New Jersey: Your Thoughts, Musings or Opinions
 

The follow up to the bands landmark 1986 "classic" Slippery When Wet is a major leap forward, in my opinion. One of the main reasons I can never view SWW as a classic is how 80'ish it sounds, and I know people say, "well duh, that's because it was made in the eighties" but for me a classic album should sound timeless, it should be able to be released at any date in time and sound present, Slippery for me, dose not. New Jersey however marked a major step forward in production values, it dose have a slightly eighty'ish sound but definitely not near the extent Slippery dose. It also marks a major leap forward in songwritting. With Slippery the band found out who they were as musicans and as songwriters and what worked for them and with New Jersey you could sense a band full of confidence and ready to push themselves further. They basically took what worked in Slippery and pushed themselves further down that road.

LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME is an awesome opening song. A really well written tounge-in-cheek rock song. Shame they don't produce songs as hard as this these days. 5/5

I loathe the studio version of BAD MEDICINE. Still to this day I don't think I've managed to listen to this song right through again. Strangely enough I absolutely love it live but this version is just awful. 1/5

BORN TO BE MY BABY is definitely a follow up to Prayer and a damn good one at that. It starts to mark a deeper, more meaningful song writting style for the album and it's a really superb pop/rock song. 5/5

LIVING IN SIN is an interesting one. On the surface it appears to be a rather childish power ballad with very weak lyrics but it is a very powerful song with a great vocal from Jon that really elevates it above it's lyrical constraints. 4/5

BLOOD ON BLOOD is the best track on the album and the best song this band produced in the eighties. A truly brilliant 6 minute epic rock ballad. 5/5

HOMEBOUND TRAIN is another one I greatly dislike. There's just no redeeming features about this song for me, dosen't even sound like Bon Jovi. 1/5

WILD IS THE WIND. The album picks up with this little ditty. Yes it may be rather cheesy lyrically but musically it's very powerful and really is a guilty pleasure of mine. 4/5

RIDE COWBOY RIDE / STICK TO YOUR GUNS: RCR is a great little intro to a really fantastic song. STYG is one of the most brilliant and most powerful songs this band has written and always confuses me why this isn't a staple at live shows. 5/5

I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU is really the first proper power-ballad they wrote. By no means the best and drags a little at the end but the power and emotion that comes across more then makes up for it and Jon and Richies harmonies sound fantastic. I do prefer it when Richie takes lead vocals. His bluesy voice is better suited IMO. 5/5

99 IN THE SHADE is a weak rehash of Wild In The Streets. It's not the worst song on the album but it is utterly forgettable. 2/5

LOVE FOR SALE is a really cool little drunken accoustic number to finish with and I don't know how to really explain it but it gives the album a certain charm that I like. 4/5

New Jersey was certainly a step forward and it kept the evolution of the band moving in the right direction. It showed the band were capable of deeper, more meaningful songs while still keeping hold of the that fun rock and roll sound and that trend continued right through to Destination Anywhere. All in all New Jersey is a truly superb rock album that defines perfectly who Bon Jovi were in the eighties. Of course the album title is pure sh1t, could've been worse though, they could have called it "Sons of the Beach" or something about the heat at which rock spontaniously combusts. All in all though a great album: 4 and 1/2 STARS.



Phil

Re: New Jersey: Thoughts, Musings or Opinions
 

Just a few reasons that I will never understand this guy:

??? The live versions ever since 1993 have been shit. Jon has no passion in his singing and the band is on auto-pilot. And they totally **** the song up with shouts and peppermint twists and what have-yous.

One of the greatest Bon Jovi - rock tracks. The guys themselves like it, they played on the NJ tour all the time and even after that in places where they think the fans can appreciate it.

Again, one of the better rock songs Bon Jovi have made. Right up there with Raise Your Hands and Social Disease.

Ice

Social Disease, one of the best Bon Jovi songs? :lol: Yeah, good one. And that's exactly why I'll never understand you. That song is an embarrasment.



Phil

good review of jovi's finest hour,i agree blood on blood,what a track,in my top 5 jovi tracks.what about the fact that jon wanted it to be a double album ?

Re: New Jersey: Your Thoughts, Musings or Opinions
 

oi! :o
one of the greatest bon jovi songs ever!

Re: New Jersey: Your Thoughts, Musings or Opinions
 

Ok, Ok, Ok. I back down :) . Homebound Train rocks :wink: . But c'mon you know how I feel about the album, now I wanna know what y'all think of it! :)


Phil

Embarrasment as in it's not watered-down to be radio-friendly, it's not covered with keyboards, it's got great, fun rock lyrics, actual guitar riffs going on all the time and a brilliant vocal performance? Yeah, I can see how that would be an embarrasment to someone who thinks Bounce is a rock album or that Crush is great. Yeah, sure Always is a _lot_ better than that one. And let's not even compare All About Loving You, no contest there. Or one of the best songs ever, Save The World! I mean, She's A Mystery rocks so hard, Social Disease has got nothing on it. At least Say It Isn't So has a great guitar riff and a good solo! Not to mention brilliant lyrics; "I hear Disneyland might lose Mickey Mouse", I mean, how deep is that!

