Performer Category:
Congratulations to these inductees. BUT HOLD ON ONE SECOND....How can any serious institution that is focused on preserving and honoring the best of the best in Rock and Roll music have such glaring oversights in its inductee body. I am not saying any of the inductees should be out in favor of those I (and many others) feel should be honored. But I question the entire organization for such GLARING omissions. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame roster is filled with the chart topping, the pop, the rock, the obscure, the innovators, the leaders and the followers. Given the existing widespread backgrounds of inductees, can someone tell me why the following artists have not already been inducted?
If you were to poll "in the know" music critics and musicians of who the top guitarists, bass players and drummers are in rock, one of the top players for each would be the same if that poll was taken in 1980 or today. Alex Leifson, Geddy Lee and Neil Peart are universally regarded as masters of their instruments. Brought together as songwriters and as Rush, they have made influential album after influential album. They have sold out arenas for decades. They are, arguably, the most musically accomplished hard rock band of all time. They have also sold millions of records, so it isn't for lack of public interest that they are ignored by the Hall.
I had to triple check that they were not in. They wrote and released some of the most unmistakeable pop music of the 1970's, 80's and on through the 2000's. There are artists enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that had one or two major hits. Hall and Oates had 34 Billboard Hot 100 singles. Hall and Oates could be in the Hall of Fame for their songwriting alone, let alone their harmonies and playing (which many existing members are in this institution for alone). Major miss. And PLEASE ignore their music videos in the debate!!!
It is great that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is honoring groups like the Beastie Boys and the Chili Peppers in this years class, both were (and continue to be) vital and influential. But turn on your car, satellite or internet radio today, and listen. How much of that music and its influences can almost directly be traced back to The Cure? The Cure was, and still is arguably, the most influential "alternative" band in history. Their look, sound, lyrics and overall approach has been lifted by so many.
That's right, Kiss is NOT in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I don't care if you don't like their music. Kiss IS Rock and Roll. There is no logical reason for their to be now 27 classes of inductees without Kiss as a member. Van Halen, Queen, Aerosmith, and now the Chili Peppers are in. Kiss should be too.
From their late 60's and early 70's horn-fueled arrangements on through their 80's power pop, Chicago has been a songwriting, musicianship and hit machine. They have also sold over 120 MILLION records during their sparkling career. Chicago has also gone on to tour relentlessly, often with Hall Inductee Earth, Wind and Fire. They sparkle live, and their songs have passed the test of time. There are groups enshrined in the Hall that bring far less to the table than Chicago. (Not to bash, but new inductee The Faces had one US top-40 hit)
Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of Joan's folky, politically left leaning catalog. But, there is no mistaking the relevance of somebody who has had a fifty-plus year run prominent in the music scene. A Godmother to the modern singer-songwriter as well as a Godmother to the modern reinterpreter, Joan's is a voice, a presence, a career and an influence that is gigantic in the big picture. Are the Indigo Girls the "Indigo Girls" without someone like Joan Baez?
This Blogger's Personal Choice Selection. Often overlooked, underrated and forgotten. Major talent. 18 wildly varied studio releases, formed out of the punk generation of the late 70's, but always a little "smarter". Major jazz influences throughout his career, with an emphasis on efficient and crisp songs, as well as an overarching theme of melancholy. A thinking man's repertoire. Elvis Costello came from the same roots, and has gotten the nod to date in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It is time to recognize an artist who has delivered just as much, and to me, more.
Agree or Disagree with any of these? Have any of your own? Take a look for yourself: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees
OK, Hall of Fame, I'm a gonna let you finish but.... Rush is the single most important, longest lasting and most innovative band I can think of. What are you thinking.
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