Slippery When Wet (Bud Shank Album)
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''Slippery When Wet'' is the third studio album by American
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band
Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...
, released on August 18, 1986, by
Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...
in North America and
Vertigo Records Vertigo Records is a British record company. It was a subsidiary of the Philips/Phonogram record label, launched in 1969 to specialise in progressive rock and other non-mainstream musical styles. Today, it is operated by Universal Music Group#B ...
internationally. It was produced by
Bruce Fairbairn Bruce Earl Fairbairn (December 30, 1949 – May 17, 1999) was a Canadian record producer. He was active as a producer from 1976 to 1999, and is considered one of the best of his era. His most successful productions are '' Slippery When Wet'' ...
, with recording sessions taking place between January and July 1986 at
Little Mountain Sound Studios Little Mountain Sound Studios was a music recording facility in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. From the 1970s through the 1990s, it was the most successful recording studio in Western Canada and the home for many years to producers Bruce F ...
in
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
. The album features many of Bon Jovi's best-known songs, including "
You Give Love a Bad Name "You Give Love a Bad Name" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi, released as the first single from their 1986 album '' Slippery When Wet''. Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Desmond Child about a woman who has jilted her lover ...
", "
Livin' on a Prayer "Livin' on a Prayer" is a song by the American rock band Bon Jovi from their third studio album, '' Slippery When Wet''. Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child, the single, released in late 1986, performed strongly on both ...
", and " Wanted Dead or Alive", resulting in the first
glam metal Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal music, heavy metal that features pop music, pop-influenced Hook (music), hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat arena rock, rock anthems, and slow Sentimental ballad#Powe ...
album to have 3 top 10 hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. To promote the album, Bon Jovi embarked on the
Slippery When Wet Tour The Slippery When Wet Tour, by American hard rock band Bon Jovi, ran from 1986 to 1987. It supported the band's multi-platinum 1986 album '' Slippery When Wet'' and was their first major worldwide tour, visiting places such as Australia and Canad ...
, which ran from July 1986 to October 1987. ''Slippery When Wet'' was an instant commercial success, spending eight weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 chart and was named by ''Billboard'' as the top-selling album of 1987. ''Slippery When Wet'' is Bon Jovi's best-selling album to date, with a
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) certification of 15× Platinum, making it one of the top 100 best-selling albums in the United States. The album has been called the album that turned " heavy metal into a radio-friendly pop format", and is also commonly seen as "a breakthrough for hair metal".


Background

Upon its 1985 release, ' achieved moderate success, but Bon Jovi had not yet become superstars. The band changed its approach for the next album, with a more mainstream sound than the heavier first two albums. Hiring
Desmond Child John Charles Barrett (born October 28, 1953), known professionally as Desmond Child, is an American songwriter and record producer. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008. He has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, a Primet ...
as a collaborator, the band wrote 30 songs and auditioned them for local New Jersey and New York teenagers, basing the album's running order on their opinions.
Bruce Fairbairn Bruce Earl Fairbairn (December 30, 1949 – May 17, 1999) was a Canadian record producer. He was active as a producer from 1976 to 1999, and is considered one of the best of his era. His most successful productions are '' Slippery When Wet'' ...
was chosen as the producer for the album, with
Bob Rock Robert Jens Rock (born April 19, 1954) is a Canadian record producer, recording engineer and musician. In 1976, Rock joined Little Mountain Sound Studios, starting out as a recording engineer and sound mixer. During his time there, he coll ...
as the mixer. The 1985 album '' Without Love'' which Fairbairn produced for the heavy metal band
Black 'n Blue Black 'N Blue is an American glam metal band from Portland, Oregon. The current members are lead vocalist Jaime St. James, bassist Patrick Young, drummer Pete Holmes, and guitarists Brandon Cook and Mick Caldwell. The band is best known for ...
, attracted Jon Bon Jovi with its sound quality, and he immediately sought out the producer.


