Bon Jovi

[Rickenbacker]

Fans here? I'm not. Just curious to see if there're many here.

[Trane]

Duncan,

Didn't you once promised that we would have a "barf/puke" emoticon?? (now's the time )

Although I really dislike Axhole Rose (GnR) and that idiotic Seb Bach (Skid Row), I think I hate them less than Bon Anchiove... (just to stay in the Hair Metal genre)

[davis]

Bon Jovi is America's Corporate Rock Band

[Reid]

Bon Jovi is America's Corporate Rock Band

One of 'em, anyway. When I first heard the name, I thought it was some fashion designer.

[davis]

given John's last name (Bongiovi), they could play heavier rock and share the stage with Bongripper & Beelzebong, and so on and make a lot less money but be a lot more fun.

[ronmac]

It turns out I actually saw him about a year before he hit it big. He was the opening act for Ped Nugent.

I didn't realize it until about a year ago when I was looking at my old ticket stubs. Clearly, it wasn't memorable enough at the time.

I wouldn't call him hair metal, though.

[Vic2012]

Can't stand 'em.

[Rickenbacker]

When I first heard the name, I thought it was some fashion designer.

:

[Wisdomview]

(Cartman voice) Lame.

[Jerjo]

He can write a good hook and supposedly is a decent guy. Nonetheless, I can't stand his derivative, simplistic pop rock. These guys have been playing together for 30 years and they still haven't advanced beyond the skills of your basic bar band. I guess the music doesn't require chops but sheesh, there's a lot of arena acts that could wipe the floor with them.

[JIF]

He can write a good hook and supposedly is a decent guy. Nonetheless, I can't stand his derivative, simplistic pop rock. These guys have been playing together for 30 years and they still haven't advanced beyond the skills of your basic bar band. I guess the music doesn't require chops but sheesh, there's a lot of arena acts that could wipe the floor with them.

Who can wipe the floor with them? Btw, what's wrong about simple pop rock? Btw, you should check out songs like Blood On Blood and Dry County.

[mozo-pg]

Yuk.

[Rufus]

They have never bettered Slippery when Wet & since have just churned out 'rock by numbers ' garbage !
I have a solo album by Sambora that wipes the floor of Bonds Jovi catalog !

[Adrian]

My wife has followed them since they were big in the '80s. They've actually changed their sound with the times and managed to stick around while most of those old hair bands are long gone.

Yeah, it's simple, straight-ahead rock, but what's wrong with that?

Lyrically, JBJ's been doing a lot more Springsteen/Mellencamp-style Everyman writing over the past 10 to 15 years, which also gives the music some staying power.

Richie Sambora is no slouch on guitar, and he's got a pretty good singing voice to boot. (He has a couple of really good solo albums -- one with Tony Levin on bass!) When I went to see Bon Jovi with my wife a few years ago, Richie sang a couple of songs while JBJ took a break. Plus, how many hair band guitarists have you seen playing an electric sitar? Not to mention some nice acoustic, slide, and talk box stuff. Definitely not a one-dimensional guitarist.

Keyboardist David Bryan attended Juilliard, and he's written or co-written a number of musicals.

And Jon is just an all-around nice guy. Good businessman, great philanthropist.

It's not something I go out of my way to listen to (I do like "Dry County"), but I don't mind it, and I find it hard to actually dislike them.

[Progatron]

I was of a pretty impressionable age (13-ish?) when Slippery When Wet was released, so I have fond memories of bands of that ilk. Whenever I happen to hear those songs now though, I can't help but laugh. By the time the next album New Jersey came out, I was more ready to dismiss them in favour of bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden (not to mention my even earlier love of Genesis, The Beatles, etc. as well as more '80's-type stuff like The Smiths).

Haven't they slowly morphed into more of a country-type act these days? I couldn't tell you a song they've done since about 1988.

Edit: Yes I can, "Keep The Faith". It was always playing on the CD jukebox at the bar I worked at at the time.

[Adrian]

They did a country-rock album a while back. Sounded more like Mellencamp than Nashville, though. It wasn't bad.

[JIF]

They have never bettered Slippery when Wet & since have just churned out 'rock by numbers ' garbage !
I have a solo album by Sambora that wipes the floor of Bonds Jovi catalog !

I actually listen to New Jersey and Keep The Faith More. To me, New Jersey is better than SWW, because Bon Jovi stopped trying to be metal and went for a more hard rock sound.

My wife has followed them since they were big in the '80s. They've actually changed their sound with times and managed to stick around while most of those old hair bands are long gone.

Yeah, it's simple, straight-ahead rock, but what's wrong with that?

Lyrically, JBJ's been doing a lot more Springsteen/Mellencamp-style Everyman writing over the past 10 to 15 years, which also gives the music some staying power.

