Customer Reviews

New Jersey (W/Newpk)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'll be there for you is one of the best ballads from Bon Jovi and this album is a classic metal album and one of the best metal albums of all-time. Bad Medicine, Born to be my baby and Lay your hands on me are three classic rock songs. Bon Jovi shines with the ballad- Living in Sin.

New Jersey is flawless.

seriously, people. i really do believe this album has merit. perhaps the greatest hair metal album released. the ballads are all pitch-perfect, the rockers are catchy, the album feels like an album and not a few hits with filler...they did a great job with this one.

trivia: the first album i ever owned, period. (and no, that doesn't make me biased...ahahaha).

You know an album is great when it sounds better every time you hear it. I picked "New Jersey" up on audio cassette for a dollar, and it was my introduction to Bon Jovi. Now I own 3 Bon Jovi albums, and I love them all.

"New Jersey" is different than the other albums I own ("Slippery When Wet", "Crush"). It feels more like a concert than an album. Whether it was intentional or not, the songs just flow nicely from one to another. The first two songs kind of get you going, though they're kind of repetitive and more of a "warm up" to the rest of the album. Then, with an authoritative "1, 2, 3, 4", the drums come in and "Born to be My Baby" opens. Then the album hits its stride. "Living in Sin" follows...it's beautifully written and sung, and shows off the band's ability to harmonize. If you have the cassette, like me, the 1st side finishes with "Blood on Blood", a high energy song about the band members' wild boyhood.

But if I could only have one side (speaking in tape terms again), it would be the second side. "Homebound Train" opens, continuing the energy that the first side ended with, and then comes "Wild is the Wind", a passionate and upbeat song about what it feels like to be seperated from the one you love. Then comes the mono, record-like recording of "Ride, Cowboy, Ride". It sounds kind of weak, but I'm still glad it's there, because it makes "Stick to Your Guns" sound that much cooler when it kicks in with it loud drums and beautiful chords. What follows is probably the best song on the album, "I'll Be There for You". I don't know how to describe its greatness, other than to say that it's the song that all of us guys wish we could sing (if we had Jon Bon Jovi's voice) to that one girl who we love, but never seems to love us in return. And just when you think the song is done, it hits its key change, and you'll just sit back and breathe a sigh. It's that cool.

The last couple of songs on the album aren't that special, but they kind of serve the purpose of "letting you down easy" so that you're actually ready to let the album stop playing. "99 in the Shade" is a fun song, but nothing special. The last song, "Love for Sale" isn't really a song, and you'll hate it at first, but after a couple of times, you'll start to find it funny, and you'll like the way it literally finishes the album off with one of the Bon Jovis requesting that they just "say the record is done".

This album may not be for everyone, but it's still undoubtedly a great album, and one of the reasons I still have a cassette player in my house. Give it a try.

I have heard "yeah I USED to be into that back in the day" or "I probably still have a copy floating around somewhere" with regards to this album (or possibly GNR's Illusions albums) more than any other piece of work. Again, perhaps you are beginning to notice a thematic motif streaming through all my reviews: WELL WHAT ABOUT BEETHOVEN??????? It's about the most difficult, grandiose, and (unnecessary?) thing to do in the world, compare the New Jersey album to the .... 7th Beethoven Symphony, let's say.... but given I live in America, my freedom of speech is going to let me get on with the idea anyway.

Nobody says "yeah man back in the day, the late works of Brahms." Why is the 80's such a long time ago, and why has it been that way ever since 1993?

Well, ranking with "Keep the Faith," "Blaze of Glory," and "Use your Illusion II", this fool shall now stick his neck out and put this album on the highest throne - potentially pushing the buttons of many... or maybe not?

Upon becoming millionaires in the prime party time of your life, first of all, a huge hat's off these guys for actually feeling like making a masterpiece after "Slippery." The latter album was great, but from a musical standpoint, there was a career with tenure to be established. When applying the business sense of using "the formula to sell", combined with musical talent and significant productivity in the composition department (oh, and a human soul, almost forgot that one), I never have heard a band who has been able to split the difference and play the game to get their point across, better (except for maybe Queen).

