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Rating:
(Four and a half stars)
It was the year 1986, and five highly styled boys from New Jersey were on the verge of achieving ultimate recognition in the global rock scene. Perhaps they expected it, or perhaps not, but this third album of theirs catapulted them to the top of the charts worldwide, and it will forever remain a must for this genre. Idols of teenage girls, the soundtrack of many episodes in everyone's life, whether loved or hated, there’s no denying their greatness, evidenced by a thriving career twenty-two years after their debut album.
This album contains the songs that most contributed to the band's success, like "You Give Love A Bad Name", "Livin' On A Prayer", and "Wanted Dead Or Alive": without dwelling on the first two famous (and beautiful) songs that I believe you all know, I will spend a few words on the last one, a brilliant piece, in which the atmosphere is very country, due to the title and the arpeggios that evoke the sound of the banjo, at least until a solo with typically Metal characteristics shatters the whole idyll. Not as famous as it deserves, the splendid "I'd Die For You", a piece with the typical "B.J. Sound," in which the New Jersey gentlemen demonstrate that you can make excellent songs without giving up being flashy at heart. The typical ballad is not missing, this time relegated towards the end of the album, the sweet yet effective "Never Say Goodbye". The other songs seem a bit like fillers compared to those mentioned, but taken individually, they also deserve a listen.
About the musicians, what can be said, great characters and, in the case of Jon Bon Jovi and Ritchie Sambora, exceptional performers: the singer has an incredible voice, always able to maintain high and intense vocal lines from the first to the last note, and live, he still performs incredibly well even now that he's over forty; the valiant guitarist cannot be defined as a guitar hero, but rather someone with very clear ideas about his possibilities, great compositional taste, and good technique. The others have always been relegated to supporting roles, but that's part of the band's "look" (and in the eighties, it was one of the most important things).
If you are rock lovers, you can't miss this album, it’s fresh, fun, and flashy just enough. If you've never listened closely to Bon Jovi, don't be fooled by the voices that define them as "music for teenagers," behind that lies, above all, a great band.
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By Reguz
The songs included in the album are simply of superior quality compared to the vast majority of albums of the same genre that were coming out at that time.
"Wanted Dead Or Alive," another eternal showpiece of the five. The structure of the song, a power ballad with strong country echoes, fits well with the lyrics that tell the story of a modern cowboy riding his "steel horse."
