What's your definitive These Days tracklisting?
 

Just interested in other people's opinions on something that's been bugging me for years..

As you all know, here in the UK our original 1995 These Days release had All I want is everything and Bitter Wine as tracks 13 & 14, whereas the US release just has tracks 1-12.
I didn't even realise AIWIE and Bitter Wine were bonus tracks till I saw the US tracklisting. There's nothing to suggest that they are; they're not labelled "bonus track" or preceeded by a minute of silence, their lyrics are printed in the inlay book like all the other tracks, and listening to the album they fit in perfectly, without sounding tacked on.
Anyway, the only version of These Days you can buy in the UK now is the 13 track remaster version which has tracks 1-12 plus Bitter Wine (no AIWIE).

I still consider the 14 track version to be the definitive album tracklisting, it just doesn't sound right ending on Diamond Ring. The end of Diamond Ring sounds like it's waiting for something to follow it... Bitter Wine seems like a much more conclusive ending to the album. But AIWIE is neccessary to come in between DR and BW so you don't get two ballads in a row (the UK remaster which goes straight from DR TO BW sounds rubbish). I think the Diamond Ring / All I want is everything / Bitter Wine ending sounds perfect and the album doesn't sound right to me any other way.

But what does everyone else think? Whilst obviously it's nice to get extra songs, do AIWIE and Bitter Wine actually fit the album? Would you rather just keep them on a misc tracks CD-R and leave These Days as a 12 track? What combination of songs do you think makes for the best album and strongest ending?

I don't like them the way they are, I have the remaster edition and it doesn't have All I Want Is Everything (which I really like) which is a shame.

I'm not fond of Diamond Ring, and much prefer the demo version of Bitter Wine. I think if they'd excluded Daimond Ring they could have ended with All I Want Is Everything and then the demo version of Bitter Wine, it would really have given the album a cool ending.

All I Want is Everything is one of the best songs Bon jovi have ever recorded.It should definetly be on the record.

But I rememebr it was played a few times during the European leg of the TD Tour 1995 wasn't it?
They definetly played it in Milton Keynes that year!

I have the original 14 track UK version of These Days and I much prefer it to the remastered tracklist as AIWIE is such a great track. I suppose I never really thought about how the album would end differently depending on each tracklist, but like I say, the 14 track version is the best. 8)

And from what I've heard, the remastered version of the album aparently sounds almost no different from the original and also with the original you don't get the inner-CD cover overlayed with the remastered back catalogue.

I always found the BJ remasters a mixed bag especially with These Days and Keep the Faith as, whilst doing a fine job of improving the sound quality, they found it necessary to remove some cool tracks for the sake of cr@p quality music videos. :mad:

I would have much rathered just the sound quality remastered and nothing else.

Oh and (changing the subject slightly), does anyone know if Save A Prayer was ever a b-side on a single, as I'm missing that from by version of KTF. (Well I'm missing an OFFICIAL version anyway :lol: )

Aloha !

Not only in the UK they had 14 tracks. The original international version has 14 tracks and the original US version has 12 tracks. In Europe and in the UK we got an extra track on our remasters; a video track. With the exception of Europe and the UK no other country got this on their remaster release.

Save A Prayer was a b-side on a few 2 track editions of the In These Arms single and included on the tape edition from the In These Arms single in the USA.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

I like it the way it is. It is very well thought over.

All I want is everything is a good song but doesn't really fit thematicly on the record. And I was never a fan of Bitter wine. Lyrics seems phony. Never liked it.

i wish AIWIE was on it instead of Diamond Ring

I wish AIWIE and Bitter Wine were on the US version of TD. They sound so superior to most of the other 12 tracks.

I basically agree with this statement. I like Bitter Wine and All I Want Is Everything but I don't think for a minute that they would fit on These Days. Of course, I only have the 12-track CD and I didn't even realize that these two songs were included on the album until a couple months ago. So, for me, they don't fit. Good songs but not quite These Days material. Especially Bitter Wine.

apart from damned, all i want is everything is my least favourite track ont he record so i wouldnt miss it if i had either versions.