New Jersey (album)
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
New Jersey is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Bon Jovi, It was released on 19 September 1988 through Mercury Records. The album produced by Bruce Fairbairn and recorded at the Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, Canada.
The album was the follow-up to the band's 1986 breakthrough Slippery When Wet, reaching at #1 on the Billboard 200[1] and producing five Billboard Hot 100 top ten singles, the most top ten hits to date for a hard rock album. "Bad Medicine" and "I'll Be There for You" both hit #1 on Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified seven times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album also debuted at #1 in UK and became the band's first UK #1 album. New Jersey was released by the Soviet state-owned record company "Melodiya", being the first American album ever released in USSR.[2][3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [6] |
| Kerrang! | (3.75/5)[9] |
| Piero Scaruffi |    [4] |
| Robert Christgau | C+[5] |
| Rolling Stone |  [7] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [8] |
Background
The album was recorded very shortly after the Slippery When Wet Tour, because the band wanted to prove that they were not just a one hit wonder. The album was initially meant to be a double album; however, this idea was rejected by the record company because they got nervous about the higher price point and decided they would only release a single album. One working title for the album was Sons of Beaches, which parodied the title of their previous album Slippery When Wet.
Recording and production
The album produced by Bruce Fairbairn like its predecessor and recorded at the Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, Canada. The album marked the final collaboration between Bon Jovi and producer Bruce Fairbairn.
When the Slippery When Wet Tour ended in October 1987 the band didn’t do anything for about three or four weeks. Then Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora demoed the first batch of songs. Seventeen in all. But they really started to feel the pressure then because they didn’t have the amazing song. Jon Bon Jovi said that "I really wanted to do it again, not for monetary reasons - I have plenty of money - but it was such an amazing feeling to have done what we’ve done. There was a real fear of not being able to write You Give Love A Bad Name again". Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora sat in the house and wrote the song called "Love Is War" but Jon Bon Jovi wanted to write You Give Love A Bad Name so much, it came out with exactly the same chord progression. Then they started on the second batch and they wrote "Born To Be My Baby" and "Bad Medicine" with Desmond Child. Born To Be My Baby was originally recorded acoustically, however the producer Bruce Fairbairn persuaded them to re-recorded it with electronic instruments in a harder rock style. Jon Bon Jovi has since said that he believed the song would have made #1 on the charts if it had been released in its original form. This song has similar theme to "Livin' On A Prayer," as its about a young working class couple struggling to make ends meet.
Although the glossy production and anthems from Slippery When Wet remained, band wanted to show that there was more on the new album. The album comes across as a lot more experimental with long atmosphere building intro of Lay Your Hands On Me, harmonica and organ duels of "Homebound Train" and flamenco guitar intro of "Wild Is The Wind". "Ride Cowboy Ride" sounds as if Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora are singing with their acoustic guitars in to an old tape recorder. It's a quick little song functioning as an introduction to "Stick To Your Guns". Part of the song's allure is the mono recording. The song is credited to Captain Kidd and King of Swing, the nicknames of Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. "Love For Sale" was also recorded drunk during "one hell of a party" in a place called Chalet Sound in New Jersey.
