Legendary - new single

Hard disagree about the production. I think it was the best sounding album production wise since Lost Highway honestly. Had it not been so dour, and they kept the original track listing (or even in an alternate world where DWYC had lyrics about literally anything else) I'd rank it a hell of a lot highr.

It sounds too polished and overproduced to me, almost like a Def Leppard album. I thought maybe it's because they're trying to compensate for Jon's voice, but either way it made it a hard listen for me.

Which songs from the original track listing were omitted? I usually get every possible edition of every album they release but 2020 was so bad that I only listened to it once or twice and put it away. I remember they postponed it and released with DWYC and AR, arguably two of the most unnecessary tracks in the entire BJ catalogue.

Funny I think it sounds rather raw and not over-produced. Still not a good album but the production was rather nice

The OG had Shine and and Luv Can. I still maintain if you listen to it as originally intended, with Beautiful Drug opening and the epic Blood in the Water closing, it's a very nice album. I have very little love for what got released, I could not get into the tracklisting.

It's funny how we can hear an album so different from each other! Most of it sounded very UNDER produced to me, you can hear clarity in the guitar strings, one Phil panned hard left, Shanks panned hard right. Regardless of how ya feel about the current lineup, it sounded like an organic band record for 75% of it.

Ah ok... The version I have has Shine and Luv Can as extra tracks, so I checked the CD and it's the Japanese Edition. Luv Can is good. Blood is my personal favorite on the album, and Let it Rain would be better with improved vocals. The rest are all forgettable to me.

I really have no issues with the lineup, but I think Shanks should stay outside for all songwriting and recording, and Phil is underutilized and needs a lot more creative freedom. He's a great guitarist and being in Bon Jovi has been a step backward more than forward in his career.

Since we've been having this conversation over the past hour or so, I put the album on in the background. It's still really not moving me. I hate to beat a dead horse here, but Jon's voice sticks out really bad on a few songs and maybe that's why I have a hard time listening to this record.

I promise, the order of the songs really change the vibe.

1. Beautiful Drug
2. Unbroken
3. Limitless
4. Luv Can
5. Brothers In Arms
6. Story Of Love
7. Lower The Flag
8. Let It Rain
9. Shine
10. Blood In The Water

I think it's wild how much people complain about Shanks's writing considering he only co-wrote two songs on the album and most people rave about Beautiful Drug. Yeah Limitless is shit but if one of the few tracks universally appreciated contains a songwriter people want even less of....like...how? what? why?

He also co-wrote Shine.

I think the complaints are more about his increased role in the band over the past two decades. The change is noticeable and the albums have become watered down with more fillers than memorable songs. I don't believe it's his fault completely, maybe he just fit with the band's new direction, maybe they were gonna sound like they have since HAND anyway, but his name is in the spotlight being a credited songwriter so he's bound to take some heat. What's wild is that Phil hasn't been a songwriter after 10 years in the band.

That song order and omitting two weak tracks does seem like it improves the album. I find song 2 really weak and could also be omitted, along with 6 and 7 which are completely unlistenable, but the rest are ok - the standard new-Jovi stuff.

I think it's wild how much you defend Shanks by now - even more than he's being attacked here
But someone has to run his fan club and I'm glad it's someone with a Jovi background

Absoltely agree and spot on with the sound/production