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  #81  
Old 07-02-2020, 03:12 PM
semigoodlooking semigoodlooking is offline
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Originally Posted by steel_horse75 View Post
Without doubt it’s one of their best. But I didn’t think that when released. I was 20 when it came out and I remember running down shop and getting Cd, sticking it on and was like..WTF have they done. I was so disappointed. Probably because I was listening to a lot of Pantera, White Zombie in 95 and Skid Rows Subhuman Race was heavier as well.
I remember loving hey god then it was followed by the poppy SFTP, then a ballad, the title track was slowish and then lie to me (which I used to hate) was another slow one. Damned picked it up then guitar lies bleeding was another slow one. It just didn’t get going like previous albums. It just seemed slow and dull to me.
But...as I’ve got older I really started to appreciate this album more now I’ve loved and lost, hit the bottom and them come up again I feel I can relate to the album 100% more.
It’s a grower over time for me as the last 10 years Ive really started to appreciate the album.
The b-sides at that time were great as well.
As I said ld lose diamond ring and replace with wedding day and although I can listen to SFTP I’d have preferred Prostitute or When she comes but it’s their last great album. Everything after has been hit and miss.


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Fair enough, but I wouldn't be running to the record store to buy a Bon Jovi album using Pantera and White Zombie leading my expectations. I mean, you had Keep the Faith and the Cross Road songs. What made you think These Days would not continue in that general direction? What made you think it would be heavy?

I was 14 at the time and have always listened to heavier music. Even then These Days was something rare. It was the one Bon Jovi album I could play for my friends (whether they were cruising on Metallica, Oasis, or the Spice Girls) and if they really listened to it they could not deny it was an awesome record.
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  #82  
Old 07-02-2020, 03:54 PM
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What certainly helps too is the production. It’s clean and warm and you can hear the rich quality from each band member. I think only Lost Highway’s production comes close.
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  #83  
Old 07-02-2020, 03:59 PM
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I always wonder if it's just this board that has this unquestioning admiration for the record (especially now that Ice has been gone), or if any of it exists in the wild. Because it is a pandering record. My Guitar Lies Bleeing In My Arms is sappy 90s-fodder with a pompous lyric. It has nice riffs, but the vocal is anemic and makes for an overtly moody listen.

The arrangement on some of the songs is also not to my taste at all. Stuff like When She Comes is great and sounds like what came after (as in, demos from the late 90s), but probably would not have fit the album. I would have much preferred an album with a sound centered around Fields of Fire, Starting All Over Again (yeah, KTF, but same vibe) or even Saturday Night. The album is quite a drag to me often, and there's just a LOT of sappy midtempo.
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  #84  
Old 07-02-2020, 04:10 PM
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I always wonder if it's just this board that has this unquestioning admiration for the record (especially now that Ice has been gone), or if any of it exists in the wild. Because it is a pandering record. My Guitar Lies Bleeing In My Arms is sappy 90s-fodder with a pompous lyric. It has nice riffs, but the vocal is anemic and makes for an overtly moody listen.



The arrangement on some of the songs is also not to my taste at all. Stuff like When She Comes is great and sounds like what came after (as in, demos from the late 90s), but probably would not have fit the album. I would have much preferred an album with a sound centered around Fields of Fire, Starting All Over Again (yeah, KTF, but same vibe) or even Saturday Night. The album is quite a drag to me often, and there's just a LOT of sappy midtempo.
I don't think I ever disagreed more with a comment on this board

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  #85  
Old 07-02-2020, 04:18 PM
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I first heard the album in late 2001, about a year before I joined this site and I loved it then, so I don’t think this place has influenced my opinion of this album. I didn’t have any Bon Jovi fans in my group of friends at the time (I hardly ever have done) so I went into this band all on my own with no outside influence. The only opinions I read from others would have been Amazon reviews. That being said, when I joined here back in 2002 I was quite floored by how many threads of appreciation for this album. Personally I was also fascinated by it being the last album they did before Crush and wondering what happened in the intervening years.

