Evaluations of the 2014 nominees, sans personal taste

This year’s ballot is pretty tough, no doubt.  Even rockists who are flooding both the FRL vote and the official Rock Hall Fan Ballot with Nirvana, KISS, Deep Purple, and Yes, are pretty torn on a fifth.  Everyone has their favorites, and everyone has their own scales of merit.  So, time to stuff mine down your throats.  Here’s looking at our sixteen nominees, ranked by attempted objective merits.  I’ll once again be including my fiance’s ranks of the merits because I enjoy a perspective that’s vastly different from mine, as she focused mainly, if not solely on influence and creativity.  I’ll be using the four I’s as we evaluate the candidates: Innovation, Influence, Impact, and Intangibles.  I’d explain each one, but really, demonstration is the best explanation, so without further ado, to quote Olivia Lee from “Battle Of The Bods” (yeah, I’m ashamed of myself, too), let’s get ranking!

1. NIRVANA

Influence: This band is almost single-handedly the entire reason why rock music is the way it is today: angry/frustrated sounding chords, surreal to dystopian lyrics, and why joyful rock songs like “Party Hard,” “Girlfriend,” and “This Afternoon” are not only few and far between, but often most subject to ridicule.  Nirvana is how and why alternative scene music has broken through the walls that held it back in the ‘80s, and is more widely considered the better brand of rock music.

Innovation: The Experience Music Project in Seattle’s City Center definitely acknowledges Nirvana’s influences as progenitors of grunge music, but Nirvana is ultimately the band to find the right chemistry for it.

Impact: Just because they were alternative scene doesn’t mean they didn’t have plenty of impact on the pop charts, let alone the album and modern rock charts.  And when your song is considered the quintessential song of a decade, despite not even making the top five on the Hot 100, that’s incredibly huge.

Intangibles: Because of Kurt Cobain’s suicide, Nirvana burned out quickly rather than slowly faded.  Because we never saw Cobain mellow out in his later years or adopt a new approach to life, his image is forever set in stone, and thereby Nirvana’s.  And it’s the image that the music world eats up.

The fiance’s rank: Solidly #1 here too.

2. KISS

Influence: Before Nirvana, this was arguably the most influential band at the time.  Hair metal was in all its glory and multitudes of youngsters were picking up guitars to learn to play like KISS.

Impact: In addition to being the biggest album-selling nominee on this year’s ballot, they have a huge run of hit singles.  Additionally, they’re household names.  When you say “KISS army”, no one thinks you mean stopping wars with the powers of love and affection.

Innovation:  Probably the weakest leg of their table.  Not a hugely innovative band, except for maybe stage shows.  They probably also get some credit as pioneers of glam metal.

Intangibles: Theirs has been a marketing prowess that is among rare company.  As I said in a previous blog entry, KISS hasn’t just transcended their genre, which they have absolutely done, they’ve transcended their industry. 

The fiance’s rank: 6, because they’re not the most creative outfit out there.

3. LL COOL J

Influence: Hip-hop music grew out of block parties and was largely borne of DJ culture.  LL Cool J is a seminal figure for what made it an emcee’s game.

Impact: The man’s had a steady stream of hit singles in both the R&B and pop scenes, a crossover success only possibly rivaled on this ballot by Daryl Hall And John Oates.  A respectable album chart showing, too.  Plus, with his acting career, he also has a substantial name recognition factor.

Innovation: His innovation and influence pretty much complement each other to the point of blurring the lines.  In addition to virtually obsolescing the DJ from rap music, he helped make it a solo bragadocchio show, replacing rap outfits.  Additionally, he’s recognized for both making rap more accessible in smaller bites (shorter songs, meaning more likely radio play) and for creating the bridge of R&B stylings that we still see today in non-rap R&B music.

Intangibles: “Accidental Racist” has become a liability for him, but has it slowed down his momentum? 

