Songs Of Proof: The Class Of 2008

We have finally reached the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's Class Of 2008!  After this, we have ten more inductee classes to salute.  The Vocal Group Hall Of Fame is struggling to finance another event, another two actually, trying to stay vital through 2009, but it sadly does not come to pass.  As for the Rock Hall, there was something of a sense of dread with this class for me.  And it centers around the inevitability from one artist.  The one who was guaranteed to make it, but I wish hadn't.  Beyond that, there's a slight cloud looming over this class for two reasons: one, the controversy regarding the previous year's ballots practically guaranteed the Dave Clark Five would be back on the ballot, and possibly carried them into the Hall this time; two, because it had only been five years since the last time it happened, there's some disquiet about the fact that all of the inductees in the Performer category are Caucasian.  While the three people inducted in the other categories are not, that still doesn't do much to make critics happy.  Perhaps this seems like a benchmark occurrence because online news was much more prevalent in 2008 than it was in 2003, and with that, the boom of online editorials and commentary.  So, the odds of someone mentioning the racial uniformity in the Performer category became much, much greater, so much so that it's now one of the things Rock Hall hobbyists notice almost immediately when analyzing a ballot.

In terms of my predictions, I went 4/5 this year, and I'll be posting my original prediction post at the bottom.  I didn't figure on two '60's acts getting inducted, and was sure the second rap act was going to be hot on the heels of the first one.  So, if it had been the Beastie Boys getting in instead of the Ventures, I'd have been perfect; however, if it had been the Beastie Boys getting in instead of Madonna, that would have been the best five-inductee class that this ballot could have yielded.  At least that's what I thought back in 2008, and honestly, still kinda feel that way now.  In the current Rock Hall context, that does not reflect very well upon me, but back then, I don't think many of us saw this becoming such an issue.  But it was a pretty predictable class, still a great one, and some great songs document it in my library.  In a break for what has been the pattern the past couple years, this year's Performer inductees' songs only include one that was the biggest hit for the artist.


The Dave Clark Five:  After the controversy surrounding their previous omission, I figured they were a sure shot to be nominated again.  But would they get through this time?  I was much less confident.  I was ecstatic when they did though.  A friend of mine once compared the Dave Clark Five to cleaning products, saying they were "sanitary" and their sound was "disinfected."  Well, to me, the songs of the Dave Clark Five are like cannonballs: crafted to be smooth to the touch with no rough edges, but propelled by an explosive energy that crashes through your walls and makes an impact.  They were consistently loud and powerful, and even on songs like "Because," there was an energy to their songs.  As a bonus, look for a little-known song of theirs called "I Knew It All The Time," as it has a subtle gospel tinge to it.  If you read my previous entry with the pasted blog post about the ballot for 2007, you saw me laud "Any Way You Want It" as a song that raised the bar on loud and powerful.  Dick Bartley once played that song on his "American Gold" program, saying that it was about as loud as AM radio could get in the early-to-mid-'60's.  That power, combined with the simply but succinctly crafted lyrics and tight running time, makes it the perfect song to represent this band that was started as a soccer club fundraiser.

Leonard Cohen:  Sometime after Cohen's induction, when I finally joined the Future Rock Legends community, I found a rather negative comment about Leonard Cohen, saying he was "more cabaret than Liza Minelli."  A little harsh, but perhaps not entirely untrue, with songs like "Dance Me To The End Of Love" and "Closing Time" superb as those songs are.  Still, if Cohen is to be another one of those examples of trying to find a song that is "rock-adjacent" enough to justify his induction, you really don't have very far to look.  "There Ain't No Cure For Love" has a beat to it reminiscent of the Police's "Every Breath You Take" and has the overall feel of a Five Crowns-era Drifters' song.  "Never Any Good" just plain sounds like it was written to be a solo Ringo Starr record.  His early works like "Suzanne," "So Long, Marianne," and "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye" are all classics with folksy touches.  "Woke Up This Morning" infuses some electronic gimmickry, much as many rock records have done over the years.  And while everyone is expecting the mention of "Hallelujah," I'll just mention it to say I did not use that song.  The song I've chosen instead is "The Future," with an arrangement that is unquestionably rock and roll, lyrics that are unquestionably chilling as they are deep, and background vocals that are equally chilling in the atmosphere they provide.  Brilliant.

