yes finally the moody blues!

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MisterDDDD
The Cars getting the nod before J Geils Band illuminates the farce the hall has become. Glad to see Sister Rosetta Tharpe get the respect.

Happy for Sister Rosetta Tharpe as well.

Have officially come to the conclusion that the R&RHOF is not worthy of having the J. Geils Band.

Peace,
Mr DJA

They seem to be scraping the bottom of the barrel. Bill Mazeroski may be next.
(American baseball HOF joke. May not translate over the pond.)

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MisterDDDD
The Cars getting the nod before J Geils Band illuminates the farce the hall has become. Glad to see Sister Rosetta Tharpe get the respect.

Peter Wolf is one of the top frontman of all times. I agree

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frenki09
"With Chuck Berry or The Rolling Stones, the decision was a no-brainer," adds a nominating committee veteran. "There aren’t many no-brainers now," says Jann Wenner, 69, chairman of the Rock Hall Foundation and founder, editor and publisher of Rolling Stone.

A few no-brainers that still have not been inducted -- and I am being very objective here:

Ten Years After (A personal favourite of mine, but even if you don't like them you know they should have been inducted into the Hall a long time ago! Long, long time ago! Alvin Lee is one of the few guitar Gods! It just hurts that I would see Bon Jovi being inducted before these legends. BJ may have been commercially more successful, but that should matter the least when nominating artists, musicians.)
Jethro Tull
Black Crowes
ELP
Canned Heat (never even nominated much to my surprise)
Willie Nelson
Doobie Bros.
Monkees
Procol Harum
Bad Company
Steppenwolf
Nazareth
Mott the Hoople

And how about Uriah Heep or Blood Sweat and Tears? Rory Gallagher?

No John Mayall or Alexis Korner???!!!!!!!!!!

The Troggs never even nominated? Not once?!

Outrageous!

[Not In The Hall Of Fame]

I was about to mention Ten Years After when I saw your post. Did anyone associated with the RRHOF ever watch Woodstock? TYA just killed it, that was pure rock and roll! Their "Live at the Fillmore East" recording is brilliant. For some reason, Alvin was often criticized for his playing style, but he played some incredible ROCK AND ROLL, which is what this supposed institution is all about.

I also agree that Procol Harum should be in. Both these bands should have been inducted long ago.

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bam
They seem to be scraping the bottom of the barrel. Bill Mazeroski may be next.
(American baseball HOF joke. May not translate over the pond.)

Very funny><

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bam
They seem to be scraping the bottom of the barrel. Bill Mazeroski may be next.
(American baseball HOF joke. May not translate over the pond.)

Mario Mendoza deserves it more than Mazeroski IMO. (Sorry, another baseball reference). Heck, Mendoza probably deserves it more than some of the artists inducted just for his historical contribution to popular culture.

Peace,
Mr DJA

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mr_dja

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bam
They seem to be scraping the bottom of the barrel. Bill Mazeroski may be next.
(American baseball HOF joke. May not translate over the pond.)

Mario Mendoza deserves it more than Mazeroski IMO. (Sorry, another baseball reference). Heck, Mendoza probably deserves it more than some of the artists inducted just for his historical contribution to popular culture.

I wonder what is the "Mendoza line" for the RRHOF . . . I think we've reached it long ago.

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DaveG

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mr_dja

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bam
They seem to be scraping the bottom of the barrel. Bill Mazeroski may be next.
(American baseball HOF joke. May not translate over the pond.)

Mario Mendoza deserves it more than Mazeroski IMO. (Sorry, another baseball reference). Heck, Mendoza probably deserves it more than some of the artists inducted just for his historical contribution to popular culture.

I wonder what is the "Mendoza line" for the RRHOF . . . I think we've reached it long ago.

Tru Dat. That would be a fun exercise though... Determine the Mendoza Line for the RRHOF... I like it.

Peace,
Mr DJA

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Chester

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bitusa2012
Bon Jovi??? C'mon.....

....ahead of the Moody's or Dire Straits? Or Nina Simone? NO way.

Bon Jovi, like Huey Lewis to me, would struggle as a PUB band in Australia, just so generically awful.

Could not agree more. Bon Jovi is quite possibly the worst band ever.

Ha Ha! Seeing Bon Jovi get the nod is kind of surreal for me. I actually went to high school with Jon Bongioviin Sayreville NJ. No one had any clue he'd go so far. He was just another kid in gym class. Only think that stuck out was his hair was a bit longer than most and everybody knew he was trying to put a band together. I don't begrudge him his good fortune, but his music never did much for me.

