Songs Of Proof: The Class Of 2001

Making our way to 2001, and this one is almost the size of the previous one.  Eleven inductees this time, whereas there were fourteen the year before.  Eight of the eleven are in the Performer category, which is always the main draw, but what's especially interesting to note is that of the eight Performer inductees, six of them were on the ballot for 2000.  When we hop from ballot to ballot, year by year, we often see a lot of common names between the two years, regardless of which two consecutive ballots you're looking at.  But seldom do we see so many carryovers and repeat nominees get in together.  Typically, the first time nominees dominate the inductees.  But in a sense, there are no first time nominees on this ballot.  The two inductees for this year who were NOT on 2000's ballot are Clyde McPhatter Club members, so they HAD been nominated--and inducted--before, as part of another effort.  Sadly, also the last time that eight names from the same ballot would be inducted.  2004 would have seven, and 2012 would have a dozen, but would include six that were selected by special committee.  But eight was a great number to have in a single year, and might be worth trying for a few more decades.

From a personal standpoint, this is the first class whose induction I saw on television.  I grew up without cable television, and these ceremonies, at least for a couple years, had been broadcast on VH1 in a format that was way more condensed than would normally be called "edited."  I was particularly thrilled, because the lead singer from my all-time favorite group was one of the presenters.  So that made me very happy, but the overall experience was really cool, seeing it for the first time.  And who did I see in that ceremony?


Aerosmith:  It's somewhat odd that Aerosmith didn't make it the previous year.  As an act that was firmly established in the blues and even covered a few '60's tunes, you'd figure they'd have checked all the boxes for immediate induction.  Add to that, their image exuded sexuality, encouraged the sexuality of women, and overall was very much of bad boys; their lead singer had a personality that made an indelible impression, a steady lineup, instead of a revolving door, and oh yeah, a strong catalog of venerated songs that are still loved.  How did they miss in 2000?  Whatever it was, it only built up their momentum as they cleared the bar the next year.  "Sweet Emotion" is the song chosen here, as it exemplifies all the aforementioned traits that made Aerosmith an irresistible draw for so many years.

Chris Blackwell:  Having lived most of his formative years in Jamaica, it's only natural his label would be called "Island Records."  In addition to being the label that led the way in introducing the world to reggae music, Island was also home to a handful of major prog rock bands.  Naturally, I went in neither direction.  From a personal standpoint, I appreciate Island Records as the first and formative home for U2, and despite my general rule about using hits as much as possible, I decided that since he also introduced the world to one of my favorite bands, I'd use the introductory track from the debut album.  And with that, Chris Blackwell is honored with "I Will Follow."

Solomon Burke:  Currently the inductee with the most nominations before getting in.  If Chic is ever inducted, they will surpass Solomon's record of ten, as they currently have eleven, but still haven't gotten in.  As for this man, it's a shame that it took so long.  He was nicknamed the "Bishop Of Soul" and the "King Of Rock 'n' Soul."  And you can hear that blending of styles in the relentless rhythms of his songs.  Even if his singing takes pauses, the beat never lets up.  It just keeps inviting you to keep listening and dancing along.  Also really cool is that he considered some of his biggest influences to have been country musicians, as evidenced by his covering "Just Out Of Reach (Of My Two Empty Arms)."  The song I've chosen for him, though, is "Got To Get You Off Of My Mind," a song that features that relentless rhythm, as well as the country-influenced lyrics with soulful delivery.

James Burton:  The Sideman category saw two inductees this year, inducted simultaneously by the same man, both from the formative years of rock and roll, but continued on through the years.  In the case of James Burton, I suppose I really have to thank him for being a part of what made me such a Johnny Horton fan.  One of my earliest memories of enjoying music was listening to the Greatest Hits LP of Johnny Horton that belonged to my mother.  But this is about rock and roll, and not country, though James Burton's guitar playing was huge to both, and especially the sub-genre of rockabilly.  Playing with the like of Elvis, Ricky, Phil and Don, he helped deliver a lot of the sounds that crossed over between the Pop and the Country & Western charts.  Among the songs that simply would not have been the same without his chicken pickin' is the staple "Susie-Q" first made huge by Dale Hawkins.  Songs like this, you'd figure the major guitar work came from the credited artist, and that's how he got signed in the first place, but in this case you'd be wrong.  And it'd be wrong not to use that song to honor this man, since it's extremely unlikely that Dale Hawkins will even be considered, let alone nominated, let alone inducted.

