Slippery When Wet, the biggest album of Bon Jovi’s career, is getting a deluxe reissue. The Diamond-certified 1986 LP—which includes the hits “Livin’ on a Prayer,” “You Give Love a Bad Name,” and “Wanted Dead or Alive”—will be re-released on Feb. 28 in a variety of formats.
A number of physical editions of the Slippery When Wet reissue will be available through the artist store, including a limited edition run of the original album on liquid-filled vinyl disc capped at 1,300 copies, a picture disc limited to 1,500 copies, and a run of 500 limited edition cassettes. A deluxe version featuring seven bonus tracks will be available as a double CD and digitally at all streaming services.
Bonus tracks on the deluxe edition include a rare acoustic version of “Wanted Dead Or Alive” and unreleased mixes of “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “Raise Your Hands.” There are also four live recordings from 1987’s Slippery When Wet Tour, including two previously unreleased tracks.
Slippery When Wet is one of the definitive documents of its era. The album was a smash from the start, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart and remaining there for eight weeks. “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Livin’ on a Prayer” both reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 singles chart as well. The album’s success continued well into the following year, when it became the top-selling album of 1987. The popularity continues into the present; songs from Slippery When Wet have been streamed 9.4 billion times.
Also out Feb. 28 from Bon Jovi is the remastered 2CD deluxe edition of the band’s self-titled debut album. The streaming version, a ruby-colored vinyl edition, and a cassette release of Bon Jovi are out this week in honor of the album’s 40th anniversary.
