Songs Of Proof: The Class Of 2002

The Class Of 2002 marks the slow, downward move to smaller classes.  We have only eight inductees, two of them outside of the Performer category.  The Performer category this year has an interesting divide.  Three of the six are obvious choices who made it on their first year of eligibility.  The other three are acts that have been eligible for several years, and even though one of those three got in on his first nomination, they are three inductees that are rather hard sells.  One disappeared from the ballot for several years, and one finally broke through on the eighth nomination.  So, it's a divide in that regard.  Another fun juxtaposition is the induction of the first punk-rock act and an induction of one of the more commercially successful art-rock bands.  I don't know if there's any actual animosity between the fans of punk and the fans of art-rock, but according to the movie Twentieth Century Women, it's a bitter gang rivalry.  So, the fact that a major act from each of those movements got in together, and are almost next to each other alphabetically on this year's roster (only the Non-Performer inductee between them) is mildly amusing.  It's not too diverse in terms of years of peak popularity, but it is pretty stylistically diverse, and that's something to salute--with the following songs.


Chet Atkins:  Perhaps the early reluctance of the Rock Hall to induct Chet Atkins is because he was so much more influential in the world of country music, so much so he was elected to the Country And Western Music Hall Of Fame in 1973.  It's sad that once again it took the person's death to spur an induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.  Playing on the records of such giants as Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, and the Everly Brothers, Chet was also immensely influential on a plethora of guitar players ranging from Duane Eddy to George Harrison to Mark Knopfler.  In addition to session work, he recorded several albums and singles, and had a few hits.  I briefly considered using "Boo Boo Stick Beat," but instead reverted back to his version of the iconic Benny Hill music, which when Chet Atkins recorded it, was called "Yakety Axe."  This song really showcases his finger-pickin' style while also displaying great virtuosity on the instrument.

Isaac Hayes:  Hello there, children!  Sorry, couldn't resist just one tribute to good ol' Chef, though some of his best songs were part of the "South Park" show, movie, and various albums.  I still giggle at the duet with "James Taylor" about prostitutes.  Anyway, getting back to the real body of work that makes Isaac Hayes a worthy inductee for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, it's somewhat revealing to consider which '70's soul acts the Hall has inducted as opposed to the ones they have not.  Not that Hayes is unworthy by any stretch, just something of a marvel that there hasn't been a greater push for some of the other styles of soul, particularly from the '70's.  For the selection of his work, I did not go with the big smash, "Theme From 'Shaft'," for two reasons: it's almost as much an instrumental as it is a sung song, and because it's not all that indicative of Hayes' overall style.  Isaac's music is best described by the name of one his albums, Hot Buttered Soul.  The song I chose is definitely a great example of that.  It's got a hot beat, buttery singing from the man himself, and smooth soul all around.  His cover of "Don't Let Go" fits the bill perfectly.

Brenda Lee:  Iconic nicknames have often served as good indicators toward who will eventually get in.  It certainly proved true for Little Miss Dynamite here.  Still, her case is something of a hard sell.  Despite her explosive nickname, it's perhaps a moniker that may have been more fitting for Wanda Jackson, whose voice sounds quite similar to Brenda Lee, but whose rock and roll was more rollicking.  Brenda's most iconic songs have been torch ballads, like "Fool #1" and "I'm Sorry," or were named "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree."  Even the more upbeat songs were bouncy, but soft, such as "Dum Dum" and "Sweet Nothin's."  With classic rock steadily wending its way more frequently into the classes, Brenda Lee almost doesn't seem to be considered all that "rock and roll."  The fact that she had a significant country career later on certainly didn't help matters either.  Even so, her induction definitely recognizes rock and roll as a broader concept and style of music with many nooks and crannies of sub-genres.  And just to prove she could rock just as well as the boys during the late '50's and early '60's, check out "That's All You Gotta Do," the B-side of "I'm Sorry," and the song I've chosen to represent her here.

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers:  We come now to the first of the no-brainers for this year.  Who's gonna say no to Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers?  While they've never been one of my favorite acts, I do enjoy a number of their songs, such as "The Waiting," "Refugee," and especially the almost burlesque groove of "Breakdown."  Similarly, I somewhat enjoy the big hits from Petty's solo album Full Moon Fever, but would enjoy them a lot more if they weren't so overkill, especially "Free Fallin'."  The selection of "Don't Do Me Like That" may not be anyone's personal favorite, and may be a bit more organ-heavy instead of guitar-focused, but it's a solid song that is fun to throw on and nobody objects to.   It's an early hit with a beat that stays very true to the core of rock and roll, and I think it's a terrific selection to honor the band with, when you stop and think about it.

Gene Pitney:  The Prince Of Wails.  In this class, he's alphabetically the last of the hard sells, and perhaps the hardest of the hard sells, too.  A fantastic singer with tremendous range, but a very distinct voice that you either love or hate, with little chance of landing in the middle ground.  The fact that he didn't sling an axe onstage probably had a bit to do with why it took eight nominations to get him in.  Before breaking through as a singer, he was a songwriter, and yet, as a singer, he didn't really write too many of his own hits.  I'm somewhat led to believe that that was the paradigm of the music industry of the time.  A singer was a singer and a songwriter was a songwriter, and becoming a featured singer was almost a promotion, in a way, which meant you either didn't need to write songs anymore, or you were kept too busy recording multiple albums and singles, and relentlessly touring and making television and radio appearances to write your own songs anymore.  I personally don't hold that against any recording artist, even those that came after the Beatles, but boy, some sure do.  I love Gene Pitney's music, I bought compilations of his for pleasure rather than research, and I am thrilled that he finally got inducted.  Had I been a bit more objective, I might have gone for "She's A Heartbreaker," which is arguably the raunchiest song he had that was a big hit, or "It Hurts To Be In Love" which has a fun shakin'-and-shufflin' beat to it and was the most popular song of his on Oldies radio stations (at least where I lived growing up).  But in a minor departure from my rules, I chose a song that was a hit... but wasn't a Top 40 hit, at least not in the United States.  It went Top Ten in the U.K., but on this side of the pond, it stalled out at #49.  Too bad, because it's an epic masterpiece of pop, and also holds the distinction of being the first charted song in the U.S. that was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, of the Rolling Stones.  If you've never heard "That Girl Belongs To Yesterday," stop what you're doing and check it out.  It's phenomenal.