The Flamingos:  This is one of those few times that I use a song that I loathe.  "I Only Have Eyes For You" is probably my least favorite song by the Flamingos.  The harmonies on the "da-bop-cha-bops" in the background have always sounded a little off to me, and a little shrill.  In fact, I originally was using "Your Other Love," which is an absolutely outstanding song, has a great Latin-infused rhythm backing it, and should have been a #1 hit, instead of landing in the latter half of the Hot 100, and not even making the R&B charts at all.  But I finally caved in to conventional wisdom and went with the landmark cover of this ballad, a record that helped chip away at the walls that said Black music was not worth honoring.  And over time, I've come to hate the song a little bit less.  Like the Moonglows from the previous year, they were repeatedly rejected on past ballots, but finally inducted the year after the Vocal Group Hall Of Fame saw fit to enshrine them.  And they had the best presenter of all, Frankie Valli, lead singer of the Four Seasons.  Member Johnny Carter would be inducted a second time a few years later, as part of the Dells, but he doesn't join the Clyde McPhatter club this year.  (Vocal Group Hall Of Fame Song Of Proof: "Nobody Loves Me Like You")

Michael Jackson:  One of the two people to join the Clyde McPhatter Club this year, he was inducted with his brothers back in '97, but was nominated for the first time as a soloist for this ballot, and got in immediately.  And why wouldn't he?  Even the most hardhearted and thick-headed rockists would be hard-pressed to deny this man entrance for his solo career, even with the scandals that were plaguing him already by this point, and would until his tragic death.  The self-proclaimed "King Of Pop" moved mountains just with the album Thriller, an album that in its entirety, as a single entity, held the #1 spot on Billboard's Disco chart for eleven weeks, tying "Bad Luck" by Harold Melvin And the Blue Notes for the most weeks at #1 on that chart.  (The methodology for the Disco chart at the time was vastly different, unlike any other chart put out by the magazine.)  And that was just one album, in the middle of his career.  Between his other albums, his earlier works on Motown, his videos, there's just no excuse to keep him out.  And "Beat It," the song that I'm using to honor him, became a huge hit on the "Album Tracks" chart, which is the chart that evolved into the "Album Rock" charts, as it was originally used to measure the popularity of album tracks, both those that were released as singles, and those that weren't.  Unquestionably essential, he was sadly recovering from a broken leg the night he was inducted and couldn't reprise the signature moves that changed the world of dance as we knew it, but as a former child star whose downward spiral was slower and more painful than most others, we can still be grateful for all the good he gave us and hope he has found peace in the hereafter.

Johnnie Johnson:  The first pianist inducted in the Sideman category, Johnnie Johnson backed up Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry during the '50's.  And I really shouldn't have to say any more than that.  And even though "Johnny B. Goode" is largely considered autobiographical of Chuck Berry, Chuck himself acknowledged Johnson as the primary inspiration for the song, especially the title.  Highly revered by no less than Eric Clapton, John Sebastian, and his presenter Keith Richards, he thankfully started receiving some major recognition during the latter part of his career, especially in the form of his induction.  Since I don't use the same composition twice, fans of Electric Light Orchestra can cross "Roll Over Beethoven" off the list of songs I might have used for them for their induction in 2017, because I'm using Chuck Berry's version to honor this key player of the keys.

Queen:  If Aerosmith not getting in on their first year of eligibility the year before was astounding, then the fact that Queen also missed out on their first nomination for the Class Of 2000 is incomprehensible and dumbfounding.  But it's true.  One of the most artistically highbrow of the entire classic rock pantheon, Queen is just another one of those acts that you'd swear it was impossible to hate.  Their choices of subject matter for their songs was limited only to their collective imagination.  You wouldn't have put it past them to make a concept album of reading the phone book.  To prove the point, "Weird Al" Yankovic recorded "Ringtone," an original song that he calls a "style-parody," as it was done in the general style of Queen.  Typically, when "Weird Al" records a style-parody, he does it with lyrics that would be out of place for that artist; the Beach Boys would never record a song about the thrill of irresponsible firearm ownership like "Trigger Happy," nor would Crosby, Stills, And Nash record a song about chock full of corporate buzzwords and jingoism, such as "Mission Statement."  And yet with "Ringtone," it genuinely sounds like a song that Queen would have recorded had Freddie Mercury lived to see the digital age.  That's how open to unusual topics they were.  As for actually honoring Queen, we have finally come to one of the exceptions to the rule of one.  "We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions" was originally recorded as two separate songs, but even when they were first released, disc jockeys were playing them together as a medley, and the medley itself later charted in the '90's (well, a medley of a live version of "We Will Rock You" and the original studio version of "We Are The Champions.")  In today's world of radio, it's generally considered one song now, so I chose not to break it up.  I've toyed with the idea of changing it to "Bicycle Race" or "Fat-Bottomed Girls," but I keep coming back to the medley, and I just realize that it's a much better choice to use.  And so it stays.  (Vocal Group Hall Of Fame Song Of Proof: "Bohemian Rhapsody")

