Another year, another batch of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees who make me feel really old. Remember, you have to have released your first record 25 years ago to be eligible, so the fact that the Beastie Boys and Madonna (pictured in 1983, at the dawn of her recording career) qualify this year makes my joints ache. Along with Madge and the rap/rock trio, this year’s nominees also include disco titans Donna Summer and Chic, rap trailblazer Afrika Bambaataa, rocker John Mellencamp, and three acts that flourished back in the ’60s: Brit-beat hitmakers the Dave Clark Five, singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen, and instrumental surf rockers the Ventures.
Of these nominees, Madonna seems the only shoo-in, and maybe Cohen, a critical fave who remains still active and influential. Chic, the DC5, and Mellencamp have all been nominated before; they may get in this time on sympathy votes among those who felt they were robbed before. Summer deserves it, but the anti-disco bias that has kept Chic out could work against her, too. The Beasties will surely make it in eventually, but voters may feel there’s plenty of time yet for them. Bambaataa may not have a substantial enough body of work, and the Ventures may be too arcane.
I know, anyone who had any amount of real rock and roll attitude wouldn’t want to be in the Hall, but let’s play along and speculate on who will actually get inducted at the annual ceremony next March, who deserves to get in, and who should have been nominated but wasn’t. (C’mon, guys, the Replacements!)
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Rufus and Chaka Khan
This is an impressive list of nominees, but nobody — and I mean NOBODY — should get in before Chicago does!
Kill ‘Em All came out 1983. i believe that qualifies metallica for the next class.
their cd sales were once as massive as those of the stones and michael jackson. their tours still rival the stones in money intake. they may not be the biggest band in the world anymore, but u can’t argue that their first 6 records aren’t nearly-to-completely perfect. what other criteria does the hall really consider if not mainstream success and legacy?
i’ll take that as a lock for a nom.
I’m absolutely sure this has been brought up before, but what are Madonna, Donna Summer and others doing being nominated for the ROCK AND ROLL Hall of Fame. That’s no slam against those artists (who are obviously rightfully legendary), but they’re not exactly the first people I think of when someone says “Rock and Roll.”
Why not put them in something called the Music Hall of Fame or even the Pop Hall of Fame (though people would undoubtedly be ashamed to be in that one…would kill their street cred). It’s just a little silly to me to jam all these people under “rock and roll.”
Afrika Bambaataa should definitely get in. They may not have had the most impressive catalog, but if they didn’t exist would acts like Outkast or the Neptunes exist? Also, is the Cure in yet?
Not a big Madonna fan, but found this thread on dvd talk forum. Apparently, Mariah’s manager is out to smear Madonna:
http://forum.dvdtalk.com/archive/index.php/t-506724.html
Sorry for the rant, but the Monkees were not even nominated, and while that’s not a surprise, it’s a shame. They are the grandfathers of music + tv = fun. We’d probably not have the wonderful and excellent Flight of the Conchords today if not for the Monkees. How many top 10 singles did the Monkees have? They won an Emmy. Dolenz has one of the most under-rated voices in rock and pop. And any rock snob worth his Converse sneakers acknowledges Nesmith’s songwriting chops. Plus, they outsold everyone – including the Beatles and Stones – in 1967. The year Pepper came out. No small feat, but Jann W. has something stuck in his craw because they were formed for TV — the very thing that made them groundbreaking. His opinion holds no weight after seeing the kid from High School Musical on the cover of Rolling Stone a few weeks ago. All cred (as if there was any left) for Jann and Rolling Stone went out the window. Just put the Monkees in already while they’re all alive, for cryin’ out loud.
Chic should get in because of its indirect contribution to the rise of rap music as a major force. The late Bernard Edwards’ rhythmic bass line from “Good Times” was later sampled by the Sugarhill Gang in “Rapper’s Delight.” And, as they say, the rest was history!
um, ceballos, there’s country people in the ROCK & ROLL hall of fame, there’s motown groups in the RICK & ROLL hall of fame, the “rock & roll” in there is symbolizing ALL music. and, yes, madonna does deserve to be in the hall, look at ALL the people and styles she has inspired. you betta recognize!
Thanks to the one who posted the links of emails between Mariah’s manager and Roger Friedman of Fox News. Those emails are not fabricated and Fox News is actually investigating him because of this.
As much as I would like to comment on this blog I just can’t get one thing out of my mind: the dge combination in Madge, makes the sound /j/.
John Mellencamp isn’t in yet??? Maybe it’s because I’m from Indy but I feel this is a major oversight.
jason, if you read my message carefully, I wasn’t saying that any of those people (country music artists and motown artists or Madonna) don’t deserve accolades for their legendary careers. I was just wondering why all those types of artists are shoehorned under “Rock and Roll”.
You say that the “rock and roll” is in there symbolizing ALL music. Well if that’s the case, why not just have a “Music Hall of Fame” instead of awkwardly putting some of these people under the “rock and roll” banner.
To me, it’s kinda like, in sports, if there were only a Baseball Hall of Fame, and they wanted to honor Michael Jordan’s athletic career, so they stick him in the baseball HOF because it’s the most famous and prestigious one.
