Bon Jovi Albums Ranked Worst to Best
16. ‘What About Now’ (2013)
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16. ‘What About Now’ (2013)
The band’s 2013 album suffers from a lack of Richie Sambora. Reportedly busy with his third solo album, the guitarist co-wrote only five of the songs on ‘What About Now.’ It’s also been rumored that producer John Shanks plays a significant amount of guitar in Sambora’s absence. Of the album’s 12 tracks, only “Pictures of You” is distinctive. Otherwise, ‘What About Now’ is barren of ingenuity, and features downright dreadful production and songwriting.
15. ‘This House is Not For Sale’ (2016)
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15. ‘This House is Not For Sale’ (2016)
On their first new album without guitarist Richie Sambora, the hope was that Bon Jovi would say something new, take a musical U-turn or at the very least, shred away the layers of overwrought production that has hindered much of their post-2002 work. Sadly, ‘This House is Not for Sale’ merely offers a modified version of that same underachieving group.
13. ‘Lost Highway’ (2007)
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14. ‘Lost Highway’ (2007)
‘Lost Highway’ is a methodically calculated album made for country music fans, who still bought CDs en masse in 2007. It finds Bon Jovi once again submerging their talents in favor of hunting commercial success at any cost – spiraling down a creative sinkhole from which they have yet to recover. “Any Other Day” and “(You Want to) Make a Memory” are among the band’s best recent offerings. However, they are overwhelmed by innocuous and ghastly songs (“I Love This Town,” “We Got It Going On”) that even the most derivative modern country artists would have left in the outtakes bin.
14. ‘Bounce’ (2002)
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13. ‘Bounce’ (2002)
Only seven songs from Bon Jovi’s first seven albums clocked in at less than four minutes. One of them was “It’s My Life,” the 2000 smash that resurrected the band’s fortunes in the U.S. Perhaps as a result, seven songs on 2002’s ‘Bounce’ take up less than 240 seconds. Unfortunately, this emphasis on brevity stilted the group’s creativity and undercuts the seriousness of the record’s 9/11-themed material. But the bigger problem was that the band abandoned its musical identity and instincts in favor of blatantly chasing commercial trends.
11. ‘The Circle’ (2009)
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12. ‘The Circle’ (2009)
Inspired by the financial crisis of 2008, ‘The Circle’ has the musical heft of an after-school special about the dangers of caffeine pills. While attempting to fly the flag for blue-collar America on “Work for the Working Man” the band instead winds up looking short on self-awareness. The record has moments of strength, notably the audacious “When We Were Beautiful.” In concert, “Love’s the Only Rule” later blossomed into a nine-minute muscular masterwork. But partly due to overbearing production, on record it’s indistinguishable from the album’s other irredeemable songs.
12. ‘Burning Bridges’ (2015)
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11. ‘Burning Bridges’ (2015)
Released in 2015 as a contractual obligation, the aptly named ‘Burning Bridges’ consists of outtakes going back to 2005, Bon Jovi’s weakest creative period. It’s stronger than one would expect, avoiding the lowest pitfalls of their more recent albums. “A Teardrop to the Sea” is the most innovative song the group has released in more than a decade, while “Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning” captures their youthful splendor.
10. ‘2020’ (2020)
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10. ‘2020’ (2020)
‘2020’ finds Bon Jovi returning to the mature themes they explored on ‘Keep the Faith’ and ‘These Days’ in the ’90s. While the ghost of former guitarist Richie Sambora continues to haunt their overall aesthetic and sound, the band succeeds in pulling together its most coherent album in more than a decade. Aside from the well-intentioned misfire of “Do What You Can,” the album encompasses some of their boldest compositions. They’re not afraid to confront the current state of America and hot-button issues such as gun control (“Lower the Flag”), the search for truth in a sea of fake news (“Blood in the Water”) and the tragic death of George Floyd (“American Reckoning”). ‘2020’ may not reach the heights of Bon Jovi’s peak period (1986-2000), but it serves as a reminder that they should never be underestimated.
