Album Reflection and Review: Part I
By Anthony Kuzminski
Writer’s note:
I’ve been meaning to write about this record for the last five years but have always put it off because it would involve a deep dive into my psyche and I wanted to do the album justice. As I started writing this a little while ago, it morphed into a monstrous piece more fit for a magazine than a blog or online zine. However, I had a hard time editing it and decided to split it over two pieces. Why? First and foremost this record, 'These Days' should stand on its own two feet without my own personal experiences and feelings coming into play. However, whenever you believe your own personal experiences can bring the reader closer to the material, you should divulge fully. So as to not overwhelm the reader, I’m splitting the actual record review and my own personal thoughts into two separate pieces. The second piece will be published in the next 72-hours, so check back {Part 2 can be read here}. Without further adieu, here’s my reflective review of Bon Jovi’s 1995 record 'These Days' {Buy at this link}.
In the mid-1990’s in America, Bon Jovi was about as hip as disco and bell bottoms. At least the disco era could ride the nostalgia train, whereas Bon Jovi was viewed by many as a sick dog that should have been put down five-years earlier. In fact, if I was wearing a Bon Jovi t-shirt and the person next to me was a 400-pound man with facial piercings, tattoos of expletive words on his face and was wearing pink underwear on the outside of his clothes, I would be the one who got dirty looks and would be snickered at. When I meet people who now swear their undying love to Bon Jovi and go to as many shows as possible, I always ask them where they were in the 1990’s because being a Bon Jovi fan was a lonely existence. Unlike what most people think, Bon Jovi did not disappear during this decade, in fact, on a worldwide basis, they surpassed their 80’s glory days. In the United States alone, they sold eight-million records and singles between 1992 and 1996. They had five singles chart in the US Top-40 and at the time, they had their biggest hit ever, “Always” which spent six months in the Top-Ten singles chart starting in the fall of 1994 through the spring of 1995. In the rest of the world, they became a behemoth almost no one could tame. They released thirteen singles overseas and all charted in the Top-Twenty in the UK, all in three and a half years no less. Cross Road sold ten-million copies in less than six months of release and they graduated to a full time stadium act in Europe, Japan, South America and Africa. They were a global juggernaut who sold upwards of forty-million records and singles around the world during the decade. On a worldwide basis, I would dare and say only the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Metallica or U2 could even come close to their level of popularity. Not only that, but all of the members of the band experienced significant changes in their personal lives; Jon Bon Jovi and keyboardist Dave Bryan had their first children and guitarist Richie Sambora and drummer Tico Torres got engaged and married. So how amidst all of this personal and professional success did the band create These Days a skeptical, meditative and ominous collection of songs? Let’s find out…
The Keep the Faith tour, which saw the band perform some two-hundred concerts and promo gigs on multiple continents over a fifteen-months, concluded in Red Bank, NJ in late December 1993. It would be the last gig bassist Alec Jon Such would ever play with the band and officially for the first time Hugh McDonald, whose history with the band goes back to the original recording of “Runaway”, would be officially credited as bass player. In January 1994, Jon Bon Jovi went on vacation when the song “Something to Believe In” came to him. This would prove to be one of two songs Jon would write by himself for this record, but this revelatory epiphany would set the course that Jon and the other band members would embark on. Over the next nine-months, forty-plus songs would be written and demoed. The album was originally slated to be released in the fourth quarter of 1994, but Bon Jovi and Sambora were on such a creative roll writing, they asked for more time because when lightning strikes, you don’t tell the muse you have to stop. They released Cross Road, their first greatest hits package as a stop gap release leading up to the release of These Days in the summer of 1995.
The band cut both new tracks for Cross Road (“Always” and “Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night” {video link}) in two days in Nashville with producer Peter Collins (producer of albums by Rush, Queensryche and the Indigo Girls). Because of the swift adeptness of this process, they opted to record this record in Nashville in the fall of 1994. However, after a month of recording during October and November ‘94, only two pieces of music were deemed useable and for the next four months recording would shift between Jon’s home studio (Sanctuary I), Woodstock, NY and three separate studios in Los Angeles (One On One Studios, Ocean Way Recording and A&M Studios). The reason for the numerous studios was for a variety of reasons; the band embarked on a mini tour of clubs in December 1994 (where they aired many of the new songs), they were continuing to promote Cross Road and Richie Sambora’s marriage to Heather Locklear. As a newlywed, Jon granted Sambora the time with his new wife whose television career kept her in LA. The forty-plus songs written were narrowed down to fourteen. The two extra songs (“All I Want Is Everything”, which echoes Prince’s “Sign O’ the Times & “Bitter Wine”, which pays homage to the Stones “Wild Horses”) would appear on every release of the record, except in the US. Released June 12th in Japan, June 19th in Europe and June 27th in the rest of the world, the album was an immediate success. It even displaced Michael Jackson’s HIStory in the UK debuting at number-one, a spot it would not relinquish for a month. The band performed a total of 136 concerts by the end of July 1996 and These Days sold over eight-million records, spawned five singles and set the world on fire…except in America. While the album hit platinum status (about 700,000 over the counter and 300,000 through CD clubs), it never had a monster hit single to cement the album’s reputation. The truth is that 1995 was a very odd time for music in general in America. Kurt Cobain had died a year earlier, it would be a few years before teen starlets and boy bands would infiltrate the landscape and ultimately, rock n’ roll was out of favor. What kills me about the showing of These Days in America is that most people don’t realize what a brutally poignant record this is, because they most likely don’t realize it exists. I’m here to hopefully change that.
