These Days [Remaster]

Performer: Bon Jovi
Engineer: David Thoener; Gabe Veltry; Jay Schwartz; Nathaniel Kunkel; Obie O'Brien
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Bon Jovi: Jon Bon Jovi (vocals, harmonica, percussion); Richie Sambora (acoustic & electric guitars, electric sitar, background vocals); David Bryan (keyboards, background vocals); Tico Torres (drums, percussion). Additional personnel: Suzie Katayama (accordion); Jerry Vivino (tenor saxophone); Ed Manion (baritone saxophone); Mark Pender (trumpet); Richie LaBamba (trombone); Robbie Buchanan (keyboards, programming); Jerry Cohen (keyboards); Hugh McDonald, Randy Jackson (bass); Tommy Funderburk, Rory Dodd (background vocals). Producers: Peter Collins, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora. Digitally remastered using 20-bit technology by George Marino (1998, Sterling Sound, New York, New York). This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. Personnel: Jon Bon Jovi (vocals, harmonica, percussion, background vocals); Richie Sambora (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, sitar, electric sitar, background vocals); Suzie Katayama (accordion); Jerry Vivino (tenor saxophone); Edward Manion (baritone saxophone); Mark Pender (trumpet); Richie La Bamba (trombone); Robbie Buchanan (keyboards, programming); David Bryan (keyboards, background vocals); Jerry Cohen (keyboards); Tico Torres (drums, percussion); Tommy Funderburk, Rory Dodd (background vocals). Audio Mixer: Bob Clearmountain. Audio Remasterer: George Marino. Recording information: 16th Avenue Sound, Nashville, TN; A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA; Bearsville Sound Studios, Woodstock, NY; Ocean Way Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA; One On One Studios, North Hollywood, CA. Ensemble: Miami Horns. Photographers: Cynthia Levine; Mark Seliger. With These Days, Bon Jovi firmly established themselves as an adult contemporary act. They still have their fair share of rockers, but they seem half-hearted and incomplete. Instead, the band sounds the most comfortable with love ballads and working class anthems, from hits "This Ain't a Love Song" and "Lie to Me," to the acoustic "Diamond Ring." In fact, as the years go by, Bon Jovi gets musically stronger. Not only are their best songs stronger now, their playing is more accomplished. Keeping these improvements in mind, it's no surprise that the group was one of the few pop-metal bands to sustain a career in the mid-'90s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine 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 having a place to live. Other characters who've lost their way are either 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.

Rolling Stone (6/29/95, p.42) - 3 Stars - Good - "Bon Jovi trade their metallic party-dude past for Garth Brooks and ZZ Top-ish turns....Bon Jovi pump out those really big, rounder-than-round sound-wavin' hooks, the ultimate guilty pleasure. The fact is, nobody does it better..." Q (2/96, p.62) - Included in Q's 50 Best Albums of 1995. Q (7/95, p.115) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...Striving to locate himself in the moral jungle of extreme wealth, Bon Jovi focuses on two themes: losing his faith and losing his money....THESE DAYS is the kind of partial self-reinvention the longer career requires."

In the early 1980s, aspiring New Jersey musician John Bongiovi assembled a rock band, secured a record deal, and changed his name to Jon Bon Jovi. By 1986, Bon Jovi's brand of melodic hard rock was a runaway hit, with the band's third album, SLIPPERY WHEN WET, achieving massive international success. In addition to the catchy singles, the singer's chiseled good looks only led to more adoration and, eventually, movie and TV roles. By channeling the earnestness of his hero, Bruce Springsteen, and reining in his glammy look, Bon Jovi outlasted his hair-metal peers for decades beyond their '80s heyday.

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