I was 10 when I first heard "I'll be there for You", so I'll admit I was somewhat brought into the game of record marketing for the masses... yet still, from day one, I was quite remarkably MORE hooked into Jovi than ANYTHING else that was going on. I didn't even get into Guns till after Nirvana made them "untrendy" and "embarrassing" to listen to.

The hooks? The production? The buisness sense? Sure! But STILL, for God's sake, let's not forget that BON JOVI'S "NEW JERSEY" also has AMAZING SONGWRITING AND MUSICIANSHIP. Although I am no enemy of the power ballad, I would still like to say that "I'll be There for You" is probably the best one (maybe because it's actually a song, not just a power ballad, all ye pigeonholers out there) ever written. Amazing lyrics, immensely tasteful fills by Richie in between all the vocals, and amazingly tastefully guitar solo... and that modulation (or more like tonal shift) into E at the outro chorus! ... or in the case of this song, one of the guys in the band went, "you know I think we may have something here if we take this song to the key of God." All who want to cry "music nerd," bring it on, I'm ready. Just stay away from Dream Theater because it probably has too much brain for you. This is why I love Bon Jovi more than anything, though... they have brains to overplay, which is telepathically communicated to us in their songs, but they know that they need to reach out to people, or their mission is pointless - and although I'd like to see the current Jovi go back to a little more jamming and going off, I do understand their situation. So, realizing they have the lowest B.S. content of any humans in the world, they put their hearts on tape - and into the lives of others.

But the real gem/masterpiece/lackofwordsforsuchasong is "Stick to Your Guns." The key and chord progressions, being directly before "I'll be There For You," may be somewhat exhausting to the listener... but.... I guess that's okay in this case, given that two of the greatest musical compositions ever written are right next to each other. I didn't even think about the whole cowboy ripoff thing till people started bringing it up SINCE the year 2002. If you get to what the song is really saying, you'll find you can stop attacking JBJ for the "cliche's." You know, I have a philosophy: Cliche's are only cliche's because they are so true, and frequently recurring themes in life. Some people out there just can't handle repetition. I will concede, however, there is a fine line between monotonous simplicity and justified "in the pocket" repetition.

But enough about the greatest songs ever written, that just happen to appear on New Jersey. "Wild is the Wind" rips your heart out and makes you bleed, "Blood on Blood" is on the borderline between anthem and epic, which develops so perfectly you forget over 6 minutes has gone by, "Living in Sin" and "Born to Be My Baby" could be considered some of the best stuff ever written WHEN you are in the proper mood, and "Love for Sale" is one of the first huge posters that read "STOP IT WITH THE HAIRMETAL LABELS" before the term HAIRMETAL was even a big deal. What? Diversity? An 80's band? That is correct.

This is an amazing album that will be on your moderate to heavy rotation list all your life, if you are not stubborn enough to fall into the "It had its day" category of obstinate human beings that dwell amongst us. It may never sell more than "Slippery" just because there are too many people that go "Dude, the original is classic, you can't argue with the classic", but in a perfect world *sigh* it would atleast have longterm critical acclaim. If you are listening to Matchbox 20, Creed, Dave Matthews, Barenaked Ladies *shudder* or,... I don't know what, but if you think what you listen to is good music and you don't even own this album... AND there were a literal God of Rock and Roll somewhere, then you, my friend, may be committing a mild sin. But religion is about forgiveness, so ... if you turn your computer off right now and go get it (or order it here right now).... maybe I can convince God to look the other way just long enough....

Anyone who doesn't think this review is completely pretensious: EMAIL ME.

"New Jersey" is a good album, but not groundbreaking or earthshattering as some seem to view it. It might have been more successful than "Slippery When Wet," but that's probably due in large to the fact that "Slippery" did so well before it was released. In essence, "New Jersey" is one part "Slippery When Wet" and one part "Keep The Faith."

If you listen to the album, you'll notice that many of the songs echo or repeat songs from "Slippery." "Bad Medicine" hearkens back to "You Give Love A Bad Name." "Lay Your Hands On Me" is played in the same vein as "Let It Rock." "I'll Be There For You" simply grabs on to the success of "Never Say Goodbye." Bon Jovi merely took the old formula, rehashed it, and created a good rock album that continues what "Slippery" started. I'm not knocking the album for that because "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." However, a little more originality and, perhaps, a little risk might have made this album better than it is.