Writing and composition

Much of the album was written by
Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and Lead vocalist, frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was fo ...
and
Richie Sambora Richard Stephen Sambora (born July 11, 1959) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Bon Jovi from 1983 to 2013. He and lead singer Jon Bon Jovi formed the main songwriting unit for the ...
, whereas "
You Give Love a Bad Name "You Give Love a Bad Name" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi, released as the first single from their 1986 album '' Slippery When Wet''. Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Desmond Child about a woman who has jilted her lover ...
", "
Livin' on a Prayer "Livin' on a Prayer" is a song by the American rock band Bon Jovi from their third studio album, '' Slippery When Wet''. Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child, the single, released in late 1986, performed strongly on both ...
", "Without Love", and "I'd Die For You" were co-written with Desmond Child, and "Wild in the Streets" was by Bon Jovi alone. This was the first time Child worked with Jon and Richie. He came to New Jersey, where they worked on the four songs in Sambora's mother's basement. Jon Bon Jovi explained, "I liked what Bryan Adams had done with Tina Turner so I suggested we do something similar: I write a song for someone like her, and then we do the song together. But that got changed, and our A&R
guy Guy or GUY may refer to: Personal names * Guy (given name) * Guy (surname) * That Guy (...), the New Zealand street performer Leigh Hart Places * Guy, Alberta, a Canadian hamlet * Guy, Arkansas, US, a city * Guy, Indiana, US, an uninc ...
came up with Desmond's name ... He hasn't tried to change what we are, but to refine it slightly; to suggest extra ways that we could wring a bit more out of what we had." Bon Jovi was initially reluctant to include "Livin' on a Prayer", believing it was not good enough. Sambora convinced him it was a hit in the making, and so the band rerecorded it, releasing the second version on the album. It is Bon Jovi's
signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...
. The first version of "Livin' on a Prayer" that was recorded was included as a hidden track at the end of one of the CDs in the box set '' 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong''. One of the songs written during the making of the album, " Edge of a Broken Heart", is not on the final release. Bon Jovi has since said it should have been included. In the booklet that came with ''100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong'', Jon Bon Jovi said, "It was absolutely appropriate for the ''Slippery'' record—coulda, shoulda, woulda been on ''Slippery'' had cooler minds prevailed. Here's my formal apology." Featured on the soundtrack to the 1987 movie ''
Disorderlies ''Disorderlies'' is a 1987 comedy film starring the rap group, The Fat Boys, and Ralph Bellamy. The film was directed by Michael Schultz who previously directed The Fat Boys in '' Krush Groove''. Plot summary Winslow Lowry is a no-good, inde ...
'', it has since been released as the B-side for the ''Livin' on a Prayer'' single album, on the 2-CD edition of '' Cross Road'', and on ''100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong''. The song has never been performed live by the band, though a fan favorite. In 1986, Bon Jovi said "There's a song called 'Love Is A Social Disease' that
Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of lead vocalist Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarists Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry and B ...
were keen to get hold of. It would be ideal for them, but they're not having it, because it's even better for us."


Title and artwork

The album's name was changed during its inception, including ''Wanted Dead or Alive''. A proposed cover with the band dressed as cowboys was later used for the single release of the track of the same name. According to Bon Jovi, the band named the album ''Slippery When Wet'' after visiting The No.5 Orange
strip club A strip club (also known as a strip joint, striptease bar, peeler bar, gentlemen's club, among others) is a venue where strippers provide adult entertainment, predominantly in the form of striptease and other erotic dances including lap dances. St ...
in Vancouver, British Columbia. According to Sambora, "This woman descended from the ceiling on a pole and proceeded to take all her clothes off. When she got in a shower and soaped herself up, we just about lost our tongues. We just sat there and said, 'We will be here every day.' That energized us through the whole project. Our testosterone was at a very high level back then." The cover consists of a wet black
garbage bag A bin bag, rubbish bag (British English), garbage bag, bin liner, trash bag (American English) or refuse sack is a disposable receptable for solid waste. These bags are useful to line the insides of waste containers to prevent the insides of th ...
with the words "Slippery When Wet" traced in the water. "So simple, and not very impressive", said Sambora. The album originally was to feature a busty woman in a wet yellow T-shirt with the album name on the front of the shirt. This was swapped for the plastic bag cover just prior to release. The reasons given for the switch were record executives' fears that dominant record store chains at the time would have refused to carry the album with a sexist cover, and Jon Bon Jovi's dislike of the bright pink border around the photograph the band submitted. Sambora said, "Our label freaked out a bit when they saw what we'd done. They thought it would be banned by American stores, so we had to come up with something else – fast." In Japan, most releases of the album included the original cover art.