The fiance’s rank: 7

4. DEEP PURPLE

Influence: Extremely influential.  One of the most influential groups in heavy metal and hard-rock bands to come after.  I’ve also heard them referred to as being influential to prog, but I’m not sure how true that is.

Impact: Not hugely successful in terms of singles, but they were a part of the rock scene that focused on albums as single entities.  On the albums front, the chart entries are so-so at best, but five gold, three platinum, and one double platinum perhaps speaks to their standing the test of time where the chart numbers don’t seem to match.

Innovation: Can’t speak to it much, but there’s probably some of it in there.

Intangibles: The other projects that members of Deep Purple have been involved with speak to the further and more direct influence of the band.  Blackmore’s name is one of the most revered among rock guitarists, and the riff from “Smoke On The Water” is considered to be one of the rites of passage for guitar playing.

The fiancé’s rank: 4.

5. N.W.A.

Influence: Gangsta rap is what it is because of these guys.  In fact much of the stereotype of what being a rapper means, or at least what it supposedly meant when Tupac and Biggie got shot, is based on the image projected by N.W.A.

Innovation: I’m loathe to put lyrical innovation on the same plateau with rhythmic and instrumental innovation, but this is one of the few times when it’s deserved.  Ice-T may be the O.G., but Ice Cube and company really put it on the map.

Impact: Minimal on the singles charts.  For albums, three platinum (one doubly so) studio albums (one that hit #1 on the Billboard 200), and one gold greatest hits compilation.  But that’s also about all they had.  No cache of lesser known/celebrated material behind that.

Intangibles: With notable and big solo careers of some of their members, they might be called the first rap supergroup.

The fiancé’s rank: 2 from her, not surprising, since she ranked N.W.A. ahead of Public Enemy last year too.

6. YES

Influence: One of the most respected names in the entire sub-genre of prog-rock.  A lot of prog bands took cues from this group.

Innovation: Among the first to really successfully and continuously infuse classical elements into the world of rock music.

Impact: One of the very few prog bands to also have a #1 hit on the Hot 100.  They’re much bigger in the album charts than the singles, but even their singles chart history is pretty respectable, especially compared to many other names on this ballot.

Intangibles: Semi-noteworthy solo careers of some of its members give them some additional credibility as it allows for closer inspection of the individual pieces of their machine, and the sense of synergy as a whole. 

The fiance’s rank: 10

7. LINDA RONSTADT

Impact: Huge name recognition.  From a commercial success standpoint, probably the best well-rounded candidate on the ballot, placing second in both hit singles and hit albums.  Somewhat notable crossover success in the country world, too, though from a Rock Hall perspective, that’s almost a liability.

Influence: I’m loathe to differentiate between genders in terms of influence: I think influence is influence, and a man can be influenced by female musicians as much as a woman can, and a woman can be influenced by male musicians as much as a man can.  But this is still far from a perfect world, and gender divisions do occur in terms of choosing role models.  And for that, Linda Ronstadt is among the stellar in terms of female rocker influences.

Innovation: Her weakest leg by far, this is probably what’s kept her off the ballot for so many years.  Nevertheless, it is an asset that although a latecomer to country-rock, she did make it bolder and more brazen, giving even the Eagles and Lynyrd Skynyrd a run for their money in this regard.

Intangibles: Of all the singers on the ballot, Ronstadt might very well me the best vocalist.  In terms of pitch range, dynamic range, and stylistic range, she is a top flight talent, and that does demand respect.  Versatility is something that the Hall respects though it sometimes takes time to show it.  Lastly, she’s highly recognized by her peers, most noteworthy Don Henley of the Eagles.  Peer respect does mean a lot.

The fiance’s rank: 14.  She really thinks less of Linda for all the covers.

8. PETER GABRIEL

Influence: His brand of influence really is best described as a lingering incorporation one may not be initially aware of, but will recognize and acknowledge later on.  His ethereal brand has carried over to many rockers.

