[efpg0708]

So … It's been almost two years since What About Now was released. At the time it was released, I didn't think it was too bad, but today I think's it's horrible.

However, I do think there is one gem hidden in there. I'm with you is a great song, and it's the only song from that album that I still listen to. I hate the studio version, it's so overproduced that it hurts my ears. This live version, on the other hand, I think is brillant.

Bon Jovi - I'm With You (Official Music Video) -...

I feel like that song was the last drop of magic that the band still had at the moment.

What do you guys feel for that album after all this time ?

Regards

Eduardo

[steel_horse75]

I still like it and still think it's the best album in a long while.
Some duffers on there like Because We Can, Army Of One, the Fighter, Amen and the slow songs from the bonus tracks.
But when good really good.

[Iceman]

I hated it when it came out and it still sucks donkey balls.

Ice

[KSantaFe]

Because We Can - very strange, but not bad. Verses have a great melody, and catchy-as-hell chorus. If the rhythm guitar was a little more distorted and there was that little drum intro on the album, I'd certainly listen to it more. However that "our love can move a mountain" lyric is frankly terrible.

I'm With You - as far as overproduced pieces of shit go, this is by far the best. Fantastic vibe, solid lyrics and I'd even go as far to say that the highly compressed production works for the studio album. I also love the live version, though it basically sounds like a different song - a shame it wasn't recorded on the album like that.

What About Now - terribly boring. Nothing really to note on this one. The pre-chorus has some promise, but the rest is very average.

Pictures of You - I thoroughly disliked this one at release, especially the intro. Looking back, the Chorus is mediocre, but the verses are solid. That final chorus is great and the outro is amazing.

Amen - decent song. Proves that Jon could still belt out some good vocals (albeit in the studio, possibly with some tricks here and there). Instrumentally quite calming and serene.

That's What The Water Made Me - mixed feelings about this one. Great song and nice lyrics, but the live performances have so much more feeling and energy. The studio version is a little sterile and is missing some crunchy rhythm guitar, especially in the intro. I also don't understand why they'd just dump the drum intro to Just Older onto this track - pretty unimaginative.

What's Left of Me - fantastic song, great lyrics, vibe and guitar. Probably close to being my favourite Nashville/country-tinged Bon Jovi track. Only issue I have is the strange tone of Jon's voice in the intro - sounds very robotic and compressed.

Army of One - fairly indifferent on this one. The verses, solos (particularly the outro) and the keyboards are excellent. I think we can all agree that the chorus is flat. If Richie's backing vocals were more prominent, and the rhythm guitars were louder and more distorted, I would have forgiven the lack of creativity in "Never give up, never give up, never ..."

Thick As Thieves - solid ballad. Not my type of song, but good none the less with a grand finale.

Beautiful World - my least favourite on the album. Verses are catchy, but M20 already trialled that formula. I try to disassociate this song with the rest of the album because it is painfully cliched.

Room At The End of the World - my favourite on the album. A genuine masterpiece in my opinion. Great atmosphere that builds throughout and a fantastic candid set of lyrics. It feels like it would belong on The Circle in my view. I wouldn't have minded if Bon Jovi/Jon moved in this kind of direction for the whole of the album.

The Fighter - initially I loved it, but it's over-compressed. I feel like it should be a quiet heartfelt ballad, but the acoustic guitars are just SO loud. It had great potential and could be a classic if it were released in a similar production style to the Stand Up Guys tracks.

With These Two Hands - I was surprised that I actually loved this song. Great melodic guitars and I really like the outro on this one. Should have replaced Beautiful World on the standard release.

Not Running Anymore - I initially thought both of the Stand Up Guys tracks were boring, but hell was I wrong. This one picks up toward the end, but I would be entirely satisfied if Jon pursued a solo album in this style in the future.

Old Habits Die Hard - Great lyrics, and probably my favourite of the Stand Up Guys tracks. I love the chorus, especially the last one.

Every Road Leads Home To You - I'd still consider it to be one of the weaker tracks on Aftermath of the Lowdown, but it's not terrible. Equally as cheesy as anything on What About Now.

It took me a full 5 years to fully appreciate The Circle (although We Weren't Born to Follow and Live Before You Die still bore me). With What About Now, I initially liked it, then I found it embarrassing, and now I've come 'full circle', so to speak. I rated it as my 3rd least favourite Bon Jovi album in the other thread, but hey, it ain't too bad in my eyes.

[Becky]

Has it already been two years? Time flies! I wouldn't call it one of their strongest albums by any means, but I don't think it's the worst either. I don't actively hate any song on this album. I really enjoy several of them--Beautiful World, What's Left of Me, The Fighter among them. I think it's a LOT stronger than the previous album. But I think improvements can certainly be made for the next album too.

[Walkerboy]

I will openly admit that I go through periods where I listen to some s**t music, but even I won't lower myself to play this album ever again!
Haven't listened to it for well over a year. Gives me shivers even thinking about it.

[IML88]

BWC is a catchy, guilty pleasure for me. Its utter crap, but for some reason it makes me tap my feet.

'I'm With You' is the only thing on this album worth a listen 2 years on.

Looking back, no wonder they made such a fuss over the artwork. It was clearly to distract from the content on the disc.

[bonjovi90]

Listening to live versions of I'm With You and Water every now and then, the rest was trashed from my player about a month after the album get released.

[steel_horse75]

Originally Posted by KSantaFe

The Fighter - initially I loved it, but it's over-compressed. I feel like it should be a quiet heartfelt ballad, but the acoustic guitars are just SO loud. It had great potential and could be a classic if it were released in a similar production style to the Stand Up Guys tracks.

Not Running Anymore - I initially thought both of the Stand Up Guys tracks were boring, but hell was I wrong. This one picks up toward the end, but I would be entirely satisfied if Jon pursued a solo album in this style in the future.

Old Habits Die Hard - Great lyrics, and probably my favourite of the Stand Up Guys tracks. I love the chorus, especially the last one.

I detest these songs. Slow borefests. If the JBJ album sounded like this Id buy it for the collection and never play it!

Really liked In The Echo which was the German bonus track. Really good song.

[angelsambo]

about the production:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun1...es/it-0613.htm