These Days is the sound of a sedated society without a road map, remaining aimlessly seeking answers to questions that go unanswered. They question everything around them pondering what they did to deserve their lot in life. These are respectable people confronted with desperation from societal and domestic dwellings beyond their control. However the flip side of the record, as showcased on songs like “If That’s What It Takes”, “Something To Believe In” and “These Days”, one has to look inward to defeat the darkness that can surround ones soul. (“There ain’t nobody left but us these days”). While Keep the Faith was the band’s stab at reinvention along the line of U2’s Achtung Baby, These Days would find them at their most confident and be a colossal step forward. The social commentary very easily could have been overwrought but the band and producer Peter Collins find a perfect balance. Despite the collage of influences the band infused on this record (soul, R&B, 70’s and 90’s rock), it sounds definitively Bon Jovi, albeit with a more pronounced social conscience. Their entire career was leading up to this record. It was theirs to fumble or triumph.
The album, unlike any other in the band’s canon gives one the impression of being in the middle of a volcanic concert performance. Its strength, besides its regal compositions, is its sound and production which is full of no-nonsense soundscapes. This was the first record the band ever made where the studio versions and live versions stand equal with one another. Credit must be given to producer Peter Collins, engineers Obie O’Brien and David Thoener and lastly, mixer Bob Clearmountain. The chrome is polished just enough for radio, but the intensity of a home demo survives. Sambora’s “Hey, hey, hey” chant on “Something to Believe In” is actually lifted from the demo. It was so spot-on they kept it and used it on the record. The sonic grittiness and lyrical sophistication hits all the perfect notes. These songs easily could have been polished with blinding sheen, but Clearmountain allowed the songs to breathe and it is this intimacy that allows the listener to live inside these songs, feel the heartbeats of the lost characters and ultimately it’s the pulse of optimism that allows one to crawl through the wreckage on to the other side. The instruments are on full display with brutally raw emotion and the band tore open their souls and expunging demons with a vengeance. There are times where an artist’s output matches their drive, psyche and soul. Bon Jovi’s These Days is one of those rare occurrences where all of the pieces of the puzzle (performance, production, and songs) came together.
Opening the album with the roar of sledgehammer guitars and drums, “Hey God” throws you into the thick of battle that is relentless and cruel leading to a dazzling musical climax that leaves you emotionally exhausted. The opening crunch of chaos from the band on “Hey God” {Video link} is the world at its knees without hope. The vocal by Jon Bon Jovi is as anguished and full of agony as the people he sings about. This is no simple feat coming from a man who had millions in the bank. However, he makes you the most fervent of believers (“I almost lost the house, yeah I bought into the dream”). “Something For The Pain” {Video Link} is the search for a remedy to that pain; a human connection of sorts to combat the chaos. The song features an exuberant getaway chorus that’s devilish as it is intense (“Give me something for the pain, give me something for the blues”). If I were to pick one song from the band’s catalog that should have been a colossal hit, this is it. It’s as good as anything the band ever wrote and recorded. The album’s one hit on American shores, “This Ain’t A Love Song” {video link} may be a ballad, but it’s not a “power” ballad. The band evolved from the swinging arms-to-the-air lighter anthems to more mature fare and this is the proof. You could see a great blues artist in a Chicago night club tear through this song and it stands as one of their underrated classics.
