Is a HIT essential for an album to a GREAT ALBUM ?

Ok .. I have thought about this for many years .. we often talk about that with my touring jovi buddies .... IS IT IMPORTANT for the fans and for the band to sell a lot to be successful everywhere in the media to hit the top of the single chart to be a great band and to be happy ? ... I know this question might be thought as stupid but I am one who would rather have a band who is targeting a very particular audience (rock bands amateur) more than a band who is HOT and TRENDY ... is it bad to be TRENDY ? is it GOOD or BAD to be loved by all because of a mega hit song ? I think this debats is not new .... what do you think ?

I think that often for being TRENDY you have to enter a type of product and it's not always what fits you the best as a musician .... is it better for musicians like the guys to make the music they love or to make a music that will sell well ? is it compatible to be genuine and to be trendy ? is it good to anticipate what PPL wants when you are CREATING songs?
can a band make a huge MEGA hit without being trendy at all ?

I really don't get what you want us to answer here. If the guys have a hit then that's great I feel almost as if I was proud of them for doing it, but no it's not essential for an album to have a hit to be a great album. My 2 favorite Bon Jovi albums weren't such big hit (at least were I live, I know KTF and TD were really big in europe) but that doesn't make me like them anymore or anyless. Popularity and content (or lack thereof) are 2 different things.
If they don't hit the top 100 this time around I will still like them tomorrow.

I don't want you to answer something .. i just want you to let me know what you think .. I am not expecting anything just want an opinion ...so thank you for this answer .. maybe it prooves that to be for you a a good album it doesn't have to be generally mediaticly well received .... I don't know

A CD can be great quality music and sell only 2000 copies. Of course, selling well means that many people liked (a) song(s) well enough to buy the CD. Really, who's to say if music is good or bad--there's music you like and music you don't and no single person can determine what's "good" to anyone but themselves.

What selling well does for an act is enable them to tour. If the band is in demand, then venues will book them and the record company will help back the tour. As we've seen with Richie, if the CD doesn't sell, then he doesn't get to do a full fledged tour. There's the circle then--people who go to the shows are more likely to go out and buy the CDs.

So, it's not necessary for fans like us that a CD sell well because we'll get it anyway, but it's more likely to lead to more touring in more markets if it sells well.

Becky

Thank you becky .. now i understand that my question is quite stupid an d why Javier was wondering whta he should replyn there is no good reply LOL because there not a typical reply ... just my feeling that lately to seel is not necesseraly good ...sorry my question doesn't make much sense .....

In terms of getting a hit single it is now near impossible for anything but a crap pop band (using the term band as loosely as possible, as they don't generally play any instruments) as the majority of single buyers are young teenagers who listen to whatever they think they should to fit into whatever peer group.

If a band does get a hit single it can be good promotion for the album, and can get more fans for that band. I personally bought Crush from hearing It's My Life and Say It Isn't So, and since then have bought all of the other band albums and solo albums (except Davids) because I like the music. I don't care too much what's in the charts now, I never have really.

I think it has been long enough since IML has been a hit (five years) that for younger people to even be aware of Bon Jovi I will admit I am wishing for a Vertigo kind of single for the new album which brought U2 back into the mainstream after a hiatus and got my kids talking about them again. Bon Jovi is not an art band- they play commercial music. So yes, I want an IML sized single this time. I think it was sad that Bounce did not produce one because overall it was a better album than Crush. As a fan it does not make a difference to me personally especially because my tastes run from the obscure to the commerical mainstream but for the band I really want to see them hit a home run out of the box again like they did in 2000.

I don't think that an album has to have a huge hit in order to be a great album. I have a lot of albums by lesser known bands that I think are great. They haven't had any huge Billboard topping singles, but I think that they are some of the best albums I have. It depends on taste though. I may love a band and think they are great, while you think that they are shite. I think that having a hit and being a great album can be and often are, mutually exclusive.

you are absolutely right jenn and I do agree with you here ....

none of you would have a clue who i was talking about if i mentioned some of my favourite albums

some albums i pick up are great and then become massive sellers

and some are massive sellers before i pick them up

so.... you don't need a massive shifting album for it to be great musically.

a cosmic rough riders album will never sell as many copies as what's the story but it doesn't mean it's not a better record.

and just in response to the very 1st post here. bands ARE a product. that's the point. you package it and sell it to your target audience. it just so happens that boybands are much more obviously marketed than bon jovi or the beatles.