Songs Of Proof: The Class Of 2006

At the time, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame’s Class Of 2006 seemed like a real breath of fresh air.  This was a catch-up year for the fans of classic rock.  There were no newly eligible acts inducted, and this year is also noted for having an act that is much harder to defend as being part of the “rock and roll” diaspora.  The Mort Shuman rule comes into effect this year too, breaking up the Non-Performer duo into two people, so a total of seven Songs Of Proof, and just like the previous year, the first and penultimate songs in the playlist are for Non-Performer inductees.  Also, like last year, the biggest pop hits are the chosen songs for four of the five Performer inductees, though not intentionally.  Coincidence?  Probably.  But the big names of classic rock that finally smashed their way through this year are the real story that has everyone excited and restores people’s faith in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for their embracing more populist acts.   No one really thought it would serve as a foreshadow for a decade later, though.  It’s just a year with some really awesome and very deserving inductees, including:

Herb Alpert:  No one would have thought of inducting this man as a Performer, but he could have been.  As the leader of the Tijuana Brass, Alpert’s utility as a record label executive comes from his understanding the artists’ minds because he was an artist himself.  If you love instrumentals, and have an open enough mind, listen to his work with the Tijuana Brass.  “The Lonely Bull,” “Zorba The Greek,” and “Tijuana Taxi” are merely three examples of the incredible body of work that was put out by this outfit.  But even from the beginning, he was into the business side of things, starting with Dore Records, which was the first home for Jan And Dean.  Since he was such a prolific musician himself, his song is indeed one of his own.  From the late ‘70’s, his album Rise is a fantastic listen with four outstanding tracks, and four okay ones.  The first time I heard the title track, I was absolutely floored.  A solid and funky beat, great atmosphere, and a spellbinding melody emanating from Alpert’s trumpet all culminate in an amazing listening experience that still feels a little short even though it clocks in around seven minutes.  Such a masterpiece, that had to be the song.

Black Sabbath:  The most awaited and anticipated of the inductees, Black Sabbath strangely took eight nominations to get in, which may have contributed to the current perceptions of snobbery in the upper echelons of the Foundation’s management.   However, no one would deny the importance of Black Sabbath as innovators of heavy metal, nor the massive and profound influence they have had on bands that followed, and not just other metal bands, but a variety of bands in the years to come.  Though deeply rooted in the blues, no one would really categorize Black Sabbath as blues-rock.  They had a pattern of excellence, which continued even with personnel who were snubbed from the band’s induction.  Some might be a bit upset at the use of “Iron Man” as the selection for this project, but no one would deny that it’s a landmark record, the best-known song by the band, and a sterling example of the trail that Black Sabbath blazed.

Blondie:  Every once in a while, you might hear a Blondie song on a classic rock station, most likely “Heart Of Glass" or "One Way Or Another.”  Blondie is the new-wave, post-punk artist that got in almost right away that made you think the Hall was going to be pushing forward fully into the ‘80’s with more modern acts.   Debbie Harry’s vocal versatility and range was at times alluring, and other times eerie.   Admittedly, my choice for “Call Me” as their song in this project has absolutely nothing to do with anything that made them an innovative or influential band.  It wasn’t even because it was their biggest hit on the pop charts.  Simply put, I’m not a huge fan of Blondie.  I don’t like “Rapture” or “The Tide Is High,” not that big on “Heart Of Glass,” but I absolutely love “Call Me.”  That’s the song of theirs, along with “Dreaming,” that makes me really happy, and the fact that it was their biggest hit single clearly means it made a lot of other people happy, too.

