Earliest hints at yet to come styles?
 

This is not about songs sharing melodic ideas or similiar harmonies, so no "Dry County borrowed a couple of licks from Blaze Of Glory" or "I'd Die For You's keyboard intro sound like Runaway".

I was listening to the Boston, MA 1994 show, as it contains the old version of Something For The Pain, and it ocured to me: The Answer is played at that show, too, and it flows seamlessly with the other These Days tunes played. So I'd argue that this was actually a first glimpse of that - in 1991 - yet to come sound of the band.

Who Says obviously led to Lost Highway, but I don't really feel it sounds all THAT much like that album - the regular version at least.

And Livin' In Sin somewhat hints at the more moody stuff on KTF, like I Believe. I guess it's down to it being a JBJ tune, and KTF being filled with lots of JBJ songs.

Just Older, Say It Isn't So and Neurotica IMO were the precursors to the pop-rock style of the HAND era, especially in terms of guitar sound (certainly more so than Bounce was).

I hope I made it somewhat clear what I even mean by the topic - so, yeah, let's hear your take :-)

Well, I'll just get the glaringly obvious one out of the way - Who Says You Can't Go Home as a precursor to Lost Highway (the track), Summertime, I Love This Town, What's Left of Me etc.

Real Life was a pointer for the change in sound/style the band have since gravitated toward.

Perhaps No Apologies, and to a lesser extent This is Love, This is Life, were indicative of what we'd get with We Don't Run and Take Back The Night - big 'anthems' with little or no discernable electric guitar. Very drum, keyboard and bass heavy.

I used to think that "Dry County" was like a prelude to the These Days album. Not so much musically, but in terms of tone and lyrical content and that Bon Jovi were about to show they're not an band who just play good-time hard rock. Then you could look at These Days like building on ideas and themes mentioned in the song. I was only 6 when Keep the Faith was released, so I'm not speaking from experience or anything, but if i was older (and a fan) back then, that would probably be my feeling.

Absolutely agree. I actually do like the lyrics to Real Life as well as musically, but it took me a while to get over the lack of the caliber of lyrics I had come to expect upon hearing Crush. It was a real "wtf happened??"

Crush was a huge disappointment for me at the time. I was visiting my then gf's family and we had a 2hr car drive home. As we were both Bon Jovi fans, we bought the album the day it was released and decided to wait until our car journey home to listen to it.

I clearly remember feeling deflated. It just wasn't the BJ I remembered. I honestly felt it was a boring album full of filler. I loved It's My Life, and liked Just Older and One Wild Night. The rest I didn't care for.

It took a while to adjust to it. I now like the album a lot more. I've personally found that with this era of the band, the albums sound better to me if I listen to them, then distance myself from them, then listen to them again.

Earliest hints at yet to come styles?
 

These days saw the subject matter change. Crush after its my life single was a huge disappointment on first few listens. IML followed by the weak Say it isn't so (not a bad song just in wrong place) then into one of the worst ballads they've ever written. Lots of filler on Crush but when good it's good

This sums it up for me perfectly... 'Deflated' is a great way to describe it too .

Back then, all you could do is compare it to the past but now we could look back on it and compare it to today so yes, opinions have shifted... The same with the tour... I do think "Save The World" is a hidden gem once you get past the opening line (never went to college, don't have a degree). The songs for me takes off with, "it comes down to this"

It's still not my go to album of choice by any stretch but for me, it's a time piece in my life... It was Bon Jovi's reentry into America, they became legendary, return to stadiums, and it was also a change for me personally. First career job, which came with new friends, etc... 16 years ago feels like yesterday... And to think that the time between These Days and Crush felt like forever... Scary!!!!

I think Luke Ebbin is a horrible producer... Max Martin is just a brilliant songwriter. If it wasn't for IML, Ebbin never would have been called back for Bounce...

BTY, Max is still crankin out hits. I just looked at is Wiki and oh man!!!! So many song I had no idea he was tied to... 2 songs played non-stop on American Radio...

2015 – "Can't Feel My Face" (The Weeknd)
2016 – "Can't Stop The Feeling!" (Justin Timberlake)

And this is what Jon needs to do. Buy a hit song!!! This is why Justin Timberlake is still in the game... It was a game changer for Jon in 2000 and it's time to do it again...