Category Archives: Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet
Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet (1986, Mercury Records)
1. “Let It Rock” … 5:25
2. “You Give Love a Bad Name” … 3:44
3. “Livin’ on a Prayer” … 4:09
4. “Social Disease” … 4:18
5. “Wanted Dead or Alive” … 5:08
6. “Raise Your Hands” … 4:16
7. “Without Love” … 3:30
8. “I’d Die for You” … 4:30
9. “Never Say Goodbye” … 4:48
10. “Wild in the Streets” … 3:54
Band:
Jon Bon Jovi – Lead Vocals, Guitar
Richie Sambora – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Alec John Such – Bass, Backing Vocals
Tico Torres – Drums
David Bryan – Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Producer: Bruce Fairbairn
Hard to believe I haven’t spoken about this ’80s classic yet! In fact, this is one of the best rock albums of all time, in my opinion. Alongside other multi-platinum ’80s hard rock monsters like Back In Black, Pyromania and Appetite for Destruction, Slippery When Wet was a game changer and has continued to influence bands up until today.
When I first got into the CD game, this was one of the first CDs I owned because Bon Jovi was one of the first bands I got into when I actually started taking an interest in music (Guns ‘N Roses & Poison were my other early faves as a teenager). Still, I have remembrances of this album when I was a kid. This was an album that you would’ve had to have been deaf to avoid in ’86/’87. MTV, radio, skating rinks, school dances, my sister’s stereo… It was all over the place!
Some of the songs have aged worse than others because of the keyboards (“Without Love”, “I’d Die For You”) but I still say every track is a classic and they’ll all have you singing along in no time. Virtually any song here could’ve been a hit if it went to radio. Slippery When Wet is to Bon Jovi what Hysteria is to Def Leppard and the 12x platinum sales in the U.S. alone prove it.
The funny thing is, it’s been said that had this album not been successful, the story goes Bon Jovi was more than likely going to be dropped by the record label because the last two albums weren’t big hits (only the self-titled debut made a ripple) and this was basically their last chance. The label told the label to work with Desmond Child as a co-writer and gave them solid but then-unknown producer Bruce Fairbairn (with engineering by a young Bob Rock) and the rest is history…
Timeless and yet still a sign of the times (this album always makes me think of the typical ’80s mall) Slippery When Wet is a pop-metal masterpiece (yes, Jon, you were once a pop-metal band) that I’ll always keep coming back to. Essential listening for ’80s rock fans.
Highlights: Um… All of them.
Bon Jovi – Greatest Hits – The Ultimate Collection
Bon Jovi – Greatest Hits – The Ultimate Collection (2010, Island Records)
Disc 1
1. “Livin’ on a Prayer” … 4:13
2. “You Give Love a Bad Name” … 3:46
3. “It’s My Life” … 3:46
4. “Have a Nice Day” … 3:48
5. “Wanted Dead or Alive” … 5:11
6. “Bad Medicine” … 5:16
7. “We Weren’t Born to Follow” … 4:03
8. “I’ll Be There for You” … 5:46
9. “Born to Be My Baby” … 4:40
10. “Blaze of Glory” … 5:40
11. “Who Says You Can’t Go Home (Duet With Jennifer Nettles)” … 3:50
12. “Lay Your Hands on Me” … 3:49
13. “Always” … 5:56
14. “Runaway” … 3:53
15. “What Do You Got?” … 3:47
16. “No Apologies” … 3:44
Disc 2
1. “In These Arms” … 5:19
2. “Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night” … 4:39
3. “Lost Highway” … 4:04
4. “Keep the Faith” … 5:46
5. “When We Were Beautiful” … 4:10
6. “Bed of Roses” … 6:38
7. “This Ain’t a Love Song” … 5:06
8. “These Days” … 6:27
9. “(You Want To) Make a Memory” … 4:36
10. “Blood on Blood” … 6:16
11. “This Is Love, This Is Life” … 3:25
12. “The More Things Change” … 3:53
I’m a huge Bon Jovi fan. They’re one of my favorite bands, which is funny because I really can’t stand their last few albums and their shift towards country and adult contemporary rock/pop. Also, I’ve become somewhat jaded because it’s more obvious than ever that the band is really a brand and it’s completely Jon’s show to run. I think as he’s getting older, Jon has started to come off as a bitter guy for whatever reason, he denounces the ’80s hair metal scene they were fully-fledged members of at one time and he just seems to be on a power trip with only Richie having the smallest say in what the band does. To me, their last decent effort was 2002′s Bounce and with a few song exceptions, anything they’ve done since has been extremely bland and lacks the hooks and catchy choruses they built their name on in the ’80s and ’90s.