Impact: Like U2 or “Weird Al” Yankovic, Gabriel’s output isn’t rushed, but is done in his own time as he feels ready.  That said, a decent run of hit albums and a modest but notable string of hit singles, as well as other non-charted classics, make Gabriel’s name lasting.

Innovation: His most innovative work was as the frontman of Genesis, but it’s a creativity that he carried into his own solo work, and is distinctive.

Intangibles: Of the sixteen nominees, Peter Gabriel’s music is arguably the most bohemian, and that matters because the Hall Of Fame is about honoring not only those who helped perpetuate and evolve rock ‘n’ roll as a driving cultural force, but also those who elevate it as an art form.

The fiance’s rank: She ranks him number 3, especially for his creativity

9. CHIC

Impact: The impact of “Good Times” upon hip-hop is huge.  Also, respectable runs of hits in the disco, R&B, and pop charts, plus a good run of charted albums.

Influence: Again, on the world of hip-hop, having a heavily sampled record does say a lot.  Plus, the influence on funk and dance music is sizeable.

Innovation: Not entirely devoid here, as the technique of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards have proven different and difficult to duplicate.

Intangibles: By now, Chic may just be wearing down resistance of the voters.  An eighth nomination?  The Nominating Committee must be seeing something that not everyone is.

The fiancé’s rank: 11

10. LINK WRAY

Influence: Pretty much the entire reason this man is on the ballot.  Though many would write him off as a one-trick pony, that one trick of “Rumble” is a major move.  His style of playing on that record and the subsequent ones has influenced myriads of guitarists.

Innovation: Not the premiere rock and roll guitarist, but his style did help shape the sub-genre of surf rock, which is significant.

Impact: “Rumble” is about on par with Les Paul’s “Nola” among cornerstones of guitar music.  From the charts, not much of a showing: one album and four singles.

Intangibles: In 2012, the Hall inducted six groups that they had previously only inducted the frontman.  In the event of a Link Wray induction, the Ray Men really should be included, but you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who thinks it’s a major oversight either.

The fiance’s rank: 9, surprisingly, she ranked him higher than I did.

11. DARYL HALL AND JOHN OATES

Impact: The biggest singles artist on this ballot from a pop perspective, and a strong crossover factor between the pop and R&B scenes possibly topped only by LL Cool J.  Again from a pop perspective, the biggest non-solo act from the ‘80s, and regarded as the biggest duo of the entire rock era. 

Influence: Presumably some.  Hard to be that big without having some influence, but hard to gauge, since they’re a polarizing act--one of those acts that it’s just as cool to hate as it is to love.

Innovation: Not really.

Intangibles: Hall has the studio musician cred having been a member of the studio group the Electric Indian, which had the bizarre instrumental hit from 1969, “Keem-O-Sabe”.  Oates has the iconic mustache that represents the ‘80s.

The fiance’s rank: 13

12. THE ZOMBIES

Impact: Despite only having seven hits on the pop charts (including the Bubbling Under), their big three are really well remembered, and so powerfully symbolic of the ‘60s that it overshadows the short-lived life of the group.  Also, with an album in Rolling Stone’s upper fifth of Top 500 albums of all-time, it’s a critical respect thing, too.

Innovation: When you first hear them, it’s almost indescribable.  It’s moody and haunting, but not really blues, or even jazz, though there may be elements of those styles in there.  But it’s unique, and infectious.

Influence: Somewhat limited, perhaps due to their short-lived run as a group, but every now and then, some hint of their style creeps up, the most well-known of which might be the Guess Who’s “Undun.”

Intangibles: Being a 60’s British Invasion group always means something, not just because of the way the British Invasion collectively shook up the musical landscape, but also because of the music itself of each outfit.  The Zombies have a high general populace approval overall.

The fiance’s rank: 8, and if my personal taste were included in the merits here, I’d probably rank them at least that high, too.

13. THE REPLACEMENTS

Influence: One of the earliest American alternative music bands, their style pushed ahead to many in the alternative scene.