Richie Sambora is no slouch on guitar, and he's got a pretty good singing voice to boot. (He has a couple of really good solo albums -- one with Tony Levin on bass!) When I went to see Bon Jovi with my wife a few years ago, Richie sang a couple of songs while JBJ took a break. Plus, how many hair band guitarists have you seen playing an electric sitar? Not to mention some nice acoustic, slide, and talk box stuff. Definitely not a one-dimensional guitarist.

Keyboardist David Bryan attended Juilliard, and he's written or co-written a number of musicals.

And Jon is just an all-around nice guy. Good businessman, great philanthropist.

It's not really my kind of music (I do like "Dry County"), but I find it hard to actually dislike them.

Keyboardist Dave Bryan also did a classical album. Richie plays mandolin on the song Stick To Your Guns.

[ForeverAutumn]

Keyboardist Dave Bryan also did a classical album.

I have his album Lunar Eclipse and love it. He's very talented.

I used to like Bon Jovi's music, when he first came onto the scene. It was catchy and fun. I still like hearing the odd song come up on shuffle if I'm in the right mood, but I can't remember the last time I listened to a full CD. I grew tired of it pretty quickly.

As a person he is, first of all, a fantastic looking man and aging very well . But more importantly he seems like a really salt-of-the-earth kind of guy and gives a lot of money and time to charity. He never seemed to get carried away with the whole drunken, whoring, rock star life that he certainly could have easily embraced, I'm sure. I respect him for all of that.

So what if the music is simple and pop-driven. He's never pretended to be anything else and his music makes a lot of people happy.

[Gruno]

Fans here? I'm not. Just curious to see if there're many here.

If you are not a fan of Bon Jovi, why does it interest you to know who is?

[JIF]

If you are not a fan of Bon Jovi, why does it interest you to know who is?

Maybe his significant other tortures him with BJ music. So, he's trying to give them a chance for fear she might leave him.

[Rickenbacker]

If you are not a fan of Bon Jovi, why does it interest you to know who is?

Just to read the opinions, really. Nothing cosmic.

[Adrian]

I actually listen to New Jersey and Keep The Faith More. To me, New Jersey is better than SWW, because Bon Jovi stopped trying to be metal and went for a more hard rock sound.

Keyboardist Dave Bryan also did a classical album. Richie plays mandolin on the song Stick To Your Guns.

Thanks for sharing that, Jordan. I didn't know about the classical album. I'll have to look it up.

I agree with the hard rock direction of the music. Crush, Bounce and Have a Nice Day are probably my three favorites -- all of which came well after the height of their commercial peak in the '80s and '90s.

[JIF]

Thanks for sharing that, Jordan. I didn't know about the classical album. I'll have to look it up.

I agree with the hard rock direction of the music. Crush, Bounce and Have a Nice Day are probably my three favorites -- all of which came well after the height of their commercial peak in the '80s and '90s.

How would you rate those? I did have Crush, but I sold it to get the Bon Jovi Special Editions(these had bonus live cuts tacked onto the regular BJ CDs). Has Bon Jovi made an album that recaptures their heyday?

[notallwhowander]

I find it hard to be anything but patronizing, or damning them with faint praise, when it comes to Bon Jovi. There's nothing "wrong" with the music they play, but I never found anything particularly "right" with it either. It is a personal cause of wonder that the band has had any staying power at all. I've heard nothing that differentiates them from their peers. Perhaps that the man himself was/is actually good looking and not a total douche has been the difference. It doesn't make me want to listen to his music, or think it is anything more than painfully obvious or formulaic rock. But whether or not I dig them makes little difference to them or me. They've got plenty of fans, and I'm stoked when I can go see a band like The Residents live.

When I find out someone is into Bon Jovi, I wonder if they have any actual taste when it comes to music. Some folks do, and some folks don't. Listening to Bon Jovi doesn't seem to be the deciding factor, but it does raise the question.

[JIF]

I find it hard to be anything but patronizing, or damning them with faint praise, when it comes to Bon Jovi. There's nothing "wrong" with the music they play, but I never found anything particularly "right" with it either. It is a personal cause of wonder that the band has had any staying power at all. I've heard nothing that differentiates them from their peers. Perhaps that the man himself was/is actually good looking and not a total douche has been the difference. It doesn't make me want to listen to his music, or think it is anything more than painfully obvious or formulaic rock. But whether or not I dig them makes little difference to them or me. They've got plenty of fans, and I'm stoked when I can go see a band like The Residents live.

When I find out someone is into Bon Jovi, I wonder if they have any actual taste when it comes to music. Some folks do, and some folks don't. Listening to Bon Jovi doesn't seem to be the deciding factor, but it does raise the question.

I like Bon Jovi, but I love Judas Priest, Marillion, Iron Maiden, and Queen. What does that say about my musical tastes?