Bon Jovi - These Days (Special Edition)
It's very easy to get caught up buying the latest import CD or trying to discover the rising stars of the rock world, whilst ignoring the mega release that's been in the charts for an eternity and has spawned a string of hit singles. The release of this special edition of 'These Days' prompted me to part with my cash and finally check out the latest offering from BJ.
Bon Jovi have been producing fairly consistent quality CDs for a while and are probably the biggest rock band on the planet. You've all heard the singles so you know what to expect. The previous release, 'Keep The Faith', saw BJ taking notice of their critics and trying to experiment a little. This time out BJ seem happier with the sound they have evolved. BJ have matured. The album contains the expected mixture of rockers and ballads, no surprises, just consistently good quality rock songs.
Clocking in at 75 mins long, it takes quite an effort to actually sit down and listen to this all the way through. I'm not such that I can identify any particular songs as fillers, but perhaps the album would have been easier to listen to with a little more editing. A mini-album during the 3/4 year break that look likely, might have been a better way of using the songs.
The bonus CD features demos & live material. The version of 'I Thank You' doesn't do much for me. I prefer the ZZ Top version. The live version of 'I Don't Like Mondays' features Saint Bob himself on vocals. The cover of 'Mrs. Robinson' which BJ did on the Chris Evans show (TFI Friday on Channel 4) is surprisingly good, as I'm not normally a fan of Simon & Garfunkel material.
Of the two demo songs, the slow blues of 'Let's Make It Baby' gets my vote.
The remainder of the songs feature the other members of BJ on lead vocals, karaoke style. Richie Sambora fares the best, but on this evidence I won't be rushing out to buy his solo LP, perhaps he improves with the help of a studio environment.
Nothing on the bonus CD could be described as essential listening, apart from 'Mrs. Robinson'. I would therefore recommend getting the standard album and giving the special edition as miss.
Rating : 8
