These Days is not Bon Jovi album (well it is but it isn't). Its not even a regular album. It probably ranks in my top 5 of all time complete musical compositions.

I'm gonna just clarify why this album is soooo fantastic.

1. These Days, is not concerned with song length of fitting into radio segments. The average snog length is over five minutes. There are beauitful introductions, outroductions, instrumental passages, musical sections where the band develops material, and of course great guitar solo's.

My Guitar gently weeps has to be listened to as a whole to fully appreciate its power and that song certainly wou;dn't play on the radio.


2. The lyrics on These Days are just something of pure genius. I've never heard an album of lyrical material where the passion is relentless. Whether its screaming to God for answers, crying about love lost, or questioning abanonded faith.


3. The musicanship (playing) and Jons voice has never been more purely captured (other than live) than this album. You can hear raw and awrm slightly distorting valve guitars, tight crisp but again raw live drums, beautiful piano miking, and synth keys delicatly blend and cascade against the traditional sound. They sound like they are there playing in your living room. Jons voice is perfect. Totally clear, deep, VERY high, gravely and silky in all the right places.

And on "Something To Believe In" the last chorus Always sends shivers down my spine as he screams "somethinnngggggaagghhhhiiii dont believe iiinnn" He is singing so powerful, his voice breaks and cracks with emotion but in a totally musical way. At that point in the song his exhaustion from the emotion and technique of singing, and the disregard for the harmony fuses with the agression of the band and creates a powerful sound that very other pop/rock bands have ever achieved to my ears.

4. The breath taking simplicity of some of the lyrics.


KTF had simliar moments on as an album, that clearly point to them going to make These Days, however it does not even come close to it as a whole composition.

Bon Jovi to me are in fact 2 bands.

1) The big loud larger than life party experience. BIG chorus' big guitars, etc etc Which I love them for

but 2) they are also these musicians and writers that were inspired in whatever way to create what I think is a pure masterpiece of emotive rock writing/playing.

I dont expect them to ever do anything as good again, because i dont really feel that it was them that made these days, it seems like a different band. I'm happy with what they do now in a way. I would prefer them to be doing more KTF kind of things but bounce and crush still have the magic moments.

I dont eevr want to see them play These Days things live because I want to keep the perfromance imaginary in my head, cause I know that Jon cant sing those songs anymore, and the band certainly play a lot differently now than to how they did on the Live From London DVD.

My only wish is that I could have been at wembly to see that london show that was taped, and to see them play something to believe in, in that era.

But until someone breaks the laws of the space time continum and all that rubbsih that will never happen.

Over and Out