ABOVE: Jann Wenner seems to think that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should reflect his personal record collection
Currently the criteria for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are as follows: An artist may be inducted 25 years after the release of their first single or album. The other qualifications are that they "had a significant impact on the evolution, development and perpetuation of rock and roll." That's it. A somewhat mysterious Nominating Committee made up of 30-35 industry insiders (purportedly a mix of musicians, critics, industry people) gets together over each September and hammers out a list of nominees ranging from 8 to 15 choices. Then the voting body casts their votes. The numbers vary, but there are between 500 to 600 voting members, made up of past inductees and various other music people. (Again, made up of critics, historians, musicians, producers, managers, promoters, DJs, etc.) The top five vote-getters are inducted each year.
Unlike baseball or some other sporting Halls of Fame, they cannot really go on statistics and numbers to guide them. They swear up and down that record sales are not a consideration. It is funny, however, that when a darling of someone on the Central Committee happens to have made a lot of money, record sales are used as a justification for induction. Yet when a popular but disliked candidate comes up for consideration (read: KISS), record sales are suddenly irrelevant to the discussion. My view: record sales and financial success should definitely be part of the equation. Rock and roll is a "popular" music form afterall. But it is not the only or even most important criteria. There are very important inductees into the Hall who had negligible record sales but were definitely important to the music (Velvet Underground, Sex Pistols).
For people who follow the Hall closely (the website Future Rock Legends is an excellent website, blog and discussion place that does just that), the controversies and factions are well known. I've already mentioned Jann Wenner and his minions, but another huge power block centers around the triumvirate of Bruce Springsteen/Jon Landau (Bruce's longtime manager)/Little Steven Van Zandt (Bruce's guitarist and a successful musician in his own right). Landau and Van Zandt are on the Nominating Committee, and while Bruce is not, Landau and Van Zandt make sure that The Boss’s will shall be done. It is no accident that Springsteen shows up and performs at almost every induction ceremony. What makes Springsteen's influence extra strong is the fact that he is also one of Rolling Stone's favorites (along with U2). Elvis Costello is an artist on the Nominating Committee who wields much influence as well. Critic Dave Marsh is another powerful voice (whose war against KISS is well documented: "as long as I am on the Committee, I will do everything in my power to prevent KISS from being nominated"). Marsh is also...you guessed it, a good buddy of Springsteen's. Robbie Robertson (of The Band) also has a lot of power.
While the Committee has recently admitted that they need some fresh voices and have added some younger (and black) Committee members, and have gone so far as to admirably create some sub-committees to look at underrepresented genres in the Hall, such as prog rock and metal, the old guard still has a firm hold. Stress on the word "old." Once Ahmet Ertugen died, Wenner took firm control of Hall matters and decisions.
So now Wenner has come out and said that he might want to change the induction criteria. He would like to shorten the waiting period from 25 years to 20. This is because Wenner has decided that we have already inducted most of the worthy people from earlier eras, and the 80's suck according to Jann, so he would like to jump to late 80's/early 90's names like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Guns 'n Roses, etc. Unfortunately, one of the main considerations is revenue from televising the induction ceremonies. What were once fun, drunken, insider get togethers have become more formal and televised affairs. To attract viewers, Wenner wants to be able to get to artists who the younger demographic will recognize and care about. This is a horrible idea and a slap in the face to many worthy artists still waiting to get in.
I imagine many of the other power brokers disagree as well. Steven Van Zandt, for instance, is a vocal opponent of even moving into the 80's yet because he feels there are still important 60's artists that have been left behind. It is apparently Van Zandt's view that every person who ever released a record in the 1960's should be inducted, from The Chocolate Watchband to Moby Grape (fine bands, by the way, but not Hall worthy). Van Zandt has also referred to the 80's as "a musical wasteland," so don't count on Steve to help modernize the Hall. (Even though Steve himself gained his fame in that same decade).
We are in a precarious place for The Hall's credibility. Frankly, in the early days of the Hall things were pretty easy. Elvis? Chuck Berry? Beatles? Stones? Who is really going to have a problem with the giants of the 50's, 60's and even the 70's? Enough time has passed that perspective is fairly clear. Yes, there are still some egregious omissions from the 70's especially, but overall the first three decades of rock are fairly well represented. The Hall has also done an excellent job of recognizing crucial rock influences, inducting a generous number of blues and soul folks who were the precursors to rock and roll.
But we are now entering an eligibility period where there is much less consensus. The eligibility frontier is now at about 1985, and opinions vary wildly on the 1980's. Not to mention that important but historically critically lambasted 70's names are being left in the dust as well. (Whatever your personal opinion, the fact that Rush, KISS, Yes, King Crimson, Judas Priest, Hall & Oates, Motorhead and Chicago remain uninducted is embarrassing if you want to have a comprehensive and "accurate" Hall of Fame, while Blondie and Percy Sledge sit comfortably and unjustly in the Hall's Mt. Olympus.) But according to King Jann I, the next five years of classes will be fairly "thin," so we need to move up the eligibility date.