"Gonna find my way to heaven ..."

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DaveG

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frenki09
"With Chuck Berry or The Rolling Stones, the decision was a no-brainer," adds a nominating committee veteran. "There aren’t many no-brainers now," says Jann Wenner, 69, chairman of the Rock Hall Foundation and founder, editor and publisher of Rolling Stone.

A few no-brainers that still have not been inducted -- and I am being very objective here:

Ten Years After (A personal favourite of mine, but even if you don't like them you know they should have been inducted into the Hall a long time ago! Long, long time ago! Alvin Lee is one of the few guitar Gods! It just hurts that I would see Bon Jovi being inducted before these legends. BJ may have been commercially more successful, but that should matter the least when nominating artists, musicians.)
Jethro Tull
Black Crowes
ELP
Canned Heat (never even nominated much to my surprise)
Willie Nelson
Doobie Bros.
Monkees
Procol Harum
Bad Company
Steppenwolf
Nazareth
Mott the Hoople

And how about Uriah Heep or Blood Sweat and Tears? Rory Gallagher?

No John Mayall or Alexis Korner???!!!!!!!!!!

The Troggs never even nominated? Not once?!

Outrageous!

[Not In The Hall Of Fame]

I was about to mention Ten Years After when I saw your post. Did anyone associated with the RRHOF ever watch Woodstock? TYA just killed it, that was pure rock and roll! Their "Live at the Fillmore East" recording is brilliant. For some reason, Alvin was often criticized for his playing style, but he played some incredible ROCK AND ROLL, which is what this supposed institution is all about.

I also agree that Procol Harum should be in. Both these bands should have been inducted long ago.

Ten Years After should be in for "I'd Love to Change the World." It's an anthem. Same with Procol Harum and "Whiter Shade of Pale."

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marianna


Ten Years After should be in for "I'd Love to Change the World."

I agree it's a great song...but isn't there a line about "dykes and fairies" in it?

That right there could keep them out forever.

Love Ten Years After, and while it is slightly funny that Bon Jovi gets the nod, I do understand it. Ten Years After had a moment. A phenomenal moment with Woodstock and a couple hits around it (I think Ssssssh is one of my favorite albums ever) but they never truly broke out, which I do think is an aspect of the Hall Of Fame. Bon Jovi, for all of their silliness, were more of a moment. They do still out arenas and some stadiums whether many like them or not (and I really don't) and they survived many fads and had consistent hits and lasting popularity. I do think that means something. No they're no Zeppelin and shouldn't be in the same sentence as them, but neither are Ten Years After. And unfortunately, I think Ten Years After and bands like that are fantastic bands that are for fans and of that moment. Bon Jovi, like them or not, have proven otherwise and while I wouldn't necessarily put them in, I understand why they are in the discussion.

I think that Rock's best years--the formative ones--were the 50's, 60's and 70's.

That's not saying that there haven't been great groups since. But the pace of innovation and change have slowed down over time. The 50's artists laid the foundation, and the sounds of the 60's and early 70's built the house and business that everyone still lives in. Bands from the late 70's on didn't really have to create a structure...they just moved right in.

Those early bands didn't have any idea how long their careers would last. The idea that the Rolling Stones would still be playing in their 70's was impossible to imagine--the thought of it was a laugh!

By the time the Rock HoF was formed, the whole Rock thing was firmly established. A band that formed 25 years ago had some idea of where it could all lead to.


I think a third-or-fourth tier band from the 50's or 60's is more worthy than a top ranked band from the 80's. Why? Well, because they were pioneers. They didn't know where it would all lead. They grew up in a pre-Rock world, so they were a part of--or at least understood the importance of--the cultural Big Bang that Rock n Roll created.

And if they were guys, they probably got the crap beaten out of them for wearing their hair too long.

Also, if you were a fourth tier band in the 60's, look at your competition: maybe you only had two chart hits, but the group you knocked out of #1 were The Beatles! Or you had a song that was racing up the charts behind the Stones, or at a dance was sandwiched between songs by Marvin Gaye or James Brown...

You see what I mean? Newer groups don't have to go up against Led Zeppelin like Humble Pie (not in the HoF) did.


