After this, they returned to the studio in January of 1985 to start writing and recording the follow up to that debut album. And though the process took just six weeks, it appears that not everything was working as harmoniously as it could have. The album was produced by Lance Quinn, who had co-produced the debut album with Jon Bon Jovi’s cousin Ton Bongiovi. This album, on his own, seemed to cause some ructions within the group. On the release of the band’s next album, “Slippery When Wet”, Jon Bon Jovi was quoted in an interview as saying "All of us were going through tough times on a personal level, and the strain told on the music we produced. It wasn't a pleasant experience... Lance Quinn wasn't the man for us, and that added to the feeling that we were going about it badly. None of us want to live in that mental state ever again. We've put the record behind us, and moved on." He also added in another interview years later in 2007 that "I always overlook the second album. Always have, always will. We had no time to make it and we didn't know who we were... We did whatever producer Lance Quinn said. He was a brilliant guitarist and had made records with Talking Heads, so you listened."
Apart from this, the pressure on the band to follow up their debut album, as well looking to make a big impression on the music scene at the time, would have added to the tensions within the group and in the studio. The band’s style of glam hard rock and hair metal had found a footing especially in the US, and they would have been aware of trying to strike while the iron was hot. The end result of all of this was their album coming out within just two months of the start of recording, and the release of “7800° Fahrenheit”, a name that apparently references the melting point of rock. Could the album live up to the title?
The best way to attack a new album and capture the markets attention is to have a bouncy pop rock song that has all of the attributes required to get played on the radio and then drag in the audience from that point. And that is what “In and Out of Love” is, with Jon’s bright vocal call followed by the punchy chorus with singalong backing vocals, and replete with conversational lyrics in between, and then Richie Sambora’s guitar solo to top it all off. It’s the perfect opening track to this album. “The Price of Love” changes things up immediately, musically at least. This isn’t an anthem so much as a hyped-up rock ballad, looking to hit all the right heart strings to gain a song that draws the right fan group to the band. This goes into overdrive on the actual power ballad that follows, “Only Lonely” which has Jon’s vocals changing to the style required for such a journey, and the music softening with more emphasis on the keys and the chorused backing vocals. In the space of three songs, the album has gone from teenage rock groupies anthem through the delving deeper to a rock ballad into the actual rock ballad. It’s quite a journey to be faced with in the opening third of the album.
“King of the Mountain” climbs its way back into look for an anthemic tome, the almost chant like rendition of “Oh - King of the mountain!” looking for fists raised in rhythm with the drumbeat. It struggles to retain the energy of the opening couple of tracks but settles into the volume of the album.
Then we are back with the second power ballad of the album in quick succession with “Silent Night”, a real honest to goodness dive into the depth of that style of song. The tempo slows, Jon draws out his honeyed emoting vocals, the acoustic guitar and keys come out and even Richie’s solo mirrors the style of the gerne of the track. Through to this point of the album, classifying this as having anything to do with hard rock would be a slight error in judgement.
A bit of energy and enthusiasm creeps back in with the arrival of “Tokyo Road”, a more enthusiastic guitar riff and determined vocal line, still supported by the chorused vocals through those lines. Jon actually sounds like he is invested in his singing at moments through this song which isn’t always the case on this album. Even so, the child’s toy like tinkling at the start of the track and the breakdown in the middle of the song does tend to halt the momentum that builds within it. This is followed by “The Hardest Part is the Night”, and if Roxette didn’t have this song as the inspiration to their track “Listen to Your Heart” then I am a very bad judge. That song however possesses more energy and inspiration that this from Bon Jovi does. It follows a trend of the album, that really tends to reside in the 1980’s soft rock category of song than any pretence at hair metal or even harder forms of music. And none of the band members are extending themselves here. Everything seems to be comfortably set between the bookends without any danger of pushing them over to see what might be beyond that barrier.
