Did John Shanks ruin Bon Jovi?

I've nothing against John Shanks as a person, but I think all the album he produced with Bon Jovi have been less and less rock and more and more pop. On the one hand he's produced 4 number one albums with the band, on there other... wel... 'What About Now'.

'What About Now' being the most obvious pop album. I was disappointed with 'This House Is Not For Sale' and Phil X's lack of involvment - he plays guitar on only 4 tracks, the rest is John Shanks apparently. Since he became producer they've not had any really good songs.

It's an interesting thing to debate. From day one they were pop band with louder guitars and some bluesier undertones in the 90s. Modern Bon Jovi doesn't have that. Some days I think the production is the issue, some days I think it's the lazy songwriting. To say they haven't had any good songs since he started producing them I could not disagree with more. There's a lot of gold but the mediocrity kind of outweighs it.

No! Jon's voice ruined Bon Jovi

I don't think that John Shanks was the only one who took the big decisions about BJ's style. Let's not forget that he is the producer not only in What about now or other "disliked albums" but he also worked on HAND, Burning Bridges and THINFS, which are fine... I guess that JBJ wanted to have this outcome, he chose to collaborate with Shanks and kept him for 10+ years. So, maybe it was Jon's decision to follow this path that you think is "ruined"... If he wasn't happy with this he could change it, or even search for a new producer, he is JBJ!

Couldn't agree more -- not that Jon needed anyone to persuade him to systematically disenfranchise Richie.

Now it's a Richie issue?

80% him, 20% Jon's voice...!

Of course! Shanks saw the opportunity to replace Richie as long as he didn't outshine Jon, and he took it. Phil's status in the band speaks for itself. And I also agree about Jon's voice being gone.

I tjhink that he made 3 albums which sound good in their own style:
HAND
LH
THINFSale

2 albums are too bit of different production and doesn't sound like a album. They sound like some different songs with differend production put in one cd.

With Shanks they relased some of my favourite BJ songs like Dirty Little Secret, Any Other Day, Nothing, Thick AT, BATommorow ecc so no. He not killed them.

These albums would sound better with other producer? Some songs probably yes and some different. But you know...I don't like some songs on KTF like Blame or Sleep and any different producer than Bob Rock would do something that it would make that I will love them. This is the same situaction with Shanks. I don't have any wrong word on his work on HAND, LH and THINFSale... someone could probably make it better but maybe not. Who knows?

I dont like to see Shanks to play guitars with the band, or to see him on band videos, we have Phil X.