You can see how they program each year's inductees like a variety show, a little bit of this a little of that. But the problem with putting in Bon Jovi and the like(which is good marketing for bringing younger people with families to a tourist attraction in Cleveland) right now is that it's preventing a bunch of very fine artists (Paul Rodgers is a great vocalist, and while I never warmed to Bad Company, he and Simon Kirke ought to be in with Free) of not getting in during their lifetimes.

The RnR HoF picks have for too long been based on marketing, record industry politics, Jann Wenner's hipster insecurity and tunnel vision.

Who should be in? Not their choices.

A million Johnny Hallyday fans on the streets of Paris can't be wrong...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-12-14 02:54 by loog droog.

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RollingFreak
Love Ten Years After, and while it is slightly funny that Bon Jovi gets the nod, I do understand it. Ten Years After had a moment. A phenomenal moment with Woodstock and a couple hits around it (I think Ssssssh is one of my favorite albums ever) but they never truly broke out, which I do think is an aspect of the Hall Of Fame. Bon Jovi, for all of their silliness, were more of a moment. They do still out arenas and some stadiums whether many like them or not (and I really don't) and they survived many fads and had consistent hits and lasting popularity. I do think that means something. No they're no Zeppelin and shouldn't be in the same sentence as them, but neither are Ten Years After. And unfortunately, I think Ten Years After and bands like that are fantastic bands that are for fans and of that moment. Bon Jovi, like them or not, have proven otherwise and while I wouldn't necessarily put them in, I understand why they are in the discussion.

I understand your justification for Bon Jovi even though I think they're horrible (which is beside the point), but there's absolutely no justification for keeping Ten Years After out.
As I mentioned last year and probably the year before (and the year before), when you have acts like pop diva Madonna inducted and classic rock staple Bad Company not - the whole thing literally stinks like dog crap.
And what about Free? Does anybody remember All Right Now? Why have they been snubbed?

Emerson, Lake, and Palmer should be in. Madonna should not.
The Johnny Burnette Rock and Roll Trio should be in. Madonna should not.
The Doobie Brothers should be in. Madonna should not.
T.Rex should be in. Madonna should not.
Devo should be in. Madonna should not.
MC5 should be in. Madonna should not.
New York Dolls, Sonic Youth, Thin Lizzy, Steppenwolf, etc., etc. etc., and they induct Madonna over these bands?
The list goes on..............

And how in the hell is Green Day in before any of the above?!!!

Other questionable inductees imo for a ROCK and ROLL hall:

Donna Summer (disco)
N.W.A. (rap)
Joan Baez (folk)
Tupac (rap)
Run DMC (rap)
Michael Jackson (King of pop) and the Jackson 5 (motown pop)

That's just to name a few...and while I don't have a problem with them or their music, I don't see how they belong in a Rock hall of fame over some of the other bands I previously mentioned who are all steeped in Rock and Roll (yes even Devo)

Another gripe:

If James Taylor is in, why not Warren Zevon and Jim Croce?
And how do all of those questionable inductees mentioned above get in before Zevon, Croce, and the Dead Kennedys?!!!

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-12-14 03:30 by Hairball.

I do really agree with most of that. There's a ton of variables. Does a band like Dave Clark Five belong in. I love them, and they had hit after hit. I don't wanna say that they weren't Zeppelin, cause thats obvious. You could argue a lower tier band did more than a top tier band from a different era, but I do think even though maybe someone like U2 didn't "innovate" as much as others, they still had a ton to go up against to get to where they are. Not simply because there wasn't as much competition. The best acts survived, or at least thats the only way I think you can qualify who should get in. The big ones that did something and are still around. The U2's, the Pearl Jam's, the Red Hot Chili Peppers', and unfortunately (to some) the Bon Jovi's.

Those bands might not have done as much as the absolute classics, but neither did many others from the 60s or 70s. I mean does Steve Miller REALLY belong in the Hall Of Fame? Does Chicago? Does Linda Ronstadt? All people I really like, but I feel "very good" people from the 60s and 70s are the same as the "best" people from the 80s and 90s. I don't know. I don't think they're both ruining the Hall, but I also am not sure one is more important than the other. Even though I agree with the fact that a lot of bands had less idea of where it would go. I do think the best have enough in their corner though.

My father and I go back and forth all the time about Jethro Tull. We both really like them, but he thinks they belong and I don't. I don't think their 3ish great albums are enough to get them in. Nothing after Thick As A Brick REALLY matters that much IMO, and my father doesn't even like Thick As A Brick. He loves their main 3 (Benefit, Stand Up and Aqualung) and I just don't think those 3, with Aqualung being the only one that most people truly know, is enough to get them in. They would go in that "very good" thing that many others would fall under as well.