So anyway, this is the band’s fourth compilation album. Though to most fans, it’s really more like their second legit straight-forward compilation. 2003′s This Left Feels Right was an acoustic reworking of many of their best known songs and 2001 saw a Japan-only greatest hits released called Tokyo Road. The very first compilation was Cross Road. It was released in 1994 so given that the band has had a number of hit songs and albums since then, it was definitely time for another recap.
The tracklist is pretty solid. Sure there are personal favorites I could say I would have liked to seen included but keeping with the “greatest hits” theme, the album does it’s job. Especially in the Ultimate Collection form. It reads like a set list of what you would probably hear the band play in concert these days. I was caught off guard by “Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night” (which was a new song included on Cross Road) and These Days getting two songs included but it’s cool because I like all three of those songs. The only studio album not represented on any of the U.S. releases is 7800° Fahrenheit (“In and Out of Love” and “Tokyo Road” appear on international versions).
There are a few different versions of this album. First there is the simply titled Greatest Hits, which is just disc one (featuring two new songs). Then there is Greatest Hits – The Ultimate Collection which features a second disc (and two more new songs). Then there’s also a Target edition of Greatest Hits which has all of disc one plus live versions of “Diamond Ring” and “We Weren’t Born to Follow”. Then the iTunes version features all the material from disc one and two plus a 5th new song called “This Is Our House”.
I definitely wanted The Ultimate Collection because all four new songs were slowly being released on the band’s website for streaming and I liked them all a lot. Someone pointed out to me that they all sounded like modern Bon Jovi (which we’ve already covered I don’t like) and I guess they are right. Maybe I’m just ready to like Bon Jovi again? Who knows! “What Do You Got?” is my favorite of the new songs but I think they’re all good. Maybe not songs that can compare to their classics but very good for modern day Bon Jovi, I think. So I’m happy with my purchase. I’m enjoying the new stuff and while I don’t usually bother listening to compilations these days, you really can’t go wrong with a collection of Bon Jovi’s greatest hits.
http://www.bonjovi.com
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BON JOVI – The Circle
Bon Jovi – The Circle [Deluxe CD/DVD Limited Edition] (2009, Island Records)
CD:
1. “We Weren’t Born to Follow” … 4:03
2. “When We Were Beautiful” … 5:18
3. “Work for the Working Man” … 4:03
4. “Superman Tonight” … 5:12
5. “Bullet” … 3:50
6. “Thorn In My Side” … 4:05
7. “Live Before You Die” … 4:18
8. “Brokenpromiseland” … 4:57
9. “Love’s the Only Rule” … 4:38
10. “Fast Cars” … 3:16
11. “Happy Now” … 4:21
12. “Learn to Love” … 4:39
DVD:
When We Were Beautiful – Documentary
Band:
Jon Bon Jovi – Lead Vocals
Richie Sambora – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Tico Torres – Drums, Percussion
David Bryan – Keyboards, Piano
Additional Musicians:
Hugh McDonald – Bass
Charlie Judge – Keyboards
Producer: John Shanks with Jon Bon Jovi & Richie Sambora
It’s hard to believe after only releasing two albums in the 1990s that Bon Jovi is now on their fifth studio release in the 2000s alone (The Circle is actually their sixth studio release if you want to count their acoustic reworkings of their own songs on This Left Feels Right). And I haven’t even mentioned the live album and box set they released this decade! So yes, the band has been extremely active this decade with a steady stream of albums and world tours that sell out wherever they go.
The downside to all of this? Their music overall hasn’t been up to snuff with their ’80s or even ’90s output. Their “comeback” album Crush was great, different but great. Bounce rocked harder and was really good. After that, the band has turned into a bland rock band that doesn’t really rock at all and they’ve dabbled way too much in country rock in an attempt to stay relevant (but it worked for a bit, so what do I know?).
In hype for this album, Jon and Richie promised they were done with Nashville and that the album’s title was a reference to the band coming full circle and getting back to rock ‘n’ roll and that they were giving us a “big rock record”. Well, I can tell you this much — thankfully, most signs of Lost Highway are gone (perhaps lost?). I wouldn’t say this album is “big rock” at all, but it is a better effort than Have a Nice Day even if it still sounds similar to that release. I had been hoping this would be closer to Bounce (“Bullet” comes close), but no dice.
