Great things come from New Jersey. Frank Sinatra. The Boss. Me. And, of course, Jon Bongiovi.
I know nothing about Bon Jovi save the big super hits that catapulted him and his group to megastardom. Is there anything more to the once high-haired glam pop rock than just faux country anthem rock?
Let’s find out.
Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet – 1986
(buy it)
Bruce Fairbairn. Need I say more? He worked with all of them: Loverboy. Van Halen. Poison. Jackyl. He is one of the architects of the 80s glam-metal sound. And he crafted this piece of time-capsuleness.
Slippery is more a product of great production and hiring the right guys than it is great songwriting or timeless poetry. Listen to Livin’ on a Prayer. Listen to that modulation. It’s a minor epic. Because it really isn’t an epic, it’s just a hopeful little song masquerading as something bigger.
John Mellencamp was writing about these people. Bruce was. Tons of artists were writing little stories about desperate people on the edge of society, who were just “livin’ on a prayer”. Why did this one make it? Why was this so huge? can it be the talk box? No, it’s that Mutt Lange was right. He crafted some pop confection goodness with Def Leppard and, in the mid 80s, you couldn’t go wrong copying that sound. Toss in a little Desmond Child to rewrite your mundane high school lyrics, put some money in hair gel and videos and, blam. Hit after hit.
I wish this was really just about those three monsters. But, Slippery When Wet actually is a cheeky, fun cruise. The horns on Social Disease (not to mention the disappointed chica at the top) give that tune an extra push.
Here’s what I wanna know: Why do rockers from New Jersey fancy themselves cowboys? I lived in New Jersey. There are some lovely spots. Rural, even. I grew up in the great swamp. There were deer in our backyard. But, it’s not cowboy country.
And yet, Wanted, Dead or Alive is a blast. This could be because it is the most fun song to play on drums on Rock Band (expert level, natch!) or it could be that its just a great tune.
I’m leaning toward the Rock Band theory.
Without a doubt I would have been embarrassed to own this when it came out. I could never wear my cuban heels, my beetle boots, my pirate blouses my leather, in public again. But 25 years later, no archive, no comprehensive collection of great albums would be complete without this, maybe the most representative album of the 80s glam rock era.
Grade A
A Side: Tommy and Gina, baby!
Blindside: Raise Your Hands & Wild in the Streets & Social Disease &……
Downside: None. This is almost perfect.