I think there are people they are truly missing from the Hall: Harry Nilsson, Judas Priest. But then you get to people like Badfinger who I love but I'm like "do they?" Hard to say.

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ChrisG
yes finally the moody blues!

YES!!!!!!!

Also Hairball, I completely agree with you. Madonna is my one huge negative as well. Once that happened I thought the whole thing has truly lost the plot. I agree when she's in EVERYONE should be in, but I just try to hold it to standards. I ADORE T Rex. The Slider is one of my favorite albums of all time. I'd never say he should be in. Over Madonna? Of course. But in an actual HOF, I would never put him in, much as I love him. While I do think there are actual people that deserve to be in and aren't.

I also don't hold it against Green Day that they are in above those names. Thats not their fault, its just politics. Green Day is more "sexy". I do think they should be in and I'm not a big fan. I won't go into all the reasons (I can but that'll be boring) but I wouldn't not induct them because they've screwed up other people. Although I do think they could wait. But I do think Green Day is more deserving than T Rex. We agree on the basic principle though. We agree on way more than we disagree which is rare !

Thanks for reminding me - JETHRO TULL SHOULD BE IN FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!! Tupac and Madonna are in, and Jethro Tull is not?
You think Judas Priest should be in before Jethro Tull?!!! A metal band over a progressive rock mainstay of every classic rock radio station in the world?
But that's a matter of personal preference I suppose....

And you didn't address the non rock and roll factor with all of those questionable artists I mentioned.
Harry Nilsson, Badfinger, and yes even Judas Priest belong in there when you consider some of the questionable ones!

And yes - Steve Miller, Chicago, and Lina Ronstadt belong, as does U2 based solely on their first two or three albums.
If Madonna et al are in, every rock band that has ever walked the face of the earth should be in as well - even amateur garage bands.

______________________________________________________________________

edit: I now see your second post regarding Madonna - and at least we can agree on that.



edit 2:

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RollingFreak
I do think Green Day is more deserving than T Rex

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2017-12-14 03:55 by Hairball.

I also completely agree with you about the non rock acts. The rap stuff is beyond stupid (I even like some of it but it doesn't belong in a ROCK Hall) but even with it I still try and think every year "of the people they give me who do I REALLY think deserves it of that group?" This year I thought that was Dire Straits, Moody Blues and Bon Jovi, but yeah thats just preference, trying to be an unbiased one cause I'm not a Bon Jovi fan. I thought a few others did too (I'm a big supporter of the MC5 going in) but you take what you can get with this crappy Hall. In the end it means nothing.

EDIT: I just think Green Day did what many bands from their era haven't done which is hit in two different decades, and consistently be able to fill arenas. I don't like Green Day more than T Rex, not even close. But I do think they've done more to further music today (little as it is) than T Rex did in the day. Again, can't stress my love for T Rex enough, and I know people like David Bowie wanted to be him, but I think what his work actually did wasn't on a HOF level. As always, its very possible I'm wrong.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-12-14 04:03 by RollingFreak.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a joke.

How can pop rock like Bon Jovi be considered Hall of Fame worthy? Bon Jovi joins such undeserving acts as Madonna, ABBA, Donna Summer (just to name a few) and any rap artist that is in there. Should Led Zeppelin be in the rap hall of fame? Which lightweight is next? Poison, Motley Crue, Warrant? #zerocredibility

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James Kirk
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a joke.

How can pop rock like Bon Jovi be considered Hall of Fame worthy? Bon Jovi joins such undeserving acts as Madonna, ABBA, Donna Summer (just to name a few) and any rap artist that is in there. Should Led Zeppelin be in the rap hall of fame? Which lightweight is next? Poison, Motley Crue, Warrant? #zerocredibility

Case closed.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

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James Kirk
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a joke.

How can pop rock like Bon Jovi be considered Hall of Fame worthy? Bon Jovi joins such undeserving acts as Madonna, ABBA, Donna Summer (just to name a few) and any rap artist that is in there. Should Led Zeppelin be in the rap hall of fame? Which lightweight is next? Poison, Motley Crue, Warrant? #zerocredibility

what about the lightweight bands from the 60's that are in?

list is so lame this year. especially when you consider all the great & influential bands that aren't in there. total nyc cultural imperialism.

