1. Bon Jovi 1984
Bon Jovi is the debut album from Bon Jovi, released January 21, 1984. Produced by Tony Bongiovi and Lance Quinn, the album is significant for being the only Bon Jovi album on which a song ("She Don't Know Me") appears that was not written or co-written by members of the band. The album charted at #43 on The Billboard 200. Aside from hit single "Runaway", songs from the album were rarely performed live after the band released their breakthrough album Slippery When Wet in 1986. However, on the band's current Circle Tour, songs including "Roulette", "Shot Through the Heart", and "Get Ready" have been performed.
The album was ranked the 11th best rock album of 1984 by Kerrang! magazine.
2. 7800° Fahrenheit 1985
7800° Fahrenheit is Bon Jovi's second album, and was released in April 1985. The album charted at #37 on The Billboard 200. It introduced the band's classic '80s logo that would later on be used on the covers of Slippery When Wet and New Jersey. Approximate sales were in excess of one million copies. The singles "In and Out of Love" and "Only Lonely" both charted in the Billboard Hot 100 (although both failed to reach the top 40 status of "Runaway" from the previous album), and still get occasional airplay on US AOR and hard rock format radio stations. The album was remastered and re-released in 1998, adding the music video for "In and Out of Love" as a bonus track. The band has essentially disowned this album in recent years because they believe the material presented on it does not match the standards set on their later releases. Aside from extremely rare performances of the song 'Tokyo Road' in Japan and 'Only Lonely' appearing a select few times during the Circle Tour, nothing from this album has been performed live since the late 1980s.
3. Slippery When Wet 1986
Slippery When Wet is the third studio album by Bon Jovi, released in August 1986 by Vertigo Records. Slippery When Wet was an instant commercial success. The album features songs that are today considered Bon Jovi's most well-known tracks, such as "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' on a Prayer" and "Wanted Dead or Alive". The album spent eight weeks at #1 on The Billboard 200. Slippery When Wet is the band's best-selling album to date, with over 12 million copies sold in the United States and over 28 million copies worldwide and received diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. It was named the top selling album of 1987 by Billboard, and is currently the 21st best-selling studio album of all time. The album is featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
4. New Jersey 1988
New Jersey is Bon Jovi's fourth album, released on September 19, 1988. The album charted at #1 on The Billboard 200. New Jersey was particularly notable for producing five Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 singles, the most top ten hits to date for a hard rock album. Bon Jovi had perfected a formula for hard pop/rock by the time of New Jersey, concentrating on singalong choruses sung over and over again, frequently by a rough, extensively overdubbed chorus, producing an effect not unlike what these songs sounded like in the arenas and stadiums where they were most often heard. The lyrics had that typical pop twist -- although they nominally expressed romantic commitment, sentiments such as "Lay Your Hands on Me" and "I'll Be There for You" worked equally well as a means for the band and its audience to reaffirm their affection for each other. The only thing that marred the perfection of this communion was Jon Bon Jovi's continuing obsession with a certain predecessor from his home state; at times, he seemed to be trying to recreate Born to Run using cheaper materials.
5. Keep The Faith 1992
Keep the Faith is the fifth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on November 3, 1992 by Mercury Records. Keep the Faith represents the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Bon Jovi, which turned away from glam metal in favor of a more mature hard rock sound. Keep the Faith reintroduced Bon Jovi after almost four years of side projects and hiatuses. The musical climate had shifted considerably in that time, a fact that wasn't lost on the band. Faith blatantly brought to the surface the Bruce Springsteen influence that was always lurking in Bon Jovi's sound, and used it to frame Faith's more serious interpretation of the band's pop-metal groove. "I Believe" and "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" both amped up the blue-collar, gospel revivalist feel of Springsteen's "Tunnel of Love," dropping in triumphant power chord changes to ensure arena readiness. But Bon Jovi also took a page from Springsteen's Big Book of Epic Songwriting, padding Faith's center with ambitious balladry and a nearly ten-minute story-song, "Dry County," that wouldn't be out of place on a '70s rock album. Elsewhere, the hit single "Bed of Roses" wisely aimed for the verdant adult contemporary pastures pointed to by Bryan Adams with 1991's "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You," instead of gripping stupidly to the Aqua-Netted mane of glam rock power balladry. Some of the album's straightforward hard rock songs faltered, since they didn't sizzle like the band's vintage material and fell flat next to more inspired material like "In These Arms." But while miles of open highway separated the songwriting of Jon Bon Jovi and his mates from that of Springsteen, Keep the Faith deserves plenty of points for ambition, and it did succeed in updating the band's sound, even if the replacement parts were bought used.