Release and reception
New Jersey debuted at #8 on Billboard 200, the following week reached #1 and spent four weeks at #1. It eventually sold 7 million copies in the United States. The album also debuted at #1 in Canada, UK, Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand and Australia. New Jersey also holds the record for the hard rock album to spawn the most Top 10 singles, with five singles charting on the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart in United States. No other hard rock album has ever equaled or broken this feat. "Bad Medicine" and the ballad "I'll Be There for You", both hit #1 on Billboard Hot 100. "Born to Be My Baby", "Lay Your Hands on Me", and "Living in Sin" reached the Top 10.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lay Your Hands on Me" | Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora | 6:03 |
| 2. | "Bad Medicine" | Bon Jovi, Sambora, Desmond Child | 5:23 |
| 3. | "Born to Be My Baby" | Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child | 4:43 |
| 4. | "Living in Sin" | Bon Jovi | 4:43 |
| 5. | "Blood on Blood" | Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child | 6:20 |
| 6. | "Homebound Train" | Bon Jovi, Sambora | 5:13 |
| 7. | "Wild Is the Wind" | Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child, Diane Warren | 5:11 |
| 8. | "Ride Cowboy Ride" | Captain Kidd, King of Swing | 1:28 |
| 9. | "Stick to Your Guns" | Bon Jovi, Sambora, Holly Knight | 4:48 |
| 10. | "I'll Be There for You" | Bon Jovi, Sambora | 5:48 |
| 11. | "99 in the Shade" | Bon Jovi, Sambora | 4:32 |
| 12. | "Love for Sale" | Bon Jovi, Sambora | 4:02 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Bad Medicine" (Live at Wembley Stadium, 1988) | Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child | |
| 12. | "Bad Medicine" (Live on the New Jersey Tour) | Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child | |
| 13. | "Blood On Blood" (Live at Wembley Stadium, 1988) | Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child | |
| 14. | "Born To Be My Baby" (Acoustic version) | Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child | |
| 15. | "I'll Be There For You" (Live at Lakeland 1989) | Bon Jovi, Sambora | |
| 16. | "Lay Your Hands On Me" (Live at Giants Stadium, 1989) | Bon Jovi, Sambora | |
| 17. | "Love Is War" (Studio outtake) | Bon Jovi, Sambora |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Blood On Blood" ((Live Version)) | Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child | |
| 14. | "Born To Be My Baby" ((Live Version)) | Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child |
Charts and certifications
Album
|
Certifications
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personnel
- Jon Bon Jovi - lead vocals, guitar, harmonica
- Richie Sambora - guitar, background vocals
- Tico Torres - drums, percussion
- David Bryan - keyboards, background vocals
- Alec John Such - bass, background vocals
- Bruce Fairbairn - Producer
- John Allen - Engineer
- Peter Berring - Arranger, Vocals, Vocal arrangement
- Chris Cavallaro - Engineer
- Bruce Fairbairn - Percussion, Horn, Producer
- Scott Fairbairn - Cello
- Audrey Nordwell - Cello
- Bob Rock - Engineer, Mixing
- The Sweet Thing - Vocal association
- Hugh Syme - Artwork, Design
- Chris Taylor - Assistant engineer
- Jim Williams - Assistant engineer
- Tim White - Photography
- Cameron Wong - Photography
References
- ^ "Allmusic (Bon Jovi charts & awards) Billboard albums".
- ^ "netmusiccountdown". Historyking.com. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
- ^ "n-this-day". Historyking.com. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
- ^ Scaruffi, Piero. "Bon Jovi". Piero Scaruffi. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide Reviews: New Jersey". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
- ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Bon Jovi New Jersey review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
- ^ Azerrad, Michael (4 November 1992). "New Jersey". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-06-26.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Bon Jovi: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Henderson, Paul (24 September 1988). "Bon Jovi 'New Jersey'". Kerrang!. Vol. 206. London, UK: Spotlight Publications ltd. pp. 26–27.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ "Australian Charts - Bon Jovi - New Jersey (album)". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ "Austria Top 40 - Bon Jovi - New Jersey (album)" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ "Album - Bon Jovi, New Jersey" (in German). Charts.de. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ "Gli album più venduti del 1988" (in Italian). Hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ "Yamachan Land – Japanese Chart Archives > Bon Jovi". Retrieved 2010-01-13.
- ^ "New Zealand Charts - Bon Jovi - New Jersey (album)". Charts.org.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ "VG-lista - Bon Jovi - New Jersey (album)". Norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ "Swedish Charts - Bon Jovi - New Jersey (album)". Swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ "Swiss Charts - Bon Jovi - New Jersey (album)" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ "1988 Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive - 1st October 1988". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ "Bon Jovi Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ "The ARIA Report - Chartifacts - Week Commencing ~ 28th January 2008 ~ Issue #935" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Bon Jovi – New Jersey". Music Canada. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('New Jersey')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Bon Jovi; 'New Jersey')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ "Japanese album certifications – Bon Jovi – New Jersey" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ "British album certifications – Bon Jovi – New Jersey". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 3, 2012. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type New Jersey in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ "American album certifications – Bon Jovi – New Jersey". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
