Bon Jovi Albums

What are the best Bon Jovi albums of all time? Since the band’s recording debut in the 1980’s, both Bon Jovi the band and Jon Bon Jovi, the lead singer, have created a number of well received albums. Whether you are a long time Bon Jovi fan or have only recently discovered the band, there are a few albums that deserve listening time. 

1. “Bon Jovi” The self titled album served as the band’s debut for Mercury records in 1984. The first hit single, “Runaway,” introduced many to the Bon Jovi sound and gained fans and positive critic reviews alike. The Bon Jovi debut album set the stage for the upbeat, energetic style of the band that would dominate their characteristic sound for years to come. 
2. “Slippery When Wet” This is often the first Bon Jovi album that many fans recall when asked about early Bon Jovi hits. “You Give Love a Bad Name,” “Wanted Dead or Alive,” and “Livin’ on a Prayer” became synonymous with the Bon Jovi name and image in the mid 1980’s. “Slippery When Wet” emerged in the midst of the hair metal band craze of the decade—and remains one of the best so called “glam band” albums of memory for many rock and roll fans of the era.
3. “New Jersey” Jon Bon Jovi and crew hailed from the state of New Jersey, giving this album its name—but, only Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and the Bon Jovi crew could give this album its characteristic sound. “Bad Medicine” and “Lay Your Hands on Me” and the rock ballad, “I’ll Be There for You” seemed to continue the legacy of “Slippery When Wet” with fans. 
4. “Keep the Faith” This early 90's album brought with it a change in Bon Jovi sound and a change in the band’s appearance. Gone were the long, hair band locks of the mid-1980’s—and along with them the carefree glam-band lyrics and feel of the music. “Keep the Faith” was a darker offering, perhaps in an effort to appeal to the grunge fans of the new decade—or perhaps as an expression of the changes in the goals and aspirations of the individual Bon Jovi members.
5. “Crush” The hit single “It’s My Life” returned Bon Jovi to the spotlight after a second hiatus in both touring and recording together as a group. While Bon Jovi members departed the band for various individual projects during the 1990’s—the release of “Crush” showed that the band was able to grow, change with the times and appeal to a new generation of fans while retaining old-school Bon Jovi music lovers as well.