Reception

The album was a massive commercial success. Between 1986 and 1987, ''Slippery When Wet'' produced a string of hit songs, including three Top 10 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hits, two of which ("
You Give Love a Bad Name "You Give Love a Bad Name" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi, released as the first single from their 1986 album '' Slippery When Wet''. Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Desmond Child about a woman who has jilted her lover ...
" and "
Livin' on a Prayer "Livin' on a Prayer" is a song by the American rock band Bon Jovi from their third studio album, '' Slippery When Wet''. Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child, the single, released in late 1986, performed strongly on both ...
") reached No. 1. The third single " Wanted Dead or Alive" peaked at No. 7. The album peaked at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200, making it Bon Jovi's first number-one album in the United States. The album spent 38 weeks inside the Top 5 of ''Billboard'' 200, including 8 weeks at No. 1. It is the best-selling album of 1987 in the United States, and eventually reached
Diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...
certification by the
RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
and current sales stand at 15 million copies, making it one of the best-selling albums in the United States. In the UK, ''Slippery When Wet'' received a 3× Platinum certification by the BPI. The album also achieved Diamond status in Canada, and 6× Platinum status in Australia. ''Slippery When Wet'' was met with generally positive reviews. Writing in ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
'' in September 1987,
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
said, "Sure seven million teenagers can be wrong, but their assent is not without a certain documentary satisfaction. Yes, it proves that youth rebellion is toothless enough to simulate and market. But who the hell thought youth was dangerous in the current vacuum? Would you have preferred the band market patriotism? And are you really immune to 'Livin' on a Prayer'?" In 1990 in ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'', Jimmy Guterman thoroughly berated the band and the album. "Jon Bon Jovi and his band serve up condescending sentiment, reducing every emotional statement to a barefaced cliché – either because they think that's all their audience can comprehend or because that's all they can comprehend. On ''Slippery When Wet'', Bon Jovi sounds like bad fourth-generation metal, a smudgy
Xerox Xerox Holdings Corporation (, ) is an American corporation that sells print and electronic document, digital document products and services in more than 160 countries. Xerox was the pioneer of the photocopier market, beginning with the introduc ...
of
Quiet Riot Quiet Riot is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band founded in Los Angeles in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads, bassist Kelly Garni, and vocalist Kevin DuBrow. The original lineup featured Rhoads and Garni with lead vocalist Kevin Du ...
." The album is ranked 44th in the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
's list of the Definitive 200 Albums of all time.


2005 re-release

In 2005, ''Slippery When Wet'' was re-issued as a
DualDisc The DualDisc is a type of double-sided optical disc product developed by a group of record companies including MJJ Productions Inc., EMI Music, Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and 5.1 Entertainment Group ...
. The CD side contains a newly remastered version. The
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
side contains the same album in its original stereo mix, a slightly expanded 5.1
surround sound Surround sound is a technique for enriching the fidelity and depth of sound reproduction by using multiple audio channels from speakers that surround the listener ( surround channels). Its first application was in movie theaters. Prior to ...
version, and all 5 music videos. The expanded album includes additional elements within many of the songs, in some cases increasing their runtime. The DualDisc was released on September 20, 2005, the same release date as ''
Have a Nice Day Have a nice day is a commonly spoken expression used to conclude a conversation (whether brief or extensive), or end a message by hoping the person to whom it is addressed experiences a pleasant day. It is often uttered by service employees to c ...
''.


Track listing


Original release

All tracks written by
Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and Lead vocalist, frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was fo ...
and
Richie Sambora Richard Stephen Sambora (born July 11, 1959) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Bon Jovi from 1983 to 2013. He and lead singer Jon Bon Jovi formed the main songwriting unit for the ...
, except where noted.