I'm done.

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keefriffhard4life

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James Kirk
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a joke.

How can pop rock like Bon Jovi be considered Hall of Fame worthy? Bon Jovi joins such undeserving acts as Madonna, ABBA, Donna Summer (just to name a few) and any rap artist that is in there. Should Led Zeppelin be in the rap hall of fame? Which lightweight is next? Poison, Motley Crue, Warrant? #zerocredibility

what about the lightweight bands from the 60's that are in?

What about the "lightweight" 60's bands that AREN'T in?

I think Jan and Dean, Peter and Gordon, the Walker Brothers, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Tommy James and the Shondells, the Turtles, and the Monkees are just a couple of groups that made some really GREAT records and should be in. I know the AM Top 40/pre-Monterey Pop artists conflict with Jann Wenner's Great Artist vision of Rock n Roll, but the proof is in the grooves.

Joe Tex and Rufus Thomas were not "lightweights" but they didn't always take themselves seriously. In today's humorless world that must somehow be a crime.

How Mediocre Bands Get Into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
A former record executive explains why Dire Straits will be inducted next year, but not Radiohead.

Beyond good and evil, there is just banality. A dullness that dishonors every reason rock’n’roll was created, every intensive, pragmatic, romantic or aggressive reason people we were drawn to it, defined by it, inspired, balmed and elated by it. This banality also minimizes the great thrash of history, cruelty and social anxiety that spans, speeds, and scars the story of rock’n’roll.

That’s why I feel it’s necessary to complain about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The omissions, biases, and distortions of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are more predictable than tears at a pet’s grave. The Hall is, more than anything, an incomplete monument; it is an anthill pretending to be Everest. It tells only a fragment of the great story.

If you wonder why the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is such a Towering Shitstack of Low/Mid Expectations, try citing a simple and convenient formula I’ve detected. You’ll find that the Hall applies this formula to virtually any and every act that has been inducted, or is being considered:

Did they sell a lot of records in the United States? + Did Rolling Stone like ‘em a lot? + Springsteen and Little Steven are okay with this, correct? + They’re not heavy metal, right? + Did they ever piss off Jann or diss the Hall in any significant or public way? + Will they play our Awards Show?

The 2018 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are Bon Jovi, The Cars, Dire Straits, Moody Blues, Nina Simone, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. From our Realpolitik point of view, this isn’t a bad class at all. There’s one very notable exception, however, so let’s discuss that first:

The idea of inducting Dire Straits, an FM mediocrity with no real traction beyond the approving nods of some uninventive rock critics and sloe-voiced FM radio DJ’s three or four decades ago, is a grave insult to the genuinely inventive and incendiary rock artists nominated this year, like, Rage Against the Machine or MC5.

There is truly no rational world where Dire Straits (who are a likable band in some ways, no doubt) deserve an honor that, say, the New York Dolls, Judas Priest, or Motörhead has been deprived of. My god, are you telling me Dire Straits impacted the world, creatively or commercially, more than Kraftwerk or New Order? Honestly, I could make a case, a damn good one, that Frankie Goes to @#$%& Hollywood belong in the Hall more than Dire Straits.

Now, why would I say such a thing?

No one ever fled the suburbs and moved to the City because of Dire Straits. No one ever felt better after being mocked by a bully because of Dire Straits. No one ever saw Dire Straits on TV and thought, “My god, I am not alone.” No one ever wrote “Dire Straits” on the back of their notebook and made that one friend who saved their life.

Here’s what people think of when they consider Dire Straits:

“Ohhhh…I kinda like Dire Straits. I remember Rolling Stone used to talk about what a good guitarist that dude was. And I really liked that song with Sting on it! Wait…maybe I’m thinking of the Weird Al version – you know, I actually liked the Weird Al Version more.”

Friends, that is not a Hall of Fame type act. You know that and I know that.

Now, the truest thing we can say about rock’n’roll culturally is that it is the sound of America’s disenfranchised, made electric. At every level, the sound of American rock’n’pop can be traced back to the urban and rural poor, the sons and daughters of slaves, sharecroppers, coalminers and Pullman porters, and the integration of the musical and rhythmic heritage of old-world immigrants – willing and unwilling – into an American vernacular.

With this in mind, we should feel damn good about the induction of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who represents this spirit in a very real and direct fashion.