6. These Days 1995
These Days is Bon Jovi's sixth studio album, released on June 27, 1995. This was the first album Bon Jovi released after the departure of bassist Alec John Such. Hugh McDonald unofficially replaced Such as bassist. The album, produced by Peter Collins, Richie Sambora and Jon Bon Jovi, was an overall darker album in contrast to the band's usual brand of feel-good, inspiring rock songs and love ballads. At the time of release, the album was a huge commercial hit, particularly in Europe and Japan, but failed to impress the audience in the United States. In the UK, the album was particularly notable for producing four Top 10 hit singles. The high sales of the album in Europe warranted a re-issue of the album under the name of These Days Special Edition a year after its original release. These Days may be regarded as a concept album by some by its re-iteration of the title in many of the albums tracks. With These Days, Bon Jovi firmly established themselves as an adult contemporary act. They still have their fair share of rockers, but they seem half-hearted and incomplete. Instead, the band sounds the most comfortable with love ballads and working class anthems, from hits "This Ain't a Love Song" and "Lie to Me," to the acoustic "Diamond Ring." In fact, as the years go by, Bon Jovi gets musically stronger. Not only are their best songs stronger now, their playing is more accomplished. Keeping these improvements in mind, it's no surprise that the group was one of the few pop-metal bands to sustain a career in the mid-'90s.
7. Crush 2000
Crush is Bon Jovi's seventh studio album, released on June 13, 2000 through Island Records. It was their first studio album since These Days in 1995. The album was produced by Luke Ebbin, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. Crush, which produced such hits as "It's My Life" and "Thank You for Loving Me", became the band's fifth consecutive UK No. 1 album. It has sold 11 million copies worldwide and helped introduce the band to a new generation of fans. Crush was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2001 Grammy Awards. Even if it was classified as pop-metal, Bon Jovi never really was much of a metal band, relying on big, catchy melodies and not guitar riffs to make their songs memorable. That's why, in 2000, they're able to make an album like Crush, which strays far enough into pop/rock to actually stand a chance of getting airplay (which it did, with the hit lead single "It's My Life"). The guitar crunch on the uptempo numbers keeps Bon Jovi from becoming a full-fledged pop/rock band, but in addition to the typical hard rockers, there are nods to heartland rock, Bryan Adams-style adult contemporary balladry ("Thank You for Loving Me"), the Beatles (the surprisingly effective "Say It Isn't So"), and even British glam à la T. Rex or David Bowie ("Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen From Mars"). Occasionally, it sounds like the band is attempting to cover as many bases as possible for multi-format appeal, but for the most part, the variety -- coupled with the consistently polished songcraft -- makes for a surprisingly listenable album. The production is a little more electronic-tinged, but not obtrusively high-tech, so the band doesn't come off as desperate to sound contemporary. Aside from a couple of missteps (the soppy, aforementioned "Thank You for Loving Me" and the mawkish posturing of "Save the World"), Crush is a solidly crafted mainstream rock record that's much better than most might expect. Even if Crush is more measured than Bon Jovi's early work, "Just Older" sums up the band's acceptance of their status nicely: "The skin I'm in is all right with me/It's not old, just older."