Paul Simon:  My third-favorite songwriter, after Ray Davies of the Kinks and Bono of U2, Paul Simon has a wonderful way with words and an interesting perspective of the world.  Whether in the duo or solo, his lyrics are always something to absorb slowly and feel the wisdom.  Even into the new millennium, his wisdom continues in songs like "Old."  In addition to his lyrics, he found a way to incorporate many styles of world music, blending them with his own brand of rock and roll.  The song I've chosen is one of his earliest solo records, "Kodachrome," and isn't too big on the inclusion of world music, but it does contain some of those lyrics that has that sideways tilted view of the world, as well as his signature sound that would wend its way through his music during the '70's and serve as a template for his works in the '80's and beyond.

Steely Dan:  When you read the comments on the Future Rock Legends site about this band, you see that this is one of those bands that even the rockists aren't completely unified behind.  Even I have to admit that overall, I find their work to be... lackluster, unexciting.  Nevertheless, there is something commendable about this band, such as the way they incorporated the breadth of the American musical heritage and traditions in songs like "Bodhisattva," "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo," and "My Old School."  With vocal harmonies akin to those of Crosby, Stills, And Nash, and lead guitar work patterned very much after Santana (when I first heard "Do It Again," I thought it WAS a Santana song), it might even be argued that Steely Dan has the quintessential sound of the "classic rock" format, combining most of its easily identifiable elements.  My decision to use "Reeling In The Years" is really another one of those songs that was held over from the original "special program playlist" concept but also serves as an example of those traits that I described.

Ritchie Valens:  A lot of people tutted at this one, but I'm all in with Ritchie's induction.  He was a real pioneer in Latin-rock, and though cut down in the prime of his life, his music still holds up.  The rhythm of "Come On, Let's Go" had hips swiveling and shaking before Chubby Checker showed us how to twist.  "Donna" is a lovely teen ballad that still holds up better than most of the teen idol pop of the early '60's.  "Framed" is a song that may have been a bit ahead of its time.  Tragi-comical in its delivery, the basic ideas in the song have profound implications even today, perhaps even more so today.  As I said in the opening, the induction ceremony for this class was the first one I had seen on television, and when it was on VH1, it opened up thunderously with Ricky Martin's tribute to and induction speech for Valens, calling him the "original Latin sensation," or maybe it was "revolution."  Either way, what he said and how he said it were riveting, and it led me to choose and stick with "La Bamba" as the song to salute the late, great Ritchie Valens.

Ritchie Valens may have opened up the 2001 induction ceremony, but he closes out our look at the Class Of 2001, a class built primarily with the leftovers from 2000's ballot, and yet, I probably like this class, both in terms of merits and personal taste, more than the Class Of 2000.  How about you?   What songs would you use for this Class?  Would you still use a medley for Queen?  Would you use a prog song for Chris Blackwell?  Let me know in the Comments below.  As a recap for this class:

Aerosmith: "Sweet Emotion"
Chris Blackwell: "I Will Follow" by U2
Solomon Burke: "Got To Get You Off Of My Mind"
James Burton: "Susie-Q" by Dale Hawkins
the Flamingos: "I Only Have Eyes For You"
Michael Jackson: "Beat It"
Johnnie Johnson: "Roll Over Beethoven" by Chuck Berry
Queen: "We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions"
Paul Simon: "Kodachrome"
Steely Dan: "Reeling In The Years"
Ritchie Valens: "La Bamba"

And for those who love harmonies, the Class Of 2001 for the Vocal Group Hall Of Fame is saluted thus:

the Bee Gees: "New York Mining Disaster 1941 (Have You Seen My Wife Mr. Jones)"
the Chordettes: "Mr. Sandman"
the Eagles: "Peaceful Easy Feeling"
the Four Aces: "Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing"
the Four Freshmen: "Graduation Day"
Gladys Knight And The Pips: "You're The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me"
the Lennon Sisters: "Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)"
the Lettermen: "Come Back, Silly Girl"
the McGuire Sisters: "Sugartime"
the Miracles: "Ooh Baby Baby"
the Oak Ridge Boys: "Elvira"
the Pied Pipers: "My Happiness"
the Vogues: "Turn Around, Look At Me"
the Weavers: "Goodnight Irene"