Innovation: Not the very cutting edge at most of what they did, but always early enough that they helped give a significant push to whatever style they were behind.

Impact: Fairly small, although they do have a total of seven hit tracks on the Modern Rock charts.

Intangibles: Paul Westerberg has had a striking solo career that still continues on college radio, and Chris Mars also had a brief peak as a solo performer as well.  Also and apropos of nothing, I find it amusing that their first hit on the Modern Rock charts is a cover of the Disney classic “Cruella De Ville”
The fiance's rank: 16, and that's after researching them a bit.

14. THE METERS

Influence: They helped carry on the New Orleans sound, and bring it into the ‘70s and beyond.

Impact: A couple handfuls of hits in the singles charts, and they had a few hit albums too.

Innovation: A little bit, alongside Sly And The Family Stone and the JB’s, helping shape and update the sound of funk.

Intangibles: Two of the members of the Meters were named Neville… as in the Neville Brothers, who have also been looked at as potential candidates.  Perhaps the Hall wants this group in first, then have two more members of the Clyde McPhatter Club.

The fiance’s rank: 12

15. THE PAUL BUTTERFIELD BLUES BAND

Influence: Brought straight-out blues music to a new audience, and helped pave the way for future blues players.

Impact: A good handful or so of hit albums that are well-respected, no hit singles, but they have tracks that are still considered absolutely classic.

Innovation: Perhaps added a new dynamic to the blues-style, but beyond that, I don’t think there’s much.

Intangibles: The band behind Butterfield has a few recognizable names that perhaps add to their credibility.

The fiance’s rank:  15, that’s a match.

16. CAT STEVENS

Impact: A short but fairly bright run of hits singles and albums through the ‘70s.

Influence: I think the singer/songwriters of the ‘70s all fed and fed off of each other.  Also, his songs have been somewhat widely covered.

Innovation: Nope.

Intangibles: Others’ renditions of his compositions are fairly complimentary of his lyrical skills.  And while I don’t hold his conversion to Islam against him as a person, it did deal a negative blow to his career as a musician, similar to Little Richard’s hiatus from rock ‘n’ roll in the early ‘60s to pursue ministry after making a bargain with God in a time of crisis.

The fiance’s rank: 5.  Clearly she thinks he’s more creative than he really is, or she just really likes “The First Cut Is The Deepest.”

So there’s my impression of the merits of the nominees.  Looking at the rankings from other Monitors on the FRL site, I see some stark differences.  Nonetheless, I always look forward to critique and comments below.  Next time, purely about musical taste, for both me and my gal.

Looking at 2014's ballot

This past week, the ballot of the Performer category nominees for the 2014 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame class were announced with sixteen nominees listed.  When announced, my initial thoughts:

7 nominees predicted.  Either I'm getting better or they're getting easier to predict.  I suspect the latter since many people did as well or better than me.

R&B and soul really got buried this year.  No real representation here.

"Populism" is the word that keeps popping up every time I look at the names here.  About 3/4ths of the names here are names that I've seen a lot of fan outcry for on blogs, op-ed pieces, and the Future Rock Legends site.

Thinking of who will actually be inducted, the only two that are locks, in my opinion are Nirvana and Chic.  The former is far and away the leader in innovation and influence of all the names on the ballot and is pretty much the one act on here everyone agrees on.  The latter is on nomination number eight, which has all but once proven the magic number.  Plus Nile Rodgers has been having too monstrous a year to not get in.  It's happening.

The only two that I've ruled out as having much of any chance are the Replacements and the Meters.  The Replacements are a solid pick, but even among the '80s alt crowd, they're not at the top of the wish list.  The Meters are a dome-scratcher altogether.  They could have been omitted from the ballot, and not much would be missing in terms of variety that isn't already missing.