“Always Run to You” settles into its mid-tempo from the outset, its mid-range riff and mid-sized vocals, finds its rhythm and clicks along until the end of the track. Richie’s solo break offers the only point of difference in the whole song. “(I Don't Wanna Fall) To the Fire” really ramps up the synth from the outset, which offers something different from this set of tracks through the middle of the album. It doesn’t last forever however, with the song caught in a loop by the middle of the track of lyric repeating and synth overload. “Secret Dreams” is the concluding song on the album, doubling down on the keys and synths here in a way that is heavily anchored to this era of music. Listening to this song makes you think you are watching a teen movie from the mid-1980's and this is the soundtrack. Because this is how all of those songs sounded in those movies. The soundtrack of the era, which is immediately noticeable and for the most part immediately shunned.
For those of us who were busy growing up in the 1980's, at least those of us that I was in the process of growing up with, this album passed under most of our noses. Sure, there was the catchy opening song "In and Out of Love" which most of us caught on the radio at some stage, but it was not an album or band that was on our radar. I know I didn’t become aware of Bon Jovi the band until their following album was released, and both it and the singles released from it caught the imagination of the whole world. And after it did, it was only then that I went back to find and listen to this album.
To be honest, that is probably this album's biggest problem. Because to go backwards after listening to “Slippery When Wet” and experience this album is a tough sell, even back in 1987 when it was still relatively new. The opening track is tolerable, and even into “Price of Love” is fine, thou9gh it does help if you are drinking or at a party while doing so. But once the very VERY 1980's keyboard and synth beginning of "Only Lonely" starts , you very quickly get brought back to reality. This song brings the truth to the equation, that this album is firmly anchored to the time by its very production and instrumental arrangement, let alone the background gang vocal chorus on most songs. Truly, this song is one that you expect to see cheesy bands playing at high school proms in bad teenage films from the mid-1980's. That’s the level we are at. And it doesn't really get much better. The synth at the start of "Silent Night" kills the song before it starts, not that it could have saved this soft ballad trash. And again, the start of "Hardest Part is the Night". Wow. So very very very 1980's soft metal. Tragic. Then the start of "(I Don't Wanna Fall) To the Fire". More of the same. Does it stop?!? No. Literally it doesn’t.
This really is quite an amazing album. Every trick that was being used in recording music in 1985 can be found on this album - overuse of synths and keyboards, terribly weak and doused-out backing vocals, a complete lack of real guitar strength, and Bon Jovi's lead vocals at almost a monotone level. In 1985 the hair metal scene was being dominated by Motley Crue, Ratt and W.A.S.P, and Poison and LA Guns weren’t far away. And they were all doing it better and harder than this. It was a lesson that Bon Jovi soon learned and rectified quickly. And it isn’t hard to understand why the band has written this album off when it comes to their live set lists and their discography in general. Because of everything I’ve pointed out here. It just isn’t great. To be honest, if someone in the modern day picked up this album, having never heard it before, and listened to it and got past the first couple of songs without already feeling as though they should turn it off, I’d be very surprised.
It is funny listening back to this album, especially when you think about the direction the band took in the 1990’s. Because the basis behind that music can be found on this album. “Silent Night” is the template for the power ballads the band produced after their hard rock albums of “Slippery When Wet” and “New Jersey” had succeeded and they were looking to write material for their next genesis. It is no wonder this album sold so many copies once they brought out “Keep the Faith” and further on than that, because they are very much based on what was being produced here.
I have spent the past week indulging myself once again in this album, and it has been a punish. It was one that I review for my blog some years ago and I found the same roadblocks to stumble over this time as I did back then. In the main, this is an uninspiring set of songs set in concrete of the era they were released and with no hope of revitalisation. And though I have not done a definitive ranking of Bon Jovi albums, this doesn’t make the top four but could well be a chance again the albums of the modern era, which are just as disappointing. The good news for now is, at least I can move onto something more entertaining to listen to than this. Practically everything.
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