Time for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Induct...
72What is wrong with the people in charge of selecting nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? It is time these individuals were called to account for their atrocious actions that have turned what should be the jewel sitting on the shores of Lake Erie to another "mistake by the lake."
Consider some recent nominees. Eric B. and Rakim were unsuccessfully nominated for induction in 2012. This act has had a whopping ONE hit, "Friends", which was actually released under Jody Watley's name then parenthetically "(With Eric B. and Rakim)." Furthermore, this duo's primary music styling is hip-hop, not rock. Then there's the Cure, a British band with a whopping two hits ("Love Song" and "Friday I'm in Love") and one big hit album (Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me) getting a nomination.
Also, in 2011 Tom Waits was not only nominated, he was inducted. Waits has a devoted cult following (I have my favorite songs of his myself) and is a long-time critics darling; however, as far as "fame" goes he doesn't have it. He has one album that has been certified gold for sales of 500,000 copies (Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards). He has never had a hit of his own, and his only success has come by others doing his songs ("Downtown Train" covered by Rod Stewart and "Ol' 55" done by the Eagles as an album cut on their 1974 album On the Border). Given this mentality, John Hiatt should be inducted tomorrow, because he has far more "big hits" ("Sure As I'm Sittin' Here" by Three Dog Night, "Thing Called Love" by Bonnie Raitt, and "Riding with the King" by B.B. King and Eric Clapton) in addition to being a "critically acclaimed" singer/songwriter.
Please understand this IS NOT an argument about quality. The place is called the "Rock and Roll Hall of FAME," and it seems that the nominating committee needs to look the definition of the last word in the location's name before they start nominating.
Meanwhile...
While these acts are getting nominations and inductions, there are numerous acts who fit the bill (meaning they're famous) who not only are not inducted, they have NEVER BEEN NOMINATED. These are not "personal favorites" such as Poco (whom I feel deserve induction because of their heavy influence on the sub-genre of rock known as country-rock: they pre-date the Eagles takin' it easy by four years, and both of the Eagles' bass players were originally members of Poco), Warren Zevon (hey, if Waits can get in for zero hits, writing one big hit, and one gold record why can't Zevon be in for having one hit on his own ["Werewolves of London"], writing a big hit ["Poor Poor Pitiful Me"], and having THREE gold albums [two of his own -- Excitable Boy and The Wind and the soundtrack to Midnight Cowboy because one of his songs was used in the film) and the aforementioned John Hiatt. Instead, I present a list of people who have the #1 criteria for induction into a hall of fame -- FAME.
1. Steve Miller
Career began: 1967
Criteria: His 1978 Greatest Hits album has sold more than 13 million copies (or more than Abbey Road or Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band); three #1 hits; Capitol Records' #1 selling act in 1976-78 (with Fly Like an Eagle and Book of Dreams); over 30 million albums sold in all; staple on FM classic rock; #178 most successful Billboard singles chart artist.
Steve Miller sometimes comes off as one of the worst songwriters on the planet (see his horrid lack-of-rhyme scheme in "Take the Money and Run," the embarrassing "Abracadabra" or his heavy borrowing [stealing?] of riffs from Free's "All Right Now" at the beginning of "Rock'n Me"). Having said that, he sells -- very well. In 2012 he celebrates forty five years in music, and his shows still sell out -- arenas, not bars. Fly Like an Eagle is one of the definitive albums of the 1970s.
2. Linda Ronstadt
Career Began: 1967
Criteria: Top money-making female act of the 1970s; #60 most successful Billboard singles chart artist; eleven Grammy awards in six different categories (pop, rock, country, Latin, Mexican-American and children's); over 30 million records sold; 1989 Emmy Award winner; nominated for Tony Award and Golden Globe Award.
It is inexcusable to see disco queen Donna Summer nominated while Linda Ronstadt can't get a nod. There's hardly a format of music that Linda Ronstadt has not successfully tackled: in addition to rock she has performed country (her Trio album won a Grammy and country awards), pop (her collaboration with Nelson Riddle on pop standards won a Grammy and started the trend in covering classic pop songs that acts like Rod Stewart and Boz Scaggs have since continued), opera (her Tony nomination came for her performance of The Pirates of Penzance), and Mexican (winning another Grammy for her Spanish album Canciones De Mi Padre). Ronstadt was not only the most successful woman of the 70s she was one of the biggest acts, male or female, during that decade. To not even consider her for induction is ludicrous.
3. Rush
Career Began: 1968
Criteria: Over 40 million albums sold, subject of documentary Beyond the Lighted Stage; eight Juno Awards (Canadian equivalent of the Grammy); 1994 Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees; FM rock staples since the 1970s.
I can put this band on the list without any reservation and without any love for them. I am not a Rush fan and I never have been (and I never will be: to me, Geddy Lee's voice is worse than a cat using a chalkboard for a scratching post); however, you cannot look at the long history and success of this band without concluding that they should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. If this band isn't "famous" then no one is.
4. Neil Sedaka
Career Began: 1958
Criteria: Over 60 million records sold, #74 all-time singles artist in Billboard chart history; Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee; three #1 hits of his own plus wrote four top ten hits for Connie Francis; only artist to have two different versions of the same song hit the top ten ("Breaking Up is Hard to Do," #1 in 1962 and a ballad version #8 in 1975); wrote the #1 song of 1975.
Neil Sedaka draws huge crowds to this day. His infectious pop hits of the late 50s and early 60s, either recorded by others (he was a staff songwriter for a publishing company) or on his own burned up the charts until the British Invasion. Thanks to a British fan -- Sir Elton John -- Sedaka made a huge comeback in the 70s, again as both a writer (he wrote "Solitaire," a hit for the Carpenters, and "Love Will Keep Us Together" by the Captain and Tennille) and a singer (Elton sang backup on Sedaka's #1 hit "Bad Blood"). He may only get inducted as a songwriter, but for whatever reason they give, they should induct him.
5. Moody Blues
Career Began: 1964
Criteria: Over 70 million records sold; 14 gold and platinum albums; song "Nights in White Satin" inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999; mainstays of FM rock.
This is a no-brainer. You cannot turn on a "classic rock" station without hearing a Moody Blues song. Many people are shocked to discover the Moodies are not in the Hall of Fame (and have never been nominated). Given the long career and popularity of this band one can only shrug at that fact.
And Not to Forget...
Those are the top five. Others who are long overdue for induction include:
Kiss (who doesn't know who these guys are?)
Daryl Hall & John Oates (the most successful duo of all-time; yes, they've sold more than Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Phil and Don Everly)
Electric Light Orchestra (50 million records sold not to mention that their songs have been showing up in commercials since "Hold On Tight" became a coffee ad in the mid-80s)
Chicago (another band with a decades-long career that's been overlooked for no real reason)
Remember, this has nothing to do with "quality" of music (most people think Chicago's "good" music died in 1978 with guitarist Terry Kath). It also should not be about personal tastes (as previously mentioned, I cannot stand Rush because of their lead vocalist). The facts are in: these singers and groups were, and are, VERY successful. There is no disputing the millions of albums sold, the awards, and the enduring immediate name recognition of these people (and there are others I haven't mentioned!). Why they cannot so much as get a nomination is a mystery.
And, as long as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame continues to snub these people they will be seen more as a joke than a legitimate coronation of an artist's career.
All information about Billboard chart information taken from Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1999.
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I think that halls of fame do seriously consider quality as well. My opinion is that they should do that, despite the word 'fame' in the name. We could argue this all day long, of course ...
I was a big Miller fan for a long time, mostly before he became a star. 'Sailor' was a great LP, as was 'Children of the Future'. He has a reputation for being unoriginal in some circles, I believe. I don't necessarily share that view. In any case, he certainly is well-known. I read, incidentally, that he met Les Paul as a young man, and may have learned something from him. Interesting.
Agreed on Sedaka, even if I do think he's a schlockmeister. Rush is a quality, serious band, although I understand your concern about Geddy Lee's vocals. Ronstadt, eh ..., Chicago was bombastic at their peak, and I'm not sure they did all that much quality stuff.
I'm talking quality though, which is not your criterion. Fair enough! (I notice I used the word 'quality' at least three times. Now that's quality writing!) Cheers.
I mostly agree with you, although Tom Waits is pretty famous now, he is in all kinds of movies, as is his music.
Music ain't what it used to be, with any genre being called 'rock' as long as there is a guitar player (think trans siberian orchestra) or youth appeal (think 'blue man group).
We should wake the dead: remember Bloodrock? Its A Beautiful Day? Mountain? Spooky Tooth? Humble Pie?
Bloodrock ... that takes me back. I used to enjoy Spooky Tooth, and Humble Pie for a time. You probably know the Spooky Tooth trivia: guitarist Luther Grosvenor became Ariel Bender in Mott the Hoople.
I never listened much to Waits, but I respect him as an artist. I recall a song called 'Emotional Weather Report' that he did, which was pretty clever.
Giocatore, I can certainly understand a call for "quality," but the problem becomes who's the judge of quality. Heart was nominated this year, and they're a good example: they're my brother's favorite band, and I never have liked them. Journey is another example (I'd rather listen to Geddy Lee sing than Steve Perry!). If we all agreed on the definition of "quality" then every John Hiatt album would sell 20 million copies and no one would be listening to Taylor Swift.
Miller, for all his Texas bragging, was actually born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and his father was a doctor. Les Paul (whom Miller claimed was a hypochondriac [if that's true hope Les has "I told you I was sick!" on his tombstone LOL]) was a friend of the elder Dr. Miller and, when little Steve was four years old, taught him guitar chords. I cannot agree with you enough on early Steve Miller (I'd say "Baby's Calling Me Home" is both one of the best Steve Miller Band songs AND one of the best Boz Scaggs songs!). I love "Sailor," too, and "Baby's House" is another all-time favorite song.
I understand a reluctance to concur with someone like Neil Sedaka, but they have a number of what we now call "pop" acts in the Hall of Fame (e.g., the Platters, Abba) -- and I totally agree with their induction. Especially in the early days of rock and roll what qualified as "rock and roll" was pretty muddy, which is why you see so many die-hard country acts like Marty Robbins and Johnny Horton having #1 pop hits. I think we forget that "rock and roll" used to encompass music like Sedaka's (just as people who listen to modern country music don't know that "country music" used to mean things like Webb Pierce, Hank Williams and Buck Owens). Like country (where you have Elvis and the Everly Brothers inducted next to "Nashville sound" acts like Jim Reeves and straight-ahead country like Buck and Hank next to the western sounds of the Sons of the Pioneers beside Bob Wills' plaque), the term "rock and roll" is a very big umbrella.
Thanks so much for your input and for reading!
Lew, I re-read this and I hope it doesn't come across as sounding as if I don't like Waits (granted, he's a very acquired taste, but songs like "Putnam County" are terrific...I even quoted that song in a blog I wrote about a Charlie Rich song!) or that I'm not happy he's not inducted, and I sincerely apologize for sounding that way. Quite the contrary, I hope Waits' induction opens the door for other people who have been toiling away for decades with a "cult following" who have a "name" that people recognize even if they can't name a single song of theirs (Hiatt is another good example, along with John Prine). I "picked on" Waits, for lack of a better term, to indicate the disproportionate amount of people who would recognize the names of acts like Ronstadt, Rush, etc. versus Tom Waits.
Thanks so much for your comments!
That's the problem, Tom: to me, they ARE shoo-ins, but the notion that people like the Beastie Boys and Eric B. and Rakim are getting nominated and/or inducted and these acts aren't even put on the ballot is mind-boggling! Thanks so much for reading!
Sedaka was definitely an important figure in the early days, along with Goffin/King, Greenwich/Berry, etc. So I'm fine w/seeing him in the hall.
As regards quality criteria, baseball uses the sports writers to decide these things, and the RnR hall could do something similar. I'm not sure how they vote for the RnR hall, to be honest.
Don't get me started on the baseball writers! There's one guy who brags that he sends in a blank ballot every year -- to me, that guy should be banned from voting because he doesn't take his responsibilities seriously. Others claim that "nobody deserves a unanimous vote", so even when they waived the rules to induct Roberto Clemente the year after his tragic death he only got 93% of the votes. We talk about "shoo-ins" who can't get unanimous votes? And Barry Bonds, steroid user AND convicted felon, has twice the support for induction as steroid user Mark McGwire? And, of course, baseball stats are the backbone of baseball. How well someone did during his career (based on the stats) is supposed to be the criteria. Unlike music (and all of art), which is subjective, even Cubs fans have to admit that Albert Pujols is a great player because the stats are there to prove it.
I think the two most important things that should be considered would be success and influence. The Sex Pistols are in the Hall of Fame despite having one album, and IMO the reason they are in is their influence. Ditto Patti Smith (who had one hit, a cover of a Bruce Springsteen song). I can certainly see an act like Poco being inducted for their influence on what became known as "country-rock," because they were singing "there's just a little bit of magic in the country music we're singing" long before there was a Flying Burrito Brothers or the Eagles or Charlie Daniels or Marshall Tucker. They had a short period of "big success" in the late 70s (probably thanks to the publicity of Timothy Schmit leaving Poco to become the Eagles' bass player), but their influence is considerable: they were the pioneers in a completely new genre of rock, just as the Sex Pistols and the Clash were for punk. OTOH, nominating someone like Eric B. and Rakem or inducting someone like the Beastie Boys makes no sense to me whatsoever. They were hardly pioneers and they had one hit.
Thanks for the great dialogue!
When did you write this? AC/DC got in years ago.
You're right, and I apologize. I was looking at an old list of inductees. My mistake, and I will correct it. Thank you for pointing that out.