That leaves ten names and three or four slots remaining open for induction.  And it's my opinion that all ten are serious contenders.  This is a strong field, and here's a quick run down on why none of these can be dismissed out of hand:

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band: John Q. Public has given this outfit as much support as they have the Meters, but they've been name-dropped by none other than Jann S. Wenner himself and that is huge.

Deep Purple: Populism here.  A major guitar act that many have wanted to see inducted for several years now.

Peter Gabriel: The only nominee on the ballot who would be a Clyde McPhatter Club member (inducted more than once), and that's something that's always a bit of a draw.

Daryl Hall And John Oates: This seems to be an act you either love or hate, but their hit-making status, as well as major appeal with the R&B scene (as noted by their R&B chart crossover history) gives them a certain cache pretty much no other White act on the ballot has.

KISS: In terms of influence, they were probably the template band until Nirvana came along.

LL Cool J: Rap is here to stay, and while I don't believe in numerology, no rap act (or girl group, but there's none here) has needed more than three nominations to get in, so far.  This is #3 for him.

N.W.A.: The supergroup of rap.  The more popular of the two rap choices, especially since "Accidental Racist."

Linda Ronstadt: Strong female (and aside from Chic's singers, the ONLY female) presence.  Plus, the Parkinson's announcement will get her a lot of sympathy swing.

Cat Stevens: '70s singer/songwriters almost always fare well.

Link Wray: Innovative guitarists, especially early ones, always seem to find a way in.  Do wish they'd included the Ray Men as part of the nomination though.

Yes: Prog takes awhile to get on the ballot, but it always moves into the Hall once nominated pretty expeditiously.

the Zombies: Lotsa love for the 60's British Invasion from both the powers-that-be, and the general public.

That's the immediate impression.  More analysis to come.

Official prediction for the Ballot of 2014

It’s now September, and the Nominating Committee is expected to convene and decide the ballot for the Class Of 2014 by the end of this month, hopefully announcing it before October, but not entirely expected either.  Nonetheless, almost everyone has their predictions up as to whose names will appear on the ballot.  Now it’s time for mine.  Back in March, the mid-season report had not only a precursor as to whom I believe will be nominated, but even a leap of faith guess as to six inductees.  How much has changed?  A bit, actually.  Although sixty percent of my predicted ballot is the same as March’s mid-season report, the forty percent that is new reflect a few recent occurrences, as well as just a few plain changes of the mind.  Here I’ll look at the ones I have chosen, the ones I removed, and even a few that others suggested that I’m not quite feeling.

The first name that remains absolutely unchanged is Nirvana.  Still a no-brainer to everyone.  Future Rock Legends pointed out that their first single makes them eligible this year, but if the NomCom goes by their albums, it’d be next year.  The NomCom may do some crazy things, but if the Beastie Boys were nominated on their first year of eligibility when that first release was an all-but-discontinued-by-the-industry EP, then a commercial single should definitely be proof enough for Nirvana’s eligibility.

Second, I’m still not abandoning my belief of Whitney Houston, who many believed was a lock for nomination and induction last year.  With Donna Summer now in, the ballot won’t be as divided against Whitney getting in.  Detractors have pointed out that with a new exhibit for Whitney’s cousin, Dionne Warwick, it may be the psychic spokeslady getting a nod instead.  Still, I’m sticking to my guns and saying they’ll go with the tragic death rather than the tragic endorsements this year.  If Whitney gets in, it’ll strengthen the odds for Dionne next year.  If Houston is not nominated this time, then we can safely assume she’ll be forgotten for several more years to come, and Warwick’s chances will remain the same.  Besides, the Hall has put up exhibits for the Association, the Guess Who, Debbie Gibson, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, etc. all of whom remain not inducted, so an exhibit is not exactly the clincher either, unfortunately for Dionne.

Also remaining a sure bet in my opinion is the reappearance of Chic.  This will be number eight, and all the pieces that have to be in place for them to get in are pretty much in place now.  Nile’s work with Daft Punk, the supposed “automatic eight”, even hand-pumping Bono to try to curry favor with some influential folk.