8. Bounce 2002
Bounce is the eighth studio album by American hard rock band Bon Jovi, released on October 8, 2002 on Island Records. Produced by Luke Ebbin, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, the album was recorded at Sanctuary II Studio in New Jersey. Bounce was heavily influenced by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, owing in part to Jon Bon Jovi's proximity to New York. The album sold over 160,000 copies in the first week in United States, and debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200, making it Bon Jovi's highest debut in the band's history at that time. However, it's the band's only studio album not to be certified platinum in the United States. Given that Bon Jovi successfully pulled off a comeback in 2000 with Crush, a shiny pop album pitched directly at the mainstream, it's kind of a surprise that they returned two years later with a record as turgid as Bounce. Instead of continuing the colorful blueprint of Crush, they fearlessly backpedal, turning out dull, heavy, serious rock -- the kind of music that sounds "serious" even when it's about trivial things. Of course, much of the record is given over to "serious" topics, as if the band felt that the events of 2001 necessitated a grave response for Bounce, regardless of what they were singing. Such sobriety would not have been a problem if the band had solid material, but they're not only lacking songs, they've inexplicably altered their musical approach. In particular, guitarist Richie Sambora sounds as if he's aping James Hetfield's lumbering downstrokes throughout the album, giving the record an oppressively heavy sound that never lets the music breathe. This casts a pall over the record, but this stumble is not the sole reason Bounce is such a misstep for the band. After all, this is a record where Bon Jovi seems to have consciously decided to avoid everything that gives their music character, melody, and muscle, a move that would have been odd at any point during their career, but is particularly puzzling after they delivered an album that found them growing old gracefully. It's as if they want to undo everything Crush did for them.
9. Have A Nice Day 2005
Have a Nice Day is Bon Jovi's ninth studio album, released in September 2005. Produced by John Shanks, the album was recorded at Sanctuary Sound II in New Jersey, and Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood, California. The album sold over 202,000 copies in total for the first week, and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, making it Bon Jovi's best first-week sales in the band's history at that time. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA and as of March 2009, it has sold 1,552,000 copies in the United States. Have a Nice Day, Bon Jovi's ninth studio album of original material, picks up where 2002's Bounce left off, showcasing a harder, heavier band than either 2000's Crush or Jon Bon Jovi's 1997 solo effort, Destination Anywhere. Not only that, but this 2005 album finds Jon Bon Jovi picking up on the serious undercurrent of Bounce, writing a series of angry, somber neo-protest songs that form the heart of this record. While he's not exactly explicitly political here, there's little question that he's dissatisfied with the world today, whether it's about life in small town America or the sorry state of pop music; he even goes so far to write a variation on Bob Dylan's classic "Chimes of Freedom" with "Bells of Freedom." Since he's stretching out lyrically, the band finds a comfort zone in sticking in the tried-and-true arena rock that's been their signature sound for 20 years now. While they sound appropriately grand and powerful -- this is one of the few groups that sounds right at home in large venues -- at times they pump up their choruses a little bit too much, so they sound strident, not anthemic. That heavy-handedness, coupled with a loud but colorless production from Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora, and John Shanks, with Desmond Child acting as executive producer for the whole thing, gives Have a Nice Day a sound that's a bit too monochromatic for the band's ambitions, or for its own good: at times, getting through the record can be a little bit of a chore, since there's not much fun to be had here. Nevertheless, it's hard not to admire Jon Bon Jovi's attempt to stretch himself, particularly when he balances his earnestness with tunes as gentle as "Wildflower."
