Second half KTF vs. Second half TD

KTF:
Dry County - 10
Woman In Love - 7
Fear - 8
I Want You - 6
Blame It On The Love Of Rock N' Roll - 5
Little Bit Of Soul - 7
=> 43

TD:
My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms - 8
(It's Hard) Letting You Go - 9
Heart's Breaking Even - 6
Something To Believe In - 8
If That's What It Takes - 7
Diamond Ring - 6
=> 44

Wow where do I begin...

Dry County: good, although a bit overrated
Woman In Love: good
Fear: excellent
I Want You: underrated ballad, very good
Blame It On The Love of Rock N Roll: good
Little Bit of Soul: good

My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms = turd/boring
(It's Hard) Letting You Go = snorefest. In fact this 2 song sequence is the only time a BJ album makes me sleepy.
Heart's Breaking Even = good song, underrated
Something To Believe In = shit and its inclusion in the dreadful OWN made an awful album even worse
If That's What It Takes = good song, underrated
Diamond Ring = megapieceofshit

Conclusion: KTF >>>>>> TD

And if you take Save A Prayer + Starting All Over Again vs Bitter Wine + All I Want Is Everything? Please. No contest. Save A Prayer is a great song, Starting All Over Again is a classic. Bitter Wine is meh and All I Want Is Everything has the most annoying BJ chorus ever.

Are you drunk?

No, I just don't like those songs. Thanks.

Aloha !

Erm, when did I do that?

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

KTF by a mile. TD has some bad songs on there, like Something To Believe In or My Guitar. Makes you want to slit your wrists. Not good songs.

Ice

"And These Days isn't a masterpiece. It's a very good album, but it's not a masterpiece."

Thats the best I can find ... I apologise, I did think you said something specifically about the last half. Perhaps I was wrong

It's difficult because on my version of These Days My Guitar was in the first half and Bitter Wine and All I Want Is Everything were in the 2nd half. I'd also consider Dry County to be in the first half of KTF. I think if I'm being honest they're both not great once you get past Dry County and My Guitar respectively. Most Bon Jovi albums are the same though. The second half of Slippery is patchy, it's only really New Jersey and HAND that are consistent all the way through. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying HAND is better than those other albums just that it doesn't tail off after about the first 7 songs.
All in all I'd say 2nd half of KTF just shades it but not too many of those later songs would ever make one of my Best Of Bon Jovi mammoth compilations.

I had to go for KTF because of Dry County and because of the fact I detest Diamond Ring.

You guys probably know already what I think, but I'll do a quick track by track thingy.


Keep The Faith:

Dry County - Unlike anything Bon Jovi have every done. Great powerful lyrics and although they're fiction they are very meaningful. The piano/guitar riff is great. I love how it breaks down in the middle and then explodes into an immense guitar solo. Great track. 9.5/10

Woman in Love - One of KTF's "weak" tracks. Catchy lyrics, but they flow well and its up tempo with enough power in it. 8/10

Fear - Oh my word!! Great bass riff, and the chrous is just so powerful. Jon's voice is on top form. "TAKE MY HAND I KNOW WE'LL MAKE IT! I'LL LET NOTHING SLOW US DOWN...!" Love the shout! It's loud and heavy, but not too heavy for my tastes. 9/10

I Want You - Verses are quite sappy, but the lyrics in chrous are exceptional. The chorus has power which makes you kind of feel the situation in which the couple are in. It's the same kinda feeling when you leave you first love. 8/10

Blame it... - This is a cool song. A school kid that just wants to rock n roll. The lyrics are what make it. 9/10

Little Bit of Soul - "You been robbed, you been used, you been crucified and abused, you been sacrificed and now you're confused, ain't that the truth yeah?" The casual guitar licks are great which give it a real chilled out feel, and the lyrics fit it perfectly. One of the best mid-tempo songs BJ have ever done. 9.5/10

Overall I give it 9/10. I think Keep The Faith is exceptional all the way through, and even it's "weak" tracks are far from being weak. I feel KTF brings the best of everything. The best bass lines, Richie's best guitar work, Dave Keyboards are used well and not over used, and Jon's voice is in great form. It's bonus tracks and demos are also superb which proves that this period was perhaps the most productive of Bon Jovi's career.


These Days:

My Guitar... - Great ballad as it's a little different. I think it's about having lost love and everywhere you go you see something that reminds you of what you've lost. You can't write a love song because you feel bitter towards love. Great weaping guitar solo. 9/10

It's Hard... - Also about lost love, not great, not bad either. 7/10

Hearts Breaking Even - Catchy mid-tempo song which seems also to be about lost love. Although it doesn't seem to have a bitter edge that the previous two have. Good guitar work and the lyrics flow well. 8/10

Something to Believe In - I love the bass during the solo and the guitar throughout is exceptional. The heh, heh, hehs provide something unique, and the lyrics are very meaningful. We all need something to believe in! 9.5/10

If That's What it Takes - This is what every girl wants to hear . It's catchy but I like it a lot as the lyrics flow well. The solo is nothing amazing but provides a good break in the lyrics, and then I like the "So when you feel like jumping, just when you're heart starts pumping...". Good song. 8.5/10

Diamong Ring - Too sappy. I prefer Bitter Wine, although it's better than any post 2000 ballads. 5/10

Overall I give this 7.5/10. There are some truly great songs on These Days but the record as a whole is let down by one or two weak songs. Having said that the bonus tracks are very good which proves that there was more in the cupboard for this record. I feel the band wasn't afraid to experiment here and as a result we've got some alternative, but great tracks such as My Guitar, Something To Believe In, and on the first side of the album Something for the Pain. It just doesn't quite match KTF though in my opinion.