I don’t have any issue at all with the Bon Jovi induction. This is a band that worked hard, had an honest bond with their constituency, had legs, and sold gazillions of records. In terms of inducting people solely because of commercial performance – which, to a certain degree, is a totally reasonable criterion – you can do a lot worse than Bon Jovi. I only hope that when they give their induction speeches, they acknowledge the rather enormous influence non-HOF’ers Thin Lizzy had on their sound and songwriting.

Likewise, in our Realpolitik sense, the induction of the awful Cars makes sense. The Cars were a reasonably credible and influential band that racked up some impressive sales and have emerged as a prime caricature of the sound of a certain era. Oh, and I say ‘awful Cars’ only because Ric Ocasek is a grade-A prick; apart from that, I kind of like what they did, blending Roxy Music, Tommy James, and Modern Lovers into a finely-buffed pink and checkerboard leatherette.

Now, the Moody Blues definitely belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, even one established outside the turgid, imagination-less Glen Frey-felching of Jann Wenner. Days of Future Passed and In Search of the Lost Chord are monstrously inventive, wondrous, influential, and pioneering albums – absolutely blue and chewy velvet fogs of orchestral and mellotronic wistful psychedelia, sitting somewhere between Pet Sounds and Piper at the Gates of Dawn and Night of the Proms – and they have dated exceptionally well. So bully on that.

Oh, and Nina Simone — this smacks a little of PC gerrymandering (and I suspect she may have landed in the top five only when another act was evicted), but only a misanthrope who did most of his grocery shopping in the food aisle at Rite Aid could complain about that induction (and as I note below, the Hall might actually benefit from some gerrymandering).

Now, a few words about the artists who were nominated for the Class of ‘18 but did not get inducted:

I am extremely surprised that Radiohead didn’t make the cut. They are universally beloved by rock critics and have an enormous commercial profile. I strongly believe (though I confess I have no evidence of this) that they were voted in, but were removed from the final five. At the time of their nomination, Radiohead announced that if they were inducted, they would not play at the Awards Ceremony. This is precisely the kind of f-ckery Wenner et al. does not take kindly to. There is a long tradition of lesser award shows (like the MTV VMAs or the American Music Awards) shifting winners around on the basis of who was willing to perform on the all-important and income generating TV broadcast, and there is absolutely zero reason to believe that the R’n’R HOF wouldn’t resort to the same tricks.

I’m also slightly surprised that the Eurythmics, who had one of the genuinely compelling frontwomen of the era, didn’t make the cut. See, when it comes to an act like Eurythmics, I apply the always-useful H&O SOM© (the Hall & Oates Standard of Measure). The H&O SOM© works like this: Hall & Oates are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (wait, are you telling me Hall & Oates are in the Hall of Fame, and Brian Eno, The Cure, and Def Leppard aren’t? Uh-huh, that’s right). Is this particular act we’re considering more interesting, more popular, or more influential then Hall & Oates?

Eurythmics – Definitely yes.

Let’s apply the H&O SOM© to some other acts who were nominated for the 2018 class but didn’t make the cut: The MC5, oh god yes; The Zombies, yes (but I would venture that the Troggs, who will never sniff the Hall, are considerably more important and interesting than the Zombies); Rufus featuring Chakha Khan – maybe, but I think, when push comes to shove, that’s not a Hall of Fame level act; the Meters, definitely; and Link Wray, definitely. Oh, and the J. Geils Band are likable, heck, even lovable, but they’re not a Hall of Fame band. They were an act that boosted our souls and spirits while we were waiting for punk rock to happen, and they were refreshing and honest, but is the Hall of Fame just a collection of bands that amused us, or should it honor pioneers and artists who actually moved and changed us?

In the coming years, whatever is wrong with the Hall will probably just get worse. Wenner is likely to lose his Rolling Stone soapbox (he and his family have put the magazine up for sale), which will mean that he will see the Hall as his living memorial and seat of power, both things he will guard zealously. Likewise, other Hall poo-bahs (like John Landau and Dave Marsh) are aging, and very unlikely to change their colors.

What does this mean for the future?

Look for more awards to be created for Bruce Springsteen. You know how Scientology keeps on inventing new titles for Tom Cruise? That’s the relationship the Hall has with Springsteen. And expect all the abnormal and now comical biases against heavy metal, 1980s British alt-pop powerhouses, ‘70s British rock that sold better in the UK than the States, and independent/alternative pathfinders to continue.

