Hey Soul Mates,
Happy Halloween. And special Halloween birthday shout-outs to King AdRock (Adam Horovitz) and Larry Mullen, Jr. Hard to believe the AdRock is 40. Yikes. Time flies when your fighting for your right to party.
The nominations for the Rock Hall Class of '07 have been announced. And the nominees are: R.E.M., Patti Smith, Chic, the Dave Clark Five, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, The Ronettes, the Stooges, Joe Tex and Van Halen. Included in the announcement was this: "In January, five of the nine nominees will be selected and will participate in the induction ceremony on March 12th at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City." I take that to mean that the Hall intends to enshrine a minimum of 5 of these acts. This could be good and bad.
If you think up to 5 of these groups are worthy or if you've been disappointed in their choices before this is good news. If you think that less than 5 of the acts should get in, you may find yourself asking "why did they arbitrarily add an undeserving band?" Conversely, one might wish that all 9 be inducted. I think they're doing it to ensure a variety of acts get in and that the night of March 12 will be as entertaining as possible. It's a case of hedging your bets.
That said, here's my rundown of the nominees:
R.E.M. - A first ballot no-brainer. I didn't like REM for the longest time. But I have come to appreciate their impact, their music and their steadfast political beliefs. As far as 80's pop/rock groups go, they may be second only to U2 in popularity and importance.
Patti Smith - Never been a fan. Before my time, so to speak. But as far as women proving they could rock with the punks, she's always the first name mentioned. A good bet the Rock Hall wants her in. [Note: Not to be confused with Patty Smythe of Scandal]
Chic - If you have to ask, you've never met me. Dammit, put them in already. And let me give the speech!
The Dave Clark Five - Not the first nomination for this seminal British Invasion group. For a time (1964-65), the Beatles' only true rivals. I vote Yes!
Grandmaster Flash - When, oh when, will the Rock Hall put in their first Hip Hop act. Flash & the Furious 5 must go in before the Beastie Boys and Run DMC. Now would be a good year for that. [Note to the Rock Hall, you really need to consider nominating German electronic geniuses Kraftwerk at least once]
The Ronettes - First time nominees. A wonderful girl group led by the heavenly, stunning Ronnie Spector from Phil Spector's heyday. Just not as essential a pick as some of the other nominated groups who've been looked over in recent years.
The Stooges - Iggy Pop's breakthrough group. True pioneers of punk. They may get in on this ballot. Lots of fans of Detroit's legends in the voting ranks, I suspect.
Joe Tex - A contemporary of Jackie Wilson, James Brown and Sam & Dave. Most of you know his song I Gotcha from Tarantino's Resevoir Dogs. Skinny Legs and All, his induction is probably a few years away, if ever.
Van Halen - A lot of my schoolmates will say "Finally!" This one's tough. Eddie Van Halen has come off as a duplicitous unkind bandmate in the last 10 years. Which version would be elected Diamond Dave's or Slammin' Sammy's? Too many question marks for a really tremendous group that put the guitar solo back into Top 40 Rock and Roll. I predict voters will want to see the VH reunion spectacle/debacle at the Waldorf as soon as possible.
So my best guesses are, if they hold fast to putting in 5 acts, that they will be: REM, the Stooges, Patti Smith, Grandmaster Flash and Van Halen. Of course, if I were voting, I'd replace VH and Ms. Smith with Chic and the DC5. What do you think? Who would you put in or keep out? Remember the Rock Hall made trailblazers like Bob Marley and Steely Dan wait several long years of balloting to make it.
Love, Power, Peace
Happy Halloween. And special Halloween birthday shout-outs to King AdRock (Adam Horovitz) and Larry Mullen, Jr. Hard to believe the AdRock is 40. Yikes. Time flies when your fighting for your right to party.
The nominations for the Rock Hall Class of '07 have been announced. And the nominees are: R.E.M., Patti Smith, Chic, the Dave Clark Five, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, The Ronettes, the Stooges, Joe Tex and Van Halen. Included in the announcement was this: "In January, five of the nine nominees will be selected and will participate in the induction ceremony on March 12th at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City." I take that to mean that the Hall intends to enshrine a minimum of 5 of these acts. This could be good and bad.
