Slippery When Wet

This is one of those "side B significantly weaker than side A" situations.

What a fabulous head of hair Mr Bon Jovi still has. “You Give Love a Bad Name” is better than I remember. I can hear why it was so popular. Nice to have metal without over the top gore lyrics that’s radio friendly. These songs are very relatable, especially “Livin’ on a Prayer”—lost blue collar job, her job sucks—but hopeful. Even “Social Disease” is a positive love is a disease song. “Raise Your Hands” has the whole gun, surrender, war type language but it’s not what the song is about. It’s as though the band was able to slip in heavy metal language and work the songs to not be about graphic violence. Missed an opportunity to have “Never Say Goodbye” as the last song. Multiple songs about love. Possibly a bit more adult in a non-porn outlook from these guys? It’s like blue collar American pop metal. I’m glad that record execs nixed the other cover. Despite the album title, it’s not reallly that type of album sound. Really, probably should have had a different name.

Usual Bon Jovi mix of regular ole rock with some glam thrown in. Certainly of its time. Was once a guilty pleasure, now it’s just an actual pleasure.

I've been a big fan of this album since my teenage years and I'm very happy to see it in this challenge. It's powerful and fun rock and roll.

Part of the charm of the three hit singles, and the lack of in most of the album tracks, comes back to the fact that Bon Jovi are so clearly just a grab bag of currently popular influences, and even with the help of a song doctor, they can only hit this sort of “yep, that’s the 80s” effect but all filed down to an effectively fine pop point. Livin’ On A Prayer is the spirit of another guy from New Jersey but you can understand the vocals to sing along easier, You Give Love A Bad Name is glam-hard-rock tuned to a solid 7 out of 11, Wanted Dead or Alice is kind of on a cowboy revival beat that fits the social tone of the 80s - but they all work with that and they hit and that’s why they get to 80s classics. And then all the other seven songs, they don’t really get to that point of hitting and they’re a bit of a waste. That’s what happens when you’re trying to chase a sound though.

Undeniable hits here. I dig it as an album, opening with an amazing, spooky organ solo. The instrumentation impresses me. I like the way they worked a string section into living on a prayer and a horn section with all of the squealing guitar on social disease. The synth-y parts also sound good as well as the heavy metal bass guitar. It sounds like they got a whole crowd of guys singing backup. It adds a lot of energy, and it really makes me wish that there was more music like this in the modern day for dudes to listen to. I’m really surprised at how much I enjoyed this album. Classic rock and metal from the radio was my first love in music. With that said, I did not want to give this album a 5/5 going into it. I’ve grown out of classic rock, and I’ve always thought that Bon Jovi were more “hair metal“ and “pop rock”. never considered Bon Jovi real musicians, or Pioneers, for whatever reason. I don’t feel like they are “cool to like” anymore. So, in my looking for a reason to give this album, a less than perfect score, despite loving almost every second of it… I did find myself cringing at the depiction of girls and women and glorification of “backseat loving“ and taking virginity. That’s enough of a reason for me to give it a four out of five.

En ollut levyltä kuullut kuin nuo hitit, mutta olihan siellä pari muutakin hyvää biisiä. Helppo vitonen siis.

Tää on se mitä saahaan kun otetaan viivotin ja taskulaskin ja sit tehään biisit. Ei siin. Hyvät hillot irtoo.

No jaa. Olihan tässä kovia biisejä A-puolen täydeltä. Wanted Dead or Aliven jälkeen sitten kyllä alkoi vähän toistamaan itseään, ja lenkillä kuunnellessani koko levy siitä eteenpäin oli vähän niinkuin yhtä puuroa. En oo koskaan ennen tätä levyä kuunnellut kokonaan, niin otetaan ihan itsensä sivistämiseen kannalta tämä. Perus-kolmonen.

"Wanted Dead Or Alive" is a banger to this day. Have heard the other two big hits too many times to have any interest in them anymore. The rest is cookie cutter 80s power hair metal pop rock that is very adept at inducing cringe. It absolutely deserves to be on this list too.

Livin on A Prayer is the worst song ever fucking made.

