The great controversy: Bon Jovi, hard rock giants? Well, even though it may be unfortunate for some, yes. It is to be expected that many of their old rock fans who grew up to the sound of “Runaway” are very happy with the current direction of JON's band, but the New Jersey band has to be recognized for its merits, and among them is that of being one of the best selling and most popular rock bands of the genre. Any lover of 80's rock, melodic hard rock and festive and catchy glam has enjoyed like a child with the first albums of the band. Yes sir, the band had hooks, both visually and musically, and those albums were full of freshness, spontaneity and powerful and choreable songs of pure rock.
Besides, Bon Jovi has always been a sensational frotman, and has one of the most privileged voices in the international scene. Sambora, his right hand, always relegated to a second place by the singer's attractiveness, put the right point of hardness and exquisite second voices to turn all those songs into powerful heavy FM hymns. John Bongiovi knew he wanted to succeed, and until success came to him the boy earned his living cleaning the music studios where Bruce Springsteen was recording at the time (mid-eighties).
La gran controversia. ¿Bon Jovi gigantes del hard rock? Pues aunque a algunos les pese, si. Es de esperar que muchos de sus antiguos fans rockeros que crecieron al son de “Runaway” estén muy contentos con la actual dirección que lleva la banda del guaperas de JON, pero a los de New Jersey hay que reconocerles sus meritos, y entre ellos esta el de ser uno de los grupos de rock mas vendedores y populares del rollo. Cualquier amante del rock 80’s, del hard melódico y del glam festivo y pegadizo ha disfrutado como un niño con los primeros álbumes de la banda. Si señor, el grupo tenia gancho, tanto visual como musical, y aquellos discos estaban plagados de frescura, espontaneidad y canciones potentes y coreables de puro rock.
Además Bon Jovi siempre ha sido un frotman sensacional, y posee una de las voces mas privilegiadas del panorama internacional. Sambora, su mano derecha, siempre relegado a un segundo puesto por el atractivo del cantante, ponía el punto justo de dureza y unas exquisitas segundas voces para convertir todos aquellos temas en impactantes himnos de heavy FM. John Bongiovi tenia claro que quería triunfar, y hasta que el éxito le llegara el chico se ganaba el pan limpiando los estudios musicales en los que por aquel entonces (mediados de los ochenta) grababa Bruce Springsteen.
In his spare time he could think of nothing else to do but record his own songs on the sly. The boy had talent, and when he managed to put together the group that he baptized with his reformed surname, Bon Jovi, he got down to work. His first two works, the homonymous debut and “7800° Farenheit” had very good moments, and the thing was aiming high, but it was not until “Slippery When Wet”, when, helped by the magician of the catchy melodies “ Desmond Child, they would crown the American charts, with songs that are absolute classics of hard rock as ‘Livin’ On A Prayer” and “You Give Love A Bad Name”.
12 million copies have been shipped to date in their country of that plastic with which they reached absolute stardom, the best seller of their career. And from there, with the road paved, they dedicated themselves to enjoy their new status. Their next work, “New Jersey”, was still an excellent album, for many their masterpiece, with mythical songs like “Bad Medicine” or “Lay Your Hands On Me”. Then the clash of egos began. Jon, perhaps seeing himself as the only and absolute star of the band, wanted to try his luck on his own, and took charge of the soundtrack of the movie “Young Guns”, with which success continued to smile on him. Gone were the backcombed hairstyles and the tacky video clips that were so popular on MTV.
En sus ratos libres no se le ocurrió otra cosa que grabar allí sus propias canciones a escondidas. El chico tenia talento, y cuando logro reunir al grupo que bautizo con su reformado apellido, Bon Jovi, se puso manos a la obra. Sus dos primeros trabajos, el homónimo debut y “7800° Farenheit” tenían muy buenos momentos, y la cosa apuntaba alto, pero no fue hasta “Slippery When Wet”, cuando, ayudados por el mago de las melodías pegadizas “ Desmond Child, coronarían los charts americanos, con temas que son clásicos adsolutos del hard rock como “Livin’ On A Prayer” y “You Give Love A Bad Name”.
12 millones de copias llevan despachadas hasta la fecha en su país de aquel plástico con el que alcanzaron el estrellato adsoluto, el mas vendido de su carrera. Y de ahí, con el camino allanado se dedicaron a disfrutar de su nuevo estatus. Su siguiente obra, “New Jersey”, era todavía un excelente álbum, para muchos su obra maestra, con canciones miticas como “Bad Medicine” o “Lay Your Hands On Me”. Entonces comenzó el choque egos. Jon, quizá viéndose como la estrella única y adsoluta de la formación quiso probar suerte en solitario, y se encargo de la banda sonora de la película “Young Guns”, con la que el éxito siguió sonriéndole. Atrás quedaban los peinados cardados y los horteras videoclips que tanto gustaban en la MTV.
