Not one of my favorite albums, but for people who like Bon Jovi even a little, they should listen to this. This album has all of Bon Jovi's best songs, except for Bad Medicine and Blaze of Glory. There wasn't a single track on this album I didn't like.

corporate rock bullshit

Stop being a snob and just enjoy it for what it is. Fun! Light-years ahead of the other hair metal dreck.

If we had to pick up the most iconic albums of hard rock, this one HAS to be there.

Few other albums capture the times as good as this one.
And why this one is so good? it stood the test of time, the great songs are still there and everybody recognize the hit-singles.
As a guitar player, I've always admired Richie Sambora's accomplished guitar playing. He was never a shred, but his playing was integral part of the songs, pretty much like old-school legends. And If you think about the greatest ever 12-string songs, I can bet my house that virtually anyone has played 'Wanted Dead or Alive' one time or another, just as someone has played 'Stairway To Heaven' on a 6-string or 'Smoke on The Water' on electric ;)

There isn't a really weak track of the album. Best ones to me are 'let it Rock', 'Raise Your Hands', 'Wild In The Streets' and of course the songs you surely know.

Cheers

This album is quite possibly the reason the hair metal scene got so big in the late 80s. Remove all the talk of hair and that scene and there are still great songs here. They rock, they pop, and you still can't help but sing along. Wanted Dead or Alive is still one of my top 10 songs.

"hair metal" yada yada, "spawned mtv's unplugged" yada yada ... What really strikes is that this is hard rock with a stylistic edge with fun hooks that doesn't overstay its welcome. The key ingredient to this album's, and this band's success, is jon bon jovi's writing chops -- the everyman working man just trying to survive. "you give love a bad name" and "living on a prayer" are the best tracks.

one of my all time favorite albums....

I'd say exactly what Applerill said. So true.

Best track: Livin' on a Prayer

When this album was released, these hair-do's where absolutely the right thing. Proudly wore a pale copy of it myself. Now all these years later the hair-do's are no-no's, but the music, although unmistakably from the mid-80s, still live on. The album may appear greater to those who started shaping their musical identity at the time but at the least it is one glorious testament to hair rock from start to finish. Love it.