Bon Jovi
Slippery When Wet

THE REVIEW

Anno domini 1986: after two albums that sold well, but not as much as the young Jon Bon Jovi nor the record company hoped, there was a feeling in the air of the need for a big leap, an album capable of breaking box office records and definitively launching the New Jersey team into the rock Olympus.

A big leap that promptly arrived with the album reviewed here, selling a total of 33 million copies worldwide and staying at the top of the Billboard 200 chart for 8 weeks (an absolute record for a Hard Rock band).

And the reason for this huge commercial success is due to the fact that 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.

But let's proceed in order: the album opens with the explosive "Let It Rock," enriched by an engaging refrain and  a perfect solo by Sambora in the middle.

This is followed by two of the major anthems of this album, "You Give Love A Bad Name" and "Livin' On A Prayer," two songs that over the last 30 years even the stones must have heard at least once. What amazes the most about these two songs is that they have no weak points, from Jon's expressive voice to the excellent choruses to the clever use of the talk box in the intro of the second one.

These are in fact two songs that not only will go on in the following years to excellently represent the album and the band, but also an entire decade, at least as far as rock music is concerned.

The subsequent "Social Disease" could only appear underwhelming compared to the two previous songs, even though it is a well-crafted and engaging track, but practically any song on the album would have had the same effect if positioned after two immortal hits like the previous ones, with the possible exception of the subsequent "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." Simply wonderful.

The album then continues with the dynamite "Raise Your Hands," a track that will become a regular fixture in the group's live setlists, also thanks to the ideal refrain in which the names of cities scattered around the world, from New York to Chicago to Tokyo, are repeatedly mentioned.

"Without Love" and "I'd Die For You" are another clear example of what it meant to write great rock in the mid-'80s. More melodic and typically AOR the first, with a catchy refrain and an excellent keyboard backing by David Bryan, faster and "punched" the second, both are two songs that perhaps deserved more attention from the band in subsequent tours, but this does not detract from two truly excellent compositions.

With the subsequent "Never Say Goodbye," we arrive at the typical Bon Jovi-an ballad, engaging and mellow just enough not to be cloying.

The concluding "Wild In The Streets" is, in the opinion of the undersigned, slightly subdued compared to the rest of the album, even if this concept must be understood relative to the said album which is composed of pieces of pure class and rock energy. It's easy to understand, then, that within any so-called "normal" album it would stand out as a diamond in the rough.

In conclusion, if it still wasn't clear from the review, we are in front of a perfect album that has superlatively withstood the test of time and that, even if entirely a child of its time, if released today would still deserve the label of masterpiece.