Other songs on the album, notably "Living In Sin" and "Wild Is The Wind," show us the softer leanings of Bon Jovi found on every single album put out after "New Jersey." "New Jersey" is pivotal in that aspect, but it doesn't deserve as much respect as "Slippery When Wet."

As far as the songs are concerned as a whole, there are a few good ones here. "Bad Medicine" is the best song on this album. It stands out more than anything else found here. "99 In The Shade," "Love For Sale," and "Lay Your Hands On Me" are good as well. Once again, these songs have that retread feel to them, but they are worth listening to. "I'll Be There For You" is considered by many to be THE ballad when it comes to Bon Jovi, but I think that "Never Say Goodbye" is ten times better.

In closing, buy this album if you really like the new Bon Jovi, or a weird concoction of the old and new. It contains the last remaining pieces of a rock band that "popped" on the hard rockers that liked it and the softer touch that many felt betrayed by in later albums. If you love the old Bon Jovi, however, just snag one of the old singles of "Bad Medicine."

Thanks for reading and "rock on."

NEW JERSEY is Bon Jovi's second megahit following SLIPPERY WHEN WET(the band's first megahit) released in 1986. Two years later,this album brought big hits such as BAD MEDICINE,LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME,I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU,LIVING IN SIN and BORN TO BE MY BABY(the latter two were not recycled for the CROSSROAD compilation). RIDE COWBOY RIDE was recorded in mono. That's because the song was originally recorded on a monaural cassette recorder. All the other songs are good. NEW JERSEY is where all 5 Bon Jovi members hail from. In fact,I'm a NEW JERSEY native myself. Two years after this album was released,frontman Jon Bon Jovi(Bongiovi) recorded and released BLAZE OF GLORY for the movie "Young Guns II". That song would appear on the CROSSROAD compilation released in 1994. The group would release their next album KEEP THE FAITH in 1992,which was not a big hit like NEW JERSEY and SLIPPERY WHEN WET.

Solid. Pure Gold. DIAMOND certification, and as precious as a ruby. No other band but Van Halen could match such talents (as far as musicianship, attitude, and songwriting skills go) to make such a priceless album. Although, only one track lightly displeases me (Love For Sale, which isn't all that bad when it comes to Jon's vocals), and I understand why 'Ride Cowboy Ride' is on there (to boost and introduce 'Stick To Your Guns'). Here's my personal and specific rating for every track:

1. Lay Your Hands On Me - ****, One of the most memorable rock beats and lyrics of late and of old.

2. Bad Medicine - *****, Simply the second best song in music history, only second to a track off of Bon Jovi's first album.

3. Born To Be My Baby - ****, one of the better tracks in Bon Jovi's history, to say the least, considering David's
keyboard-playing

4. Living In Sin - ****, Definatly one of the best rock choruses of all time

5. Blood On Blood - *****, Clearly a rock classic about childhood and early adulthood

6. Homebound Train - ****, Truly shows just how talented these musicians are, especially Ritchie with the opening and continuing riff

7. Wild Is The Wind - ****, A great, powerful & wistful power ballad that with be stuck in your head for weeks (and that's a good thing)

8. Ride Comboy Ride - (explained in top part of review)

9. Stick To Your Guns - ****, a spectactular acousic-electric collaboration, not to mention Jon's excellent vocals

10. I'll Be There For You - *****, quite possibly the greatest rock ballad known to man, including the distinctive acoustic guitar intro and outros

11. 99 In The Shade - ***, a great intro, but when the beat changes from a supposed 3/4 rhythm to 4/4 rhythm, and Jon comes in...well, you get the point.

12. Love For Sale - (explained in top part of review)

The best of the bunch. The words of these songs and the music is perfect Bon Jovi. Perfect rock. I will listen to this album with a smile on my face forever.

this is a great album because with this album alng with every albume from jon and the guys you can't help but dance and sing along with every song on this album you can hear the fun and they had while recording this album not to mention the raw attitude it has.5 stars great album