“Lie To Me” {Video Link} finds the characters of “Livin’ On A Prayer” a decade onward and the scene isn’t pretty. Just trying to survive in life is a struggle and this elegant and somber tune reflects this. Heightened by an almost duet-like serenade by Sambora, the song rises to new heights as the pairing of Bon Jovi’s and Sambora’s voice are akin to Steve Van Zandt harmonizing with Springsteen on the best tracks on The River. Two lovers serenade each other with the fears, trepidations and wonder if they could even face the world without them in it. “Damned” is a song they could have given to Southside Johnny with a scrupulous soul groove heightened by the same horn section made famous on Southside’s records and later became the core of the Max Weinberg 7. The narrator finds himself in a lose/lose situation where he has fallen for a woman who is married and otherwise, unavailable. They come to the realization that while they pine for their physical touch, they need more but are unable to obtain more which leaves them in mental torment but they know the only way out is the walk away.
“My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms” was written from a writing session where they were hit with writer’s block. Taking a cue from the opening line of “Bed of Roses” (“Sitting here wasted and wounded at this old piano, Trying hard to capture the moment”), Jon instead of putting the pen down, wrote about his experience and out of it is one of the band’s most ingenious compositions. The narrator is weary of trying to tap into the limitless vista of inspiration. Miraculously, the band elevates this song with the plucking of plaintive strings of the metallic guitar which leave you in a dreamy withdrawal. “(It’s Hard) Letting You Go” is catastrophically devastating and hearkens Peter Gabriel at his best. Written for Jon Bon Jovi’s film debut, Moonlight and Valentino it fits in perfectly on These Days. The narrator yearns for a lost love, one who is never coming back. Moments of desperation where loneliness is prominent come to the forefront. Bon Jovi’s ability to make the listener feel is extraordinary. They have always have a penchant for tackling themes their audience can relate to, but there is a somber maturity on this track and is reflective of how damn good their songwriting was at this moment in time. There is a tidal wave of sonic rejuvenation on the charismatic “Hearts Breaking Even” which after a few intense numbers is a perfectly ebullient sounding but it’s ultimately about a love torn relationship about how breaking hearts is the perfect crime. Given to anyone else on the pop landscape, it would have been enormous. “Something to Believe In” finds a soul who has no reason to have faith in anything; a witness to the contradictions of life, but manages to pull themselves out of their self-imposed prison to face the world (“I’ll face the night and pretend I got something to believe in”). The thunderous “If That’s What It Takes” which finds the band bursting back to life amidst endearing melodies that flesh the song out. The latter song has guitar chords that leap out at you with rigorous harmonies that instill optimism (“I’d bet my life on a roll of the dice for you”).
The emotional intensity of the record builds gradually until its finale, the languid “Diamond Ring”. It’s mysterious and leaves you hanging, but it was the seed for which launched their growth in the 1990’s. Originally written for the New Jersey record in 1988, the band knew it was the first step towards the next chapter. Ironically, the band wrote the entire Keep the Faith record around “Diamond Ring” and in the end, it didn’t make the cut. This time it did, and with a little assistance from Desmond Child, the band found the perfect arrangement, a haunting plea of a lover who has been jilted and in many ways, it’s a gloomy way to end the record. However, there is no mistake that the record is titled, These Days. Two titles that were considered were Open All Night and Stripped but ultimately, the band wanted to make a statement about the themes of the record. The characters of “These Days” {video link} are searching for something…anything…to hold on to. There is a extreme anxiety in the verses (“No one wants to be themselves these days”) but ultimately, the band turns the tables to show that even at that moment of loss, there is something to hold onto (“Still there’s nothing to hold onto but these days”). It shifts between the sweet and sour in elegant fashion reminding the listener of the highs and lows of life. Bon Jovi does not camouflage the confusion and heartache but they also push you to seek out rays of light emitting from the heavens above. This is one of the band’s darkest, dreamiest and ultimately their most beautifully redeeming songs.
What made Bon Jovi such a fascinating study in the 1990’s is that they proved their worth by actually improving with every record they made. This is what differentiated them from the 1980’s counterparts; they actually became a better band and found a way to evolve. Even on the overly ambitious Keep the Faith you can hear the sense of adventure in those songs. Do they all work? No, but I cut them some slack because the sense of exploration is more important than the failure. In my mind, it’s always better to fail at trying something new than relying on old formulas and clichés. By the time they came to These Days they were in the rare position of writing with crystalline vision where the world appeared in widescreen, allowing them to relish all of it and write the most finite compositions of their career.
If there was any great life lesson I took from the record it was that life is definitely not a bed of roses, but more times than not, its how we deal with the obstacles in our life. Positive actions speak louder and drown out our concerns, questions and doubts. It’s not easy to connect your thoughts to people, places and most importantly…emotions. These Days is a record that compels one to ponder, reflect and hopefully reconcile their demons and broken hearts head on. The album proves to be a true exorcism of sorts where one witnesses the harsh realities of life. It’s also a testament to one’s willpower and determination which allows the listener to emerge whole again at the end.
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.
