Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2011 (leaked)

The official announcement is not due until Wednesday, but as has happened in recent years, this year's Class has been leaked by credible sources (at least the main Performer inductees). Recall back in September I revealed the nominees here. For the record, in predicting the 5 inductees from the list of 15 nominees, I got three out of five correct. Not bad at all. Better than many other prognosticators out there.

My main observation regarding this class is that out of the five inductees, I think that only one is really rock and roll. That is not to say that I am not a fan of the others, I like them all actually. But one has a clear line all the way back to Brill Building pop (literally, he was a writer there in his early days), one is R&B and pop and two are iconoclastic songwriters who primarily perform in genres and with influences that pre-date rock and roll. But then we get into the argument that cannot really be settled, and that is "what defines rock and roll?" All of these five artists have been influential on rock and roll at least, and perhaps that is enough. While none of these jump out immediately like a Zeppelin or Stones (there aren't that many of those obvious choices left, and since the Rockhall has decided to ignore the 80's), when thinking about this class I rather like it. And Bon Jovi didn't make it.

The Class of 2011...



Alice Cooper: The only real rock artist here. Very influential in the shock rock / glam rock genres. A pioneer for shock tactics onstage. Bands from KISS to Marilyn Manson trace their roots back to Alice Cooper (the band is being inducted, not just Vincent Furnier). But some of the music is quite good too. "I'm Eighteen" is one of the best teen angst tunes ever written, and "School's Out" is required listening whenever June rolls around.



Neil Diamond: I can already hear the howls of protest from rock purists on this one. But Diamond is one of the most successful songwriters in the modern era. His rock credentials are a bit suspect, but he has earned the respect of many rockers over the years. The cheese factor is huge here (and folks who may ask incredulously "Neil Diamond, but still no [insert egregious snub here]?" will have a valid point), but Neil has stood the test of time with a slew of hits, not only his but great pop songs that were big for others ("I'm a Believer" for The Monkees, "Red, Red Wine" for UB40, etc.) And if you dig deep enough in his own catalogue, there is some legitimately great rockish stuff in there, like "Solitary Man" and "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon." On this one, I go both ways. I acknowledge the complaints, but for some reason his induction still does not bother me.



Dr. John: Now this one surprised me. I love the Doctor, especially his early Night Tripper period, but...I don't know. He is one of the most important New Orleans musicians, and New Orleans music is certainly one of the strongest roots of rock and roll, and his first several albums were heady blends of voodoo psychedelic gumbo greatness, but his career since the mid-70's has veered away from rock and roll and he has been more of a traditionalist of New Orleans R&B. I have always thought a better way to slip him into the Hall (because he does have a place there) was as a Sideman, since he played piano, guitar and a host of other instruments as a sessionman on many other rock artists' records (which may explain his induction, since many of these artists whom he backed up are also voters). But I guess they thought that bringing him in as a Sideman would somehow diminish his own very successful solo career. Hard to get too angry here, because I really am a fan.



Darlene Love: As someone on the Future Rock Legends website said, "Little Baby Steven Van Zandt gets his bottle once again." Last year Little Steven pushed The Hollies through, and this year Love was his pet project. Bruce Springsteen has also been whining loudly for years that Love needed to be inducted. So they get their way. Again. Look, Darlene Love is hugely talented, and she was a crucial piece in Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. But like Dr. John above, she would be more properly placed in the Sideman (er, Sideperson) category as opposed to the main Performer category. She sang back-up on many huge hits. Her actual solo career was, well, not Hall-worthy.



Tom Waits: Love this one. Not sure he's rock and roll, but he is an iconoclast in the true sense of the word and a brilliant songwriter. His music may not always be rock and roll, but the spirit often is. And that is what counts lots of the time. He just makes sense here. He has been influential on many rock artists as well, with Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen and Shawn Colvin all covering his tunes, while albums like Swordfishtrombones and Heartattack and Vine are just awesome and totally unique in mainstream music.

So there you have it. These will be confirmed on Wednesday, but I would be shocked if this information is incorrect. I will update you on other smaller categories, as those have not leaked.

Thoughts? Comments?