Honestly I feel that he should've stayed solo after his huge success with Bon Jovi. He was so articulate, an exceptional guitar player, an amazing lyricist & a composer and his interest in the blues enabled him to emote through his guitar... He was an incredible young man... Cher fell in love with him at the same time... He was also extremely good looking... In my opinion, he should've stayed solo once he started walking that path. His album Stranger in this Town is unbelievable and he should've invested more time into his solo projects when he was young coz he was simply brilliant. My interest in Bon Jovi started coz of Richie Sambora and I don't think he contributed much to Bon Jovi later on in the albums after perhaps Keep the Faith & 'Its my Life' song from the album Crush... Instead of going on in this new direction started by Jon (which was probably to turn Bon Jovi into Jon Bon Jovi vehicle), Richie should've stayed what he was extremely good at and that was his own self... What he did in 2013, he should've done that in 1991. I'm a massive fan of his and I started listening to him only a year ago. Wish I was there in the 80s to watch him in his prime. x
Goodness. You wrote just what I was thinking. In his prime and without the influences of substances that he just couldn’t break, he was amazing. So impressive in every way. Kind and generous in giving of himself. Very thoughtful and reflective , and everything you said about his musicianship is undisputed ( except by those who are blinded by some of his actions when he was not his true self). His solo albums were so good. Stranger was a masterpiece that he should always be proud of. He took so much pride and care in making that a true listening experience and a way for people to get to know him as Richie Sambora. It is timeless and I love it! I hope he is well nowadays. Bless you sweet Richie!
I feel if Richie had left the band in 1991, that would have been too soon for him and for us. "Keep the Faith" was a great album as well as "These Days". He had much to do with them. I wouldn't have prolonged it much more after these two albums, anyway. I could give Crush a chance, but after that, Bon Jovi lost their identity, to my eyes. They went meaningless.
