NEW JERSEY

(VERTIGO VERH 62, RELEASED SEPTEMBER 1988)

As follow-ups to decade-defining, mega-selling albums go, 'New Jersey' was an exemplary release. Faced with the near-impossible task of surpassing one of the biggest successes of the Eighties, in true old-school music biz style it risked nothing except the kitchen sink in its attempt to recapture me magic or its predecessor.

Once again Bruce Fairbairn was installed in the production hot seat and all recording took place at his beloved Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, Again, too, Desmond Child had a hand in four of the 12 songs, including the first two singles from the album, 'Bad Medicine' (which was basically "You Give Love A Bad Name' Part Two) and the follow-up, 'Born To Be My Baby' (more 'Livin' On A Prayer' style soul-baring-and-sharing), There were also contributions from professional songwriters Holly Knight ("Stick To Your Guns') and Diane Warren (‘Wild Is The Wind'), Though in fairness, it's worth pointing out that the other hit singles from the 'New Jersey' album - 'I'll Be There For You', released in April 1989 and 'Lay Your Hands On Me', released in August 1989 - are both Jon and Richie songs, as are other superbly crafted Bon Jovi moments like 'Homebound Train' and 'Love For Sale'. Essentially, though, 'New Jersey' was 'Slippery When Wet' with knobs on - but sadly lacking that 'un­recapturable' element of surprise the best of 'Slippery ... ' enjoyed.
Meanwhile, the tour pattern that accom­panied its release also resembled the tem­plate set by the awesome success of 'Slippery ...’, only this time around Bon Jovi would be out on the road for even longer: two years.

"We're going to hit a lot of uncharted ground on this tour, though," Jon would point out wistfully whenever confronted with the enormity of the band's seemingly end­less live commitments throughout 1988, 1989 and 1990. "We're gonna go to South America for the first time, hopefully, and a bunch of other places we've never had a chance to go 10 before."

But why? Was it just the easy moolah in the offing or did he just feel it was necessary 10 get back on the road as quickly as possible with the new album to keep up the momen­tum? Was he afraid of losing the precious ground Bon Jovi had gained with 'Slippery When Wet'?

"I don't think so, not at this point." he shook his head. "It just seemed to be the right time, we felt we had the songs. I felt that the songs were as good as I could ask for at that given time, you know, without spending four years writing an album, or whatever," he added by way of a little dig at Def Leppard, who Jon perceived as his chief rivals in the Eighties and who were notorious for taking years to complete their own mega­selling albums.

When 'New Jersey' followed 'Slippery When Wet' into the Number 1 spot in the American charts, Jon admitted that his chief feeling was one of immense relief. He confessed to the authors that he and the rest of the band were definitely intimidated at first by the task of having to somehow match the massive success of ‘Slippery ... ' .

“Most bands are fortunate if that kind of success happens to them once in their careers,' Jon reflected. "And hardly anybody ever matches the success they had the first time an album really took off for them. This was the thing that was driving me crazy before we sat down to write the new songs. I'm think­ing, 'How do you follow something like that? Michael Jackson didn't do it. Billy Idol didn't do it. Billy Joel didn't do it. Springsteen. Prince. Madonna ... How the hell are we goona do it if those guys didn't? I was driving myself crazy with this shit!

“And I wanted it to happen again. Sure I did! Not for monetary reasons, either. But because, man. when you can go out and headline at major places like Donington, that's a major thrill ... to walk out there on stage and go 'Hi' and 70,000 kids go 'Hi" right back. You just think, 'Holy shit. this is unreal! Gimme more!'“

Besides, he said, all the time spent on the road meant he and the band kept getting better all the time.