The #30 Album of All-Time in the Rock Era: "Slippery When Wet" by Bon Jovi

Inside the Rock Era is presenting a summer spectacular in the Summer of 2011--The Top 100 Albums of the Rock Era*.  We have featured one per day since June, and are now up to #30.


This New Jersey-based band took the world by storm from the get-go.  This great album reached the Top 10 in its fourth week, almost unheard of for a group that few people had heard of.  It hung around the Top 5 for 13 weeks before reaching #1 on January 17, 1987.  Even though it was knocked out of the top position after eight weeks, it still was in the Top 5 on June 27--the album spent 36 weeks in the Top 5.  All told, it counted up 45 weeks in the Top 10 and 94 on the chart.  Slippery When Wet has now topped 12 million in sales and has an excellent Track Record* of 8.98.  The album was also #1 in Canada, Finland, Switzerland, Norway and New Zealand.







The monster singles "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer" (a member of The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era* club) generated tremendous publicity for the album as Bon Jovi became the first hard rock band in history to have two consecutive #1 hits.  When listeners purchased it, they discovered plenty of other gems.  The well-produced "Wanted Dead or Alive" featuring elite guitarist Richie Sambora and "Never Say Goodbye" gave the group four big hits and tons of airplay.  The album took it from there.


"Let It Rock", "Raise Your Hands" and "I'd Die For You" are all excellent rockers.  Combined with the four single releases, they gave Slippery When Wet seven high-quality tracks and "Without Love" is the only track that I would call "average".


The album also was recognized at the awards shows, as Bon Jovi won Favorite Group at the American Music Awards.  They were nominated for Favorite Album and Favorite Single ("Livin' on a Prayer").  The group won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Stage Performance in a Video ("Livin' on a Prayer") and were nominated in the same category for "You Give Love a Bad Name".  Slippery When Wet was also nominated for International Album of the Year at the Juno Awards.


Slippery When Wet:


1.    "Let It Rock" (Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora" --5:25
2.    "You Give Love a Bad Name" (Bon Jovi, Sambora, Desmond Child) --3:44
3.    "Livin' on a Prayer" (Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child) 4:09
4  .  "Social Disease" (Bon Jovi, Sambora) --4:18
5  .  "Wanted Dead or Alive" (Bon Jovi, Sambora) --5:08
6.    "Raise Your Hands" (Bon Jovi, Sambora) --4:16
7.    "Without Love" (Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child) --3:30
8.    "I'd Die for You" (Bon Jovi, Sambora) --4:30
9.    'Never Say Goodbye (Bon Jovi, Sambora) --4:48
10.  "Wild in the Streets" (Bon Jovi) --3:54






The Bon Jovi lineup was Jon Bon Jovi on lead vocals and guitar, Richie Sambora on guitar, talkbox and backing vocals, bassist Alec John Such on also contributed backing vocals, Tico Torres on drums and keyboardist and vocalist David Bryan.  


Tom Keenlyside and Lema Moon played horns on Slippery When Wet; other than that, it's all Bon Jovi.


Slippery When Wet was recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1986.  Bruce Fairbairn produced the album; Bob Rock was the engineer and also mixed it.  Bill Levy did the artwork and Mark Weiss handled photography.  The album was released August 18, 1986 on Vertigo Records.


Slippery When Wet slips into position #30 for the Rock Era for Bon Jovi.