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In November of 2002, as filler I commented on the recent class of inductees (2003) into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. I did it again for the Class of '04, and before long it because something of a tradition for me to snark over the latest list of honorees. It's something I'll keep going on this page until, like everything else, I lose interest.
Also of note is the fact that, if you read from the earliest comment on, you'll see that my opinions change of some of the nominees who were considered one year and then didn't make it until the next. What can I say? I'm human, and I have weird, shifting taste in music. Something like that was bound to happen. But it doesn't mean I've developed an ear for Black Sabbath.
Class of 2007Well, they inducted them last night, so I guess I should choke up my annual commentary on the latest group of inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This year offered slim pickings, and may be the most lackluster class I've commented on yet...Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five - Not being into rap much at all, I could almost not comment here... except that this appears to be a good choice just because this is the group that later spawned Kid Creole and Melle Mel. I suppose if rap was to make inroads into the Rock Hall, this is the place to start. R.E.M. - This is the toughest to comment on of this whole group. While I have some of their stuff in my collection, it consists of their greatest hits collections. For me, R.E.M. will always be a singles band. I always liked their hits, but never enough to commit to an album. And I was put off early on by a televised live performance that was almost as boring as the Moody Blues show I had seen a year or two before. They tried to grab for the Importance ring, but were beaten by U2. And they're the most obscure band that could fill an arena short of Phish. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I can't think of any good reasons to keep them out, but I can't think of any really good reasons for including them, either. The Ronettes - Probably the most deserving folks on this list, except that they have been permanently ruined for me by Monty Python: "'The Ronettes Sing Medieval Agrarian History,' please." Patti Smith - 1) What, the Rock Hall doesn't have enough proto-goth poetry priestesses? 2) Okay, so the Angry Chicks have started to make inroads into the 'Hall. Van Halen - A couple of years ago, I said I didn't think that the Sex Pistols should be inducted into the Rock Hall. When they turned up on the list of nominees for '06, I found that I had changed my mind. When they refused the nomination, it was perfect, very much in character with the entire band. And the whole point of this digression is: if the Sex Pistols won't be in the Rock Hall as representatives of a group built on hype, then it might as well be Van Halen. Overall, the Class of '07 is a big yawn. And while they do have some inductees that I think are worth the trouble (I'm traveling up there next week to see their exhibit about The Clash), they're going to remain a joke in my book as long as they keep Brian Eno out. (And at least they've laid off of inducting eight hundred artists at a time.) BACKClass of 2006Black Sabbath - I have to give this one a grudging thumbs-up. I was never into these guys nor what they allegedly stood for, but you've got to admit that they put the Devil back in The Devil's Music. I just hope this means that they're not going to induct Ozzy the solo act in a couple of years.Blondie - I like some of Blondie's stuff (including their killer live version of Bowie's Heroes), but d o they need to be in the Rock Hall? I don't really think so. Okay, I was happy when the first few New Wave acts were inducted, but now I think that representation is approaching overkill. Who will be next - A Flock of Seagulls? Miles Davis - Never into this guy at all. I'll take the committee's word for this one. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Does this mean that Southern Rock is getting as over-represented as New Wave? I suppose this is a pass, but I'm going to draw the line when the talk turns to Molly Hatchet. Sex Pistols - An excellent choice. There are some who would disagree because the Pistols were all hype (specifically Malcolm McClaren's), but that's exactly why they should be in the Rock Hall. Something has to exemplify the hype of rock and roll, and if it hadn't been for that, they may not have even been a blip on the radar. I think the problem was that McClaren did everything right in the way he promoted them. By doing so, he opened them up to accusations of hype, and that's part of what caused the Pistols to implode (that and their self-destructive behavior, which was completely in character with what they were all about). On the other hand, if McClaren had been as big a screwup as Colonel Tom Parker or Brian Epstein had been, then maybe the Sex Pistols would have been as big as Elvis or the Beatles. Seriously. Okay, I know this contradicts what I said just last year. I was wrong. I don't know what I was thinking. Either that, or my mind changed and I can't explain why. I used to hate psychedelia, and now I love it. Go figure. Herb Alpert & Jerry Moss - Another overdue induction - the brains and passion behind A&M Records, home to everyone from the Carpenters to Nazareth to The Police. Especially delicious is the fact that they're being inducted in the same year as the Sex Pistols. A&M was one of the two labels that signed them and then abruptly dropped them before they ended up signing with Virgin. BACKClass of 2005Buddy Guy - Wish I knew this guy better. But the fact that I knew the name on sight was enough to convince me that he was a good choice. A