You know what, this rocks and let's not pretend otherwise.

I bet I would’ve been sooo in love with Jon Bon if I’d been the right age.

I expected to hate this album, but I can’t deny it is a lot of fun.

I don’t like Bon Jovi. Saying that, whenever I hear You Give Love A Bad Name I always think it’s quite good at the start but can’t stand it by the end. I think it’s just the intro I like. The only song of theirs I do enjoy is Wanted Dead Or Alive which is why this isn’t getting a one star. There’s mo more from them on the list so pretty much a guarantee I won’t ever listen to an album of theirs again.

I mean, it's absolutely horrendous, but that is what was great back then. Trying not to judge it too harshly for that reason. Musicianship is pretty solid. Production sounds like everything of this era, just ran through every compressor and synth added everywhere, like I said horrendous ... but that's what it was in the 80s. Gotta give it a 3 just on being competently performed and recorded and boomers still rock out to this shit so the longevity is hard to argue against.

Three great songs. Stuck amongst the rest of it: Social Disease, a song that would have been better if Aerosmith had recorded it. I'd Die For You, a rip off of their hit Runaway from the previous album, but trying to sound a bit like Springsteen. Wild In The Streets, where they REALLY want to sound like Springsteen.

It wasn’t a fair fight. I hated this album and all the trappings that went with it in 1986. 40 years later, it didn’t stand a chance.

fine

This must be the best Bon Jovi album - packed with hits, fun rock with great beats throughout

Never gets old.

Peak NJ hair pop-metal.

It’s certainly not high brow music but is it fun? Absolutely!

Sure, there's filler on the album that's weaker than the hits, but these singles are pretty tough to top--there's certainly nothing unenjoyable about the album as a whole.

Märkligt mycket bättre än min minnesbild av en spekulativ korsning av hårdrock och kommersiell pop. Jon Bon Jovis stora rockröst kan väl ingen förneka. Det är verkligen inte min kopp te, men det är inte heller så dåligt. En trea alltså

paar bangers, all in all 5-6/10

when i was in 3rd or 4th grade I was a huge bon jovi fan, largely because a cute girl at school was a huge bon jovi fan. in retrospect she was kind of a bitch, but I still have a soft spot for this ultimate butt rock band.

People seem to be taking hair metal too seriously. It can be enjoyable without being some unique piece of music. Bon Jovi is barely hair metal though. I'd label it closer to 80s pop with extra screeching guitars. The 3 good songs (and everyone already knows which 3 those are) really are great. The rest is cheesy pop. it's not unlistenable, but it doesn't belong on this list either. 3.5

Hair metal for girls. No real depth. Good at the time I suppose. Now it seems overwrought and overblown

Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi is exactly the sort of album I normally struggle with. I've always thought Bon Jovi make music for people who don't really like music, particularly those over 60 who enjoy a bit of cheesy stadium rock! That said, I listened to this today while out for a run, and I think that was probably a much better way to experience it than sitting at home giving it my full attention. Unfortunately, this really isn't a great album for me. So much of it sounds like a poor man's Bruce Springsteen, without the brilliant songwriting, storytelling or emotion that makes the Boss so good. Songs like "Wild in the Streets", "Raise Your Hands" and "Without Love" feel like second-rate Springsteen. There's plenty of energy and big choruses, but very little that I find particularly interesting. Everything is so polished and over the top. The guitars are huge, the choruses are designed for stadiums, and there's no shortage of attitude, but it all feels a bit naff. I can understand why this sort of music was so popular in the 80s, but it's never really been my thing. However, this album does have "Livin' on a Prayer", and what a song that is! It's an absolute classic and one of those iconic records that everyone knows. You can almost guarantee you'll hear it on a night out, and when that chorus kicks in, it's impossible not to sing along. A genuinely brilliant pop-rock song on an otherwise very average album. Favourite track: "Livin' on a Prayer". An absolute belter and a genuinely iconic song. Easily the best thing on the album. Least favourite track: Take your pick. So much of this felt naff, with "Wild in the Streets", "Raise Your Hands" and "Without Love" all sounding like poor Springsteen imitations. Album artwork: Standard 80s rock album cover. Nothing particularly exciting or memorable.