Concerning your comments about the Beastie Boys I disagree totally. Not only did the Beastie Boys sell a lot of albums (and meet your definition of fame) they where hugely influential. Not only in hip hop, but they where very important when it came to bridging the gap between rock and rap. They definitely deserved their induction this year. Also concerning your definition of hits there is more than the Hot 100 chart. For example Beatise Boys had big hits on both the hip hop and modern rock charts (which right there show their huge influence, because it is rare for a hip hop band to make both charts).
I also disagree with you concerning Tom Waits. He is a very influential and well respected songwriter and he deserves his induction. I disagree that commercial success should be the sole determining factor. I feel overall musical influence should be.
Also another individual you did not mention that deserves to be nominated and inducted is Weird Al Yankovic. Not only is he by far the most successful rock & roll parodist (his career expands over 3 decades) he is rock & roll reigning clown prince. He adds much needed humor to a music industry that at times takes it self too serious.
Thanks for stopping by, Spartucus. I've enjoyed your 100 best covers list.
I agree with you about Weird Al. It took Homer & Jethro way too long to be inducted into the Country Hall of Fame, which is very puzzling to me because, unlike rock and roll, country has a long history of comedy as a central element of the performances. If you look at the country music TV shows of the 60s you'll see most of them had comedians: Cash had Homer & Jethro, Porter had Speck Rhodes, the Wilburn Brothers had Harold Morrison, and Bill Anderson was stuck with Don Bowman. I point this out because rock and roll does NOT have the close affiliation with comedy that country has, which makes the fact that Weird Al has enjoyed a long, successful career in rock even MORE remarkable.
As for the Beastie Boys, I will admit a complete ignorance about rap/hip-hop music; however, I do know that there would be no such genre without Christopher Allen Bouchillon, who invented "talking blues" and he's not inducted. Rap is a completely different genre than rock and roll; and, while I can see the argument for pop acts being inducted (especially since the early days of "rock and roll" when Pat Boone and Buddy Holly, for better or worse, were seen on the same charts) I do not see an influence of rap on rock and roll unless they wish to argue that rap is part of the popular music landscape, in which case they should rename the place the Popular Music Hall of Fame instead of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Finally, I think what I said about Tom Waits has been misconstrued. My argument was -- and is -- that people who have had far more success as performers and songwriters (and even actors -- Waits has appeared in movies) who haven't even been nominated and he got in on his first nomination more because he is a "critic's darling." It's that issue -- the nominees/inductees seem to be based more on who Jann Werner likes than who is truly worthy -- that was the gist of complaining about Wait's induction. I do agree with you about influence, however, but I think there's a line that needs to be drawn. For instance, I'm a huge Warren Zevon fan but I don't think he deserves induction; while I would say Poco most certainly DOES because they were pioneers in the genre of country-rock long before the Eagles (and in fact, both Eagles bassists were originally members of Poco). The problem with that, unfortunately, is that who's "influential" becomes a subjective issue (as opposed to album sales and chart success, which are factual: we cannot deny that Steve Miller's greatest hits sold 13 million copies), and that leads us back to the major problem with the R&R Hall of Fame. If you wish to discuss influence, look at Randy Newman: Oscar winner, songwriter, singer -- and not inducted.
Thanks so much for your comments!
You make an legitimate point about "talking blues" and those artists could easily be considered as "early influences" for the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.
In the case of a band like the Beastie Boys, they really did blur the line between rap and rock. For example their roots where in punk rock, and they kept going back to their hardcore punk roots throughout their career. They contained many rock elements in their songs. For example Kerry King of Slayer has played guitar on a couple of their songs. They also had many modern rock hits and they have received extensive play on modern rock radio. Also in 1999 they became the only band to win a Grammy in both the Best Alternative album category and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. So they where more than just a hip hop/rap group.
The Beastie Boys influence is that they blurred the lines between rap and rock. They where very influential on the rap rock fusion that became popular and they where very influential in the development of the Nu Metal genre.
Also concerning the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, you can make an argument for any artist that influence the popular landscape of Rock music. For example when you look at the Red Hot Chili Pepper (especially early Chili Peppers) they had a heavy funk and hip hop influence. So if you are going to include them as rock why not include the funk and hip hop artist that influence them? Also popular rock music as incorporate elements from Rap & Hip and vice versa.
Also a clarification with Tom Waits. It is true he was inducted first time nominated, but he had to wait 12 years before he got nominated the first time. He was eligible for inclusion back in 1999. So it is not like he didn't had to wait. I also feel that you could make a strong argument for Warren Zevon, and personally I feel he should be in the Hall. As far as Poco goes I would probably make an argument for Gram Parsons before I make an argument for Poco. But then again that is just my opinion.
Tom Koecke Level 3 Commenter 4 months ago
Wow, KF, I can't believe the bands you named are not in the R&RHOF! I would have thought most of them were shoo-ins!