Def Leppard vs. Bon Jovi
 

Def Leppard vs. Bon Jovi

These are two of the most successful bands of the 1980s/early 1990s.

Both bands have sold millions of records, toured the world, had major hit singles, dominated MTV and radio, and have been the envy of many of their peers.

Both bands have also continued to release albums since the mid-1990s to the present and toured the world. Both bands have had continued success around the world, except in the U.S., where Bon Jovi clearly dominates over Def Leppard.

So why does Bon Jovi sell out U.S. STADIUMS at $100+ a seat and Def Leppard has to co-headline (Bryan Adams last year, now Journey) to come close to filling the seats at an outdoor amphitheater for a third to half of the price?

Why does Bon Jovi still command radio airplay for mediocre material and Def Leppard can’t get anything, even mediocre material, post-1992 in any airplay rotation?

Now I’m not going to deny the successes of both bands. I think that for both bands to have maintained a level of success within a 20-25 year period is amazing. It is good for the world of Hard Rock to have bands like this in the public eye, keeping this genre alive in the mainstream. What I am trying to figure out is why/how Bon Jovi has shot past Def Leppard in the last decade.

Tale of the Release:

Bon Jovi
- released 5 studio albums between 1984-1992, including a 4 year gap between New Jersey (1988) & Keep The Faith (1992)
- released 7 albums between 1994-2005, only 3 were actual studio albums, including 5 year gaps between These Days (1995) & Crush (2000) & Have A Nice Day (2005)
- the other 4 albums released between 1994-2005 were a greatest hits, live album, box set, and an acoustic greatest hits compilation.
- since 2000 have released various different forms of each album (Wal-mart only releases, tour editions, E.P.s, etc.)

Def Leppard
- released 5 studio albums between 1980-1992, including a 4 year gap between Pyromania (1983) & Hysteria (1987), as well as, a 5 year gap betweem Hysteria (1987) & Adrenalize (1992)
- released 6 albums between 1993-2004, only 3 were actual studio albums between 1996-2002
- the other 3 albums released between 1993-2004 were a b-side compilation, greatest hits, and another greatest hits
- will release a covers album, Yeah!, in 2005

If you look at both bands’ output until 1992, you’ll see that they released the same amount of studio albums and each had two major blockbuster albums. You will also notice that there are significant gaps of years between releases for both bands. You could explain these gaps with the facts that both bands went on worldwide tours for these releases resulting in two years or more on the road. Also Def Leppard had two major tragedies in those gaps: Rick Allen’s accident between Pyromania & Hysteria and Steve Clark’s death between Hysteria & Adrenalize. I’m stressing the point of both bands having years between their blockbuster albums because Def Leppard always gets criticism for not releasing albums in a timely manner.

If you look post-1992, you’ll notice that Def Leppard has released studio albums with more consistency: 3 albums in 6 years (1996-2002). Bon Jovi has released 3 albums in 10 years (1995-2005).

So what is it that has launched Bon Jovi past Def Leppard as far as popularity and success in the U.S.?

Is it radio airplay?
Is it label support? They are on the same label.
Is it that the women adore Jon Bon Jovi? I seem to remember the Def Lep guys being favorites of the ladies as well.
Is it the strength of the material? I’d argue that the studio albums both bands released are of the same quallity. (I’m taking personal preference out of it.)
Is it that Bon Jovi is American and Def Leppard is British? Doesn’t matter to me but it could to some people.

I have no answer

Did you forget about bounce??

So it was really 4 albums in 10 years time.
Is this an updated look on the subject?? Because I recall a web page with just about the same content but I thinks theres something different, Anyway this has been done to death. I like Both bands. But obviously Bon Jovi more.

Bon Jovi produce better music in a technical sense. The quality of the melodies and the level of the playing on the records and live surpasses many bands, including D.L

Also they released recods that would sell AND keep them in the public eye AND with Crush, made sure they could appeal to a wide audience. They have alos matured as they've gone on.

Throughout the 90s, Def Leppard was much more successful in the US than Bon Jovi. Look it up on the Billboard website.

I guess Bon Jovi were than a bit more lucky with Crush than Def Leppard with X and this made all the difference. Both albums are cheap POP records, on both there is a song written by Max Martin, but one was successful and the other one wasn't.

Regarding the looks, I think Def Leppard also tried to adjust. In some clips/picturd Joe Eliot literally looks like an overaged Barbie doll.

another aspect is that Bon Jovi are American. What British band made it really big lately or is sill relevant? Maybe The Stones. U2 are from Ireland so they don't count. America has many more: metallica, aerosmith, chilli peppers, springsteen and even pearl jam.

I would add Jons looks and the fact that housewives are more loyal fans who also talk their kids into listening to the same music. In the 80s Def Leppard had more headbangers in their audience than Bon Jovi. Those guys are middle-aged men now who don't give a shit about Leppard, as opposed to the groupies who still have fantasies with JBJ.

I guess all of this explains it quite a bot. However, most important is in my opinion the come-back album. Crush hit big time. X failed.

To be honest, I count Euphoria as DL's so called comeback album.
Yes, it did fail commercially, but to me it sounded great, maybe a bit to 80's but they released the album in 1999, toured it took a bit of a break then got to work on X and released that one in 2002.

Wrong. Def Leppard are miles ahead Bon Jovi in the technical sense. The guitarists alone are probably the best guitar duo in the world.

Ice

Um, have you forgotten Bounce?

Anyway, my personal opinion is that Jovi is (or was) better at choosing singles. In the ninties they had a huge sucess with Bed of Roses, which begat Always, which begat This Ain't A Love Song which were all hits, even in the US where Jovi weren't AS successful in the nineties. And, as Devilsson said Jovi had a (like the album or not) huge success and comeback with Crush in 2000, which cemented them as current force, where I think DL is almost looked at as a nostalgia act. Also (and this is my opinion) while both bands have their two huge masterpieces, I think Jovi have a much stronger, and more well rounded catalouge when you take said 80's masterpieces out of the equation. Now, I'm a fan of both bands (hell, I wear a DL leather jacket every day) but I'm a much, much, much bigger Bon Jovi fan.

Is it radio airplay? Yes
Is it label support? Yes. Leppard has far less label support. Which of course translates to radio airplay.
Is it that the women adore Jon Bon Jovi? Yes. This can only help. People are delusional if they think that BJ's success can be attributed solely to the strength of the music.
Is it the strength of the material? Not really, after 1992, both bands have produced some great material and some really crappy material. It's a tossup.
Is it that Bon Jovi is American and Def Leppard is British? Yes.

So the answer is the combination of all those.

What?! Do you seriously mean that they're better than Bandiera and that pedal steel-guy?

...

Aloha !

No, but better than Richie and Jon together are. Jon is shit and Richie is great, while Def Leppard has 2 guitar players who understand eachother.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan