Why Supersonic is still a fan

I like your analogy about a sports team Seb, so I'll continue that in this post. I'm not into sports at all - but if I have a team - it's definitely Bon Jovi.

You say most of the "die hards" were crushed by Crush. I really didn't feel that way at all. It's never my favourite album and now rarely gets a listen, but at the time after a 4 year break I was just glad my "team" was back in the game instead of the team captain and his right wing man doing their own thing (much as I love Jon's solo stuff. Richie's is good too, but I think Jon's tracks are more relatable somehow ) But then, like most studio albums, I'd rather go and listen to the live tracks anyway.

What annoys me about all the negativity I guess that comes from you and everyone else - is of course you have a right to criticise and a right to be disappointed when your team doesn't win the world cup, but sometimes just winning the game should lift you up, but it seems it doesn't even do that (and if you can't see that The Circle genuinely is better than anything they've done in recent years then there's no hope for you, I'm afraid. To me it's not just winning the game, it's winning the league this time.). I made a post abut overanalysing Jovi so much you destroy the thing you love - and I think a lot of people on this board might be guilty of that. I'm not saying don't call a foul a foul, but sometimes, you've just got to forget about winning and enjoy the game.

For all their faults, I've never found a band that touches me like Bon Jovi does, and more than anything, I think that's why you're still a fan, like most of us. So we cry when they lose...but for god's sake...sometimes give them a cheer when they score a goal, man

Aloha !

Read my reviews on Amsterdam and Frankfurt from the LH tour and you'll see that I do enjoy the good things and cheer when they score.

There's also another thing that increases the negativity on this board, and that's newbies or older posters feeling the need to bash me and others for having a different opinion than theirs, thus making entire topics turn into negative bashfests. Even when I'm just making a remark like (and this is just an example) "the chorus to Living In Sin is re-sung" they think they need to tell me to go find another band simply because I'm saying that the chorus has been resung.

During the Bounce tour this board was extremely crowded but there were always proper discussions. The people who strongly disagreed with me actually made an argument instead of an offensive remark, and all of that seems to be gone with the newer generation of posters. Most of them can only get the words "find another band, [insert name calling here]!" out of their fingers.

I agree that my opinion on Bon Jovi has been pretty negative but to me for any high there are about 10 lows. If there's a high, it's great, but the business orientated side of Bon Jovi has been bugging me. Jon has never been afraid of commercialism but nowadays it often feels like he's using the band to explore more commercial markets for the brand Bon Jovi instead of the band Bon Jovi.

Saying there's no hope for me because I dislike The Circle is something I've heard before as well. I acknowledge that many people like The Circle, more people love it than hate it, but I guess the difference between me and them is that when I love the album right now, I know I'll love it within 2 years. All you get now is "I love it!!! (but don't know if I'll still love it next month)" There's no such thing as a grower for me. I know you've said you haven't played a new album as much as this one in years, but I have never not played an album as much as this one in years. I've played it 3 times, and that's it really. There is absolutely no desire to listen to it again, something I've never experienced before with any Bon Jovi album.

So I'll cheer when they'll score, I hope they'll make The Circle tour great for everybody, but right now there's not much to cheer for me when it comes to Bon Jovi, and just like everyone else I will occasionally post my opinion.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

Well it wouldn't be quite the same without that opinion, no matter how much we disagree.

EDIT: And i'm off to listen to the album again

I,ve always found growers to be the best albums usually but this is one album I have constantly played since its release and havent got bored with it. I still love New Jersey and These Days but rarely listen to them nowadays but it doesnt mean they are crap.
I may be relatively new on this board (started before the HAND tour) and read your posts with interest but notice that every post since this release has been negative just to try and prove your point. ie: What a waste of time the promo tour was as the album only got to number 2.
It also probably rubs a lot of fans up the wrong way when you say you could make the songs sound better if you added your own touches to them, a slightly arrogant and TBH a bit silly statement to make IMO.
I havent told you to go and find another band to listen to but I do say show some respect to people who have their own BJ opinion.

Sorry to add another post but just want to clarify something I said. When I said "no hope" for the people who don't like The Circle, what I mean is I don't think there's any chance of you ever liking anything new this band does ever again.

Seb, something very similar that happens to you here happens to me on our Czech BJ page. I hate people that have no knowledge and just love the band and think they have a right to choose who can be a fan or not. It is so clear that people don't want to read bad things about their heroes. And they can't admit the truth. I really know how do you feel.

I don't see The Circle as negatively as you do but I don't think that it is a standout record. I think the excitement here is made by:
1) the fact they released an album, so there is new stuff to listen to.
2) the ones who love rock oriented records because they have them back
3) the LH fans who, even though they liked LH, realised that this is way better.

This album really lacks something very special. That there is no considerable worse song than the others is a good thing. On the other hand, there is no standout track. There are no killer riffs. The Bullet one?? Uhh, that's not a riff, only very distorted guitar. There is no proper ballad. Live Before You Die and Learn To Love both start as slow song and finish as midtempo somewhat. I love BJ monster ballads, love songs but we weren't given any since 2000. And there is no uptempo song. WWBTF is the only one faster. Bullet has terrible and slow chorus, Thorn In My Side is a shit that wouldn't make HaND album. Brokenpromiseland sounds promising at the beginning but the chorus is (again) terrrible. As much as this band is a band of choruses, they fail to bring some good ones in songs which sound promising.

I have to say it again - this album was rushed. It would have been much better if the had written more songs and released it later. There are some good ones for me. It seems to me that they just wanted it to be released, so after having enough songs to make an album, they made it. No rehearsing and stuff like that. This is a factory, not music. I don't need them to release GH but I'd be much happier if they released just GH record with the MSG show (with some normal setlist). Add one or two songs there and probably tour it for few months - if they feel they have to be active because of the Hall Of Fame nomination. It's sad to say it but this band, or Jon especially, because they are not that much of a band, cares only about money and not their fans.

And I hate to been told off for critising JBJ behaviour and acts, the direction the band took etc because that doesn't mean I don't love what they have done in the past or what some songs mean to me. No one has right to tell me that I'm less fan than he/she because I critise them. Usually, I'm a bigger fan than him/her in a way of my knowledge and collection and devotion. I want some quality and this band is capable to deliver some quality, but they are too lazy.
So many peoply are blind to see what's behind this masquerade..

Exactly the same for me ... I don't think I'd buy The Circle if it was not Bon Jovi, i have it in my car and i listen to it each time i have to take the car, but after a few songs i change for my memory card where i have Pink and ... Justin Nozuka ! Way better honestly.
Im a fan since nearly 15 years now and guess ill always be but when people tell me Bon Jovi is not a great band, (much of these persons don't know them since a long time) they say it's not really "rock" and only a few songs are good i understand why they say that. Interesting to hear what they think as these persons know the band since only Crush or Bounce.
I think i will always enjoy watching them live as the performances are always good, better than a lot of other bands for me, but listening to the albums since a couple of years is just boring.

That's true, and that's why it is so sad
No hope ...

One more, prove it or it didn't happen.

Or are you gonna do your usual trick of running away again?

Interesting read, for some reason I thought you were older. It must be disappointing in a way to never have been a fan at the time of the earlier albums and awaiting albums such as SWW, NJ, KTF and TD.

I became a fan when SSW was released and someone lent me their copy on tape. I was 12 at the time and it defined the musical direction I would go in, as I got into more Rock and even some metal later on.

NJ was the first ever CD I owned and I remember taking it home the day it was released and playing it on my step-father's CD system - I was absolutely blown away at how good it was, playing it over and over again.

KTF was released in my first year at University and was a different direction than the previous album but I loved it and saw them live for the first time at Wembley Arena with Jon starying the gig by telling his wife was just about to go into labour and he had a jet waiting so may have to leave at any moment - he didn't and the concert was absolutely fantastic.

TD came out during a second stint at University and I had so much going on that all but ignored it, not really appreciating it until last year.

None of the subsequent albums ever did a great deal for me, though I continued to see them live and had great experiences along the way, especially Milton Keynes in 2001.

Then The Circle was released in almost 2 weeks ago and while I do really like it, I can tell even now that it hasn't got the longevity of my early favourites and I forsee myself going back to those in time. I'm looking forward to seeing them at The O2 next year as I always enjoy them live.