The first round of nominees have been announced, and they'll be pared down in December to the inductees, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in March 2011. Let's take a look at the nominees:
Bon Jovi: Seminal arena rockers from New Jersey with a slew of Top 40 hits. Their influence on rock and roll is pretty evident when looking at modern rock radio and the parade of hair-metallers that came after them. I can see inducting them eventually, but this isn't their year. Give them a couple of years.
Beastie Boys: The trio from New York broke hip-hop into white culture and into the mainstream. They merged rock and rap long before many other bands started to do it (though previous Hall inductees Run DMC did it before they did). Their subject matter was often controversial and thought-proviking, and their use of sampling was groundbreaking. They'll get in this year, they definitely deserve it.
Neil Diamond: One of the kings of AM radio in the 70s and pop crooner/writer without peer, Diamond dominated pop music for more than a decade. His work is still covered by lounge singers, rock bands and jazz acts alike. Not exactly a rock icon, but his work in songwriting and pop music is worthy of recognition. He gets in this year.
Alice Cooper: Interesting Alice Cooper gets nominated and Kiss is nowhere to be found, though, in my opinion, Alice makes much better music. Merging metal with on stage theatrics, Alice Cooper and his band of the same name shocked audiences through the 70s and scared parents into taking his albums away from their kids. Cooper understood that rock music is a spectacle and should be treated as such. Still making music too, though nothing like his early work. He's in for sure this year.
Donovan: Hippy folk singer from the 70s. His work was synonymous with the psychedelic movement and he wound spacy rhythms with traditional folk. Best known for the sublime tunes "Sunshine Superman", "Mellow Yellow" and "Hurdy Gurdy Man". Donovan's work is still influencing today's indy rockers and folk balladeers. He deserves to be inducted this year.
Tom Waits: This guy's a shoe-in. Not only is he an amazing songwriter and organizer, he's also one of the most original musicians every to exist. Taking a bourbon-damaged voice and combining it with a junkyard style approach to making music, Waits is almost uncategorizable. Part Frank Sinatra, part Jack Kerouac, part Residents. Induct him this year for sure.
LL Cool J: This is an interesting nomination. I've heard some rumblings that LL Cool J shouldn't be nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because he's firmly entrenched in rap and didn't influence rock at all. Well, Run DMC and Grandmaster Flash are already in the Hall and their influence on rock is undeniable. Listen to "Rock the Bells" and tell me LL isn't straddling rock and rap. The lines between rock and urban music are more blurred than ever today. LL deserves to be in the Hall, but he'll probably get skipped over this year.
Chic: Fronted by producer/musician Nile Rodgers, Chic were a pioneering band in disco, merging dance and funk into a highly enjoyable product. Chic transcended disco. While the focus on the groove was at the forefront, Chic refused to be a cookie-cutter dance band. Check out their single "Le Freak" if you want to hear some bone-rattling disco-funk. Chic have been nominated before, but I think they'll be passed over again this year.
Dr. John: This is the only other shoo-in I see on the list. Dr. John's name is synonymous with the sound of New Orleans. His work runs the gamut from rock to folk to blues to cajun to jazz. He's a master of his form and his influence on New Orleans and cajun music is undeniable. Everyone from Harry Connick to Buckwheat Zydeco owe something to Dr. John. He should be at the top of the list for this years inductees.
J. Geils Band: This one may raise some eyebrows. I think most people write off J. Giels Band as a corny one or two hit wonder from the early 80s. The band started as a blues rock band in the 70s (J. Giels is the guitarist, not the lead singer) and made some very enjoyable albums in the 70s rock/Fleetwood Mac style. In the 80s, with Peter Wolf at the helm, they were well known for "Freeze Frame", "Love Stinks" and "Centerfold". Good band, but I don't think they belong in the Hall of Fame yet.
Darlene Love: Her name might not ring a bell as a solo artist, but Love was the front-line vocalist for The Blossoms, a seminal Motown style band, recorded for Phil Spector and sang lead vocals for Bob B. Soxx for the single "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" and The Crystals for the legendary single "He's a Rebel". I'd love to see her inducted but I don't think this will be her year.
Laura Nyro: I love this nominee as a dark horse. I could see Laura Nyro squeaking in under the wire. Nyro is a wonderful singer/songwriter that ranges from folk to pop to jazz to classical. Elton John called her one of his influences, as has Elvis Costello. She started recording in the late 60s with folk influenced albums similar to Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell's work. Her music has been covered by the Fifth Dimension and Blood, Sweat and Tears among others. She's got an outside shot of getting in this year.
Donna Summer: You can't mention disco without thinking of Donna Summer's work. She had a long string of hits in the late 70s and survived the anti-disco backlash and continued to score hits well into the 80s. She made a nice transition into an AM radio mainstay, acting like a more sophisticated version of Whitney Houston at the time. Her influence on modern soul music is obvious. She deserves to be in the Hall.
Joe Tex: Joe Tex has been nominated before. He's a rough-voiced southern soul singer who is sometimes cited as an early influence to hip-hop. He's worth mentioning just for his smash single "Hold What You've Got". Doubtful he'll make it in this year.
Chuck Willis: A notable pioneer of rock music, Willis was a blues player who's work inspired artists like Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Otis Redding. He's best known for his version of "C.C. Rider". The Hall usually inducts one important pioneer each year, if it's not Love, it'll be Chuck Willis.
My predictions for induction, in order: Dr. John, Tom Waits, Beastie Boys, Neil Diamond, Donna Summer, Alice Cooper, Donovan, Chuck Willis
No comments:
Post a Comment