Very solid

Extreem catchy en top productie. Alles is super meezingbaar. Vuist in de lucht ‘hell yea’ muziek, alle vaders in de bar kunnen deze hele plaat mee zingen denk ik. Erg dramatisch (glam) en daar heb ik blijkbaar toch echt een zwak voor. De chord progressions en de formule van dit soort muziek pakt mij gewoon heel erg. En het is ook een beetje silly omdat het zo dramatisch en “kijk hoe cool we zijn”, hier is een epische gitaarsolo en een kreunende vrouw.

I honestly probably enjoy this more than I did last year when I listened for the first time. Nothing life changing but a very enjoyable album the full way through. I especially like the opener. Probably up to a 3.5

The best songs from this album have clearly been singled out and widely distributed; otherwise, fairly average sound.

No

I really liked Bon Jovi in the eighties. The music, the hair not so much. Three hits on this album. Of course “Living On A Prayer” but also “You Give Love A Bad Name“ and “Wanted Dead Or Alive”. (Listened to it on Apple Music)

The A-side of this album is one of the greatest showings of hard rock and hair metal that the 80’s has to offer. Timeless hits and a couple of deep cut bangers. The B-side…is rough. But the strength of the hits is more than enough to sell me on this one. Definitely more of a greatest hits band than an album band for me, but this is still their best. *Record Collection

Macht Spaß, auch wenn es sehr cheezy ist. Der Schlager des Hair Metal

Я вже забув про них))) Який жахливий гурт! Гірше і не придумаєш)

Close to a 4, but there are few songs that just weren’t quite there.

Banger of an album. Close to a 5 but the back half is a good amount weaker than the front.

A rock album of love and life that eases the objectifying views of some of the earlier influences but keeps all of the rock riffs and energy. More appeal to a female audience Bon Jovi hit a sweet spot in the 80s and this album is a great snapshot of the time with tracks that have endured.

Litt ikonisk men ikke helt min smak

Bangers

Tre ritti sture numre på albummet, men resten siger mig godt nok nul og niks - desværre bon jon bovi (ja for helvede, det er med vilje at bogstaverne er byttet om)

Det er lidt kikset i dag, og det er lidt ulideligt med vokalen, men helt ærligt ... det er så crazy stadion-arena-hair-metal-rock, og jeg kan ikke forestille mig en meget federe oplevelse end at stå med en kande fadøl på et gigantisk stadion og høre You Give Love A Bad Name Det kiksede kammer så virkelig over på de tre sidste numre, hvilket trækker den ned på en 3'er På samme måde som ACDC - Back in Black får 4 stjerner, så er det her jo heller ikke fantastisk, langt fra endda, men det er fandme sjovt 3.6

En sikker 3'er. Flere bangers der trækker op. Men også meget ligegyldigt fyld. Endnu engang må man dog spørge sig selv, hvad argumentet er for, at lige det her album skulle med på listen

I was surprised how much of a GnR vibe this gave, not sure if that's a good thing or not.

Hugely cheesy and overblown, with full on “woah-oh” backing vocals from the whole band and too many farting synths, but it’s impossible to not sing along. A bit shit, but in a great big grin on your face kind of way

I just fucking can't w this nonsense.

Bj is a joke band right? Like distilled pure 80's cornium. But damn if those songs, you know the 3, are catchy AF. Shocked to learn this was released in 86 just given how prevelent it was when I was growing up 90s - 20's. Gotta give them some credit.

Solid 80's hair metal.

3 iconic bangers mostly broken up by 80's glam, radio rock, cheese. I never had beef with Bon but also never really had anything good to say besides those 3 singalong rock favorites. There is some charm in the guitar work, but sad to say I don't think bon wrote it. He's had a militia of studio goons doing the work for him since the 80's. But, what can I say its not meant to be a monolithic rock album. Just something else from the 80s for your consideration.

i think i've surpassed liking bon jovi ironically and now just genuinely like bon jovi - this was fun, rock n roll!!

