Bon Jovi - These Days
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Free Music Notes for These Days
Free Music Review: Maybe their best ever
Hit: 5 Stars
I'm writing this because most of the reviews I've seen for THESE DAYS have been pretty negative. The songs on here aren't as catchy or infectious as SLIPPERY WHEN WET, but they are musically superior to the band's most notorious album.THESE DAYS starts with "Hey God," the most intense song on the CD. A powerful track, it stays on the theme of album, which is how difficult life is during these times (or these days...aptly enough). "These days you're even harder to believe," sums up the song's take on God in the modern era. The CD then slips into "Something for the Pain," a catchy tune that hearkens back to SLIPPERY's "Livin' on a Prayer" style upbeat songs.
"This Ain't a Love Song," the third track, is the album's first ballad, a powerful one about losing love, the other major theme of the album. Bon Jovi then moves to the title track, a chilling view of the world that is one of the album's best songs. "Lie to Me," track five, is the tale of a desperate man searching for love, while the sixth track, "Damned," is a desperate man having an affair and realizing his inevitable doom.
"My Guitar Lies Bleeding in my Arms," quiets things down from the noisier sixth track and is once again a great song. The expression of the guitar used as an extremity of a broken heart is simply beautiful, as is the acoustic guitar used to accompany it. The best track on the album, "(It's Hard) Letting You Go" is by itself worth the purchase of this album. Again, it deals with the trouble of finding love in the complicated world of today. Similarly, track nine, "Hearts Breaking Even" deals with lost love. Track 11, "If That's What It Takes," is one of the lone inspirational songs of the album (with the second track), and is the story of going to extremes to satisfy love for another.
"Something to Believe In" and "Diamind Ring" are tracks 10 and 12, and are somewhat weaker than the others on this album. However, they are still good listening material and show the band's ability to diversify.
Overall, THESE DAYS is a little more melancholy than the band's earlier efforts. However, the material is every bit as worth listening to, if not superior to the '80s hit albums. If you are a Bon Jovi fan, don't let the negative reviews scare you away from this album. If you are not a fan and have only listened to radio hits, be warned: this is a different experience. Different, and better.
Free Music Review: The Dark Side
Hit: 5 Stars
In 1995, Bon Jovi presented fans with their darkest, most serious, and probably least accessible album yet, entitled These Days. Here the band has taken it's more serious approach on 1992's Keep the Faith (my favorite from them at that point) and depressed the hell out of it. This is a sad and sometimes sinister album, embodied by beautiful songwriting and true musicianship. And while it may contain more ballads than any other Bon Jovi album, even in future releases, there's no syrup to sap them up. It is with these reasons that this is the band's least accessible album, being way too depressing, serious, and unique for the casual Bon Jovi fan to digest easily (this may also have been the cause for this to be a lesser commerical effort). However it is with these reasons that this is not just my favorite Bon Jovi album, but probably the most emotional album I've ever heard. Jon isn't singing to his 13-year-old-girl fanbase here, the lyrics sound so personal which is what makes them so moving and great overall. This trend of serious songwriting started with Keep the Faith and sadly ended here, before the poison of radio filled the band's blood once again (not to say the other material is bad, just not as good as their two '90s albums). But this band has always possessed great talent and could always churn up catchy melodies, which makes them one of the great American rock bands.
I will admit, Bon Jovi is the reason why I got into music. It was actually Slippery When Wet that got my whole music train a rollin', the first album I ever bought. I bought when I was 11 years old back in 2001 (I'm 19 now). And since then my musical tastes have greatly evolved, but never changed. This is why Bon Jovi will always have a special place in my life, and this album will never fail to move me.
And for my finale, I'll present to you my Top 5 favorite albums of all time (not necessarily in order) just to give you an idea of how my tastes have evolved:
~ Jethro Tull: "Thick as a Brick"
~ Pink Floyd: "Wish You Were Here"
~ Dream Theater: "Octavarium"
~ Queen: "A Night at the Opera"
~ Bon Jovi: "These Days"
Peace!
Free Music Review: The Best Album Of The World!
Hit: 5 Stars
What to say about "These Days"? In my opinion this is the best album recorded by Bon Jovi.It has love songs as in every Bon Jovi's albums and they sounds very good.