10. Lost Highway 2007
Lost Highway is the title of the tenth studio album by Bon Jovi. Produced by John Shanks and Dann Huff the album was recorded at Black Bird Studios, Nashville and NGR Recording, Hollywood. Described by Jon Bon Jovi as a "Bon Jovi album influenced by Nashville", the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming Bon Jovi's first ever album to debut at No. 1 and their third album to reach that position in United States. The album was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2008 Grammy Awards. Serious country fans know that "Lost Highway" is a Leon Payne-written Hank Williams classic, but even though Bon Jovi's 2007 album shamelessly trades on iconographic country imagery in a bid for a genre-skipping crossover hit, it's designed for those country fans who don't much care about Hank's legend (never mind knowing anything about Leon Payne). Lost Highway has little to do with any country prior to Garth Brooks, a move that makes sense since Garth was the gateway drug to country music for old Bon Jovi fans in the '90s. In that regard, it makes perfect sense for Bon Jovi to refashion themselves as a modern country act, because their heartland anthems are as thoroughly middle American as any country artist, and in 2007 country was at the core of mainstream pop music; in other words, the band's fans already have made the crossover, so they wouldn't see this crossover move as crass, just as catching up. But when it comes right down to it, Bon Jovi's self-styled country album has little to do with contemporary country in 2007, either. Despite duets with LeAnn Rimes and Big & Rich, despite the occasional fiddle or steel guitar, Lost Highway recalls nothing so much as a latter-day Bon Jovi record in how it balances fist-pumping arena anthems with heavy doses of sentiment. Not long after the buried fiddles on "Lost Highway" fade from memory and enough time passes to excuse the bad Toby Keith knockoff "Summertime," it's virtually impossible to distinguish this album anything after 1992's Keep the Faith. Which isn't necessarily bad, mind you -- Bon Jovi has a flair for commercial craft, knowing how to hit the sweet spot between the mundane and melodic, and there are times on Lost Highway where the group does so again. Ironically enough, what hurts is when they really try to fit into the conventions of country -- usually on the rockers, as on the aforementioned "Summertime" and the even-worse Big & Rich duet "We Got It Going On," which manages to cram in every sports-bar cliché into an unpalatable mess, a talent that also emphasizes Jon Bon Jovi's unfortunate tendency to rely on hackneyed imagery -- but when they're just being the smooth, efficient pop crooners they are, Lost Highway is as good as, and no different than, any Bon Jovi album since Keep the Faith. Which may not make it as adventurous as it appears, but it should still be satisfying all the same to those loyal fans.
11. The Circle 2009
The Circle is the eleventh studio album by rock band Bon Jovi. Produced by John Shanks, the album was released November 10, 2009, with the new single "We Weren't Born to Follow" premiering on radio August 17. The album was released in Germany and Ireland on October 30, 2009, and debuted at#1 in several countries, including the US, where it sold 163,000 copies in its first week debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200. This gives them their fourth #1 album after their 2007 effort, Lost Highway. One thing buried amidst all Bon Jovi's detours of the new millennium -- there wasn't just 2007's contemporary country Lost Highway, there was the acoustic reworking of hits This Left Feels Right in 2003 -- is that the group has been sober-minded throughout the decade, reacting to 9/11 on 2002's Bounce, exploring the morass of W's America on 2005's Have a Nice Day, and now creating a soundtrack for the Great Recession on 2009's The Circle. Subtlety has never been a concern for Bon Jovi, so the group makes it plain that they will be the ones to "Work for the Working Man," while they wonder "who's gonna bail out all our shattered dreams" on "Brokenpromiseland." Explicit references to the broken state of blue collar America pile up throughout The Circle, but instead of setting these wannabe working man anthems to the kind of Springsteen-esque rock that's their trademark, Bon Jovi, with the assistance of producer John Shanks, have decided to make their own version of a U2 album, apparently because no other sound sounds as serious as U2. Everything on The Circle exists in a big wide open space conjured by echoed, delayed guitars, shimmering keyboards, and spacious rhythms, an atmosphere that's just as likely to recast the "Living on a Prayer" bassline as something as sadly ominous as it is to ease into chanted, African-inspired vocal hooks ("When We Were Beautiful"), both signifiers of the band's pensive pretension. A knack for oversized choruses remains hardwired in Bon Jovi, but in this gloomy context, they act as reminders that they once sounded like they were a working band for working men instead of rich men fretting about a world they've long left behind.