So many of these songs are familiar as this group was very popular when I was younger. The song I'm going to vote as my favorite is "Without Love" as it is one song, I don't remember hearing before. "I'd Die For You" sounds like a song one would find on a movie soundtrack to me. "Never Say Goodbye" is a good song too, more like a ballad than the rest of the album; I didn't care for the musical bridge on this song though.

"Livin' on a Prayer" sempre valerá o ingresso, mas a grande surpresa é que o álbum é interessante. Não existe introdução, aperto de mão ou conversa fiada. O Bon Jovi simplesmente invade a sala com seus cabelos perfeitamente hidratados e começa a despejar refrões. Confesso que estou apaixonado por Wanted Dead or Alive.

They were all the same, but a tonne of tunes

Just paper thin. The sound, the music and the lyrics.

1. Hire the guy who writes for Kiss, Cher and Bonnie Tyler and get him to write songs for you. 2. Gather 30 high school kids in a pizza place and keep reworking the songs and running order to appeal to them. 3. Profit. Get in the bin.

Man my sister had a crush on JBJ! When she got to meet him at the celebrity Grand Prix she held onto that feeling for the next three decades. Much like this album, it’s a classic and emblematic of the ever-changing atmosphere of the 1980s. JBJ wasn’t as dirty as Crue, or glam as Poison, or as heavy as the speed metal scene. His rock was pure, clean production, engaging lyrics NOT Dungeons &Dragons or apocalyptic. AND his band could actually play. Every Gen-Xer associates Wanted Dead or Alive with the Young Guns soundtrack, and Living on A Prayer was a radio favorite in heavy rotation. I’d Die for You was a junior high dance song for fumbling hands and leavin’ room for Jesus. My favorite classic was the performance of Raise You Hands at the Moscow Peace Festival broadcast that showed they deserved to be there with Titans like Ozzy and Scorpions. The surprise track for me was Social Disease which I don’t remember but could have been a radio hit. It’s hard not to put this one as a 5….

Random thoughts: * 10 year old me is so pumped to see this album on the list. * This is one of the first proper cassettes that I owned. Sadly, I don't seem to have it anymore. * I forgot about the bitchin' organ opening on this album. * I swear the order of these songs were different on my cassette tape. * This is a real duh moment for me but I never really connected The Boss with JBJ. But they really are both New Jersey guys. Livin on a Prayer is a pop-ier and more hair metal version of Springsteen. So is Wild in the Streets. * This album has 3 great tracks (Bad Name, Livin on a Prayer, and Wanted Dead or Alive), a lot of pretty good rockers (Let It Rock, Raise Your Hands, and I'd Die For You, etc.) and one terrible song ("Never Say Goodbye"). * This is peak Bon Jovi and really is a must listen for the three major hits and the good rockers. Skip the terrible song.

Imagine you're a woman about to commit suicide on a bridge in September 2024 and fucking Jon Bon Jovi starts talking to you. Regardless how good he's talking you down, I don't think you can jump at that point

A good stadion rock album and a middling parody smashed together.

It's not great but the hits still hit what can I say

2.5 "Remember when we lost the keys and You lost a lot more than that in my backseat, baby"

Трудно победить предубеждение к BJ.

hype 5/5

Really? This one surprises me even though it's from my era. I honestly haven't played this since the late 80's and that's mainly because the 3 hits are so overplayed, even today, that I just want to avoid the commerciality of it all. I will add that I was a fan from day one, "Runaway" & "She Don't Know Me" were my jams in the 10th grade! I even liked "7800 Fahrenheit" which was kind of a flop, then they released this and went big time, they lost their luster for me right then and there. You can't get much bigger than "Livin' On A Prayer" as far as classic rock songs go, maybe "Don't Stop Believin'". Then you have "You Give Love A Bad Name" and "Wanted Dead Or Alive". Throw in fringe hit "Never Say Goodbye" and you have a megahit album, like it or not. Weak glue songs like "Social Disease", "Without Love", "Raise Your Hands", "I'd Die For You" and "Wild In The Streets" taint the album a bit. "Livin' on a Prayer" and "You Give Love a Bad Name" were written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, with the assistance of hitmaker, Desmond Child Regardless, they're laughing all the way to the bank and still gettin' paid for this album, it's the last & really the only huge album they had. 3.5 solid stars for such a gigantic album (then & now), longevity, hits, impact even today and their loyal fans.