I realize that the band is laughing all the way to the bank with the steady stream of bland, safe rock ‘n’ roll made for their soccer mom fans, but I really wish these guys would pay attention to the minority of fans that want a harder edge and huge sing-along choruses. I don’t expect a sequel to Slippery When Wet or New Jersey (though the band does offer up the bass line from “Livin’ On A Prayer” for “Work for the Working Man”), I don’t want a nostalgia release, but throw me a few bones! Give me a couple of songs that have that feel good over the top vibe that band had up until Keep the Faith.
Noticeably absent is the classic Bon Jovi sounding ballad that doesn’t care what decade it is. Even on the awful Lost Highway the band managed to squeeze out the under appreciated “(You Want to) Make a Memory”. Desmond Child co-wrote that song and he helps out a bit on this album, but even his involvement can’t save this album.
Ultimately, The Circle is another collection of mediocre, thoughtful and mature rock songs (Just like U2!) that don’t please this old school Bon Jovi fan and I can’t imagine reaching for this album in the future.
The CD/DVD limited edition comes with the 75 minute B&W documentary When We Were Beautiful, which follows the band on their Lost Highway tour from 2007. It’s a pretty interesting look into the workings of the band.
Highlights: “We Weren’t Born to Follow”, “Work for the Working Man”, “Bullet”, “Brokenpromiseland”, “Happy Now”
BON JOVI – Have a Nice Day
Bon Jovi – Have a Nice Day (2005, Island Records)
1. “Have a Nice Day” … 3:49
2. “I Want to Be Loved” … 3:49
3. “Welcome to Wherever You Are” … 3:47
4. “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” … 4:40
5. “Last Man Standing” … 4:37
6. “Bells of Freedom” … 4:55
7. “Wildflower” … 4:13
8. “Last Cigarette” … 3:38
9. “I Am” … 3:53
10. “Complicated” … 3:37
11. “Novocaine” … 4:49
12. “Story of My Life” … 4:08
13. “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” [Duet Version] … 3:50
Band:
Jon Bon Jovi – Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals
Richie Sambora – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Tico Torres – Drums, Percussion
David Bryan – Piano, Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Additional Musicians:
Hugh McDonald – Bass, Backing Vocals
Jennifer Nettles – Lead Vocals (“Who Says You Can’t Go Home” [Duet Version])
Dan Huff – Bouzouki, Mandolin
Johathan Yudkin – Fiddle, Mandolin
Dan Dugmore – Steel Guitar
Produced by: Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, John Shanks, Dan Huff, Rick Parashar
I absolutely did NOT like this album when it was released and it quickly was thrown in with the rest of my collection and forgotten. There’s a few songs on here I like, but this album is Bon Jovi’s full-blown descent into mediocrity, soccer mom rock and the land of no hooks. The signs were starting to show on Bounce that the band was becoming content to just be bland, but it’s even more apparent here.
Unfortunately, the album spawned the big crossover hit “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” featuring country music group Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles. Whether you’re listening to the duet version or not, they’re both pretty country sounding and neither one is good. Sure, if this song was a blip on the Bon Jovi radar, that’s one thing, but I said it was an unfortunate hit because it “inspired” (meaning Jon & Richie saw dollar signs) the band to follow up this album with the Nashville-flavored Lost Highway.
“Last Man Standing” is probably the closest song resembling the band’s harder rocking heyday and a version of it was included on the band’s 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong box set. The song was originally meant to be included as one of two new songs on the band’s This Left Feels Right acoustic album where they covered some of their own greatest hits.
Even long time collaborator Desmond Child could help this album much. He co-wrote “Bells of Freedom” with Jon & Richie (and was executive producer of the album) but the magic just wasn’t there this time.
