songs like “Social Disease” and “Raise Your Hands” are more like the other glam metal bands, they just didn’t go anywhere because they’re not that good, and all Bon Jovi’s pop hits are amazing. Which brings me to how I liked the CD. It’s OK- the top of the order is absurdly stacked, with five straight strong songs, three of them classic pop hits. And the rest of the CD is fine, but just not the same. I think part of that is that there’s sort of an uncanny valley effect with pop hitmaking- if something fails to land, it really fails hard. It’s tough to really say what it is about eg “Never Say Goodbye” that makes it not “Livin on a Prayer”, but they’re not the same, and by falling just short of sticking the landing, “Never Say Goodbye” and the ilk end up falling into a pit. Basically the whole 2nd half of the CD is like that. I really struggle with describing just what it is that fails- is it the genericness of singing about my girl vs Tammy? I don’t know. Kudos also to Bon Jovi the vocalist- he’s amazing. One of the best.
Very solid classic album
It's great even though Jon is ripping is throat out in every song.
3 absolute killer tracks
Bon Jovi are the Pet Shop Boys from the American guitar rock in the sense that at their first 4 albums or so, they wrote extremely catchy hit songs: take Runaway from '84, or on this album: You Give Love a Bad Name, Livin' on a Prayer and Wanted Dead or Alive, all 5-stars songs. But then at some point the albums became solid at most. Always thought this was due to their Bruce Springsteen influences taking over, but On Slippery When Wet it is BS all over, but is mixed with 80s pop music. Still sounds great and at the time, I really liked the album. But would have rated it as 4-star album, as the song material was a little too inconsistent. Really wanted to give it 5-stars this time, but stick to my view from 35 years ago.
Radio-friendly hard rock. It is what it is.
Always found this a bit (too) smooth but there are in fact quite a number of killer songs on this album.
Insipid nonsense. Moving on swiftly...
3.5...a nostalgic classic for sure. If you take all of Bon Jovi's best songs you get one great album.
Amazing freaking album
Cet album est à réécouter. Un classique du rock.
It used to be whenever I met someone from New Jersey I would ask them what their favorite Springsteen tune was. I think they used to issue you one when you were born along with a social security number and a birth certificate. A few years ago though people started telling me they were more into Bon Jovi. On a superficial level it's all the same I guess. Listening to this for the first time in about 35 years I can hear it in a way I didn't catch onto back then. Hell, just calling a song "Raise Your Hand" or "Wild in the Streets" evokes The Boss and both come off as pretty decent pastiches (it feels like the plural of pastiche should just be pastiche but the internet says pastiches) and I'm guessing if i was hearing the big three from this album (you know which three) I might hear echoes of Springsteen there too but those songs were such big hits that I can't separate them from Bon Jovi, it's impossible. Anyway, Jon Bon Jovi is no Bruce Springsteen and his band is definitely no E Street Band but he and Sambora (with the occasional assist of Desmond Child) can sure write a pop hook and ape Springsteen if you don't pay too much attention. The less said the better about the stupid (not in a good way) "Social Disease" and one of the worst songs of the 80s "Never Say Goodbye." After all that I can't give this less than three stars. Nobody is more surprised by this than I am.
Boy, I sure liked this album as a child but doesn't hold up at much as I would have liked. Would be interesting to hear an updated non-80's version.
I'd always thought that these hair pop metal poodles were a bit of a joke. And they are, it's just I'm glad I'm in on it. Best Tracks: You GIve Love a Bad Name; Living on a Prayer; Raise Your Hands
1986 and I was in two but I turned them as proper metal, when this came out, it was hated by me and my peers as it was felt that this was a solo album. Bon Jovi had become something less than heavy metal. Fast forward 35 years, and I listen to it now with a very different here, I appreciate it as one of those albums change the face of rock. Having listened to it, a few times, I can understand its commercial appeal and what it did for the music genre. It’s not an album that I would listen to regularly but it’s wonder if I were in the right frame of mind I would enjoy
Niestety to nie pierwsze rodeo z Bon Jovi, ale skoro juz mialem okazje sie meczyc z tym albumem wczesniej, to nie musze strzepic uszkodzonego palca dzisiaj na przemyslenia albumowe, bo z niewielka liczba band mam tak negatywne wspomnienia jak z Jovinami
One of the better of the hair band entries from the 80s. Variety of sound, production value, musicality in terms of melody, musicianship, harmonies. It holds up and certainly defined my high school years.
J'ai envoyé un courriel à Robert et celui-ci m'a bien confirmé que Bon Jovi appartient à la catégorie des joyeux gueulards.
Bon Jovi vient prendre la tête du classement des joyeux gueulards du générateur grâce à cet excellent album. D'aucun diront que Bon Jovi appartient d'avantage à la caste des tristes gueulards, mais cette classification n'a pas encore été acceptée par le tribunal du gueulard rock.
This is a great album full of tunes
I am 10 years old again, listening to 89FM and big hair rock is fkin cool.
Pas trop mon kiff mais certaines chansons sont bien. 3,5/5
I can enjoy this for what it is, and what it is is often cheesy, always catchy, pop rock/hair metal. Is it great? Not necessarily. But it's nice to listen to. Maybe it helps that I was born in the mid 90s and wasn't really ever subjected to hearing this kind of music at its peak.
There are some indisputably fun songs on here (although I don’t know if Jon was going for “fun”). There are some stinkers. On the whole a decent album, and that intro organ riff pushes it up to a four for me
it’s exactly what i’d expect from bon jovi, which isn’t much. organ was fun
gross.
Probably a 3.5 - but for the time and style its pretty enjoyable. Fun, fair amount of hits, and nowhere near as cheesy as hair metal can go. Shows why they've lasted so long.
I don’t like this at all.
Eh. Not unlistenable, I suppose.
Overplayed singles that I'm sick of, but the album as a whole is a good listen.
LP
This wasn't bad, just very forgettable. I think this might be a 1 star if it wasn't for the couple of hard hitting in your face single tracks. I didn't hate it, just didn't find anything here particularly interesting.
A very entertaining album to listen to filled with classic hits
You know the hits, other than that its okay. Lyrics are pretty bad at times but instruments are decent at least.
Sarà pop? Sarà fatto "apposta" per piacere? Sarà poco profondo? Fa niente! Ha 'You give love a bad name', 'Livin on a prayer' e 'Wanted dead or alive', che possono tranquillamente giocarsela come migliori di canzoni di sempre, contornate da un sacco di hit, che non a caso continuano a essere suonate nei live come 'Let it rock', 'Raise your hands' (<3) e 'Never say goodbye'. Influisce anche il fatto che siano il mio gruppo preferito.
C'est juste du bonbon... impossible de ne pas chanter. Certains passages de synthétiseurs ont moins bien vieilli, c'est sûr. Mais j'assume ce plaisir.
I’ve never listened to this album but have heard a lot of the songs on the radio- not really my thing tbh but not the worst thing I’ve heard
That vibrato those high hats.
The organs are fun. But this music is only enjoyable if you are listening to one song at a party. Only listen to bon Jovi in album format if you want to cringe for 45 mins and wish you were at a party, drunk.
While a bit of a dated relic of an album, I think it holds up quite well with the other albums of its time. I enjoyed this album quite a bit and I'd listen to it again.
Good classic rock albulm with riffs and bangers.
Classic rock. Sibling had this on cassette when I was in high school. Loved it at the time.
Lol this is wild freaky without contextual cues