Bon Jovi-7800 Degrees Farenheit

  Bon Jovi's second album, "7800 Degrees Fahrenheit" was released in 1985. By far one of their least well-known albums, I believe that it is actually their best. Before they smothered your airwaves in syrupy pop-metal, they actual kind of rocked. Let me tell you why I like this album so much and feel that is shamefully underrated.

   First up is one of the few surviving hits from the album, "In and Out of Love". I have never been a huge fan of this track, I find it fairly repetitive, as the chorus repeats over and over and over. A fairly standard sounding hair/pop metal tune. "The Price of Love" is a pretty catchy, and it really shows the early blueprint of Bon Jovi's brand of heavy rock that this highly hummable. Embattled guitarist Richie Sambora delivers a fairly short and simplistic solo, but most of his solos fall into this category, so nothing out of character. A good song. Next is one of my favorite Bon Jovi songs. "Only Lonely" is a masterful rock ballad. Bon Jovi's use of keyboards has always been as a supporting element in their music, but I always enjoy the sprinkling of keyboards that does appear. The synths sound great on this track, and add a great amount of nostalgia and richness. Jovi's vocals are top-notch, and anyone who doubted Bon Jovi as a stadium/arena band needs only to listen to this song confirm their very "big" sound. "King of the Mountain" shows "Jovi" still in a metal mood. Sounding very much like Def Leppard, the song is filled with classic hair metal groups "uggh" and "ohh" group vocals. Never a big a fan of the riffing/grunting combo, Bon Jovi were wise to abandon this style of song.

     "Silent Night" was a minor hit for the band. Also not a big fan of this one, the lame string keyboards dominate the song and regulate the guitar to the back burner. Not as cheesy as many other hair metal ballads, the song still sounds like "prom" classic, I can imagine the 80s shoulder pads just listening to it. Skip it. Next is one of my favorite Bon Jovi songs. "Tokyo Road" does not get enough recognition, and is really only played live when the band visits Japan. The cool "Sakura" intro is just awesome (just listen). The chorus is very infectious, the riffs and guitars are heavy, yet danceable, and Jovi's vocal confidence here is really starting to develop. A true Jovi classic. "The Hardest Part Is the Night" is very reminiscent of Journey from the same era. Another tale of urban loneliness, the song is fairly cliche lyrically and musically, but it works. I dare you not to hum the chorus in the shower, I double dare you. Very infectious. "Always Run to You" is another big crowd-pleaser. Heavy on the guitars and keyboards, the song is a bit too musically busy for my tastes, but fairly catchy. Not much to say, fairly average song.

  Nearing the end of the album, "(I Don't Wanna Fall) To the Fire" sounds very dated. Using electronic drums, it sounds more like a Nintendo game than a metal song. The ancient electronics add a Prince-like nostalgia, but not a good fit for Jovi.  Guitars barely register in this song, and are noticeable processed, not Jovi's finest moment. Last up is "Secret Dreams", sounding very much like a sequel "Runaway" from their first album, the song is driven along by dancing synths a la Runaway and Jump by Van Halen. Not as good as Runaway, a fairly slow and somewhat boring song that is far too long for its own good.

   :"7800" is a pretty good album, much better than reviews generally state. Despite a few lame ballads, "Tokyo Road" and "Only Lonely" are enough to warrant a listen. Bon Jovi would become increasing poppy over the years, but in 1985, they blended pop and rock in near-perfect mix. Good stuff.

Rating-8/10