Miles Davis:  When it comes to artists like Miles Davis, the task gets a bit trickier.  It’s especially problematic to award a tribute song to justify an artist’s induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame when that particular artist stated that they never considered anything they ever did to be any kind of rock and roll.  Miles Davis said he was jazz and only jazz.  He never even considered anything he did to be “jazz fusion.”  Just jazz.  Of all the “parent” genres that helped create rock and roll, jazz, especially Miles Davis’s style of jazz, is generally regarded as being less important than gospel and folk, but slightly more important than chamber music or barbershop quartet singing.  It’s not an easy sell.  Miles Davis himself had a few phases of his career, similar to Picasso’s periods.  That made choosing a song even harder.  Even though I used “Rise” for Herb Alpert, “So What” was just a little too long for me to want to use and put on a CD.  And anything from Bitches’ Brew which features Davis's horn is waaaaayyyy too long, especially to try and put on a specialty broadcast on commercial radio.  Additionally, his disavowing of being any kind of rock and roll makes the selection difficult, so with artists like Miles Davis, as you’ll see in the years to come, I tend to gravitate toward songs that at least have some rock and roll like elements to them.  I was originally using “The Doo-Bop Song,” his sole chart hit, on the R&B charts, with initially uncredited rapping done by Rappin’ Is Fundamental.  However, the notes from Miles’ electric trumpet just don’t come through as prominently as they should, so I went in another direction.  My encounter with the album Backyard Ritual was completely by chance, but when I listened to the whole album, it occurred to me that works like this may have had the kind of influence that Herbie Hancock spoke of in his induction speech for Davis.  The title track, especially, seems to sum it up relatively well.  The trumpeting is nice and cool, reminiscent of his early work, the instrumentation behind it is such that it could just about pass for fusion, and the different elements just complement each other well.  And so, that title track became the official song to salute Miles Davis and justify his induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Lynyrd Skynyrd:  One of the most influential and commercially successful Southern rock bands after the Eagles, it surprisingly took seven nominations to get this band in.   Southern rock has proven to be more influential upon mainstream country, such that a syndicated country program that focuses on ‘70’s and ‘80’s country might throw on an occasional Lynyrd Skynyrd song.  Their tale is tragically short, but their legacy is long.  The music of this outfit lives on with classics like “Gimme Three Steps,” “What’s That Smell,” and “Free Bird.”  Their anthem, though, is unquestionably “Sweet Home Alabama,” a song whose lyrics defending Southern pride may be a large part of why they were so influential upon country music.  It sadly is also scapegoated for an anthem of pride for some of the less honorable parts of Southern heritage, but let’s not be rehashing those strawmen.  Let’s simply celebrate their music and their induction with their anthem as their Song Of Proof.

Jerry Moss:  The M in A&M Records and the partner of Herb Alpert.  Together, they formed what was known as the biggest independent label in rock and roll.  That legacy eventually died, when the label was sold to PolyGram, and in turn to the Universal Music Group, but the music created during the time of Alpert and Moss has continued to stand the test of time.  Like a lot of great executives, they were willing to take risks, trust their instincts, and take responsibility as well as credit.  Surprisingly though, few of the artists that were on A&M have been inducted themselves.  The Police and Cat Stevens are the biggest names that have been inducted, but if anyone on the Nominating Committee ever has a brain fart and can't think of someone to nominate, they can always look at the roster of big names that were on A&M.  Among those names is the one belonging to arena rockers Supertramp, and while the credentials of Supertramp are dismissed by some as questionable at best, their song "Breakfast In America" remains an interesting, somewhat bohemian kind of song to create and take out to left field and see what happens--similar to the way Alpert and Moss were willing to take chances with their artists.  And so, I honor Jerry Moss with this unusual song from a somewhat unusual group, and it just seems fitting all around.

The Sex Pistols:  Sometimes considered a one-trick pony for having just the one album, but if that was all there was to their story, it'd still be impressive.  Nevermind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols is a furious album that took aim at everything from the hand the fed them to the figurehead of their own government.  They rejuvenated the impetus for rock and roll to be critical of the world around it.  And while their angry letter fired at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame when they were being inducted is part of their whole modus operandi, I refuse to believe that it is anything other than their way of saying "Thank you."  John Lydon could scream at me face-to-face for an hour telling me why I'm wrong, and I will still believe that letter calling the Hall a piss stain is simply their way of expressing gratitude.  For their song, I chose "God Save The Queen."  Many seem to think that "Anarchy In The U.K." is the better choice, but with a faster tempo, rawer screams, guitar licks more similar to what is considered punk, and crude harmonies, "God Save The Queen" makes a much better choice for the filthy lucre band.

This concludes the Class Of 2006.  The artists inducted are ones that a lot of people were hoping for, and their wishes finally came to fruition this year.  Do you agree with the selections made here?  If not, what would you go for?  Express your opinions in the Comments section below.  P.S. I'm still working on my write-up for the 2018 induction ceremony; sorry it's taking so long.  Recapping this class:

Herb Alpert: "Rise"

Black Sabbath: "Iron Man"

Blondie: "Call Me"

Miles Davis: "Backyard Ritual"

Lynyrd Skynyrd: "Sweet Home Alabama"

Jerry Moss: "Breakfast In America" by Supertramp

the Sex Pistols: "God Save The Queen"

This class didn't have any Vocal Group Hall Of Famers, but the Vocal Group Hall Of Fame did have their own Class Of 2006:

America: "Ventura Highway"

Bread: "Let Your Love Go"

the Byrds: "My Back Pages"

the Deep River Boys: "Recess In Heaven"

the Duprees: "You Belong To Me"

the Fleetwoods: "Mr. Blue"

the Haydn Quartet: "In The Evening By The Moonlight"

the Hi-Lo's: "My Baby Just Cares For Me"

the Hollies: "Look Through Any Window"

Journey: "Lights"

the Lovin' Spoonful: "Nashville Cats"

the Moody Blues: "Ride My Seesaw"

Queen: "Bohemian Rhapsody"

the Shangri-La's: "Long Live Our Love"

Simon And Garfunkel: "Scarborough Fair/Canticle"

Billy Ward And The Dominoes: "Have Mercy Baby"