nomination late in coming, perhaps, but good.Percy Sledge - I never much warmed to Percy. The press release from the RnRHoF cites his vocals on songs like "When a Man Loves a Woman," "Take Time to Know Her," "It Tears Me Up" and "Warm and Tender Love." Woudn't a better nominee be the authors of some of these songs? The O'Jays - "Love Train." "Backstabbers." "For the Love of Money." "I Love Music." Ohhhh yeahhhh. Time for me to go to the iTunes Music Store. The Pretenders - I could almost grudgingly accept them, but I'm already doing it once with this class (see below). So I have to say this was not that great a choice. New wave has been well represented in the last few classes with the Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, and The Clash. Talented, but not influential in my book. U2 - How nice of them to remember that nice little new wave band that had two great albums in the late 70's/early 80's, Boy and War. Oh wait. You mean that outfit with the pomous, overbearing, foul-mouthed, self-important lead singer who sticks his nose into everybody's business? Ehhhh. This is my grudging pass. They have the success, the talent and the influence. But in my opinion, it's been decades since their last good album. Let me think about The Pretenders some more. Frank Barsalona - I only know this guy from his being mentioned in Almost Famous, so I withhold comment. Seymour Stein - The brains behind Sire Records: The Ramones, Madonna, The Pretenders, Talking Heads, Seal, Depeche Mode, The Cure, The Smiths, kd Lang, Barenaked Ladies, and more. Good call. BACKClass of 2004George Harrison: Thumbs up. When Ringo Starr left the Beatles for a brief period before their permanent shipwreck, Paul sat in on drums and he wasn't missed. If Harrison had left, the band wouldn't have been the same. Harrison's influence was felt outside of the band for years - and still is. But the cynical guy in me has to wonder if he's being inducted just because he died within the last year.Prince: Thumbs Up. Probably the closest that rock and roll has come to having its own Mozart. A man of enormous talent, although I've never part icularly cared for what he did with it. Jackson Browne: Thumbs Down. An overrated whiner. The only thing he has going for him is that he's probably the template for the Sensitive Man (which has now further evolved into the Metrosexual). But if JB was so sensitive, how come he kept beating up Daryl Hannah? Man, I sure wouldn't. Z.Z. Top: Thumbs Down. Yeah, the guys were fun, but did their music doesn't strike me as being anything that has really lasted. "What about the beards and the cars and the funky videos?" That's not music my friends, that's image. I thought these awards were for music. Oh, excuse me, I forgot. This is for rock and roll... Traffic: Thumb waggling indecisively between up and down. I like Traffic, but do they really deserve this? They were the best of the psychadelia bands (and I like psychadelia) - but in a way, being the best psychadelia band is kind of like being the best polka band. The title is yours, but who cares? Bob Seger: Thumbs Down. From playing everyone's prom in the 60's to rock superstardom in the 70's - Seger is a rock and roll survivor. Too bad these awards are for music, not tenacity. On the other hand, if it wasn't for Bob Seger, we wouldn't have had Tom Cruise's underwear dance in Risky Business. The Dells: Comment withheld. Who are these guys? I didn't recognize them or any of their songs... and I worked at an oldies station for a while. On the other hand, maybe the travesty is that I haven't heard of them, and they really are worthy of induction. So I'm not going to comment on them. Bonus Feature: Nominees that didn't make the cut. John Mellencamp - Not yet. But he's getting there. The Sex Pistols - No. The Hall is about rock and roll. The Pistols were about merchandising (for this reason I find them fascinating, although I don't listen to them). The Stooges - What a missed opportunity. Should have made the cut instead of Jackson Browne. If it hadn't been for these guys, there wouldn't have been the Sex Pistols, The Clash, the whole punk scene, and Iggy Pop's solo career. Black Sabbath - For what? Becoming a pathetic self-parody? Spawning Ozzy? Pass.Looking at this review, I guess my overall comment would be that, outside of Harrison and Prince, this is an unremarkable and underserving class of inductees. Last year was much more exciting and representative. BACKClass of 2003The Righteous Brothers - An excellent, excellent choice. Long overdue.The Clash - Another excellent choice. If the Sex Pistols started punk, The Clash made it an art form by giving it soul and a purpose (yes, I happen to love this band; I was just listening to London Calling two days ago). Elvis Costello and the Attractions - A very good choice. One of new wave's three angry young men (the others being Joe Jackson and Graham Parker), and the best known. Also a daring musical innovator (although not as daring as Joe Jackson). Every class has at least one clinker in it. Last year's clinker was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (a competent band, but not HOF worthy). This year's class has two: The Police - A new wave reggae band that turned into Genesis. Why not just nominate Genesis, whose Peter Gabriel era work deserves recognition for creating theater rock? Or for that matter, Peter Gabriel for being one of the most innovative musical voices ever? AC/DC - My good friend Mike would disagree with my disagreement here. Okay, they're a better choice than Kiss, but as the bookkeeper at the agency said, how about nominating Alice Cooper instead? What an influence and innovator he was. Hey, even I saw an Alice Cooper show in the '70's. BACK |
© 2007 by Joe Clifford Faust |
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