Since this topic seems to always rile people up on this board, here's the nominees for the R&R Hall of Fame this year. This was the first year people debuting in 1980 would be eligible and that year has been completely snubbed. Trying to think of anyone whose debut was in 1980 but haven't been able to think of anyone right off the bat. When did the first stuff by X or Mission of Burma come out? 80 was probably the year a lot of the first singles from the hardcore bands started coming out.

Anyhow, here's the list of nominees being voted on this year:

Black Sabbath (now on their eighth bid),
Lynyrd Skynyrd (seventh bid),
the Sex Pistols and the Stooges (five bids apiece).
Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five,
J. Geils Band
John Mellencamp
the Patti Smith Group
Chic
Joe Tex.
Miles Davis
Cat Stevens
Blondie (finally nominated!!!)
the Paul Butterfield Band
the Dave Clark Five
the Sir Douglas Quintet

My predictions of who they will induct from that bunch: Sabbath & Skynyrd will finally make it; Mellencamp; Paul Butterfield, since that's the closest thing to someone Jann Wenner could comprehend; and Miles Davis just cuz he was damn cool. (Although it would be much less of a stretch to put someone like Waylon Jennings in than Miles. They can put Miles Davis in any Hall of Fame they want and they'll hear no complaints from me.)

Outside chances: Grandmaster Flash, Blondie (although since it took so long for them to even be nominated, they aren't going to be first balloters. Should be, but oh well.), Cat Stevens, although he wouldn't be let into the country for the ceremony, Chic.

Nominated but have no chance in hell: Pistols, Stooges, Patti (although I guess it would be possible that Clive Davis might kick some butts on her behalf), Sir Doug.

Will never even be nominated, but are currently eligible and more than worthy: Kraftwerk, Echo & the Bunnymen, Television, Pere Ubu, Gang of Four, Nick Lowe, Ian Dury, Kate Bush, Black Flag, Devo, King Crimson, Joy Division. (For a hall of fame honoring a global style of music, the damn thing is completely Ameri-centric. If you were huge around the rest of the world but unknown in America, kiss your chances good-bye.)

Eligible, might even have a decent chance of getting in if nominated but to my knowledge thus far un-nominated: Peter Gabriel (and Genesis, I guess - their later crap probably shouldn't be allowed to de-value their earlier good stuff), the Cure, Cheap Trick. Are Abba in? What about AC/DC? I really have no idea if those two are in or have ever been nominated. (If the Nick Drake cult continues to grow, who knows? He might score a nomination in a few years, which would be bizarre.)

What about Lester Bangs for the non-performer wing?



Post Edited (09-17-05 18:40)

Who do I have to sleep with for the freakin' NY Dolls to get in? Geesh. I'm looking forward to next year - 1981 should put the Replacements up and with the dearth of US indie/punk represented I think they have a good shot - even though they were too good for the damn place. "Burn it down before they let Paul Westerberg in", as TJSA so eloquently put it. This is gonna get really creepy 5 years from now when Bon Jovi gets in and other stuff like that.

"If you were huge around the rest of the world but unknown in America, kiss your chances good-bye."
I'm not sure that bothers me. England can build one and put who they want in it. If France built one they would have only French bands. (As if the French had finally understood r-n-r hahahaha)

"Who do I have to sleep with for the freakin' NY Dolls to get in?"
me and breno, we'll set it up for you.

Shoulda been nominated due to eligibility:
B-52s
Bad Religion
Black Flag
Buzzcocks
Birthday Party
Damned
Dead Kennedys
Devo
Fall
Joy Division
Minutemen
Public Image ltd.
Siouxsie/ Banshees
Ultravox
X (for God's sakes!!)

Still, should be obvious we need an indie hall

Dave Clark Five deserve it about now but let's hear it for the Sex Clark Five!

Holy molé, Cat Stevens is nominated? What on earth has he ever had to do with "rock & roll"? Even tangentially? I guess Peter, Paul & Mary's nomination is imminent.

Mellencamp will probably get in. The Hall of Fame loves a veteran who's kept at it, whether he can claim to be a genuine influence on any later artists or not. That's how Bob Seger and Billy Joel got in, IMO; they were perceived to have "paid their dues."

I'd love to see Patti, Blondie, Sabbath, Flash & the Five, Chic, the Pistols and the Stooges get in. But there are a lot of other things I'd love to see, that I don't hold my breath waiting to see.

Unqualified agreement with Paganizer's list. Also, add Television, Roxy Music, Wire and XTC, just to name a few off the top of my head.

