Track Listing

1. Hey God
2. Something for the pain
3. This ain't a love song
4. These days
5. Lie to me
6. Damned
7. My guitar lies bleeding in my arms
8. It's hard letting you go
9. Hearts breaking even
10. Something to believe in
11. If that's what it takes
12. Diamond ring
13. All I Want is Everything
14. Bitter wine

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10521 in Music
• Released on: 2001-03-19
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Enhanced, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .24 pounds
• Running time: 75 minutes

CD Description
Riding a resurgence in popularity with the triple-platinum success of their greatest-hits package CROSSROADS, Bon Jovi returns with THESE DAYS, their first studio album since 1992's KEEP THE FAITH. And it's obvious that the alterna-rock nihilism exhibited by many of their more angst-ridden peers has affected the band's material, giving the blue-collar romanticism of the Jersey rockers a darker vibe.
Jon Bon Jovi's characters on THESE DAYS weigh in with more mature and darker conflicts than those explored on previous albums. On "Hey God", a family man on the brink of homelessness cries out for spiritual guidance. The title track goes a step further,describing the sheer hopelessness that goes with not havinga place to live. Other characters who've lost their way areeither on quests of faith ("Something To Believe In") or have found other altars to worship at ("Something For The Pain").
Along with heightened lyrical development, the group's sound continues to evolve away from the usual pop-metal fare. Jon Bon Jovi occassionally drifts into a raspy voice that is a direct nod to Bruce Springsteen, while David Bryan's keyboard playing veers from the lush orchestration of "Lie To Me" to a simpler harpsichord tone in "If That's What It Takes". Still, Bon Jovi remain a guitar-driven band, and Richie Sambora's muscular style has expanded to include some tasty electric-sitar playing.
Though Jon Bon Jovi's sunny optimism is tempered by the murkier subject matter, he still closes THESE DAYS with "Diamond Ring", a gentle matrimonial proposal that shows this Jersey boy is still a romantic at heart.

Customer Reviews

Best to date
This has got to be Bon Jovi's best album ever!!!!
Cross raods is my fav but if I had to pick original studio album then it would have to be THESE DAYS.
This album is not what you expect it to be when you think of Bon Jovi. Most people think of Livin on a prayer or it's my life so when they put this album on they are in complete shock.
This album wasn't what I expected at all. I really didn't know what to expect when I saw "Hey God" and " These Days" on their "live from London" DVD. All I knew was they were great songs, fantastic in fact, and nothing like I had heard from Bon Jovi.
Whether you love or hate Bon Jovi I think that you will truly love this album and listen to it time and time again. Here Bon Jovi offers you an album that is nothing like they had realeased before or had realeased since.
This is more than worth buying and adding to your record collection, trust me you will like it.
BRILIIENT""""!!!!

Good ? No. Excellent? Good God YES!!
This album is simply a masterpiece. One of those albums that continually delights, even nearly seven years on. I bought this album on the day it came out and always return to it, it's everything a great record should be.

The production on These Days is superb, down to Jon and Richie with Peter Collins (who should also be thanked for Always), creating a feeling of warmth and familiarity as some of the bands greatest songs ooze out of the speakers and impress themselves on your memory.

The rockier tracks have greater edge than before, such as the opener "Hey God" in which Jon questions life in the nineties and Richie's guitar howls in pain as he strangles its neck, or the surging "Something For The Pain" that follows and became a classic Bon Jovi track.And then there's the swinging, balls-out tune "Damned" which features the Astbury Dukes' horn section joining in the fun.

Of course there's the ballads, it wouldn't be a Bon Jovi album otherwise, but here there are ballads which have rarely been so heartfelt and true, the ache in Jon's voice on the hit "This Aint A Love Song" and "Lie To Me" is about as emotional as he's ever sung. Not to mention the atmosphere created on "It's Hard Letting You Go" (originally written as a thank - you to the producers of Moonlight and Valentino) created by Jon on keyboards and featuring only Jon and Richie.

Later Bon Jovi albums have featured story songs of epic proportions (Keep The Faith's superb "Dry County")and These Days is no exception,with the brilliant title track bringing to mind Springsteen, as does the majority of the album, while the bluesey, jam-like "Bleeding In My Arms" is a stroke of genius.

The variety and quality of this album stand testament to the bands versatility and excellence. This is more than a mere album, its more than a Bon Jovi album, its a work of art that will stand the test of time.

They don't make albums of this quality these days......
These Days is quite a dark album for a band usually associated with rock ballads. It's an album that is full of depressed thoughts and oppressed feelings but it is all the more inspiring because of it.

The album opens with Hey God and features a line we've all probably used at some point or another in our lives, "Hey god, do you ever think about me?". It's quite a fiery song for Bon Jovi but it opens the album on a high and is a decent hard rock song.

The album then goes from strength to strength. My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms is a stunningly dark track that is incredible to listen to. This is followed immediately by the awesome It's Hard (Letting You Go), a quiet track that is quite experimental for the band and deviates from their usual sound.

There are some ballads on here of course, such as Lie To Me and Hearts Breaking Even. The album finishes with the beautifully relaxing Bitter Wine. You'll be pleased to know that every song is worth listening to on this album, which is something of a rarity (think how many albums you listen to from start to finish without skipping a single track - I bet there aren't that many!).

There is one track that appears to have been clipped from this remastered release. On my copy of the album, All I Want Is Everything is nowhere to be found. I'm sure it was on the original 1995 release but on the remastered copy it has been replaced by an enhanced CD-ROM music video for These Days. Personally, I would rather have an extra track as opposed to a grainy CD-ROM music video. Maybe this was a weak link on the album and it was decided to remove it. I've not had the opportunity to hear All I Want Is Everything so I can't say whether the song was any good or not.

Overall, despite that one criticism, this is an incredible album. In my opinion, this is the best Bon Jovi album ever released and one of the best rock albums of the past 10 or so years. It's hard to think this album is now a decade old! It really is one of the best albums I have ever had the pleasure of hearing and I would recommend it to anyone.