Speaking of pieces falling into place, I still remain fairly certain that Joan Jett And The Blackhearts will receive a third consecutive nomination.  They’ve also taken a page from the familiar playbook of putting out a new album to refresh everyone’s memory, like Heart did last year, and three consecutive years worked for Laura Nyro, so it looks pretty strong for Jett and co. if they make it back.

Of the six that I indicated as strong contenders for the Class Of 2014, five of them are in this official ballot prediction, the fifth being the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.  It’s no secret this one is next in Jann S. Wenner’s queue, and while he’s not on the NomCom, he’s got leverage, so don’t count them out yet.

Continuing on with other names that I predicted back in March, it seems similarly certain that there’ll be a second nomination for Procol Harum, and since March, we learned that Procol Harum is Little Steven’s current pet project.  Little Steven usually gets his pet projects on the ballot, plus the Hall loves the British Invasion of the 60’s.  These guys will be back.

With the induction of Randy Newman, the singer/songwriter slot is newly open, and over the past few years, the NomCom has been bringing back previous one-and-done nominees.  Look for two birds to be killed with one stone and for Cat Stevens to resurface.  Another name to possibly pop back up on radars should be that of Joe Tex, who seems to have no discernable pattern for getting nominated, but hasn’t been around for a few years.  These two past nominees are looking prime for reconsideration right now, and both represent a typical niche corner of the ballot, as Tex would fill the soul pocket.  Sadly, I don’t think the Spinners will be back this year, but quite possibly next.  I think the pressure for Chic is too great, and any possible name to divide against Chic, like a fellow ‘70s R&B group, isn’t safe to try.

The last name that was around back in March that returns now is De La Soul.  I had a hunch about them when I learned they were eligible this year, and finding out Toure’s fandom of them clinches it.  But, like Future Rock Legends, I feel they’ll be longshots if nominated. 

Those are the nine I predicted in March that I still think have a strong chance of being on the ballot.  So six have changed, but how?   The most notable is the name of my suspected sixth for the Class Of 2014.  I thought LL Cool J had a strong chance.  What happened?  Two words: “Accidental Racist.”  The atrocity of that duet with Brad Paisley is the faulty gyroscope that causes this plane to sink beneath radar.  LL Cool J’s out, and bring back N.W.A.  They’re arguably rap’s first supergroup, hugely influential, and would have been a shoo-in last year but for Public Enemy.

At the very end of the mid-season report, I predicted there’d be another blues guitarist.  While John Mayer was name-dropping Stevie Ray Vaughan, I just can’t hold out hope.  I think that it’ll be another pre-SRV blues guitarist, but not Albert Collins as first thought.  Instead, they may just choose another name from their list of previously considered, which could net a first-time nomination for Ry Cooder.  In the past, I’ve mentioned about the possibility of inducting him as a Sideman, and though he’d still be a good inductee in that category, he could appear on the ballot once, and then get back door inducted.

Just as I doubt that an exhibit featuring Dionne Warwick will secure her nomination (at least this year), so too I’ve come to doubt that a blog entry featuring Patsy Cline will gain her a nomination either, as I had thought in March.  But people who dread a misogynistic ballot, fear not.  The name-dropping by Don Henley, plus the current revelation of her struggles with Parkinson’s disease, is making me lean a bit toward maybe Linda Ronstadt getting some love at last.  The Hall has considered her before, but the serious support for her has been lacking a little bit.  Still, this time might be different.

With Little Steven campaigning for Procol Harum, I don’t see Yes making the ballot as a lot of people are hoping.  There’s been a big drive for Yes, and they’ve supposedly been gaining traction with the prog/metal subcommittee.  But Procol Harum is considered a proto-prog rock band of sorts, so I don’t think they’ll even put the two together.  However, we know from 2012, they have no problem putting two ‘60s British Invasion acts on the ballot together.  With the recent visit by Rod Argent to the Museum in Cleveland and the love letter he wrote afterwards to the Foundation, there could just be reciprocity of the love and we’ll see the Zombies getting a nomination.  Despite being short-lived, and having only a few hits, public support for the Zombies is actually pretty high.  Seems like a winning combo for the Hall.  Surprised it hasn’t happened yet.