While prog rock and metal are grossly underrepresented as genres, I am afraid that an entire decade (the 80’s) of important music is about to also get the shaft because the Committee is too old to appreciate it.
So Jann, let me do you a favor. Don’t change the criteria. Here is a list of already eligible artists that you can try and push through in these next five allegedly “thin” years (this list is currently eligible, as each year of the next five passes, there will be even more great eligible artists each year). To be fair, some of these artists have been nominated, they just have not been inducted yet.
First, here are some important ones to consider who still need to get in and who are currently eligible: Beastie Boys, Big Star, Chicago, Alice Cooper, The Cure, Dick Dale, Deep Purple, Depeche Mode, Devo, Neil Diamond, Dinosaur Jr., Dire Straits, Dr. John, Donovan, Richard Thompson, Roxy Music, Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates, Heart, Joy Division & New Order, Judas Priest, King Crimson, KISS, Kraftwerk, Los Lobos, Love, MC5, Meat Loaf, Steve Miller Band, The Monkees, Moody Blues, Motorhead, Willie Nelson (hey, you put in Johnny Cash), Randy Newman, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lou Reed, Rush, The Smiths, Sonic Youth, Sting, Thin Lizzy, Tina Turner, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tom Waits, Steve Winwood and Yes.
That’s 47, asshole. That list could keep you and your Committee in business for the next 9 years at five inductees per year, Jann. Don’t like some of those choices? Fine. I’m not saying the following all need to be inducted, but some other currently eligible folks who are still not in but could at least be part of the discussion include: Joan Armatrading, Average White Band, B-52s, Bad Company, Afrika Bambaataa, Black Flag, Blood Sweat & Tears, Blue Oyster Cult, Marc Bolan & T. Rex, Boston, Roy Buchanan, Jimmy Buffett, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, J.J. Cale, Canned Heat, Captain Beefheart, The Cars, Nick Cave, Cheap Trick, Chubby Checker, Chic, The Church, Joe Cocker, Phil Collins, Ry Cooder, Country Joe & The Fish, Robert Cray, Def Leppard, Doobie Brothers, Dream Syndicate, Duran Duran, Steve Earle, Echo & the Bunnymen, ELO, ELP, 13th Floor Elevators & Roky Erikson, Eurythmics, The Faces, Fairport Convention, Flying Burrito Brothers and Gram Parsons, Foreigner, J. Geils Band, The Go-Go’s, Grand Funk Railroad, Dobie Gray, The Guess Who, Whitney Houston, Husker Du, INXS, Iron Maiden, Janet Jackson, Joe Jackson, The Jam, The James Gang & Joe Walsh, Rick James, Jethro Tull, Joan Jett, Journey, Kansas, Kris Kristofferson, Little Feat, Loggins & Messina, Nick Lowe, Madness, Manfred Mann, Marshall Tucker Band, Midnight Oil, The Minutemen, Misfits, Mott the Hoople, New York Dolls, Ted Nugent, Laura Nyro, Ozzy Osbourne, Peter Paul & Mary, Iggy Pop, Procol Harum, Psychedelic Furs, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Rain Parade, The Replacements, Linda Ronstadt, Todd Rundgren, Leon Russell, The Searchers, Carly Simon, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Small Faces, Smithereens, Soft Boys, Sonny & Cher, Steppenwolf, Cat Stevens, Stephen Stills, Styx, Donna Summer, Television, Ten Years After, Joe Tex, They Might Be Giants, Three Dog Night, Pete Townshend, Townes Van Zandt, Violent Femmes, War, Barry White, Johnny Winter, Bill Withers, X, Yo La Tengo, Warren Zevon and The Zombies.
Need some more Early Influences? Here are some that you have overlooked: Burt Bacharach, Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Patsy Cline, John Coltrane, Merle Haggard, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Sonny Boy Williamson, Elmore James, Waylon Jennings, Albert King, Freddie King, Otis Rush, Nina Simone.
Need some more Non-Performers? Here are some that you have overlooked: Lester Bangs, Tom Dowd, Brian Eno, Daniel Lenois, Albert Grossman, Quincy Jones, Mutt Lange, Steve Lillywhite, Andrew Loog Oldham, Rick Rubin, Shel Talmy, Bernie Taupin.
Got the message, Jann? Just because your personal favorites are all in and you want to fast forward to some newer favorites does not mean that there are not plenty of worthy candidates to consider. Your personal preferences as tastemaker should not be a part of the equation.
17 comments:
As ever, I find your obsession with the silly Hall mystifying. But entertaining, of course.
Just look at that list of names you have of people/groups who aren't in! It's a joke.
Also, to praise Judas Priest and diss Blondie takes some guts. And just proves how subjective all of this is.
No subjectivity about it. Judas Priest is more influential and important than Blondie. Whether you prefer one over the other is irrelevant.
My obsession is a perfect storm. One, I get obsessed by random topics. Two, I'm a music fanatic. Three, I'm a historian, so I care about how this music is eventually viewed in the future. Four, having spent two full days exploring the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, I feel that the mission of the Foundation is worthwhile and worthy of perpetuation. As memories fade, the founders and influences on rock especially need to be remembered and kept alive in our memories. I think the Foundation can do that, quite apart from the Hall of Fame itself. Finally, I love listing and arguing about things. What is the Hall of Fame but a big music list?
