Wow since we have all these threads with voteing I've liestened all albums from start to end before I put my points but not with this one. I tried make it 5 times but I can't. I even skipped some songs before end. Why? I will answer later.
But let's start with voting:
Masterpieces/Very Good Songs:
14) Hearts Breaking Even - This song don't fit on this album. It's too optimistic on this depressing album. I hear that Jon was smilling singing thats song. In other songs I hear pain, angry in his voice. Of course lyrics in 99% are about broken love, leaving, crying, loneliness ecc but guitar work, Jons powerfull vocals and main lyrics "I'm paying the price again But I'll see the light again" are optimistic. For me it's main reason why this songs has so low points here. Probably only one song which I can listen from start to end more than 1-2 times at this time of my life.
13) These Days - Great pessimist description of this world. Lyrics sometimes annoy me. "Singing old songs about change" -> I rather prefere "Don't sing songs about change go out from room and make changes happen"
12) Something To Believe In - Preatty awsome song. Musically and lyrically it has magic. It think it's great song for peolpe who are broken and try to find their place on this world. Awesome Jons scream at the end.
11) My Guitar Lies BIMArms - Another musically and lyrically masterpiece. Great Jons voice.
10) Hey God - One of their greatest hard song. With Undivided, IIWYMother my favourite their hard rock song.
09) TAALSong - good love ballad. Little too sweet.
Really good for bad days:
0
Lie To Me - I love part "When this cold world comes between us Please tell me you'll be brave". Great ballad.
07) It's Hard LEtting You Go - Too POP sound for me but there are some good parts.
06) Diamond RIng - relaxing song.
Boring, only some parts of songs are good:
02) SFTPain - there are days when I hate that song. It could be great song with differend chorus. I always didn't liked chorus from this one.
01) Bitter Wine - I don't get how in some part Jon sound so perfect - "Love left me stranded at the station,and the last trains gone by, " but in other part he sound so awful and gay - "rather go blind i thought i saw a future but the fortune teller lied.". Also little too boring.
00) If That's What It Takes - they should cut part "So, when you feel like jumping / Just when your heart starts pumping / When you're stading out on that ledge-staring over the edge" and make full song in thats style. It sound so... hmm... Indie Rock? This part it's really weird. This sound would be really s*itty without this part but I love this few lines.
00) Damned - original sound. Nothing spectacular.
00) AIWIEverything - very boring.
Good side of TDays:
- It's probably their biggest musically and lyrically masterpiece. We have great guitar work, grat Jons vocals, drums, keybords ecc.
- Lyrics have some great lines.
_ Production is quite good. Every instruments is hearing well.
- This album has some really beautiful moments
So now bad side of TDays:
- With KTF their most Overrated album on this board (critics didn't see what many fans here see on this album)
- Songs and production makes that some songs sound almost the same.
- Songs like Bitter Wine, Diamond Ring or AIWIEverything are boring.
- I always interpretate lyrics were written for people who lost their faith, who don't believe in themselvs, who are complaing on everything, who think that world is bad place to live or for people who want to make suicide. I don't identifying with lyrics like "If you don't love me lie to me" because I don't wanna live with girl who don't love me, cheat on me ecc. These are preatty awfull lyrics for me. Maybe another interpretation can make this lyrics sound better.
- Lyrically this album is dark. It's hard to listen when you are happy. When you don't complain on everything (God, Weather, People) because you don't have something. If you are live in world which seems to be great place with fantastic people around you, love and chances which you see everywhere. If you are person who fight for better live, who accept wrong situation it's really hard to identyfy and listen.
- Some songs are boring, too sad, too many complaying on everything, for dreamers who don't do anything but complain.
- Jon telling us stories like pessimist person.
Half These days album is near to masterpieces. Half is boring. Lyrics sometimes are beautifull but sometimes are really depressing.
People like me can't identify almost all of them. There was time in my life when world was bad place to me, when I wasn't so strong and had seen only bad things in everyone but not in my decisions, thinking ecc. At that time TDays was my nr#1. After 2-3 years NJersey and HAND get to nr#1 and TD go down to 3rd place. Now when I tried to listen it again I think it's go down again behind Crush and The Circle. So looking at this album overall I think it's one of Bon Jovi best album (in some categories it's their best CD) . Crush, NJersey, Circle, KTFaith, SWW, HAND and TDays are their best albums and everyone in some categories is their best. But at this moment of my life this is not album for me. Now I can identifying with songs with slogans like "live my life", "when the world gets in my face i say HAND" or "We Got It Going On". Lyrics like "Hey God...Do you ever think about me", "Loneliness has found a home in me ", "Singing old songs about change", "If you don't love me - lie to me ", "I can't sing no song of hope, I got nothing to say ", are too depressing and annoying for me. Todays world is fast and it can kick your ass everyday but when you have bad day you can start complain, tell everyone how world is cruel to you, watch tv ecc (These Days way of thinking) or you can say "Have A Nice Day" and do what you want to do even when things go really, really wrong. Probably thats is main reason why I love their post 2000 albums more than before 2000 even if I can agree that TDays in some ways is their masterpiece.
I think that for Jon it's really hard to sing so depressing songs in his point of life. And I don't want another These Days album now and I hope their next album will be optimistic and full of energy.
That's all.