Can it be changed? First, you have to assume there’s a willingness to change, and there’s no evidence that’s the case. It’s also possible that any changes may actually make things worse since they would very likely come from HBO, who certainly want younger and hotter acts on the Awards telecast, and therefore may push for some juggling of the entry criteria. In all seriousness, I bet you that right now an HBO exec is writing a memo that says, “If we lower the entry criteria from 25 years from the first release to ten years, does that mean we can get Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran on the damn TV show?”

But let’s pretend they did want to change.

Roy Traikin, an excellent veteran music journalist, has proposed that each year the Hall should target one sub-genre to honor – punk, post-punk, British Invasion, heavy metal, etcetera – and ensure that one act from these severely under-represented groups gets their day in the sun. This is a very decent idea (and might allow for some of the most egregious omissions, like Kraftwerk, New York Dolls, or Iron Maiden, to be amended). However, this would only be a Band-Aid, and would not alter the fact that there is something deeply flawed with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fames’ nominating process and voter’s rolls.

This defect is revealed, again and again, by the following factors:

The consistent absence in the Hall of any but the most obvious heavy metal acts, even if some of these bands are commercially massive and artistically respected (Maiden, Priest), or as profoundly influential and merch-ubiquitous as any act of the of the last forty years (Motörhead, Slayer). Clearly, This is a problem with the nominating process and the voter rolls.

The consistent absence of a meaningful selection of the commercially massive and artistically respected British artists of the 1970s and ‘80s (Depeche Mode, for one, still make the kind of concert money and generate a level of interest in their new recordings that most aging Hall of Famers would probably literally kill for, and Duran Duran, Morrissey, and New Order are not far behind). Likewise, we can only shake our heads in repeated disbelief at the absence of Mott the Hoople, Kate Bush, Roxy Music, T Rex, Slade, and Thin Lizzy. Clearly, This is a problem with the nominating process and the voter rolls.

The consistent absence of any acts that emerged from the American indie label underground in the late 1970s and ‘80s, despite the fact that some of these artists are the most impactful and respected of our era. Sonic Youth are inarguably one of the five most influential rocks acts of the last four decades (even bands who have never heard them imitate their musical tics); Black Flag essentially created the template for American independent touring and promotion; the Misfits, are, well, the rock upon which the entire freaking Hot Topic generation was built, and could probably outsell, on a concert tour, three-quarters of the still-extant bands in the Hall; and so on. These issues, never changing, clearly reflect a problem with the nominating process and the voter rolls.

Until something is done to address this — why do these problems keep on happening – any Band-Aid is a drop in the bucket and any criticism is just spilling cold urine on a warm MacBook.

Finally, for the record (even though it is, I admit, a tired old record), here’s my list of the 10 biggest omissions from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:

Kraftwerk; Alan Lomax; Kate Bush; Iron Maiden; The Smiths; Judas Priest; Motörhead; Joy Division/New Order; Madness; and the Kingston Trio (and right behind this, Harry Nilsson and Slayer). Why Madness, you ask? In their homeland, Madness are possibly the most ubiquitous and loved English pop act since Queen, as much a part of the English Way of Life as any non-Beatles act in history. As for The Kingston Trio, In the late 1950s and early ‘60s, they dominated pop as very, very few acts ever have: they had fourteen top ten albums, in November and December of 1959 alone they had four albums in the top ten, and they were an enormous part of creating the folk boom that led directly to the shape of the 1960s.

Tim Sommer is an avant-garde musician, a record producer and former Atlantic Records A&R executive. He has also worked as a radio and club DJ and an MTV and VH1 News VJ.

[www.realclearlife.com]

short answer

dire straits earned it and radiohead hasn't

Quote
keefriffhard4life
short answer

dire straits earned it and radiohead hasn't

How come? 32 years active, 9 albums released, round 40 million albums sold, they made a huge impact with several of their albums, instead of merely a few popular singles – as well as still being very popular and active today.

How did Dire Straits earn this more?

Sadly, that last article read like one of the endless "Why don't The Rolling Stones retire already because they're making millions while I'm just a critic" articles that newspapers and the world of blogging love. They work because some people snigger and nod in agreement while others are outraged and the editor considers any reaction a win-win.

Many well-written opinions on this always divisive topic in this thread of late. I think loog droog has to take top honors at the moment. Most of us are impassioned, but few of us channel those emotions so well. For all the ugliness that mars so much of the internet, including IORR, there are still threads like this that remind me why I want to continue reading and learning from this place.