Agree 100% Dez. You might be interested in something we're doing at: http://peoplesrockhall.blogspot.com/
Gotta do a little research before posting. Dick Clark, George Martin, John Hammond and Allen Toussaint have already been inducted into the Rock Hall. It's the Chocolate Watchband, not Wristband (or was that a joke?) Merle Haggard is not an early influence.
Check out my blog under Tom Lane's Music Blog on Blogger for more of this Hall stuff.
Disagree entirely with the Blondie assessment. They've inspired hordes of indie & underground acts over the last thirty years, far more great acts than Judas Priest. Priest has credentials and is probably deserving, but a Hall without Blondie would be truly mind boggling.
As Tom Lane said earlier, a few non-performers you mentioned have already been inducted. I should also say that The Pixies are not yet eligible for induction and Hank Ballard has been inducted as a performer, so you may want to correct that. Other than that though I agree entirely with what you've stated.
Some more eligible names that should be in the running:
Connie Francis, Jack Scott, Petula Clark, Johnny Burnette and the Rock N' Roll Trio, Danny and the Juniors, Larry Chance and the Earls, Link Wray, The Big Bopper, Paul Anka, Neil Sedaka, Bobby Vee, Bobby Vinton, Bobby Rydell, The Kingston Trio, Jan & Dean, Carole King, Ben E. King, Gordon Lightfoot, Johnny Rivers, Herman's Hermits, Tom Jones, The Association, The Fifth Dimension, The Grass Roots, Harry Nilsson, John Denver, Bread, George Thorogood and the Destroyers, Dio, Weird Al Yankovic, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Ringo Starr, Rick Derringer, Bon Jovi, & Jim Croce.
Also, Wolfman Jack and Jim Steinman for non-performers. That's 36 more names for you.
Another thing to mention has been the hall's history to reward only the frontman and not their bands. Examples include the E-Street Band, the Crickets, the Belmonts, the Silver Bullet Band, the Midnighters, and the Miracles.
I forgot to add the Comets to that last group of snubbed artists I mentioned earlier.
Ray Stevens and Dan Fogelberg should also be among those names.
I'm sticking with Bob Dylan."I thought you had to be dead for 100 years before they put you in a museum".I've also been there.Music is meant to be listened to,not looked at.
Great post. These omissions are just beyond the pale - some of the many personal crusades I'd go on are for Procol Harum, Todd, Chicago, the Zombies and Laura Nyro (who of course did make the shortish list this year). But that's just the tip of the iceberg. As a boomer, I don't want to see any more people die off before they can get the recognition they deserve. Essentially saying there aren't enough people left in years 20-25 is asinine. Who believes that?
Thank you all for commenting. Tom, I appreciate you stopping by. I have read your blog and really enjoy it.
Thanks for the corrections, too. I have gone in and corrected those in the post.
Anonymous, good call on Wolfman Jack!
Very great analysis on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and you put it the way I would have laid it out! Like you said, it was easy the first 10 years, but now things aren't the same. I think everyone who's in the HOF now is deserving, except maybe Leonard Cohen, Percy Sledge and Sex Pistols (what? one album and they're in!).
Dez, thank you for the wonderful rant. I appreciate the effort you go though so I don't have to.
I can say that I disagree much with your arguments, though I must side with Ramblings3's (<--is that correct punctuation right there? Anyway . . .) argument on Blondie.
However, I know we have disagreed on this for a long time, but I actually support Jann's belief (as represented by you) that the 80s were, by and large, a vast musical wasteland, full of novelty and experimentation, but had no long term substance, much like the flying car.
Dezomd, I like this blog post. Also for your list you could add Cheap Trick, Pat Benatar, Supertramp,Todd Rundgern, and Sade. It seems to me the Hall of Fame comittee is a bunck of rock 'n' roll facists. They want to ignore the 1970s and 1980s because to them, they think rock music wasn't supposed to evolve or grow up. Well, that idea is BS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rock can choose its history. To me, the comitte is becoming the Priests at the Temple of Syrinx. Heck I have even printed your post.
Please ignore the "Rock can choose its history." I meant to say, Rock can't choose its history. Also like the comment about Van Zandt. The 1960s are now a piss stain for me.
One could add Slayer and now Sepultura (eligible this year) to the list of groups ignored by Jann Wenner - why have you forgotten them?
Slayer were undoubtedly influential enough to deserve induction - and they sold fairly well too for such extreme music.
Sepultura stand as the most influential rock group from outside the English-speaking world: their combination of ultra-heavy metal with tribal influences attracted sales and attention from even critics usually shy of metal.
Pantera - who since they have strictly disowned their first four albums should really only be eligible in 2015/2016 twenty-five years after Cowboys from Hell - would qualify even more for the same reasons then, but one can be sure Jann Wenner won}t be thinking of them. (For the record, I think Phil Anselmo should have been the one to induct Metallica a couple of years ago)
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