Metallica …And Justice for All - Rolling Stone Review

You might think, this belongs into the Other Bands section. But it doesn't! I have stumbled upon the review that Rolling Stone did for Metallica's …And Justice For All. And surprise surprise, it's more of a review of New Jersey - basically comparing both 'metal' bands in terms of commercialism and rebellion.

Despite the usual Rolling Stone punches at Bon Jovi (it's impossible to live without them), it's actually a very good read, and reflects, if nothing else, how MASSIVE Bon Jovi were. They were the reference point of Rock and Heavy Metal, and even if this review is not the most flattering to Bon Jovi, I see it as a compliment, an ode, a tribute to their status.

To summarise it:
"Yes, Metallica, are awesome and critics as well as pimpled boys love them, but Bon Jovi (despite being who they are) are BON JOVI"

Also - the quote below made me burst out laughing:
How much foresight….


Enjoy reading:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/al...r-all-19881103

Ahh Rolling Stone hate/s Bon Jovi and I have read that review before, although of course they were happy enough to have him on the cover. I know what they were trying to do but any way I look at it, comparing New Jersey to any Metallica release is not a fair comparison. Although we did have the KTF or Metallica darker debate the other week.

"Few of the tracks sound like hits."

Good call.

Five top 10 singles including two #1's.

yeah, but the writer did say that at least 4 of the songs will become part of collective consciousness. That was like SPOT ON!

Comparing those two albums is like night and day to me though. I love me some Metallica, don't get me wrong, but not too big on that album and their earlier thrashier stuff. So don't really see the point of that review - I could have understood if they wanted to compare and contrast 'Appetite For Destruction' with NJ for example.

Bon Jovi are about the catchy pop melodies merged with the rock music, the fist pumping anthems, radio friendly feel good music etc. ''Justice for all..'' is a mile away from this.

Funnily enough, the Metallica I like best is the black album, Load and Reload stuff - basically when many of their hardcore fans accused them of ''selling out'' and going the rock route, straying towards 'Bon Jovi' territory dare I say. They even shared the same producer in Bob Rock (the 3 Metallica albums I just mentioned/Keep the faith).

I'm not ashamed to say I love a good catchy melody, and that's why with the exception of 'One' of Justice, I'd take the more mainstream stuff like Fuel, Unforgiven, Enter Sandman or anything Bon Jovi anyday of the week.

Andi

Bon Jovi is safe as milk; Metallica harks back to the time when rock's bite was worse than its bark.

I really love the ending sentence. It is spot on all these years later.

Don't get me wrong, I have been a Bon Jovi fan since I first heard them - but I grew up in a time (60s and 70s) when the music wasn't always safe and sometime it was considered dangerous and subversive as hell. People were thrown off TV for subversive music (The Smothers Brothers, Simon and Garfunkel) and were silenced in other ways too. I firmly believe that "rock's bite" is still needed and always has been.

That said though, people do what they do best and that is really what Bon Jovi has done all these years. One of the things that attracted me in the beginning is still there - the gorgeous, beautiful melodic and lyrical sound that they make. They still (in my opinion) can write a beautiful sounding song. It may not have a lot of content or be subversive - but it sounds good.