Do Bon Jovi have to please too many different fans?
 

I was watching some youtube videos from the 93-96 period and I simply noticed how energetic the band was.

Then I thought a little about those album elimination rounds and certain songs go out way too early and quite a lot of people are certainly unsatissfied with that(I noticed that this happens with the heavier songs mainly. Heavy songs go out quite early although there is a significant amount of people complaining how songs like Homebound Train Fear can be eliminated so quickly).

Also I thought of Bon Jovi not bringing out a consistent album since These Days. I mean some sound more like an entity than others but Crush, Bounce and Hand sound more like a collection of songs designed to please everyone, from the headbanger to the housewife, from the bob dylan fan to the pink fan, from the hair metaller to the adult rock fan. they simply throw in everything on the expense of consistency.

On the firts 2 records there were certainly some more commercial songs like She Dont Know Me or Silent Night but those were still in a minority as the records were still solid hard rock. then Slippery and New Jersey had that more commercial feel, more of the POP but the albums, and especially New Jersey, were quite consistent in style and very few songs sound like they do not belong there.

Keep The Faith is clearly divided into 2 halves. The more serious songs including KTF, Believe, Dry County , Fear and the more fun 80s songs like Blame it.., Sleep When Im Dead or Little Bit Of Soul. On a different dimension, they did really HEAVY riffing and extremly fast solo-ing but also wrote some of the cheesiest ballads ever. That album tried maybe like no other to appeal to as many people as possible. the quality of some songs is just too high so it can not be a bad record. nevertheless, it is not a consistent album.

These Days again has all over this somber feel and it rarely tries to appeal to different target groups. Overall I would rate it as the most consistent Bon Jovi album ever.

Now the post 2000 era. The quality of the music has obviously decreased. But I think Bon Jovi try to make their records as accessible as possible to as many audiences as possible. We will keep on getting 1-2 hard rockers, 3-4 midtmepos, 3-4 ballads, 1 country song...etc in the future...so all records will sound like compilations rather than like unitary albums because of this.

Now I wrote a manifesto here and I have no idea if you people agree with me but its hard to imagine a consistent Bon Jovi album in the future.

I agree completely. You hit the nail right on the head. But I disagree about HAND, HAND is by insanely consistant with the exception of the country-rock thing. Each track's genre flows well into the next. Bounce was TERRIBLE consistancy wise. Far too many changes from one track to the next.

But I definetely agree with most of your points.

I actually do agree with you as well. I guess it's a double edged sword. I mean they gained the wider audience (age range wise) because of the post 2000 songs and now they will have the pressure, I'm guessing more from the record company but maybe for their egos too of keeping them.

deb

When it comes to consistency (not quality) I don't see how TD is anymore consistent than Bounce. They both have hard, mid-tempos and softer songs and both keep the same atmoshpere. TD has that melancolic, pessimistic feel all over and Bounce has this more or less obvious "Don't back down" thing in most if not all songs.

These two albums are probably the only two BJ albums (bar Jon's solo work) that were built around one specific theme or feeling. It's probably the only thing these two albums have in common. Funny thing is they are the two extremes in term of quality in my BJ catalog.


Ponrauil

I agree. Bounce was written just after 9/11 and you can see that. The whole album is about standing on your ground, love and friendship. And the mood of the album is near to TD I think... But it is now 21st century so it has to sound like that to be sold... Nevertheless Bounce is great album. It is in 2nd place with Crush... just after TD.

When I listen to These Days I feel like I am listening to one big song which has ups and downs. When I listen to Bounce(and I hope my memory doesn't play a trick on me) I just feel like the songs have been all thrown there into the same pot. I mean, there might be a "don't back down" theme but musically speaking, the songs simply don't fit together. It's 3 harder-edged songs, then 3 mid-tempos, then again one more upbeat, then one ballad, then one up-beat, then one ballad, then one upbeat, then 2 ballads.

But I wasn't speaking exclusively about Bounce. I mean HAND or CRUSH as well. Obviously, people who like LAST MAN STANDING because of the riffing will not be very keen on Bells of Freedom or on Welcome To Wherever You Are. People who like UNDIVIDED or HOOK ME UP will not really love Right Side of Wrong. I don't mean it's not possible, I am just sayig it's likely that parts of the albums are targeted MAINLY at certain audiences whereas other parts only at others. People who think One Wild Night is the best song of CRUSH will never like all of CRUSH simply because that song is a one-off on that record. The person will buy CRUSH, enjoy One Wild Night and skip most of the other songs.

Bon Jovi write songs for a lot of different people. Some may say they did it in the past as well and I would agree to a certain degree but in the last few years it got extreme. I guess there are completly different kinds of Bon Jovi fans. I am one who likes solos, high vocals and good riffs. Bon Jovi used to embody all of this. They still have some songs where at least parts of these elements are present. But I am sure ther are Bon Jovi fans who like them because of completly other reasons and they will always try to please those fans too. What does this mean? Unless Bon Jovi really manage to overlap and to include all the different tastes into THE SAME SONGS(that's the difference to the past) we will always be satissfied with parts of the new records and not with the records as a whole.

i've got to agree with that... i don't know if the songs are written to record company's demands or just included to keep up to quotas. I think an album may have a theme, but i have to agree that it's likethey are just going: the mid-tempo... check, ballad... check...
even the singles from the post2000 era... big cheerful sieze-the-day number (IML, Everyday, have a nice day) mid-tempo (say it isn't so, misunderstood, who says you can't go home) and ballad (thank you for loving me, all about lovin you, welcome to wherever you are).
music by numbers :(
xx

I love Last Man Standing and Bells Of Freedom,
I love Hook Me Up and Right Side Of Wrong
I love One Wild Night and the whole album.

Well maybe I'm in the minority.... but still.

in fact, you can say that the single order is done to maximise album sales to as broad a demographic as possible, rather than solely to market the singles or tours.
i mean, they always bring out an upbeat 'rock' track first, traditional jovi fayre, to reassure the fans (who'd go to the shop to buy it especially) that they're back and that they're still rock-y, thereby getting a high chart position and raising the band's profile. after appeasing the fans they release some mid-tempo or ballady- stuff that people can buy in asda with their groceries because it shows the bands a bit less rock and threatening.

maybe.
xx

Couldn't have it put better there myself.....