Slippery When Wet

This is one if not the best album of the last twenty years and yet I only heard of it one night watching TV.

Nothing else was on, so I flicked on VH1 to watch "Great Albums" and this came up. Now I'd heard of Bon Jovi. I remembered when I was much younger going on the London underground and seeing Bon Jovi posters everywhere. The only songs of theirs I knew were 'Livin' on a prayer' just because at any decent club, party or school disco, this song gets played, and 'It's my life' because it came out when I was mid-teens and vaguely remembered it (and liked it).
Watching this programme I was hit with a furore of musical magic especially 'Livin' on a prayer', and must confess that my first thought was "I now know what album that song is on."
I still had not heard a large portion of the album and again must admit buying it pretty much for the one song. However, when I got it home and put it in, I was determined that this album I should listen to fully and so put it in, almost anxiously waiting for song 3 ('Livin' on a prayer') to come on. Yet, by the end of the second song ('You give love a bad name'), I knew, somehow, that I had stumbled upon an album that is nothing short of a classic. I played the rest of the album and the rest they say is history. Beware though, no song-skipping because if you do that and do not play each and every song on this album at full length, then you will miss out!

This album has the unique ability of not having a bad song on it, even though there are weaker ones, and yet having a multiple choice of songs that could be the best on it. This has already been done in another review but I'll just give my brief synopsis on each of the songs plus a 5 star rating:

1. 'Let it rock'- 4/5, slow starter, but the length of the song actually does it proud. By the final chords you'll be waving your arms and screaming wildly as if you're in that great rock concert that never happened!
2. 'You give love a bad name'- 5/5, just by the song's opening, you can tell that a fist-pumping classic is on the way! The 'best song ever' until you put on...
3. 'Livin' on a prayer'- 5/5, isn't the title enough to get you reminiscing of the great disco evenings of old? Will be remembered as a classic and their best known song!
4. 'Social disease'- 3/5, you think someone's been tampering with the CD at the song's opening. Slightly disappointing chorus to a song that is still actually a great deal of fun!
5. 'Wanted dead or alive'- 5/5, unnerving start makes the end product all the more satisfying.
6. 'Raise your hands'- 4/5, great, fun song that'll have everyone singing the chorus!
7. 'Without love'- 4/5, not as slow as 'Never say goodbye', but still a moving melody.
8. 'I'd die for you'-3/5, everyone else likes this more than I, as I think that it is the weakest song on the album, mainly because the others are just so absolutely unbelievably brilliant. It is still, however, a solid song.
9. 'Never say goodbye'- 4/5, some have said that this song is boring but I completely disagree. This song really is superb in how moving it is.
10. 'Wild in the streets'- 4/5, only song that wasn't written by lead guitarist and backing vocalist Richie Sambora and lead signer Jon Bon Jovi. Jon Bon Jovi's solo effort is an extremely uplifting song (which let's face it you need after song 9) that's a good way to crown a superb album!
11. 'Wanted Dead or Alive' (Video only)- 5/5, same song, just with the bonus of its video. Well worth putting the disc in your PC or whatever to check it out.

The music on the album is fit for all sorts of moods and all sorts of places. I listened to this on a long distance car ride with a load of friends in which everyone was singing (poorly) at the top of their voices. Alternatively, you can just pump your fists privately in your bedroom ( not to mention air-guitaring), or stick it on in the background at a large garden party and know that nobody will mind.

This is quite simply, a superb album!