Kenny Gamble:  I love soul music, and of all the sub-genres therein, Philly soul is unquestionably my favorite.  From the O'Jays to Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes to Lou Rawls, it's top flight music that is criminally underrepresented in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.  Even inducting producer Thom Bell wouldn't suffice.  These acts need to get inducted, as well as several more.  Meanwhile, inducting the founding partnership of Gamble And Huff is still a great decision, the first inductees when the Non-Performer category was renamed the "Ahmet Ertegun Award."  Philly soul was smooth, but it could be funky too.  There were a lot of great love songs, but also songs of social conscience.  In the case of the first half, he is honored with an all-star record about improving the lot of the African-American community, particularly in the greater New York City metropolitan area, though it applies to the entire community.  With appearances by Lou Rawls, Billy Paul, Teddy Pendergrass, Archie Bell, the O'Jays, and Dee Dee Sharp Gamble, the selection here is the Philadelphia International All-Stars' "Let's Clean Up The Ghetto."

Leon Huff:  The other half of the label-founding team.  And perhaps the more musically inclined, as he did release music under his own name.  The whole feel of this team's music has been described as being about peace and love and spreading those themes and messages.  Perhaps McFadden And Whitehead summed up that philosophy best in the second verse of "Ain't No Stopping Us Now," where they talk about people with negative vibes trying to stop the peace and love, and the refusal to be deterred.  It would be fitting to use that song, and I nearly did.  Instead, in keeping with my enjoyment of using songs that are by the actual inductee, I found Leon Huff's "I Ain't Jivin', I'm Jammin'" which just from its title, as well as its feel, tells others it's all cool, and just keep on spreading the love... impressive considering the song is an instrumental with the title being sung by background singers!

Little Walter:  He could almost have been inducted as an Early Influence too.  His harmonica playing was influential to some of the bigger players that came after him, and his blues records are immaculately crafted and still stand the test of time.  It does him somewhat of an injustice that he's inducted almost solely on his contributions to Muddy Waters' records.  Then again, ol' Muddy was certainly important enough that honoring the players on his sessions certainly makes sense.  Exploring new avenues, scaling new heights, and reaching distances thought unimaginable, Little Walter helped bring the harmonica into the rock and roll canon more solidly, and there's really no question as to why his instrumental hit "Juke" is used to honor this man and his legacy.

Madonna:  The one inductee from this class I did not want to make it.  When AlexVoltaire of the Northumbrian Countdown asked us to create our list of inductees, using the exact same number of Performer inductees as the actual Hall, there were a ton of artists that were unanimously agreed upon.  Madonna was not, and I'm the reason why.  Back in the day, I was hoping so hard for her to miss out.  But I knew it was inevitable.  I just have never cared for her music.  Growing up, I used to listen to the radio a lot, and I used to love the daily Top Ten so I could hear what the popular music was.  And the first song I ever heard on the radio that I remember distinctly that I did NOT like was "Justify My Love."  This was 1990 and I was nine years old at the time; being prepubescent perhaps rendered me immune from the supposed sultry and seductive charms of this song.  And I still don't like it today.  Really, I've always felt her music was superficial: all sizzle and no steak.  Fortunately, her catalog is diverse enough that I have found a couple songs that I can somewhat enjoy, and I have since made peace that as a Michigander, she's family.  My selection for her is admittedly as a much of a subtle jab as it is emblematic of her musical legacy.  Despite her lengthy career, she is most closely identified with the '80's, and those songs are still mostly the best known.  And you know how you sometimes, somehow gained that nickname you never wanted and never liked?  That happened with her.  The image that Madonna had at the time was so closely aligned with the lyrical gestalt of "Material Girl" that it became her nickname.  Supposedly, Madge never liked the song much either, and especially didn't like being nicknamed the Material Girl.  So, it's a small bit of delight to use the song that gave her that nickname as her representative song, but really, it does fit.  It fits the whole motif of '80's pop, emblematic of the entire decade in a way, and as a bonus, features her trying to affect a British accent as she sings the chorus.  I genuinely do feel it epitomizes her entire musical legacy, especially her huge run in the early years.  Sorry fans, it ain't gonna be "Ray Of Light."