Highlights: “Have a Nice Day”, “I Want to Be Loved”, “Last Man Standing”, “Complicated”
BON JOVI – One Wild Night: Live 1985-2001
Bon Jovi – One Wild Night: Live 1985-2001 (2001, Island Records)
1. “It’s My Life” … 3:51
2. “Livin’ on a Prayer” … 5:13
3. “You Give Love a Bad Name” … 3:53
4. “Keep the Faith” … 6:19
5. “Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night” … 6:30
6. “Rockin’ in the Free World” … 5:40
7. “Something to Believe In” … 6:00
8. “Wanted Dead or Alive” … 6:00
9. “Runaway” … 4:47
10. “In and Out of Love” … 6:12
11. “I Don’t Like Mondays” … 5:58
12. “Just Older” … 5:13
13. “Something for the Pain” … 4:22
14. “Bad Medicine” … 4:19
15. “One Wild Night 2001″ … 3:46
Band:
Jon Bon Jovi – Vocals, Guitar, Percussion
Richie Sambora – Guitar, Backing Vocals
David Bryan – Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Tico Torres – Drums, Percussion
Additional Musicians:
Alec John Such – Bass, Backing Vocals (“Runaway” and “In and Out of Love”)
Hugh McDonald – Bass, Backing Vocals
Bob Geldof – Vocals (“I Don’t Like Mondays”)
Produced by: Obie O’Brien, Bon Jovi, Luke Ebbin, Desmond Child
Although I’ve yet to see Bon Jovi in person, I’ve seen tons of live Bon Jovi performances over the years on television and video. They’ve always delivered and this, their first live album, is no different with “Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night” being an especially inspired performance. I usually don’t give live albums extended play, but this is one of the few live release I have in my collection that I did just that. You can never go wrong with Bon Jovi (when they’re singing the classics).
Seven of the fifteen tracks were recorded in 2000, four are from 1995, “Something to Believe In” is from ’96 and only “In and Out of Love” and “Runaway” are from 1985. I think it’s very strange they didn’t include any performances from their commercial peak (’87-’92) and I would have preferred most of the songs to be from that era. They probably included so many then-recent performances to show people it was still worth coming out to their shows in 2001. Only two of these songs were recorded in the US, which I find weird as well.
“One Wild Night 2001″ is a needless remix of, you guessed it, “One Wild Night” from Crush the previous year. Fine for what it is (one of the hardest rocking songs from Crush), but it’s neither better or worse than the original.
Highlights: “It’s My Life”, “You Give Love a Bad Name”, “Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night”, “Runaway”, “I Don’t LIke Mondays”, “Something for the Pain”, “Bad Medicine”
BON JOVI – 7800° Fahrenheit
Bon Jovi – 7800° Fahrenheit (1985, Mercury Records)
Track List:
1. “In and Out of Love” … 4:26
2. “The Price of Love” … 4:14
3. “Only Lonely” … 5:02
4. “King of the Mountain” … 3:54
5. “Silent Night” … 5:08
6. “Tokyo Road” … 5:42
7. “The Hardest Part Is the Night” … 4:25
8. “Always Run to You” … 5:00
9. “(I Don’t Wanna Fall) To the Fire” … 4:28
10. “Secret Dreams” … 4:54
Band:
Jon Bon Jovi – Vocals
Richie Sambora – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Alec John Such – Bass, Backing Vocals
Tico Torres – Drums
David Bryan – Keyboard, Backing Vocals
Additional Musicians:
Tom Mandel, Jim Salamone, and Randy Cantor – Synthesizer
Carol Brooks, Jeannie Brooks, Rick Valenti, and Phil Hoffer – Backing Vocals
Produced by: Lance Quinn
Total keyboard-heavy 1980s cheesefest. David Bryan really shined on this album. =)
This album is so much of a guilty pleasure. The songs are catchy, but you’re almost embarrassed to be singing along because they’re so bad they’re good. The band had yet to hook up with master rock/pop songwriter Desmond Child and had they not done that in time for 1986′s Slippery When Wet, I imagine one more album of this kind of somewhat generic keyboard-based hair metal and all members of Bon Jovi would’ve been back in Jersey working 9-5 factory jobs. I can’t help but imagine these songs as part of a music montage during some 80s movie.
“In and Out of Love” is the closest to what Slippery When Wet would bring (it also made it onto the band’s Cross Road greates hits release), but it’s easy to see why the rest has been forgotten over the years. I still like the album, but it’s definitely not the first album I would recommend to any potential Bon Jovi fan.
In fact, this album and the self-titled debut were actually the final Bon Jovi albums I purchased back around 2000 or so in order to complete my Bon Jovi collection. I picked’em up during one of my many great Columbia House raids for just a few dollars a piece.
