SWW review: You can't stop a fire burning out of control

ABSOLUTELY...

Social Disease is a great fun rock n roll track. I've always loved it. there isn't a weak track on Slippery for me.

Without Love and Wild in the streets are very very very average. They are what stop that album being my favourite album ever - for that title every single song has to be great, that is why Slippery, NJ and KTF arent perfect - they have filler album tracks. These Days to me is the perfect album, even though Slippery has their two best songs on it. (Prayer and Wanted)


andi

Wild In The Streets is one of the best BJ rock tracks.

TD has nothing but fillers... Something For The Pain? If That's What It Takes? Something To Believe In? All I Want Is Everything? All subpar compared to any other BJ compositions.

Ice

I agree that Wild In The Streets is a great song and your comment about These Days, too many on here try to paint that as the perfect album, it isn't! It has some great songs but they're not all great by any stretch of the imagination. Most Bon Jovi albums have a certain amount of filler, the most consistent beginning to end is New Jersey in my opinion which has very little filler if any at all. Maybe it's just that I like the songs like 99 In The Shade and Homebound Train that some may class as filler.

I would take any of those These Days songs you mentioned over ANYthing on Slippery, excluding Prayer and Wanted. I dont think ive listined to Wild in the streets, the whole way through on the CD in at least 5 years, sure its 'fun' live, but so is Captain Crash and Sleep when im dead.
Something to believe in is one of their best tracks aswell, saying that Wild in the streets and Without love are better songs is a complete joke. Admit it, you only like the cheese!


andi

I like the honest, fun rock songs. I don't care for the slit-my-wrists-we're-cashing-in-on-the-grunge-wave- crap.

I know people here are very, very close minded about TD, there's only one way ypu're allowed to talk about it, but I think it's one of the worst records BJ has made. Don't really give a **** what you think, and I shouldn't really even get into this, but These Days is just one of those albums that the "real fans" (there are no "real fans" and "other fans") see as some sort of "mature" record. It was a mistake, pure and simple. Which is why the band doesn't really even play songs of it anymore. It's just boring, depressing and not Bon Jovi at all.

And now I'm done. Flame all you want, I know you're going to anyway. Slippery is still THE ultimate rock album, closely followed by NJ, but TD is nowhere near.

Ice

Two of the best rock tracks by Bon Jovi. Plus 99 has some really great guitar work. I love those songs.

Ice

The feelings mutual, believe me. I saw that you had replied and already knew in advance that it would be some grumpy old rant about how your 'right' and i'm 'wrong'.

The albums hardly a mistake. TLFR was a mistake, Jon even admits that.
The These days album sales, and sellout tour do not say 'mistake' to me.
You just didnt ''get'' it, just like some fans of other bands didnt ''get'' 'Slang' or 'Up' or 'On a Day like today' or 'Kid A' etc etc.

Yes it is, says so on the front of the cd.


andi

Well, this seems to have gone a tad offtopic. Just as an aside point though, if These Days was trying to cash in on grunge, they were a tiny bit too late, and also kind of forgot to make it sound grungey ...

Anyways, we're getting almost 10 years ahead of ourselves!

Well perhaps not THE absolute greatest EVER, but hopefully I can do it justice ...

Wanted Dead Or Alive: The song that the band refer to as their "national anthem", and it's easy to see why. I can only imagine what it must have been like for someone who'd been following the band from the beginning listening to this for the first time in '86. In just over five minutes, the band manage to raise their game over and over again. The song opens with the barren, windswept intro; the multilayered synths (one continuous layer sounding dense and claustrophobic, the other playing a gently probing pattern); rhythmtic kick drums and distinctive spine tingling acoustic guitar riff suggesting vast open plains with horses galloping across. Then comes the restrained first verse and chorus; mainly just an acoustic guitar and Jon's powerful voice; with a few long guitar notes, and synth and percussion sound effects in the background adding depth. Then the other instrumentation reappears for the second verse: the bass and kick drum laying the foundation; the acoustic guitar and piano combination perfectly maintaing the imagery of the old West. And then, for the second chorus, a revelation .... Richie finally unleashes his magnificent voice, and for the first time we are introduced to some of the finst vocal harmonies in rock music. Then, with a shout from Jon of "And I ride!", an incredible electric guitar solo explodes out of the acoustic restraint. Following another rendition of the chorus; we have the absolutely stunning bridge: Richie once again playing acoustic, but the driving bass line more than making up for it; more fantastic vocal harmonising; and containing possibly the greatest rock lyrics ever (perfectly summing up the whole experience with "I've seen a million faces / And I've rocked them all!"). Finally, we're treated to an explosive outro featuring what can only be described as a vocal duel between Jon and Richie, before the song rides off into the sunset to the sound of Richie's acoustic riff from the beginning, and one final percussive effect from Tico. Gloriously summarising life as a touring band in an iconic cowboy metaphor, and taking things to a whole new level in terms of songwriting, vocals, musicianship, subtelty and romanticised lyricism; this song somehow manages to capture the imagery of the Wild West, while still rocking like an absolute bastard. Without a doubt, one of the greatest moments in rock music history.