John Cougar Mellencamp:  Two confessions here.  First off, "Crumblin' Down" has one of the most irksome set of lyrics in its second verse.  He essentially defends his lack of education and character by saying, "But at least I know how to dance!"  Even if dancing is a euphemism here, it still irritates the crap out of me that there really are people like that who think that makes up for lacking intelligence and integrity.  Second confession, I have I never shortened it to "John Cougar" or "John Mellencamp," as he now prefers to be called.  It's always "John Cougar Mellencamp" when I talk about his music.  A Midwesterner through and through, he's always been known for his heartland sound and lyrics.  From "Jack And Diane" to "Pink Houses," to "The Authority Song,"--even "R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A. (A Salute To '60's Rock)" has that heartbeat of the Midwest that so few others captured successfully, consistently, and as long as he has.  Rock and roll that resonated with the working man, he still found a way to be successful to the teen market.  And yet, for all his major success and world travels, at the end of the day, he still considers himself to be a man of the small town.  There are a lot of choices, but even though it's not the biggest hit, "Small Town" is so obvious, it's in your face, and you really need look no further than it, and you've captured the essence of the music of John Cougar Mellencamp.

The Ventures:  On the "Who Cares About The Rock Hall" podcast, guest Greg Behrendt had some pretty disparaging things to say about the Ventures, partially for the sake of promoting Dick Dale as a worthy candidate.  Like so many things in our modern culture, I don't see why it needs to be an either/or situation, necessarily.  However, with the glut of classic rock from the late '70's and early '80's dominating the conversation recently, coupled with the conscious decision to keep the classes so small, it certainly can seem like it's a matter of limited spots.  But Greg Behrendt isn't the first naysayer against the Ventures that I've seen.  There is no shortage of accusations, varying from them being mainly cover artists to being cookie-cutter and easy to imitate and duplicate.  But perhaps the rebuttal to those folks arrives in the words of presenter John Fogerty, who said his former band used to buy records by the Ventures and listen to them repeatedly, learning the songs they were playing, and trying to play just how they played them.  Do you know what else that can be called?  Influence.  The influence of the Ventures on guitarists has been immense, and regardless of your feelings, they are the most commercially successful surf-rock band, at least in the U.S.  It's a reputation they established beginning in 1960 when rock and roll was being dismissed as a passing fad, when full ensemble bands were having only a little more staying power than R&B vocal groups.  The Ventures founded that legacy beginning with the #2 smash hit, "Walk - Don't Run," which really introduced the world to surf-rock on a large scale.  It was good enough to be revamped four years later, but the original smash is the version in this CD set.

And with the guitar flourish wrapping up "Walk - Don't Run," our look at the Class Of 2008 is done.  Overall, a fantastic class, and even if there's an inductee you might not have picked, it's actually a somewhat healthy balance of artistry, influence, innovation, and commercial impact.  Whatever your feelings about this or that artist, feel free to share in the Comments below.  For those who skimmed through for the recap, here you go:

the Dave Clark Five: "Any Way You Want It"
Leonard Cohen: "The Future"
Kenny Gamble: "Let's Clean Up The Ghetto" by the Philadelphia International All-Stars
Leon Huff: "I Ain't Jivin', I'm Jammin'"
Little Walter: "Juke"
Madonna: "Material Girl"
John Cougar Mellencamp: "Small Town"
the Ventures: "Walk - Don't Run"

And as promised, my original post from another message board, commenting and seeding the nominees, where I went 4/5.  Unedited, uncensored, how and who I was back in 2008.

"Ok, since I correctly predicted all five inductees last year, based on my percentages, I figured I'd try again this time. I don't feel as certain as I did last year, though I think four of them are pretty sound guesses.

1. Madonna--I fucking hate her music, her sense of professionalism, and even her recent quirks. But let's not kid ourselves either: she's the Juggernaut-bitch. Not Juggernaut, bitch! like it was said in the X3 movie, but Juggernaut-bitch. This woman is unstoppable. She'll make it for two reasons: one, she's had more commercial success AND impact and influence than the other eight nominees COMBINED; two, she was first on Sire Records, founded by Seymour Stein. There's some notoriety in the higher realms of the Hall Of Fame hierarchy. Most known is Jann S. Wenner's nickname of "Jann The Dictator." Slightly less known is that "what Seymour wants, Seymour gets." And Seymour wants his artists in. So far, the Ramones, the Talking Heads, and the Pretenders are in. It'd take an act of God to keep her out, though if she didn't get in, I'd consider it irrefutable evidence that God exists. Odds of induction: 99.99%

