Quick primer on eligibility requirements: you are not eligible for induction until 25 years after the release of your first album or single. The criteria is rather vague, stated as "influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll." Whatever that means. There is a very political nominating committee (dominated by several factions, most notably Jann Wenner's cronies), and once the list of nominees are announced, ballots are mailed to about 500 voting members (critics, musicians, producers, and others in the biz). Nominees who recieve the most votes (and over 50% of the vote) are inducted. Generally, that means 5 artists per year go in, at least in recent years.
So, this year's nominees are:
Metallica, Run-DMC, The Stooges, Jeff Beck, Chic, Wanda Jackson, War, Little Anthony and the Imperials and Bobby Womack.
In my view, four of these are solid picks, two are questionable, and two are absurd. The solid ones are the first four I listed. Chic and Womack are questionable, but I can understand the arguments. War and Little Anthony are just stupid. There seems to be a still vocal contingent on the nominating committee that is determined to get every single moderately successful doo wop group into the RRHOF. I am dumbfounded that War is nominated when people/groups like Yes, Peter Gabriel, The Cure, Judas Priest, Rush, etc. have yet to even recieve nomination. This was the first year that Stevie Ray Vaughan was eligible, and most folks in the know were predicting a nomination for him. So that is a surprise. This is also the first year The Smiths were eligible, and it is ridiculous that they were not nominated.
If I were voting, and assuming five will go in, I would vote:
Metallica, Jeff Beck, Run-DMC, The Stooges and Chic.
The Stooges have been on the ballot six previous years. Perhaps the 7th time is the charm.
How do I think it will go? I think that Jackson will make it in. I am hoping in the place of Chic, but probably in the place of Beck. (He's already in with The Yardbirds, so this would be his second induction). For the record, Clapton has the most inductions (Yardbirds, Cream, solo).
ABOVE: Here's hoping Jeff Beck gets his due.
6 comments:
Why RUNDMC? I thought this was the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I know "Rock and Roll" is somewhat ill defined, but it is not hip hop. What's next? JayZ
I am not arguing with their influence in music overall, but putting out a song with Aerosmith should not count
I don't get it -- why is it "getting your due" to be elected into a ridiculous establishment run by the ridiculous Jann Wenner and his cronies? I appreciate your enthusiasm for the RRHOF as an extension of your love for music. But I think it's misguided -- you'd be better off trying to start your own.
Silly people. Pocky, the "is rap allowed in?" question was answered definitively two years ago when Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were the first (and so far only) rap group inducted. Funny you mention Jay-Z, he is a member of the Nominating Committee. The Rockhall has rightly taken a broad view of the issue and have inducted people who have influenced rock a great deal, even if the people themselves were not strictly rock. That is why Johnny Cash, Muddy Waters and Miles Davis are all members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They should be there. Like it or not, rap is one of the most important forces in popular music over the last couple of decades, and its influences have been felt strongly in rock music. Therefore the great rap innovators have also influenced rock and roll a great deal. Run-DMC? No question.
I believe in the mission of the RRHOF and of the Rock and Roll Museum. They are preserving an important heritage. Just because I don't like the way it is run sometimes, does not mean that I do not appreciate what it could be. What I want it to become. To paraphrase The Who, Jann Wenner will eventually die, but long live rock.
I'm just a simple country doctor. Don't know much about yall's big city music with your fancy giant clock necklaces, and long rankin' lists. Howevah, it seems to me that rocky roll and "rap" music have never really intersected so gosh darn much in this heah ol' venn diagram of musicality genres. An' ifin' it had, I wondah if it tweren't so galldarn important or influencial anyway. Not in a comparable way to those ol' blues fellas that was always so sad, or even that Miles David fella.
Yeh, I kinda agree with Johannes, who happens to be the doctor of the small town where my mother grew up
I live in Baltimore now. Go Ravens, or whatever.
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