Jon was now a “serious” artist. And while Sambora, eager to show what in Bon Jovi was obscured by the pretty boy's prominence, released “Stranger In This Town”, his first and quite acceptable solo work. Four years after the release of the album named after his hometown, in 1992, the group regrouped and recorded “Keep The Faith”, a plastic that made many of their fans lose faith in the group, even though it was not a bad album and kept certain rocker ways. Perhaps it was due to Jon's haircut and to the fact that they entered more than ever in the radioformula. After that, they released a compilation titled “Crossroads” with a ballad of the latest generation called “Always”, which soon became a hit single, making that album sell 4 million copies in the USA and continue to ensure a good income for the band today.
Jon ahora era un artista “serio”. Y mientras Sambora, deseoso de mostrar lo que en Bon Jovi quedaba oscurecido por el protagonismo del niño bonito, publico “Stranger In This Town”, su primera y bastante aceptable obra solista. Cuatro años después de la publicación del disco que llevaba el nombre de su ciudad natal, en 1992, el grupo se reagrupa y graban “Keep The Faith”, un plástico que hizo perder la fe en el grupo a muchos de sus fans, pese a que no era un mal álbum y guardaba ciertas maneras netamente rockeras. Quizás se debió al corte de pelo de Jon y a que entraron mas que nunca en la radioformula. Tras el, publican un recopilatorio titulado “Crossroads” con una balada de ultimo cuño llamada “Always” que enseguida se convertiría en un single de gran éxito, propiciando que aquel disco lleve ya 4 millones de copias vendidas USA y continue asegurando buenos ingresos para la banda en la actualidad.
But from there to “These Days”, in which bassist Alec John Such did not participate because he was no longer with the group for reasons never sufficiently clarified, there was a long way to go. The band increasingly exploits the attractiveness of its leader to steal the hearts of young girls with catchy ballads and a lot of palpable sappiness. Worldwide success continues to smile on them, and live they are still a great rock band, selling out stadiums all over the world. Another new break resulted in two albums by the two leaders called “Destination Anywhere” and “Undiscovered Soul”. The first one, the work of a more and more confident Jon, who is starting to make his first steps in the movies and rubbing shoulders with the musical aristocracy, has nothing to do with his past, and is a simplistic pop-rock album. Sambora on the other hand shows his good singing skills and his taste for rock and blues.
Pero de ahí a “These Days”, en el que el bajista Alec John Such no participo pues ya no formaba con el grupo por razones nunca suficientemente aclaradas, había un trecho. La banda cada vez explota mas el atractivo de su líder para robarle el corazón a las jovencitas con baladas pegajosas y mucha ñoñería palpable. El éxito mundial les sigue sonriendo, y en vivo aun son una gran banda de rock, llenando estadios hasta la bandera en todo el mundo. Otro nuevo descanso dio como fruto dos álbumes de los dos cabecillas llamados “Destination Anywhere” y “Undiscovered Soul”. El primero, obra de un Jon cada dia mas creido que empieza a hacer sus pinitos en el cine y se codea con la aristocracia musical, nada tiene que ver con su pasado, y es un álbum de pop-rock simplon. Sambora en cambio demuestra sus buenas maneras cantando y su gusto por el rock y el blues.
Back together again in quartet formation (with an unknown bass player as hired musician) comes the year 2000, and with “Crush” is a new disappointment for their usual fans, because the group returns to exploit the cheap commerciality, the sentimental dreariness in the ballads and a rather low level in the rest of the compositions. The rock fans show their displeasure when they release their first official live album “One Wild Night”, which obtains very bad sales for what the millionaire band is used to. Maybe they will rethink their future in the next album and come back to their roots, who knows... Meanwhile, we are still waiting, covering the news they generate, because in spite of everything, their excellent “background”, as they say in Anglo-Saxon terms, makes them one of the greatest bands that rock has given in a long time.
De nuevo juntos en formación de cuarteto (con un desconocido bajista como músico a sueldo) llega el año 2000, y con el “Crush” supone una nueva decepcion para sus fans de siempre, pues el grupo vuelve a explotar la comercialidad barata, la moñeria sentimental en las baladas y un nivel bastante bajo en el resto de composiciones. Los fans rockeros les hacen ver su disgusto cuando publican su primer directo oficial “One Wild Night”, que obtiene unas ventas pésimas para lo que la millonaria banda esta acostumbrada. Puede que se reeplanteen su futuro en el próximo álbum y vuelvan por sus fueros, quien sabe… Mientras tanto, nosotros seguimos a la espera, cubriendo las noticias que generan, porque a pesar de todo, su excelente “background”, como se dice en términos anglosajones, les hace una de las bandas mas grandes que ha dado el rock en mucho tiempo.