2. Beastie Boys--When Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five got inducted last year, there was bellyaching from commonfolk music lovers that hip-hop had no place alongside rock's revered royalty. Well, the Beastie Boys have been the textbook example of hip-hop and rock 'n' roll amalgamation. And they're still a huge draw on the concert tour. Only possible hinderance is the presence of Afrika Bambaataa on the ballot. Voters may go for pioneer of hip-hop instead of epitome of rock meeting rap. But, I don't think it'll slow them down. Odds of induction: 85%

3. Leonard Cohen--He's a depressing and artistic poet (and writer), and Hall of Fame voters tend to eat up bohemian and poetic singer/songwriters as if they were Hot Wings on "All You Can Eat Night" at the Santa Monica Hooters. Odds of induction: 75%

4. John Cougar Mellencamp--In recent years, the Hall of Fame has been inducting more acts that are bit more on the blue-collar common man side of popularity, grit and dirt rock 'n' roll. Such acts include ZZ Top, Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Van Halen. Now, John Cougar Mellencamp is such an act. He's played on Classic Rock stations, and even on my Retro shifts. A lot of popularity, and he has the common touch. Odds of induction: 66%

5. Dave Clark Five--Now we're into uncertain territory. A solid rock act from the '60's, but it's getting harder and harder to induct acts from the '60's. Plus, they were clean-cut and non-rebellious, and never got weird, unlike the Beatles or Rolling Stones. Still, after last year's supposed scandal, wherein the Dave Clark Five supposedly would have been inducted if some members' votes had been sent earlier and received before the deadline. After that, it's a little more than coincidence that they're on the ballot again, and I think certain voters will be more prompt in getting their votes postmarked in time. Odds of induction: 55%

6. Ventures--Again, '60's acts are getting harder and harder to induct. The Ventures are the quintessential surf rock band, with many hit albums over the years, and very influential to other up and coming guitarists over the years. Still, this may not be their year. Odds of induction: 45%

7. Chic--I said some pretty unflattering things about them last year, including and odds of induction percentage lower than their actual ratio among the nominees (they were one of nine nominees, and I put odds at one in ten). And it still perturbs me that so many call them funk/jazz fusion. C'mon people. Admit it: they were disco! And the Hall of Fame hasn't been kind to disco acts. The only two inducted acts that were strongest as disco acts are the Bee Gees, who performed a complete gamut of styles over a career that lasted about 20 years, and Earth, Wind And Fire, who were pioneers for the new style of R&B and were in both R&B and disco. Nonetheless, a few things have changed in Niles Rodgers and co.'s favor. One, a repeat nomination. I believe this is now their fourth nomination. Granted, Gene Pitney needed eight, and both the Dells and Black Sabbath didn't make it until their tenth nomination, but with each nomination, the potential seems to get better. Also, with two disco acts on the ballot, the multiple nomination seems much more in Chic's favor this year. Their chances have quadrupled. Odds of induction: 40%

8. Afrika Bambaataa--A pioneer rap artist. And his best-known track even HAS "Rock" in its name: "Planet Rock." With Flash and the Five in, the door is opened for rap artists, and Afrika will be inducted eventually. But, Hall of Fame voters, in general, seem to vote for a variety of acts, and so I don't think most will vote for more than one hip-hop artist. And between this guy and the Beastie Boys, it's gonna be the Beastie Boys. Odds of induction: 35%

9. Donna Summer--When you think of disco divas, this woman springs first to mind, and rightfully so. About the only disco diva to have more than five Top 40 hits (on the pop charts, that is), and in fact, five of her many hits were #1 on the pop charts, this woman is a strong standout in the subgenre of disco, who helped pave the way for many female artists, as disco gave way to 80s dance music styles, and eventually to the R&B-electronica hybrid that exists now, and their subsequent heroines like Madonna, Jody Watley, Janet Jackson, Rihanna, etc. Still, you can't ignore the fact that a lot of those songs were lyrically intellectually insulting ("She Works Hard For The Money"), fantasy to the point of cheesy ("On The Radio"), or earsplittingly painful ("I Feel Love"). Her recent "comeback" hits of the past ten years notwithstanding, if she does make it in, it'll be because voters remembered the occasional tolerable song ("Heaven Knows"). Plus, as I mentioned, Hall of Fame voters seem to tend to vote for a variety of artists. With a fellow disco act on the ballot (Chic) and also a fellow strong female icon (Madonna), Donna really stands to be overlooked on this ballot, placing her least likely among the candidates. Odds of induction: 25%


Thoughts? Comments? Bueller? Bueller? Seriously folks, don't let me feel alone here, like I'm talking to myself."