If you think up to 5 of these groups are worthy or if you've been disappointed in their choices before this is good news. If you think that less than 5 of the acts should get in, you may find yourself asking "why did they arbitrarily add an undeserving band?" Conversely, one might wish that all 9 be inducted. I think they're doing it to ensure a variety of acts get in and that the night of March 12 will be as entertaining as possible. It's a case of hedging your bets.
That said, here's my rundown of the nominees:
R.E.M. - A first ballot no-brainer. I didn't like REM for the longest time. But I have come to appreciate their impact, their music and their steadfast political beliefs. As far as 80's pop/rock groups go, they may be second only to U2 in popularity and importance.
Patti Smith - Never been a fan. Before my time, so to speak. But as far as women proving they could rock with the punks, she's always the first name mentioned. A good bet the Rock Hall wants her in. [Note: Not to be confused with Patty Smythe of Scandal]
Chic - If you have to ask, you've never met me. Dammit, put them in already. And let me give the speech!
The Dave Clark Five - Not the first nomination for this seminal British Invasion group. For a time (1964-65), the Beatles' only true rivals. I vote Yes!
Grandmaster Flash - When, oh when, will the Rock Hall put in their first Hip Hop act. Flash & the Furious 5 must go in before the Beastie Boys and Run DMC. Now would be a good year for that. [Note to the Rock Hall, you really need to consider nominating German electronic geniuses Kraftwerk at least once]
The Ronettes - First time nominees. A wonderful girl group led by the heavenly, stunning Ronnie Spector from Phil Spector's heyday. Just not as essential a pick as some of the other nominated groups who've been looked over in recent years.
The Stooges - Iggy Pop's breakthrough group. True pioneers of punk. They may get in on this ballot. Lots of fans of Detroit's legends in the voting ranks, I suspect.
Joe Tex - A contemporary of Jackie Wilson, James Brown and Sam & Dave. Most of you know his song I Gotcha from Tarantino's Resevoir Dogs. Skinny Legs and All, his induction is probably a few years away, if ever.
Van Halen - A lot of my schoolmates will say "Finally!" This one's tough. Eddie Van Halen has come off as a duplicitous unkind bandmate in the last 10 years. Which version would be elected Diamond Dave's or Slammin' Sammy's? Too many question marks for a really tremendous group that put the guitar solo back into Top 40 Rock and Roll. I predict voters will want to see the VH reunion spectacle/debacle at the Waldorf as soon as possible.
So my best guesses are, if they hold fast to putting in 5 acts, that they will be: REM, the Stooges, Patti Smith, Grandmaster Flash and Van Halen. Of course, if I were voting, I'd replace VH and Ms. Smith with Chic and the DC5. What do you think? Who would you put in or keep out? Remember the Rock Hall made trailblazers like Bob Marley and Steely Dan wait several long years of balloting to make it.
Love, Power, Peace
Comments
(1) R.E.M.--huge influence on what became Alternative music. Like U2's Bono, Michael Stipe has been involved in philanthropic activities..certainly won't be overlooked by the Rock committee.
(2) Chic-long overdue
(3) G-Master Flash et al.-would love to see a Hip-Hop icons in..but may not get in before RUN DMC's turn.
(4) The Stooges- Huge influence on Punk. And with the closing of CBGB will inspire the voters to be nostalgic (like they were with The Ramones, Clash, etc.)
(5) Van Halen-were eligible 3 yrs ago. My fave Rock band. Eddie (like Hendrix, Page, and Clapton) helped re-invent Rock guitar. But he has become TOO narcisstic..creating HUGE rifts with Sammy and Michael Anthony. There are talks b/w Roth and Eddie about a tour in '07 (no album just tour). If they are inducted, most likely will be Dave as singer. Sammy came aboard in 1985. But, would be interesting to see Roth, Hagar, and the rest on stage. Gary Cherone can just sit at home.
-Dave