8. ‘7800 Fahrenheit’ (1985)
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9. ‘7800 Fahrenheit’ (1985)
Written and recorded in less than five months, Bon Jovi’s second album displays some frail songwriting and patchy production. But what Bon Jovi circa 1985 lacked in dexterity they made up for in commanding and captivating performances. There isn’t a single post-2007 song from the group that has the cowbell savagery of “Always Run to You” or the sprawling earnestness of the ballad “Silent Night.”
9. ‘Have a Nice Day’ (2005)
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8. ‘Have a Nice Day’ (2005)
‘Have A Nice Day’ may not have the touchstones of Bon Jovi’s other classic records or the fearlessness of their best output, but it is a resilient collection of guitar-heavy songs. There’s a raw splendidness to the title track, and the Beach Boys-influenced “Last Cigarette” and “I Am” are retro-minded delights.
6. ‘Good Jovi’ (1984)
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7. ‘Good Jovi’ (1984)
Bon Jovi’s debut is best known for the Top 40 hit “Runaway,” but overall it is a brazen, defiant and swaggering album. Recorded at a time when the core band had been together for only a few months, cuts like “Breakout,” “Get Ready” and “Shot Through the Heart” showcase flashes of brilliance. More importantly, for such a young band, the confidence and conviction on display here is remarkable.
5. ‘100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong’ (2004)
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6. ‘100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong’ (2004)
The fifty songs that make up this box set may represent the creative zenith of Bon Jovi. Eighty percent of this collection of previously unreleased material comes from the ’90s, the band’s most fertile period. The nostalgic “Miss Fourth of July” should have made ‘Keep the Faith,’ and the ‘Slippery When Wet’ B-side “Edge of a Broken Heart” may be one of the group’s five greatest recorded moments.
7. ‘Crush’ (2000)
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5. ‘Crush’ (2000)
‘Crush’ was written and recorded at a time when Bon Jovi’s commercial future was in serious doubt. The colossal single “It’s My Life” re-established them as superstars, but it’s the deeper cuts that shine brightest here. The philosophical “Just Older,” the sprawling epic “Next 100 Years” and the stark loveliness of “Mystery Train” showcase an ever-evolving band still bursting with creativity.
3. ‘Slippery When Wet’ (1986)
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4. ‘Slippery When Wet’ (1986)
The perfect soundtrack to a three-day weekend, ‘Slippery When Wet’ showcases a hungry band expanding on its musical craft. In their search for a commercial breakthrough, Bon Jovi recruited Desmond Child to co-write, Bruce Fairburn to produce, Bob Rock to engineer and mix and Wayne Isham to direct videos. The results were an explosive and timeless collection of songs (and videos) that will forever be played at karaoke bars and stadiums around the world. From the opening organ swell of “Let It Rock” to the confetti-ready finale of “Wild in the Streets”, ‘Slippery When Wet’ is the band’s most enduring album.
4. ‘Keep the Faith’ (1992)
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3. ‘Keep the Faith’ (1992)
While their contemporaries were trying to copy their multi-platinum sound, Bon Jovi took the path less traveled and reinvented themselves with an assertive and commanding collection of songs. The title track features an arms-to-the-air chorus, “Dry County” is the most ambitious track in their catalog, “Bed of Roses” redefines the power ballad and “I Believe” is a forceful, high-energy anthem.
2. ‘New Jersey’ (1988)
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2. ‘New Jersey’ (1988)
‘Slippery When Wet’ may be Bon Jovi’s most successful record, but their follow-up, 1988’s ‘New Jersey,’ is their most dynamic. From the tribal drum-beat opening of “Lay Your Hands on Me” to the sparring acoustic guitars of “Love for Sale,” the band expanded on its newly established template and cemented its hold on the pop-metal landscape. Bon Jovi have never sounded as unified and animated as they do on these 12 songs – five of which reached the Top 10 in the U.S.
1. ‘These Days’ (1995)
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1. ‘These Days’ (1995)
‘These Days’ stands in stark contrast to the rest of Bon Jovi’s catalog; it is an organic, ambiguous and contemplative collection of songs whose characters are confronted with desperation from societal and domestic issues beyond their control. Several songs (“Hey God”, “Something to Believe In”, “Lie to Me” and the title track) provide an intimacy that allow the listener to feel the pulse of the characters. If it was made by any other artist, ‘These Days’ might have been acclaimed as one of the best albums of the ’90s.