"Lie To Me" is a beautiful song, where Richie Sambora makes the backing vocals and play a clean guitar solo. Other great ballad I think is "My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms" (but the tittle of this song is very long, isn't it?). The way Tico Torres plays is very nice! Just hit-hat in the verses, until the song get distortions guitars. The way the guitar ends the solo is very beautiful (the whole solo is very beautiful) and it fits with next verse. The harmonic in the last chorus is very cool!
"Damned" is a great song. I love its riff! And instead of this riff is in many parts of this song, this is not boring! It gives a special feeling to this song!
I like very much "Something To Believe In". It's um second-favorite-song of this album. Here is nice too, the way Tico Torres plays .He got a different style for this song and I really love it! The guitars in the solo are very beautiful, the synchronism between them, and the way every one goes. At the final of the solo they are in the same chord and you really can hear 2 guitars making the same! It's great! The backing vocals made by Richie Sambora fits very well here. In many songs, he sings with his soul and it's wonderful, it's fantastic!
My fave song is "Hey God". It's my favorite Bon Jovi's song. As many songwriters use to say, this is a song I would want to have wrote! The lyrics are excellent! I got nothing to talk 'bout this song, 'cause it's perfect! No backing vocals sounds very good. The 2 guitars walking by different ways on the final guitar solo is cool too!
"Something For The Pain" and "These Days" are songs I like so much, and it's interesting to listen those many times to understand them.
This album has good songs, and they fit into themselves.
"These Days" is an album I recommend! You will not regret if you listen this!
Free Music Review: A Gem
Hit: 5 Stars
Back in the summer of 1995, when I was gearing up to go to university, Bon Jovi dropped These Days. I bought it the first day it came out, being the geeky fan that I am and immediately put it into my stereo. I had been hearing 'This Ain't A Love Song' on the radio for about a month, so I was pretty primed for the entire album.This album, like all of my favourite albums, was a slow burner for me. I didn't love it the first few times I listened to it, but for some reason, I couldn't take it out of my CD player. Almost 10 years later, I realize why. It is such a great album, probably in my top 20 of all time (along with Keep The Faith). Key moments on the album for me are 'These Days', just a great all-around song, with great lyrics, melody and both an amazing Richie Sambora guitar solo and a Jon Bon Jovi harmonica solo. 'Something To Believe In' also is a stand-out (I am very glad they included a live version on One Wild Night Live), I feel that the lyrics of the song are quite moving. It also sounds different than most other Bon Jovi songs.
I think that is why I like this album so much, you can see Bon Jovi 'experimenting' a little bit, even 'This Ain't A Love Song', a solid power ballad, has a bluesy feel to it. 'Diamond Ring' is a great closer (although I have the import disc with 'All I Want Is Everything' and 'Bitter Wine' as bonus tracks), very quiet and haunting even. The accompanying tour was one of the best rock shows I have ever seen. Almost 3 hours of pure rock n' roll, opening with 'Helter Skelter' and playing most of These Days.
I think it's a shame that the band does not play much off of this album live anymore (the played 'Damned' on the Bounce tour when it came to T.O. the first time) and largely ignores it in favour of the career-revamping Crush material.
If you are a Bon Jovi fan, These Days is a must own.
Free Music Review: Real Life
Hit: 5 Stars
First off if you are into the pop rock bon jovi then dont buy this album until you buy one of there classics. But once you are broken in on one of there smash hit albums you should pick this one up. You will find on every bon jovi cd that most of there songs are either about having a good time or losing your chic, or something along that line. This album shows that even normal nice guys like bon jovi have dark sides. The first song is something that we all have felt. I guarantee every human being on this earth has wondered if God, or whoever you believe in, has thought about you and watched the things you have done in life. Every one has felt beat down before and here bon jovi are venting themselves with great lyrics and vocals. One of my favorites on this album is "As My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms" ,it satrts off slow but the lyrics are amazing,and then at the end it picks up and you get pulled in by the music and can feel what he is saying. There are still some pop rock songs on here that are good but, if you have any kind of feeling at all, every once in a while you just need something darker to listen to. It makes you feel like your not going through your situation alone. I own every bon jovi cd ever made, this one is one of my favorites to pull out when im feeling pissed. It beats pulling out an alice in chains album, because bon jovi are better musicians than alice in chains, or bands of there kind. Those guys are always playing dark music or getting stoned music, thats not what bon jovi is about, they also know how to have fun, but life isnt always that way.