Bon Jovi Slippery When Wet (Vinyl LP) * * *

Bon Jovi Slippery When Wet on LP

Bon Jovi's eponymous debut album was released in 1984, and "Runaway" became a Top 40 hit. Following its success, Tony Bongiovi sued the band, claiming he developed their successful sound; the group settled out of court. The following year, 7800° Fahrenheit was released and went gold. Despite the band's respectable success, Bon Jovi wasn't becoming the superstars they had hoped, and they changed their approach for their next album, Slippery When Wet.

Hiring professional songwriter Desmond Child as a collaborator, the group wrote 30 songs and auditioned them for local New Jersey and New York teenagers, basing the album's running order on their opinions. After ditching the original cover of a busty woman in a wet T-shirt for the title traced in water on a garbage bag, Slippery When Wet was released in 1986.

Supported by several videos that showcased their photogenic namesake and frontman, the album eventually sold nine million copies in the U.S. alone, helping usher in the era of pop-metal. Two songs, "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer," reached No. 1, while "Wanted Dead or Alive" reached the Top Ten, and Bon Jovi was established as worldwide superstars once and for all.