Could Bon Jovi do it anymore?

Granted, the guitars are simpler, but how does HAND (the song) not have that big sound you guys are talking about?

But, how do you know it's not more of a matter of "won't" versus "can't"? And I'm not saying I know the answer to my question either, lol! You just seem so certain.

And again, doesn't Dirty Little Secret, have the "rock" elements (other than keyboards) that you are craving or no?

deb

christ if shot through the heart is the criteria we might as well of all ended it way back then.

They have moved way past that writing style. They have lived the eighties as have many of us and moved on. You will never get the eighties back again and amen to that.

What many of you can't seem to handle and I am taking it many of you are very young here is that they evolved. It happens as you get older. Your life experiences change. What is important changes. The type of songs you like change. This happened with Bon Jovi.

They still have it and have proven it time and time again on each of their albums. They can write whatever they want to write, its what they choose to write you have an issue with.

Kat

Best post in the thread so far. I'm sure they can still write a song exactly like all their big 80's pop hits but we're not in the 80's anymore. Jon and Richie have moved on and so has their audience. Eventhough I hated Bounce, I would much rather hear them try something different like Bounce or These Days then hear a rehash of SWW.

Plus blaming Jon's voice doesn't work since on record they can tweak or adjust it however they need. Then live, Jon will just sing the songs in a lower key or play them rarely(they did that with I Am, among others, out of recent songs).

I don't agree at all. If you're saying the 80s is dead and that we've moved on so they should too, I think your not asking the BIG question -

Why have we moved on?

It isn't through choice otherwise you'd have everybody praising what they do now and they'd never write an album that we wouldn't like.

The reason is because everybody acts like sheep. Something popular comes out and all of a sudden, because of advertising, media-spin etc., it becomes a hit - christ, look at Crazy Frog for instance! Everybody is told, "This is good," "This is what to buy!" and what happens? We buy it!

The only reason the 80s can't exist anymore is because sex appeal sells to a generation of customers who do not find any of the stuff that used to sell records back then attractive anymore. Why? Fashion has changed in the same way that the music industry has. We are told what is acceptable and we buy it all over again.

It's all inter-related but the simple thing it boils down to is that we are TOLD what we should be buying and Jovi have chosen to stick with that instead of keeping to a similar style that made them popular in the 80s.

I wouldn't say LOAP is a pile of crap if it had been written last year just because it was written at a time when it didn't fit into mainstream music - it would still be a great song but the kiddies of today wouldn't have bought it because of media manipulation - it wouldn't have been cool enough to compete with Britney Spears!

Moving on isn't a concious sort of decision it just comes with time and age. You need something different. Yes LOAP stands the test of time and will always be a great song. But they choose not to rewrite that style of song again. It gets boring and the same if they do that. I think the thing is Bon Jovi has such a diverse fanbase, and everyone wants a different Bon Jovi. I pretty much evolve with them. It doesn't mean I like everything. Bounce rarely gets played but as was stated I would rather Bounce than them try to emulate Slippery again. Bon Jovi are no longer just the one style. I think KTF changed that perception surely?? They have such a diverse catalogue you can't pidgeon hole them to one style of writing one way of playing. They are who they are. The question is do you like them how they are and how they have been since post Slippery?

Kat

I liked the way they were evolving up until These Days - then they went and released Crush!

HAND is a step back in the right direction though for the most part and I agree with bjcrazycpa that Dirty Little Secret definitely has more guts to it than IML, Everyday or Bounce ever did!

I agree with almost everything you said there.

Only not with DLS it's awfull and i can think of better or more rock songs they released since 2000 and IML, Everyday & Bounce are also not included in that genre as far as I'm concerned
(Novocaine, Undivided, Neurotica, HAND)

I agree. Like Kat, I've evolved with Bon Jovi. If Bon Jovi had not changed and evolved, I would no longer be buying their CDs. There are some acts I first came to love about the same time as Bon Jovi, but I never buy their new records anymore because I've bought enough that I'm bored with them (Aerosmith, Def Lep, Warrant, Poison). If Bon Jovi was still making SWW and NJ over and over again, I'd be tired of them too. And yet, the difference between their 80's stuff and what they're doing today is NOT that dramatic. They still have a core running through them that sounds like Bon Jovi.

No one has to be a "sheep." If you're not happy with what Bon Jovi does anymore, there is a vast market of other bands out there. With being able to listen to song samples online as easily as logging into www.amazon.com, no one really has any excuse to not find music that moves them.

Why is it when someone likes something they're note expected to, they're known "A sheep" or "following the crowd". Or maybe we can form our own opinion and generally like it. Would that be so crazy?