Slippery When Wet

Slippery When Wet is Bon Jovi’s worldwide breakthrough, binding rock’s powerful momentum and pop’s catchy immediacy in a nearly perfect form. Reaching number one on the US chart, it is a monumental masterpiece that pushed the band to superstardom at once. Richie Sambora’s guitar powerfully drives the songs, and Jon Bon Jovi’s singing presents clear hooks that reach large venues one after another. The enduring classic “You Give Love a Bad Name,” the signature anthem “Livin’ on a Prayer,” with its striking talkbox effect, and the acoustic “Wanted Dead or Alive” each hold a different face yet reach universal, hummable melody, while cuts like “Never Say Goodbye” and “Raise Your Hands” convey the work’s fullness. Its immense value lies in the whole album being a set of classics at an extremely high level, not merely a flashy one-off. An overwhelmingly strong record vividly symbolizing the best lift of 1980s arena rock. Collaboration with producer Bruce Fairbairn further raised its refinement. An enduring great masterpiece shining brilliantly in rock history.