This is my review for 7800 Fahrenheit. I think it's going to turn out even longer than the first ... even greater apologies for that, but even greater thanks if you do read all of it! Again, I'm going to split it up into seperate posts - one for an overview, one for each song, then one for a conclusion - in order to make it more manageable. Comments and thoughts are welcome, I'm hoping these might spark off some kind of debate or discussion or something

OVERVIEW:

Barely a year after the release of Bon Jovi’s debut album came the follow up, 7800 Fahrenheit, although it was clear from the album that it was a year that had very much taken its toll on the members of the band. A year of near constant touring in support slots for various bands, and the effects that that had on the band members’ relationships would be the focus here.

Musically, the album adopted the same basic template as its predecessor: a metal sound welded to blatant pop sensibilities and melodic, anthemic songwriting; in the vein of Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne and Van Halen. However, it was not an album which stuck rigidly to this template; instead it took it as a starting point and expanded its sound from there. The wild, potential trainwreck instrumentation of the first album was reigned in slightly, as the songwriting became more cohesive; and the songs began to sound more stronger as a whole and more complete, rather than just featuring flashy playing for its own sake; although it could be argued that this caused it to lose something of the sheer adrenaline rush that the debut provided. The effect of this is that Richie’s guitar is a bit more toned down; with riffs and chord structures being more common than extended licks. The pop metal formula of the debut was also not strictly adhered to: this album is the sound of a band experimenting with its own identity; and as such we hear hard rock songs with huge riffs; synth driven power balladry; songs with more of an attitude and laid back groove than previously; and dark synth pop metal.

Lyrically the album is a marked improvement on the debut; with the songs featuring not only more developed, thought out and confident (with more songs being written by Jon alone, and Dave and Tico taking a greater writing role than they ever would again) lyrics; but also a sense of being more wordly and informed. Thematically the album goes down a few roads; the main one seeming to be that the kids from the streets of New Jersey who recorded the debut album have been thrust, unprepared, onto the world stage, and are finding out that it’s not all they dreamed it would be. This disillusionment seeps through the entire album; and while I’m not saying that the entire album is based on being on the road, it is possible to interpret a lot of the songs in that way; especially when you consider that the only artwork inside the booklet is a collage of pictures from the road. Tying in with this is the theme of love going wrong: Jon and Dorothea had split up prior to the album’s release, on account of the pressure the touring put on their relationship; and it seems as though the other band members were going through similar troubles.

Stylistically, the album seems to take its cues from the dual images of fire/heat and offensive weaponry. The title refers to the melting point of rock; and this imagery is present in a number of songs; as well as the album artwork (the front cover appears to show Jon with his face in shadow and his hair becoming flames; while the back cover shows the band looking very glam indeed with flames around them, and similarly all of their hair seeming to meld into the fire … whether this has any deeper symbolic meaning; or if someone just thought of combining the band and fire I don’t know). Almost all the songs also contain a reference to an offensive weapon of some kind, normally either guns or bombs; giving the album an air of aggression.

By and large, this album holds the dubious position of being regarded as the band’s worst by both the band and the fans. This is probably based mainly on three things: the production; the prevalence of synths; and the fact that the songwriting wasn’t as strong as it would be on late albums. The production; handled on this album solely by Lance Quinn, who co-produced the debut with Tony Bongiovi; is very much in the “love it or hate it” mould: it is raw, heavy and unpolished; with each instrument sounding particularly forceful and vying for the listeners attention. To some this appeals, to others it annoys. The vocals are also subject to the recording: although Jon’s vocals have matured (particularly noticeable in his decision to ditch the falsetto from the first album) and gained greater emotional weight; the recording of the backing vocals means that they often drift and are robbed of any real impact. Also, the synthesiser is very prominent on this album, being the main driving force behind some songs; which has the effect of dating the album firmly in the 1980s.