The Louvre of Cleveland
"Musicians, industry professionals and journalists" will vote on the following nominees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and although I marginally qualify as all three, I was not invited to participate. Yet here are my votes, from most to least deserving:
Blondie - Debbie Harry is phenomenal and the versatile band maintained credibility shifting from punk to disco, rap to reggae.
Black Sabbath - Because AC/DC's in there (and they should be), these guys are a no-doubter.
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Turn it up.
The Sex Pistols - I hate them and think they're overrated. But there's no doubt about their influence and their place in this hall of fame.
John Mellencamp - Not a huge fan of him, but an excellent storyteller. His Middle America anthems appeal to Blue Staters, too.
Cat Stevens - Extremely annoying and politically frustrating, but prolific and among the best of the folk-rock singer-songwriters.
Miles Davis - First-ballot Jazz Hall of Fame. But does he really "rock"?
Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five - First-ballot Rap Hall of Fame. Same question as Miles Davis.
J. Geils Band - (to the chorus melody of "Centerfold") Nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-NO.
Stooges - I've heard of them, but know nothing about them. So they'll have to pay for my ignorance.
Chic - Awww, freak out! Nice try. Oh, wait, they're really nominated?
The Patti Smith Group - Meh.
Dave Clark Five - Who?
Joe Tex - Who?
Sir Douglas Quintet - No, really. Who?
5 comments:
The Dave Clark Five - They're old. They'll get in.
The Stooges - Iggy Pop, man!
Wait, Miles and Grandmaster Flash are DQ'd for not rocking, but John Cougar does?
Totally blanked on Iggy Pop being a part of the Stooges. I'd bump them up on the list between Cat Stevens and Miles Davis and punt on whether or not I'd induct them.
If Mellencamp's "Rockin' in the USA" and "Pink Houses" aren't rock, then I don't know what is.
While BB King exemplifies the rock-blues fusion that makes him worthy of induction, Miles never felt like rock to me. And Grandmaster Flash & the FF are awesome and the foundation for all subsequent mainstream rap, no doubt. They just don't scream "rock" to me, either. Although I'll be among the first to defend rap's worth, rap unto itself is a hard sell for me for this Hall of Fame.
I totally forgot... Skynyrd... they deserve to get in, but they were definitely the Tobey Keith of their day.
Is there any lyric that's aged more poorly than "Watergate does not bother me?"
Good points about the vowel-challenged Skynyrd. And you're right: No lyric comes close.
um hi. yeah so i was RAISED on the Dave Clark Five. I think that this is part of the reson i like englishmen so much...
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