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]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
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 ("Ride The Night Away," "I've Been Working Too Hard," "All Night Long," "Shake 'Em Down," "The Right To Walk Away," "All The Way Home"), backing vocals ("All Night Long")
Jon Bon Jovi – vocals (duet on "I've Been Working Too Hard"), backing vocals ("Soul's On Fire")
Rusty Cloud – organ, hammond organ, piano
Barry Danielian – trumpet ("All Night Long," "Ride The Night Away")
Charley Drayton – backing vocals ("It's Been A Long Time")
Frank Elmo – baritone saxophone ("Right To Walk Away," "Soul's On Fire," "I've Been Working Too Hard")
Flo – backing vocals ("Ride The Night Away")
Frenchy Gauthier – art direction
Rick Gazda – trumpet (all songs except where noted)
Eddie – backing vocals ("Ride The Night Away")
Steve Jordan – backing vocals ("It's Been A Long Time")
Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg – trombone (all songs except where noted), additional backing vocals, horn charts
Jeff Lancaster – design
Dan Levine – trombone ("I've Been Working Too Hard")
Little Steven – guitar ("Coming Back," "It's Been A Long Time," "All I Needed Was You," "Better Days," "Soul's On Fire), vocals (shared lead on "It's Been a Long Time"), backing vocals ("Coming Back," "All I Needed Was You," "Better Days," "Ride The Night Away," "Right To Walk Away," "Shake 'Em Down," "I've Been Working Too Hard"), horn arrangements, producer
Bob Ludwig – mastering
Jill Lyon – production coordination
Ed Manion – baritone saxophone (all songs except where noted)
Dave McNair – associate producer, engineer, mixing
Benjamin Newberry – photography
Frank Ockenfels – photography
Mark Pender – trumpet (all songs except where noted), additional backing vocals
Michael Scalcione – assistant engineer
Mick Seeley – additional backing vocals
Southside Johnny – arranger, harmonica, vocals
Bruce Springsteen – vocals (shared lead on "It's Been a Long Time"), backing vocals ("All The Way Home"), keyboards ("All The Way Home")
Joey Stann – tenor saxophone (all songs except where noted), additional backing vocals
Garry Tallent – bass
Jerry Vivino, Jr. – tenor saxophone ("Right To Walk Away")
Max Weinberg – drums
Carol Whaley – photography
Zoe Yanakis – maracas, photography, production coordination, tambourine

References

↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2011-07-24.
1 2 Kiefer, K. Allmusic Review accessed December 31, 2010

Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes

Southside Johnny Bobby Bandiera John Conte Jeff Kazee Thomas "Goose" Seguso Joey Stann Chris Anderson Ed Manion Neal Pawley Steven Van Zandt Jon Bon Jovi Garry Tallent David Hayes Max Weinberg Ernest Carter Stan Harrison Mark Pender Richie Rosenberg Patti Scialfa Soozie Kirschner

Studio albums	I Don't Want to Go Home (1976) This Time It's for Real (1977) Hearts of Stone (1978) Better Days (1991)

Live albums	Reach Up and Touch the Sky (1981)

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