I like Bon Jovi and the two big songs on here are obviously bangers but honestly, quite a bit of filler on this album. Enjoyed but not blown away.

an ok guitar rock album. very popular group - not for me though. a solid 2 stars

Ehhhhhhhhhhh.

This is basically standard 80s pop dressed up with big loud guitars, meaning it sounds a little like metal but with none of the power. "Let it Rock" is one of the most tepid momentum-building openers I've heard, and "Wanted Dead or Alive" is a similarly tedious attempt at a power ballad. "Livin' on a Prayer" is incredibly catchy though, one of the few times the anthemic vocals work. With that in mind, the album is actually at its best when it leans into the pop sound fully, like on "Without Love." The back half of the album seems like an attempt to emulate Springsteen, but with more cloying vocals; "Never Say Goodbye" is like a lethargic "Glory Days" and the closer really sounds like watered-down the Boss. It's hard to deny this can be catchy, but it's so lacking in substance that no amount of guitar solos can make up for it.

I should like Hair Metal. It has everything I love: wailing guitars & nice riffs. It just comes off as cheesy, often the lyrics. I always thought Hair Metal was Stripper Music. Bon Jovi wasn't one of those who struck me as Stripper Music. They are. it's high class. I think get Bon Jovi though. This is one of their best. The hits HIT & some of the lesser ones do, too. The ladies love Jon & the boys, too. You have to expect a nice layer of 80s cheese but it's good.

The hair metal equivalent of the Eagles

Damn there’s some classics, didn’t realize these were all bon jovi

Bon Jovi is like this weird Springsteen / Van Halen monstrosity with all the soul ripped out of it. That said, I didn't hate it, so it's a reluctant 3.

its just so bon jovi innit. the first half feels oddly uninspired but also absurdly impactful on american culture. forms the foundational canon of music anyone aged 5-99 can join in at karaoke. the second half surprised me, with just some really fun poppy glam rock i hadn't heard before. the hits are technically impressive, favorite song is maybe Wild In The Streets. solid 4

Rating: 3/10 Some seriously average boring shit, in all its attempts to be epic and fun it just feels creatively empty. You Give Love a Bad Name and Livin' on a Prayer are passable classic hard rock songs even though it brings almost no joy to listen to them for the thousandth time, and then the album doesn't have much substance after that. Literally every non-hit Bon Jovi song is pointless

990 albums into this project before getting one from a “hair band.” Might as well be this one. Decent hooks but the lyrics are downright laughable.

Such a full sound with hit after hit. It’s too bad other rock bands did not have such high quality productions. This studio should take a bow.

Sometimes it’s fun to go back to one’s early years and this album takes me back. Not something I’d listen to front to back or on repeat but still good to hear from time to time.

Ein perfekt polierter 80s‑Rock‑Turbo: große Hooks, Stadion‑Chöre, Null Scham und maximaler Spaß. Livin’ on a Prayer und You Give Love a Bad Name sind so überlebensgroß, dass sie das ganze Album nach oben ziehen, während der Rest solide zwischen Hard‑Rock‑Drive und Pop‑Glam pendelt. Kein Tiefgang, aber ein makelloser Adrenalinschub.