I get why some people don’t care for it or think it’s just an ok album for the aforementioned reasons (depressing, lacking more rock songs, not being as optimistic and in-your-face like earlier albums, etc.) and that’s fine. There even are times when I’ve felt underwhelmed while listening to it despite being one of my favourite albums of all time.

There are many reasons why it’s held in such high esteem here but I think one of the main reasons is the band haven’t really levelled up to the album since.

Also, I’ve never really cared for the b-sides from this era. They’re mostly boring.
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  #86  
Old 07-02-2020, 04:30 PM
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What certainly helps too is the production. It’s clean and warm and you can hear the rich quality from each band member. I think only Lost Highway’s production comes close.
A thousand times this. I posted this last year when I realized it after a few drinks, but the way Richie's vocals is panned slightly left make it feel like you're standing in between the two of them. Just a masterfully produced album. I've always found the b-sides weaker that what made the album though.
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  #87  
Old 07-02-2020, 04:53 PM
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I did chuckle when Jon began listing his favourites and ended up listing 80% of the record haha.

For me, I feel KTF is the stronger record, and I still prefer SWW and NJ over it, but it is a great record with marvelous production.

Something for the Pain was the first song I heard off the album, before I became a die-hard. It's one of my favs, along with My Guitar Lies Bleeding (EPIC), This Ain't a Love Song and the heart wrenching Letting You Go.
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  #88  
Old 07-02-2020, 05:35 PM
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Originally Posted by Captain_jovi View Post
...but the way Richie's vocals is panned slightly left make it feel like you're standing in between the two of them...
I hadn't thought about it in terms of production, especially the kind of technical pinpointing you did there. It may have had a subconscious impact, though, because you nailed my reaction perfectly.

When I first listened to the entire album, my first thought was, "Why would anybody think this is a great album??? The songs are okay, but they're so depressing that listening to them, back-to-back, could make Pollyanna suicidal!"

But after learning more of the band's history, and listening to the lyrics in that light, I got the same feeling that you got from the panning effect. I felt like I was eavesdropping on a conversation. I can't explain why (at least not in 10,000 characters or less). Regardless, it completely turned my prior opinion on its end; and the album is now one of my favorites. Still depressing, at times, but I get it.

That's why I've always been amused by Jon's and Richie's "confusion" (genuine or not) in response to the question about what was going on when they recorded it that made it so depressing.
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  #89  
Old 07-02-2020, 06:35 PM
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I did chuckle when Jon began listing his favourites and ended up listing 80% of the record haha.



For me, I feel KTF is the stronger record, and I still prefer SWW and NJ over it, but it is a great record with marvelous production.



Something for the Pain was the first song I heard off the album, before I became a die-hard. It's one of my favs, along with My Guitar Lies Bleeding (EPIC), This Ain't a Love Song and the heart wrenching Letting You Go.
Ktf isn't the better album for me - it contains I want you, blame on the love and woman in love. 3 poor tracks on one side.

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  #90  
Old 07-02-2020, 06:39 PM
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Originally Posted by semigoodlooking View Post
Fair enough, but I wouldn't be running to the record store to buy a Bon Jovi album using Pantera and White Zombie leading my expectations. I mean, you had Keep the Faith and the Cross Road songs. What made you think These Days would not continue in that general direction? What made you think it would be heavy?



I was 14 at the time and have always listened to heavier music. Even then These Days was something rare. It was the one Bon Jovi album I could play for my friends (whether they were cruising on Metallica, Oasis, or the Spice Girls) and if they really listened to it they could not deny it was an awesome record.
They were what I was listening to at the time so I wasn't expecting an album like this from Jovi but it was totally different to what I had been listening to for 6 months/year.
To go from heavy songs to a slow paced album took some adjusting!
When me and mates piled in the car on a weekend they'd all say what we cranking on the journey tonight...these days wasn't an option for them. Whereas pantera, machine head, stp, white zombie, wild hearts and skid row were.

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