Ice

New Jersey is probably my second favourate BJ album. The band had matured quite a bit since Slippery and the songs in some cases are more meaningful. I suppose I've done a track by track analysis of the other albums so here goes:


Lay Your Hands On Me - Great into and a good opening to the album. The song rocks, but Bon Jovi haven't blown me away with their song writing skills here. It's a song many people could have written. 3.5/5

Bad Medicine - One of my favourate BJ rockers. Love the piano riff into the power chords. The lyrics are well written, about a love relationship gone sour, and you've been bitten but you're still addicted and crave more. Love the way Jon almost shouts the lyrics, but live he doesn't do that anymore. Bon Jovi need to either rock it up live or drop it from the setlist. 4.5/5

Born To Be My Baby - "Na na na naaa na nana na na..." :D. This is another good rocker about a couple that fall in love and would do anything to be together no matter what anyone (parents, etc) thinks. *I don't know.... just where we fit in.... sometimes it scares me." Simple, but I think that's a great lyric. 4.5/5

Living In Sin - Didn't like this on the first few listens, but it later became one of my favourate BJ ballads. Slow intro, but when it kicks in it's got power and a decent solo. It's about the same kind of thing as BTBMB with not knowing where you fit in. I.e. You're in love and other people don't approve and you feel isolated. 4/5

Blood on Blood - This is (I think) a fictional story, but one of my all time favourates. I think it's a great piece of imagination and writing. I think by "Blood on Blood" they mean the crowning of a friendship back in old times between cowboys, when they used to cut their hands and and shake hands. This signalled a kind of unbreable friendship if I remember rightly. The song rocks and I love the drums in the solo into a much quieter part of the song, before building up again. Great song! 5/5

Homebound Train - Great rocker. Hearing the intro it could be ballad, but the song kicks in big style into a great riff. They should play this more often live, because it's got a real hard feel to it and the solo is really long which is good. The first part of the solo the Harmonica blasts sound great, before Richie explodes into a great piece of playing. 4/5

Wild Is The Wind - Good ballad. Bacially it's about a guy's frustration that he has done all he can for his woman, but she isn't satisfied that he isn't there all the time. Jon's voice sounds really strong and so does the guitar which gives the ballad power! 4/5

Ride Cowboy Ride - The studio version is barely audible. It doesn't sound good at all, probably because it's not meant to, but I find myself drifting off big time when listening to this. Thank god it's only 1 min and about 20 odd secs long. I think it's about a cowboy being in the middle of nowhere who craves the touch of a woman, or just having to ride on from somewhere and may not be able to return. The live version sounds good, and proves its a decent bit of writing, but I hate the studio version. 1/5

Stick To Your Guns - I think this is sung to a woman, but insists on riding along with a cowboy. *So you wanna be a cowboy, then you gotta know it's more that just a ride...". It's almost of if the cowboy is teaching her how to be like him, or advising her how to be more successful in life. I don't know if this is correct, but that's my take on it. It's a mature song and there are lots of positive messages you can take from it. 4/5

I'll Be There For You - Love the intro and it's a good ballad. It has power (unlike the ballads of Crush and Bounce), and the guy is losing his girl and is begging for another chance. Only bad thing was that the "These five words..." lyric became a sort of Bon Jovi cliche. 3.5/5

99 In The Shade - Worst song on the album? I don't think so pal! I think it's a great rock party song. It's 99 degrees in the shade and the main character has just been paid, nicked his dads Chevrolet for the day, and is on his way to meet the boys to go party and meet some women. Couldn't be better! Good solo. :D 4/5

Love For Sale - What a great way to end an album. It's so unexpected after the hard rockers and powerful heart felt ballads of the album. I love the Harmonica and the fast fingerpicking acoustic riff. It's a good story too about his mum sending him a funny Valentine, and the lyrics sound great. 4/5


To say it was pretty much a rushed album I think Bon Jovi did a great job. There is only one weak track, and that's not all that weak actually when you hear it live. Overall it gets 4/5. This is Bon Jovi very very near their best in my opinion! :D

Save the World is awful. Mystery Train dose not rock at all and Say It Isn't So is actually a deep song about the power and importance of belief. Yeah, it's not up there with Something To Believe In or I Believe but then again it wasn't written in that vain. Regardless, it dose have a deep and important message.

Why you getting so worked up anyway? :? We have different taste, so what. Get over yourself.

Rob, I don't think 99 In The Shade is the worst song on the album, I do quite like it for what it is but I think Wild In The Streets is a far better song about the same subject, IMHO.


Phil

Dude you are pushing it again, this is a bit off bullshit. Although Say It Isn't So is better than Social Disease.