Ramones:  A friend of mine once said that punk rock was just angry noise until Ramones came along and made it music.  That's both a scathing indictment of the movement and a great compliment to this band.  The first song I ever heard by this band was "I Wanna Be Sedated," and when I heard it, it never occurred to me that this was what punk rock was.  To me, it was just plain old, fun rock and roll without pretense.  I didn't really pay any attention to the lyrics, mind you, just loved the music.  And in the end, that's something that some could argue as being what it's all about.  To me, that's what Ramones represent: no frills rock and roll that reached a young generation.  That... that's probably missing the point by a loooooooooooooonnnnnnng shot, but I say all that because I didn't use "Blitzkrieg Bop," "The KKK Took My Baby Away," "Beat On The Brat," or "We're A Happy Family"... nothing that really had the punk message to it.  I simply went with "Rockaway Beach," a song I love with great guitar work, some harmonies to the vocals, and is really just music that gets you going.  Ramones were a punk band that even people who hated punk could enjoy, and my selection reflects that, I think.

Jim Stewart:  The legacy of Stax/Volt tends to get pushed aside in favor of the bigger stories, such as Motown, the British Invasion, and psychedelic rock.  I find that pretty tragic, because the grit and guts of these labels is what made Stax what some music historians call the ultimate R&B record label.  And even though some of their acts have been enshrined, the devotion towards honoring the R&B giants from this empire hasn't been all that stalwart.  Even sadder is the fact that co-founder Estelle Axton, the "Ax" in "Stax," has yet to be inducted, an oversight that will hopefully be rectified in the next few years.  Like Berry Gordy, Jr., I chose to honor Jim Stewart with a song that is a great party song, really depicts what the label was all about, and is by an artist unlikely to ever get any whiff of being honored by the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.  It's a soulful and funky composition that is just as much fun to listen to when redone in the disco style by Amii Stewart (no relation to Jim).  The chosen selection is Eddie Floyd's original masterpiece, "Knock On Wood."

Talking Heads:  I don't care which Talking Heads' song you're talking about: David Byrne's singing voice is the absolute epitome of insanity and raging paranoia, like an old-timey mad scientist who is both delighted and terrified at his creation coming to life, or if Doctor Badvibes from the animated "C.O.P.S." TV show took up singing.  Whether asking, "What have I done?" in "Once In A Lifetime," or asserting that "There has got to be a way!" in "Burning Down The House," that melodically panicked tone shines through.  Sometimes it's dialed back, but it's always there.  Or maybe that's just me.  But in my opinion, there's no better example of the voice, and the excellent musicianship of the entire group, than "Life During Wartime (This Ain't No Party... This Ain't No Disco... This Ain't No Fooling Around)."  It's all about the freaking out.  The song has a definite structure, but listening to it gives me a mental music video of a freely scrolling screen where the pulsating rhythm of the keys and guitars cause the screen to scroll from right to left, and produces a neon poly-chromatic musical staff that oscillates somewhat irregularly in a quasi-sinusoidal fashion against a pitch black background.  At least, that's the image I get.  In any event, that's the song that I feel best exemplifies Talking Heads, and best serves as the song to give them their proper tribute.

And with that, the salute to the Class Of 2002 is completed.  With half the Performer inductees being newly eligible, it seems that we're focusing on moving forward.  It's not entirely hollow foreshadowing either, mind you.  The next class will also have three newly eligible artists getting inducted.  But that's for next week.  In the meanwhile, what songs would you use?  Any thoughts on my selections?  Share your thoughts in the Comments below.  To recap:

Chet Atkins: "Yakety Axe"
Isaac Hayes: "Don't Let Go"
Brenda Lee: "That's All You Gotta Do"
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers: "Don't Do Me Like That"
Gene Pitney: "That Girl Belongs To Yesterday"
Ramones: "Rockaway Beach"
Jim Stewart: "Knock On Wood" by Eddie Floyd
Talking Heads: "Life During Wartime (This Ain't No Party... This Ain't No Disco... This Ain't No Fooling Around)"

And for those interested, the Vocal Group Hall Of Fame Class Of 2002 playlist:

ABBA: "Take A Chance On Me"
the Chantels: "Look In My Eyes"
the Clovers: "Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash"
the Fifth Dimension: "Sweet Blindness"
the Five Keys: "Close Your Eyes"
the Four Knights: "I Get So Lonely (When I Dream About You)"
the Harptones: "Life Is But A Dream"
Jay And The Americans: "Let's Lock The Door (And Throw Away the Key)"
the Marcels: "Blue Moon"
the Shirelles: "Soldier Boy"
the Skyliners: "Since I Don't Have You"
the Swan Silvertones: "Blessed Assurance"