Day 402. Big dumb rock music, which is great. Highlights Living on a prayer Wanted dead or alive

You know overall i didn't really enjoy this but 3 classics here really carry it. Shoutout to Mr. Bovine Joni 7/10

8/10

I forgot these guys were classed as hair metal. Feels like getting slapped by the 80s. So smooth, but surprisingly more enjoyable than others on the list. Then you reach track 4. After solidly mid. 3 Heard before? Some Owned: No, 106/417 (25%) Will I get: No

С тех пор как я узнал, что практически все главные хиты этой группы (Livin' on a Prayer и You Give Love a Bad Name в этом альбоме, Bad Medicine в следующем и еще чуть позже It's My Life) были написаны внешними авторами, я как-то сильно к ним охладел. Все-таки я рос на понимании, что рок-группа пишет и исполняет свои песни. Иначе это уже не творцы, а ремесленники. Формально Джон и Ричи Самбора значатся "соавторами", но камон, что ж они без соавторства с Дезмондом Чайлдом или Максом Мартином не написали ни одной песни даже сопоставимой по уровню. И хотя вроде как Чайлд помогал им писать и другие треки на альбоме, но они безнадежно уступают хитам, зачастую утопая в заимствованиях и самоповторах - так, I'd Die For You практически полностью копирует их же синтезаторы из Runaway, а Never Say Goodbye слишком сильно похожа на All By Myself. 4 чисто за хиты.

Просто эталон нормисной коммерческой американ музыки. Если они еще сами не могут песни написать…. Ну что могу сказать. Пресные как курица с рисом.

Батя рок во всей своей красе

мусорный пакет взобрал в себя лучшее из творчества бон джови, хоть лично я и не фанат группы/джона - тут много культового собралось, так что - 4

(6 estrellas)

Não entendi porque este álbum está aqui.

The year was 1987. Bon Jovi came to the Hartford Civic Center for their Slippery When Wet tour. One of my best friends in high school was a huge fan and wanted to go (I was also a fan but not to her extent). Somehow we got 16th row on the floor. We dressed up in ripped jeans, tank tops and big hair (I can still smell the Aquanet). We took pictures before the show that I wish I could post here for a good laugh. Bon Jovi was an 80s hair band that had more talent than most of their genre and a great looking charismatic front man. They absolutely rocked the place. I have a good friend now who loves Bon Jovi even more than my friend in HS. She’s seen them over 80 times and I’ve been to a couple of those shows with her, the last one in 2013. At that time they still rocked the place. They’re just a fun band with some great stadium songs. Don’t look for more beyond that, it’s enough.

it’s probably been 20 years since I listened to this album from start to finish. If I’m being honest with myself, I enjoyed it much more than I remember. Every song was familiar and I found myself singing out loud more than once (…and you did too!). I can’t hate on a surprise album like this that had good rock, good rock ballads, and lots of memories mixed in. It’s probably not quite a 4, but I had to give them them the rounding error based on the above.

Like most produce from the Garden State, this doesn’t age well. You’ve got those classic song alongs that we all love but it’s very 80s. I’ll give it one bonus star for the Bristol Bon Jovi car.

When reviewing Beastie Boys Licensed To Ill, I learned that today me is lame. Well, today me likes Bon Jovi, which is a sad reminder that today me is indeed, Lame AF. Mostly I like Bon Jovi because it's fun and nostalgic. Well written songs ready made to become arena anthems. Jon Bon Jovi as a person is by all accounts a great human being, does his part to make the world a better place. Today me is a fan, saw him live a long while back (as an adult) and enjoyed the show even though his voice wasn't quite tip top. Today me has lost his soul. Young me with the terrible mullet knew Bon Jovi, the hair metal Ken doll my sister had a life size poster of taped to her bedroom door (true fact), was a corporate sellout phony. Every morning I'd come face to face with that dumb ass big hair d bag staring at me from across the hall. Tearing him down would no doubt get me grounded for a week, maybe two, not worth the cost. I always hated glam hair metal because I knew it was a cheap rip off of heavy metal crafted for the lame ass masses. Music with no soul or purpose. I was right about that....but truth be told the music really was pretty good. Young me would never admit it, but Bon Jovi isn't terrible. So I'm okay with being a lame old guy that likes old school hair metal. Bon Jovi is a great example of the genre and rightfully on this list.

I just don't particularly like hair metal, and this is like the most hair metal. "You Give Love a Bad Name" "Livin' On a Prayer" and "Wanted Dead or Alive" are karaoke classic, it's true, but mostly because they're in the "so bad it's good" category.

3/10

I don't care if it's not the most ambitious rock, I enjoyed it from start to finish

Gross album title but it is pretty solid