Highlights: “In and Out of Love”, “The Price of Love”, “The Hardest Part Is the Night”, “(I Don’t Wanna Fall) To the Fire”, “Secret Dreams”
BON JOVI – Crush
Bon Jovi – Crush (2000, Island Records/Def Jam Music)
Track Listing:
1. “It’s My Life” … 3:44
2. “Say It Isn’t So” … 3:33
3. “Thank You for Loving Me” … 5:07
4. “Two Story Town” … 5:10
5. “Next 100 Years” … 6:19
6. “Just Older” … 4:28
7. “Mystery Train” … 5:16
8. “Save the World” … 5:31
9. “Captain Crash & the Beauty Queen From Mars” … 4:31
10. “She’s a Mystery” … 5:18
11. “I Got the Girl” … 4:35
12. “One Wild Night” … 4:18
Band:
Jon Bon Jovi – Lead Vocals
Richie Sambora – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Tico Torres – Drums, Percussion
David Bryan – Keyboard, Piano, Backing Vocals
Additional Musicians:
Hugh McDonald – Bass, Backing Vocals
Produced by: Luke Ebbin, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora
5 years after the dark, somber, melancholy These Days, Bon Jovi decided it was time to make music again and went in the complete opposite direction with the very bombastic, poppy, syrupy Crush.
Not that I’m complaining. I love both albums, but while These Days took some getting used to, I instantly embraced Crush because it’s not too far removed from the usual bombastic, poppy, syrupy sounds of Bon Jovi. The only difference is the band brought in “boy band” songwriter Max Martin (“It’s My Life”) but also balanced it out with a bit more of a mature sound (“She’s A Mystery”, “Just Older”, “Save the World”).
It’s not a hard rocking album for the most part (Bounce actually rocks harder than this), it’s very much a pop album, but I still love it. “It’s My Life” though somewhat boy bandish is an incredibly catchy song and I loved that in 2000 I was hearing brand new Bon Jovi on the radio. All three singles (the other two being “Say It Isn’t So” and “Thank You For Loving Me”) are my favorite songs from the album, but the slower moments like “Mystery Train” and “She’s A Mystery” are really enjoyable too.
Probably my only complaint with be the lack of originality. I remember an old review stating that “Say It Isn’t So” and “Two Story Town” ripped off Lit and Joan Osbourne, respectively, and it’s absolutely true. “Two Story Town” seems to be such a near carbon copy of “What If God Was One of Us” that I’m surprised Joan didn’t sue. Also, their use of two “Mystery” songs has always bothered me (even though I love both songs), just like GNR’s “The Garden” and “The Garden of Eden” on Use Your Illusion I, it’s always annoyed me.
The album has a great closer with “One Wild Night” which is the one song that reminds me most of the Bon Jovi of the 80s. This song could’ve easily been on New Jersey right alongside “99 in the Shade” and “Love For Sale”.
Highlights: “It’s My Life”, “Say It Isn’t So”, “Thank You For Loving Me”, “Just Older”, “Mystery Train”, “Save the World”, “She’s a Mystery”, “One Wild Night”
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BON JOVI – Bounce
Bon Jovi – Bounce (2002, Island Records)
Track Listing:
1. “Undivided” (3:53)
2. “Everyday” (3:00)
3. “The Distance” (4:48)
4. “Joey” (4:54)
5. “Misunderstood” (3:30)
6. “All About Lovin’ You” (3:46)
7. “Hook Me Up” (3:54)
8. “Right Side of Wrong” (5:50)
9. “Love Me Back to Life” (4:09)
10. “You Had Me From Hello” (3:49)
11. “Bounce” (3:11)
12. “Open All Night” (4:22)
Band:
Jon Bon Jovi – Vocals
Richie Sambora – Guitar
Hugh McDonald – Bass
Tico Torres – Drums
David Bryan – Keyboards
Produced by:
Luke Ebbin, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Andreas Carlsson, Desmond Child
Remember when I said in this entry that Bon Jovi had started to not rock? Well, that’s true, but something must’ve gotten in those Jersey boys and made them want to scratch that rock ‘n’ roll itch again in 2002. After the incredible mainstream success of the very poppy and syrupy sweet Crush from 2000, perhaps this was meant to quench the thirst of the fans who complained about Crush and just wanted Bon Jovi to rock out?
It would be, in my opinion, their last true rock & roll album as after this the band moved into the incredibly bland & safe territory of soccer mom rock & country/pop, no doubt trying to appeal to their now grown-up thirty-something female fan base that put them on the cover of so many teen magazines during the 80s, but I digress.
This album was met with a lot of indifference when it first came out, at least critically. Fans of old school Bon Jovi *still* cried foul over this one not rocking enough, and the pop audience they gained with Crush didn’t show up to support this album probably because it was too much of a rock album. Despite the lose/lose situation, Bounce debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts, and although it quickly fell through the charts, it eventually went Gold in America (selling 3.5 million worldwide). But when Crush from 2 years previous went 2x platinum in the U.S. (and 10 million worldwide), this album had to be considered a disappointment.