Personnel

Personnel per ''Slippery When Wet'' liner notes, except where noted. Bon Jovi *
Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and Lead vocalist, frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was fo ...
– lead and backing vocals *
Richie Sambora Richard Stephen Sambora (born July 11, 1959) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Bon Jovi from 1983 to 2013. He and lead singer Jon Bon Jovi formed the main songwriting unit for the ...
– lead guitar, acoustic guitar, guitar synths, harmony and backing vocals,
talk box A talk box (also spelled talkbox and talk-box) is an effects unit that allows musicians to modify the sound of a musical instrument by shaping the frequency content of the sound and to apply speech sounds (in the same way as singing) onto the so ...
on "Livin' on a Prayer" *
Alec John Such Alexander John Such (November 14, 1951 – June 5, 2022) was an American musician, best known as the bassist of the rock band Bon Jovi. He played in the band from 1983 to 1994, appearing on their first five studio albums. Biography Such was ...
– bass, backing vocals *
Tico Torres Hector Samuel Juan "Tico" Torres (born October 7, 1953) is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Bon Jovi. In 2018, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Bon Jovi. Childhood Hector J ...
– drums, percussion *
David Bryan David Bryan Rashbaum (born February 7, 1962) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the keyboard player for the rock band Bon Jovi, in which he also co-wrote songs and performed backing vocals. In 2018, he was inducted into the ...
– keyboards, backing vocals, "noise" Additional musicians *
Tom Keenlyside Thomas William Keenlyside (born 1950) is a Canadian saxophonist and flautist from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Biography Born and raised in Vancouver, Keenlyside grew up hearing many genres of music on the radio that his parents left tu ...
– saxophone * Hugh McDonald – bass on "Livin' on a Prayer" (uncredited) *Joani Bye – backing vocals on "Livin' on a Prayer" (uncredited) *
Nancy Nash Nancy Nash is a Canadian blues and pop singer, who has recorded and performed both under her birth name and as Sazacha Red Sky. Under the latter name, she garnered a Juno Award nomination for Best Music of Aboriginal Canada Recording at the Jun ...
– backing vocals on "Livin' on a Prayer" (uncredited) *
Mike Reno Mike Reno (born Joseph Michael Rynoski; born January 8, 1955) is a Canadian musician, singer and the lead singer of the rock band Loverboy. He fronted other bands, including Moxy (band), Moxy, before helping form Loverboy. Reno also sang for the ...
– possible backing vocals on "Livin' on a Prayer" (uncredited) Production *
Bruce Fairbairn Bruce Earl Fairbairn (December 30, 1949 – May 17, 1999) was a Canadian record producer. He was active as a producer from 1976 to 1999, and is considered one of the best of his era. His most successful productions are '' Slippery When Wet'' ...
– producer, horns, percussion *
Bob Rock Robert Jens Rock (born April 19, 1954) is a Canadian record producer, recording engineer and musician. In 1976, Rock joined Little Mountain Sound Studios, starting out as a recording engineer and sound mixer. During his time there, he coll ...
engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
, mixing *Tim Crich – assistant engineering *
George Marino George Marino (April 15, 1947June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He attended ...
– digital
remaster A remaster is a change in the sound or image quality of previously created forms of media, whether Mastering (audio), audiophonic, Cinematography, cinematic, or Videography, videographic. The resulting product is said to be remastered. The term ...
ing *Bill Levy – artwork, art direction *Mark Weiss – photography *George Corsillo – design


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Decade-end charts


Certifications and sales


Accolades


See also

*
List of best-selling albums This is a list of the world's best-selling albums of Comparison of recording media, recorded music in physical mediums, such as vinyl, audio cassettes or compact discs. To appear on the list, the figure must have been published by a reliable so ...
*
List of best-selling albums in the United States The following is a list of the best-selling albums in the United States based on RIAA certification and Nielsen SoundScan sales tracking. The criteria are that the album must have been published (including self-publishing by the artist), and the ...
*
List of glam metal albums and songs The following list of glam metal albums and songs is a list containing albums and songs described by at least one professional source as glam metal or its interchangeable terms, hair metal, lite metal, pop metal, and metal pop. Albums 1974 ...


References


External links

* {{Authority control 1986 albums Bon Jovi albums Mercury Records albums Vertigo Records albums Albums produced by Bruce Fairbairn Albums recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studios Obscenity controversies in music