Could Bon Jovi do it anymore?

I would strongly disagree here, especially with the first part. Richie says in the same show that you are quoting something like "we had the big guitars to open for those bands" and Jon says "I could not relate to Cindy Lauper or to Tears for Fears". They were no Judas Priest or Iron Maiden but nor were Guns n' Roses and still they ere opening for them. There's quite a step from British Heavy Metal to good solid guitar driven rock. Nobody asks Bon Jovi to suddenly become a trash metal band, but at least they can give us some big guitars and bone-beaking drums (cause I understand Jon can't pull it off any longer). If Runaway is not a great hard rocker than I don't know what is. They might not be singing about killing dragons but who says that's the point. I don't think Aerosmith's Nobody's Fault is about Satan either but still it's a kick ass hard rocker.

the part with Born To Be My BabyI give you. I would add Livin' On A prayer, She Don't Know Me and Silent Night to that. Everything else that Bon Jovi has released in the 80s was solid hard rock. Pop rock was Boston, Journey, Foreigner...not Bon Jovi

Edit: the show was Slippery When Wet - Ultimate Album. In Access All Areas some journalist tells Jon they are a heavy metal band singing the blues and he seems to agree strongly with that.

I'm not understanding the part about Jon not being able to pull if off anymore, pull off what exactly?

deb

Yah, the Vh1 interview was the one I was alluding to. When Richie says "Here we are with this POP thing, opening for Judus Priest", I'm paraphasing of course. I don't think they were equal parts rock and pop but pop was certainly a big part of why the band works.

the vocals. for rock you need the voice. that's why last man standing is not the Bon Jovi "messiah" but just a good song...because Jon is done!

Richie says and I am quoting "We needed to have that big sound but yet we had that pop thing going" - which nobody denies. But the big sound is what I am into it. That's why so many people got into rock in the 80s, because it perfectly mixed the big rock guitars and drums with friendly melodies and cheesy lyrics.

Now it's more something like "We don't have the big sound, yet we have the pop thing going!" -here's the difference.

But the discussion was originally about song WRITING, not so much about vocals, which is where my original opinion is rooted. The type of songs they've written hasn't really changed all that much over the years.

Yes they've always had that pop element but they had proper classic Richie melodic guitar solo's (Even BTBMB which has a killer solo) and Jon sang those cheesy lyrics in songs like I'll Be There For You like he meant every word. He had the heart then to make cheesy cliched stuff sound genuine and that's why he sold records. Compare IBTFY to recent ballad attempts and there's nothing that comes close. They've lost the rock attitude they once had.

Somebody just gave that example, that Bon Jovi somehow was always more about the pop than about the rock which I completly disagree with.

Now the writing of what do you mean? Lyrics, melody? Besides, I tend to take songs as a whole. Not only the vocals got weaker but also the guitar work, no more keyboard riffs for ages...even the drumming sounds plain . All lost quality. The initial question was wether Bon Jovi could still pull it. I am convinced Jon can't pull a rock song anymore. I am not sure whether Richie is into mind-blowing solos, and Dave's keyboards, well...I am just thinking of how the keyboard part in If I Was Your Mother sounds...don't know about that either.

But all in all, the question is bullshit. Even Britney Spears could pull off a rock song. All you need is the right producer. A better question would be if they are still able to pull off QUALITY rock songs and then the answer is no. No voice - no song. Stuck in mediocrity and i guess it's time for me to go to bed!

I guess that's one way to look at it. To me, at least, they gained credibility and the ability to write a song without relying on certain elements. Meh. I guess it all boils down to what you like about the band.

Heh gotcha. Good night.