aglasshouse Flashback to the mid eighties:

You were standing in the middle of a Bon Jovi concert during the popularity of their 1986 album Slippery When Wet. The album, being likely their most popular album to date, was greeted with applause from the pop music community and they were gifted with a big 'ol pat on the back.

Now you, the metalhead, are surrounded by a bunch of drooling teenagers (mostly teenage girls who swoon over that luscious Jon), while shitty pop ballads molest your ear-holes as you try to make your way out of the army of idiots that surrounds you and to someplace where you can try to suppress memories of Jon Bon Jovi's face before you.

At least, this is how I imagine I would feel like at a Bon Jovi gathering. Of course, I'm way too young to know how it went down during the 80's and the general boom of Bon Jovi, and instead I was born at a time where they were just becoming total crap that people cared less and less about.

Not to mention, I'm from a time where constant tracks from this stupid, lust-filled album (not to mention with a clear and obvious innuendo as a album title) blared from the radio every goddamn second: "WWEWEEH WEHEHEW / LIVING ON A PRAAAYERRR!!!" No. Just stop please.

Perhaps the only song I can actually stand on this album is 'You Give Love a Bad Name'. Even then, I'm constantly overshadowed by the fact that these songs are being written by a total dense jerk who's done nothing except saying stupid crap during interviews and have the constant and unwavering ability to make horrible pop - rock music for teenage girls.

TL;DR: I loathe almost everything on this release. I would not recommend it to any metalhead of any kind.

I do not recommend this album.

AtomicCrimsonRush The best Bon Jovi album radiates with sexual energy and had girls swooning in delight as the metal ballads were pounded out. Jovi became master of the ballad, there was metal but it was shrouded in commercial excess, radio friendly and false metal if ever there were a term, though Manowar would send black arrows into the hearts of this type of girly mush. That is why girls populated the crowds, and the band wouldn't complain, though it lacked any punch or crunch.

Okay, they could play and proved it with lead breaks that soared and some power riffs that jammed themself into your cranium mercilessly. Let It Rock, You Give Love a Bad Name, Livin' on a Prayer and Wanted Dead or Alive became live staples by the band and rarely would they get better than this. It isn't heavy but the tunes sure as heck were memorable and dominated the 80s airwaves, and continue to do so.

Mjöllnir Surely one of the most well known relics of the rock side of the embarassing 80s™. Of course I'm only making fun of decade stereotypes but Bon Jovi did capture much of the cliché of the commercial hard rock at the time but managed not to take the brunt of the backlash on its dramatic fall from grace. As for me, I'm glad as I think there's some cracking tunes on offer here. Shamelessly radio friendly and wanting to reach the big time so bad as they were, its fun and vibrant with a sound that many tried to emulate after. Not particuarly metallic but loud guitars, bass and drums form the base of the songs, with mild keyboard "dressing", wrapped up in a crystal clear production and making sure they're always catchy. The hits are what people remember, but Let It Rock and Raise Your Hands I find quite fun too. The others I can happily leave.