Honestly though, as an old school Bon Jovi fan, I still dig this album a lot. Much like everyone else, I didn’t care for it originally, but months later, I knew I hadn’t really given it a close listen, so I gave it another shot and I’m glad I did. It’s very underrated, although the album’s calculated “rocker, ballad, rocker, ballad…” track listing becomes quite tiresome. Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t compare Slippery When Wet or New Jersey or even Crush, but it’s still a very enjoyable effort with a few killer songs like “Bounce”, “Everyday” and “Misunderstood”.
One thing that hurts this album is the lack of a decent ballad. What Bon Jovi offered here, I just could not get into, which is surprising because they’ve written some of the greatest ballads ever (even their super lame 2007 release Lost Highway featured the amazing “(You Want to) Make A Memory”, but nothing of the sort is to be found here.
Highlights: “Undivided”, “Everyday”, “The Distance”, “Misunderstood”, “Hook Me Up”, “Love Me Back to Life”, “Bounce”
Lowlights: “Joey” (reminds me of a very slowed down version of “Wild in the Streets” from Slippery When Wet), “Open All Night” (not feeling this ballad at all, one of BJ’s worst)
BON JOVI – These Days
Bon Jovi – These Days (1995, Mercury Records)
Track Listing:
1. “Hey God” (6:20)
2. “Something for the Pain” (4:46)
3. “This Ain’t a Love Song” (5:06)
4. “These Days” (6:26)
5. “Lie to Me” (5:33)
6. “Damned” (4:27)
7. “My Guitar Lies Bleeding in My Arms” (5:42)
8. “(It’s Hard) Letting You Go” (5:50)
9. “Hearts Breaking Even” (5:05)
10. “Something to Believe In” (5:25)
11. “If That’s What It Takes” (5:27)
12. “Diamond Ring” (3:46)
Band:
Jon Bon Jovi – Vocals
Richie Sambora – Guitar
Tico Torres – Drums
David Bryan – Keyboards
Producer:
Peter Collins
If 1992′s Keep the Faith started to show the band’s desire to *not* rock, this album all but confirmed it. These Days is Bon Jovi’s attempt to shed the “80s rockers” label and get serious. It’s not as fun as the Bon Jovi that the world was used to up to that point. It’s a little darker and a little jaded and a little angry.
From the opening moments of the album with the almost-alternative rocker “Hey God” you can easily tell this is not the Bon Jovi of days gone by that sung about riding steel horses or the temperature being 99 in the shade. When I first heard this album, I absolutely hated it. A friend of mine played this album for me and I remember that we kept playing “Hey God” over and over again, laughing at how bad it was and how much this whole album was NOT *our* Bon Jovi.
Well, that was probably about ’97 or so that I first heard it, and since then, These Days has grown on me and has become one of my favorite albums from the band. Once I had a copy of my own, I listened to it a lot. I remember many late nights playing this album nonstop after I had moved down to Florida when I was in my late teens, totally getting into the melancholy nature of the songs. There are a few albums in my collection that really represent a period in my life, they represent what I was going through emotionally at the time, and this is one of them. And for that reason, it’s almost like a time warp listening to this now. It’s also for that reason that I tend not to listen to this album much. It’s amazing how many feelings from a certain point in your life that you can associate with a song or whole album and not being able to disconnect the two.
If you want Bon Jovi singing big rock anthems with huge choruses, this is not the album for you. Heck, as I said previously, they don’t even rock out much here as there’s only a few songs that really open fire (“Hey God”, “Something for the Pain”, “These Days”, “Damned”). The rest are pretty low-key, slow to mid-tempo numbers. If you can get past the fact that you aren’t going to get a sequel Slippery When Wet or New Jersey, this is a darn good album and one of their betters ones, in my opinion.
This album also marks “unofficial” band member Hugh McDonald’s first full studio album appearance on bass. As of the time of this writing, he’s *still* not a recognized member of the band, despite playing bass on their albums and tours since 1994. There’s also a few B-sides floating around from this album that didn’t make the cut and mostly wound up in special international editions of the album and that’s a shame for the U.S. because it’s really good stuff.
Highlights: “Hey God”, “These Days”, “Lie to Me”, “(It’s Hard) Letting You Go”, “Hearts Breaking Even”, “Something To Believe In”, “If That’s What It Takes”
Lowlights: “Diamond Ring”. Some things never changed, I’ve always disliked this song and I still do.