Ideally I’d like to see HOFs for different genres of music, but I recognize that the R&R HOF is the most prestigious and established one and it would be a bigger honor for Donna Summer to be there than some Disco HOF. It’s still a bit odd to me though, that’s all
Well, Madonna is a lock. I have thought Donna Summer should have been in a long time ago. I say she gets in this time. I don’t care about the others.
Who’s missing? Alice Cooper, man! He is one of the most important people in the history of music; he influenced both punk and metal. The Sex Pistols and Kiss claim him. Talk about a bias…..
Read the Roger Friedman link. A few things: I am a huge Mariah fan, and I have read his column before. Right before Mariah put out Mimi, she fired a publicist who was close to him, and he retaliated by bashing Mariah several times. Then, Benny Medina(Mariah’s current manager) won him over, and he started writing glowing articles about MC.
I guess Madonna must have offended him somehow. The point is, this guy is nothing more than another Perez Hilton, only more shameless. Don’t sweat it, Madge fans; I’m sure Madonna laughs at him. For that matter, I’m sure MC does as well.
Robo:
As much as I loved The Monkees when it was in reruns in the eighties, they were grandfathers but the first people to incorporate music and television together in the United States. If you remember, because Ricky Nelson had a few hit songs in the late fifties and early sixties, Ozzie Nelson, Ricky’s father, developed probably one of the first “music videos” for the song “Traveling Man”. The video appeared on the show “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet”.
Anyway, The Replacements, The Jam, The Cure, Souxie and the Banshees, The Slits, The Raincoats. Not nominated. I mean does The R.R. Hall of Fame have a serious issue with indie rock? And seriously, Robert Smiths compositions have been all across the board. They are used in commercial for television shows to cars. It is an insult!
The Ventures are really not arcane to those who loved “Hawaii Five-O”. Remember they were the guys responsible for that theme song that is played at every single family celebration on the planet. I dare Mike Post to induct them. Plus, we can’t forget “Wipe Out”.
I’m reading that Alice Cooper, Chicago and John Mellencamp are not in the Hall? Who the heck is, then?
I would think the Beatles, Elvis, Clapton, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, the Stones etc. would be in there. What criteria do they have to meet?
Is there a list of inductees online? That would be an interesting read.
I am sure Madonna’s bones ache too. If for no other reason, she should be inducted for the amazing way she has of getting people to listen to her awful singing.
John Mellencamp truly deserves the honor for his great gruff voice and wonderful songwriting. He knows how to put the human condition into words that really capture one’s attention.
At least Madonna brushes her teeth and shaves her pits.
Yeah, Flipper, hard to believe Alice Cooper isn’t there. As for a list of who IS in, just go to their official website and a list of who has ‘made the grade’ constantly streams by.
Wow–Mellencamp’s been nominated before and *didn’t* make it in? Ouch. I’m also in Indiana, so I too think it’s a major oversight. I’ve never been thrilled by Madonna, but I can see where she’ll be a lock. I’ve always been a fan of the Monkees, but I’m also not surprised that they’ve never been nominated. That’s a shame. Chicago, Alice Cooper, & The Cure haven’t made it? Is Prince in yet? Michael Jackson without the 5? Heart? AC/DC? I really need to go to the site to look over the inductees.
It’s hard for me to take the Hall seriously when artists like Roxy Music, New York Dolls, Television, Richard Hell, and The Replacements cannot even be considered, let alone inducted. How can they call it the ROCK AND ROLL Hall of Fame when disco takes precedence over such influential punk and protopunk acts?
Though honestly, they did get it right in 2003: Elvis Costello, The Clash, AC/DC, The Police AND The Righteous Brothers? Can that get any better?
Weird Al should get in.
When you look at the actual list onsite you should start from the bottom and work your way up. That gives a bit more insight on why the artists are chosen. It’s not just about album sales, it’s all about being ‘different, influencial and cutting edge.
That being said, where is Nirvana?
Right… I missed the 25 year album release eligibility thing. Well, Nirvana is a shoe-in in 2014.
Here’s an argument for the Ventures, if one really has to be made: http://www.ink19.com/issues/april2007/features/caseOfMissingGuitar.html
Would love to see them jamming behind Madonna and the Beasties.
It’s a really good year for dance music. Without a doubt Madonna, Donna Summer, Chic, and Afrika Bambaata will be inducted this year. Between the two, Madonna and Donna have ruled the dancefloor for 3 decades and each could wear the “Queen of Dancefloor” crown. Chic is was simply an amazing dance band and the founding members (Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards) produced some of the best selling albums of the 80’s and 90’s (LAV, Robert Palmer’s “Riptide”, Bowie’s “Last Dance”). Afrika Bamabaata single-handedly bridged the gap between electronica, hip-hop, and pop with one track, “Planet Rock”. The fifth slot belongs to Mellencamp. Although I would love to see the Beasties inducted, one slot will go to a “hip-hop” act and Bambaata is more significant.
Why can’t bands like Roxy Music and The New York Dolls even be considered?
Is it racism to point out a racist trend? Here goes: The bar for black acts getting into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is lower than the bar for white acts. Consider that Percy Sledge, The O’Jays, The Dells and Solomon Burke are in, while Chicago, The Guess Who, and Deep Purple have never even been nominated. BTW, full list of inductees at http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/inductee-list/