Better Days (Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes album)
Better Days is an album by Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, released in 1991. It yielded minor hits "It's Been a Long Time" and "I've Been Workin' Too Hard". The song "It's Been a Long Time" features shared lead vocals by Southside Johnny, Steve Van Zandt, and Bruce Springsteen and is a reflection back on their early years together in the music business. "I've Been Working Too Hard" features a duet with Jon Bon Jovi. Eight of the eleven songs were written by Van Zandt, harkening back to the Jukes' first three albums which also featured Van Zandt writing, playing guitar, and singing harmony and sometimes duet vocals. One track, "All the Way Home", was written by Bruce Springsteen who later recorded his own version of it for his solo album Devils and Dust.[1]
Reception
The Allmusic review by Kit Kiefer awarded the album 4 stars and stated, "A comeback album that by all rights shouldn't be this good, Better Days reunites Southside Johnny with his old cohorts Springsteen and Van Zandt and some special guests (Jon Bon Jovi, Flo and Eddie) for 11 bittersweet originals capped by the gorgeous soul ballad "It's Been a Long Time." ".[2]
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| Allmusic |   [2] |
Track listing
All tracks written by Steven Van Zandt except where noted.
- "Coming Back" – 3:59
- "All I Needed Was You" – 5:06
- "It's Been a Long Time" – 5:31
- "Soul's On Fire (Intro)" (John Lyon, Van Zandt) – 1:04
- "Soul's On Fire" (Lyon, Van Zandt) – 6:55
- "Better Days (Intro)" – 0:58
- "Better Days" – 5:04
- "I've Been Working Too Hard" – 5:06
- "Ride The Night Away" (Steve Jordan, Van Zandt) – 5:12
- "Right To Walk Away" (Dennis Locorriere, Lyon, Leroy Preston) – 4:45
- "All Night Long (Intro)" (Bobby Bandiera, Lyon) – 0:19
- "All Night Long" (Bandiera, Lyon) – 5:25
- "All the Way Home" (Bruce Springsteen) – 3:54
- "Shake 'Em Down" – 3:12
Personnel
- Bobby Bandiera – guitar, backing vocals
- Jon Bon Jovi – vocals (duet "I've Been Working Too Hard"), backing vocals ("Soul's On Fire")
- Rusty Cloud – organ, hammond organ, piano
- Barry Danielian – trumpet
- Charley Drayton – backing vocals
- Frank Elmo – baritone saxophone
- Flo – backing vocals
- Frenchy Gauthier – art direction
- Rick Gazda – trumpet
- Eddie Hedges – backing vocals
- Steve Jordan – backing vocals
- Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg – trombone, backing vocals
- Jeff Lancaster – design
- Dan Levine – trombone
- Steve Van Zandt – guitar, vocals (lead "It's Been a Long Time"), backing vocals, horn arrangements, producer
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
- Ed Manion – baritone saxophone
- Dave McNair – associate producer, engineer, mixing
- Benjamin Newberry – photography
- Frank Ockenfels – photography
- Mark Pender – trumpet, backing vocals
- Michael Scalcione – assistant engineer
- Mick Seeley – backing vocals
- Southside Johnny – arranger, harmonica, vocals
- Bruce Springsteen – guitar, keyboards, vocals (lead "It's Been a Long Time"), backing vocals
- Joey Stann – tenor saxophone, backing vocals
- Garry Tallent – bass
- Max Weinberg – drums
- Carol Whaley – photography
- Zoe Yanakis – maracas, photography, production coordination, tambourine
References
