Inspired by some late-night karaoke, I just listened to Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet from start to finish. And then the first side of New Jersey. That is more Bon Jovi than most people can handle. The following are random thoughts inspired by this listening session.
- Slippery When Wet has actually aged fairly well, considering.
- One of the classic albums of 80s guitar/hard rock (it's not metal) starts with an extended keyboard bit. Keyboard features more prominently than I remember. This edges it towards glam territory, but it stays rooted in hard rock. I wish I could say the same about their clothes.
- Bon Jovi's music has more in common with Bruce Springsteen than many of us may be comfortable admitting. Or maybe that's just a really obvious observations. No matter - lyrics like "Johnny used to work on the dock. The union's been on strike, he's down on his luck, it's tough, so tough." could have been written by the Boss if he was half the songwriter that he is.
- There's a gospel element to Lay Your Hands On Me (the first song on New Jersey) that is actually quite good.
- Some quick Wikipedia research shows that Slippery When Wet was recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, at 201 West 7th.
- Some of the ballads are half-laughable but still enjoyable. And the rockin' tunes are still rockin'.
- Livin' On A Prayer is an excellent song. I stand by that. And Wanted Dead Or Alive is kick-ass.
- Slippery When Wet will remain in rotation on my record player for a while.
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