And to answer your question, Reno, AC/DC were inducted in 2003. Abba is not in the Hall; I don't know whether they've ever been nominated.

biggest omission (and i'm a voter, not a nominator) IMO: small faces

All the great bands mentioned here, that will never be considered for nomination, points out that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a big joke. Someone mentions that Bon Jovi will be inducted in a few years. I agree with that prediction. When he gets in, and the Pistols are ignored, there is no way to take that stupid thing seriously.

I agree about the Small Faces. Also--and I may be alone in this, given the punk/CBGB-heavy nature of this board--but I think the Ventures deserve a nod.

On the bright side, here are some people that have been around long enough to be eligible and probably had more top 40 hits than almost anyone who's actually in the hall, but as far as I know have never even been considered for induction:

Kansas
Styx
Journey
Foreigner
The Babys
Pat Benetar
REO Speedwagon
Rush
Starship
Chicago
The Scorpions
Sammy Hagar (though I'd have no problem with Van Halen getting in)
Yes
Emerson Lake & Palmer

So that puts things in some perspective - if the whole thing was based solely on sales, most of those wankers would be in.

Although actually a case could probaby be made for Yes or ELP or the Moody Blues (who I kind of like - "Ride My Seesaw" rocks!) - just because it's not fashionable to like Prog doesn't mean it should be completely ignored. Near as I can tell there's no progsters (well, I guess maybe Traffic? Were they considered prog?) in there at all, and hell, it wasn't completely worthless - most of it was, but there was an honest attempt to broaden horizons happening, too. (Funny how neo-prog like the Mars Volta and Coheed & Cambria are actually slotted in the punk sections of stores - how the hell did that ever come to be?) Though if any proggers got in it would be preferable if it were King Crimson or Peter Gabriel/Genesis. (Shame they can't say "Genesis through WIND & WUTHERING but everything after that can't be mentioned." Although Duke & Abacab both had a couple of decent things on them.

King Crimson, IMO, is a band worthy of induction. Personally, I'd have no problem with any of the prog bands Reno mentioned getting in, including Genesis or even Rush. (Listen, if the hall can even *think* of nominating Cat Stevens ...)

Frankly, I'd love to see Van Halen get inducted. It would mean that Roth, Hagar and Cherone would all be up at the podium -- the "moronic convergence." Jeez, you'd be able to feel the waves of jealousy, ego and resentment around the world! Might set off tremors in the bozone layer.

I wonder if Electric Light Orchestra will ever get nominated. I certainly don't feel they deserve it; IMO, they're right down there with the list of unworthies on Reno's last post ... but on the other hand, Jeff Lynne is the only Travelling Wilbury who's not in the Hall. I wonder if that ever bugs him. (Not that the Wilburys belong there, as a group, IMO.)

And I guess Mars Volta, Coheed & Cambria, et al. get slotted in the Punk section because (1) they'll sell better there and (2) most music stores don't have a Prog section.



Post Edited (09-28-05 10:48)

I'll always have a soft spot for ELO because for me they were basically the gateway drug to decent music. Don't know where my oldest brother heard of them in their pre-popularity days in the early 70s, especially in our little podunk part of the midwest, but he came across them somewhere and liked them and it was a revelation that you could actually seek out your own music and not have to rely on the radio, and soon that discovery led to Blue Oyster Cult, 10cc, Sparks and Roxy Music, all of which left us primed when the Dictators, Cheap Trick and Ramones showed up. By that time ELO had become massively popular but long since fallen out of favor with me (but not the Move, Roy Wood or the Idle Race, all of which are still beloved), but I'll always tip my hat to them and wish them well - without them I might have spent my high school years not knowing there were alternatives to REO Kanstyx.

And "Living Thing" sounds great over the closing credits of Boogie Nights.

The tragedy, of course, is that ELO stands a chance, while the Move don't even register in the R&RHoF universe

I agree about the Ventures... the hall of fame is a joke... Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments had a song called "Bombs Away On The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" and I share their sentiment... no worthwhile nominees this year? Are they stoned? Probably...

you can do what the fleshtones did - make your own hall of fame.

Articles of Faith
Gun Club
Fleshtones
New York Dolls
Suicide Comandos
Residents
Cramps
Germs
Mekons
PIL
Pretenders
Slits

plus the above mentioned

l cohen
capt beef
r wood/move/wizzard

I believe the Pretenders are already in.

we're on our way to sex clark five in the R&R Hall of Fame.

Peace

I have to mention that Sonic Youth released their first recording in 1982, so they are eligible. And deserving, thought I doubt that any group still as active as they are will get elected - the Hall seems primarily for those whose creative days are behind them.

I'll definitely watch the induction ceremony tonight - think it's on VH1 Classic. I just want to see Iggy performing for Madonna.

For my money, the most deserving inductees this year are Gamble & Huff. I was surprised to find out they weren't already in the thing.



Post Edited (03-10-08 16:36)