Trying to fill in the remaining spots in a list of fifteen always leads to either putting favorite bands on, or picking from possible returning nominees.  To that end, in March, I suggested the possible returns of War, Bon Jovi, and KISS, also seeing suggestions for the return of Kraftwerk.  However, the NomCom has been making a habit recently of picking past nominees that were one-and-done.  We’ve already got Cat Stevens on the list, but there’ll probably be at least one more.  There are a few good ones to choose from, and I’m going to pick the Dominoes, the last one-and-done nominee from the ‘90s.  Bring them into the new millennium. 

I could easily pick another former one-and-done nominee, and there are plenty who want to see the MC5 or New York Dolls get another shot. And you can never really write off Steve Winwood either.  Still, I’m choosing to again go left field for the fifteenth slot.  I think they’ll go a bit more modern with this one too.  While people are clamoring for acts like Foreigner and Duran Duran, I’ll go even more modern and pick Soundgarden.  The NomCom does crazy things sometimes, like pitting another modern underground scene band against Nirvana.  Like De La Soul, they’d be longshots if nominated, but this might be a band they nominate to see just how many votes they garner.  It’s a bit tilted of an idea, but stranger things have happened.

So there are my fifteen names.  Some I feel strongly about; other, not so much.  But we’re all equal on this playing field.  I’ve submitted my picks, now to just wait another month or hopefully less.

A huge, but tacit part of the equation

2013’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony was the greatest broadcast presentation I’d seen in years.  There wasn’t any nominee, let alone inductee, that I absolutely loved (though I am a fan of Albert King and Public Enemy), but the live performances did give me cause to pause and reconsider my opinion about some of them too.  It was an exhilarating broadcast overall

The only part that made me sad was Chuck D, at least twice, justifying rap’s place in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.  Public Enemy is the fourth rap act in.  At this point, there’s really no need to justify it.  Also, rock and roll isn’t defined by how artistic it is.  Rap isn’t truer to rock’s roots because it’s more artistic.  In fact, in some ways it’s almost the complete reverse.  Both rap and rock ‘n’ roll’s histories have been fraught with the onus of being considered the least artistic, the basest form of music known at the time.  But neither of those reasons are the part that saddens me.  What does is the constant focus on its blues roots.  Yes, rock and roll IS rooted in the blues, and we inducted Albert King this year to celebrate that.  And Freddie King the year before, and many other blues players in the past. 

But that’s not really even half the story about the rise of rock ‘n’ roll music.  For starters, it neglects the roles of country, folk, gospel, and even various forms of jazz.  More to the point of this entry, though, it also ignores a great section of the lore of rock ‘n’ roll, and even how the widely accepted as first #1 rock ‘n’ roll song came to be a #1 hit.  It ignores how Elvis became the King Of Rock And Roll, how Bob Dylan became so prominent, how R E.M. found their audience, and even to a more cynical extent, why NomCom members select the acts they do for the ballot every year.  It’s the role of youth culture, and it’s almost inseparable from the story of rock ‘n’ roll.

Much like rock ‘n’ roll music, it’s hard to say where or when youth culture really began.  To be certain, hints of it have been around almost as long as recorded history (the history of toys and games), even possibly including certain passages of Scripture, depending upon your interpretation.  But its rise as an almost self-actualized entity, particularly in North America, is a little sketchy.  The industrialization of the United States and the subsequent urbanization (and later, the subsequent sub-urbanization) may be the hugest factor.  In the 1907 song “In The Evening By The Moonlight, Dear Louise”, there’s a line about how after clearing the kitchen was “the only time we had to spare to have a little fun.”  Certainly, the rise of cities drawing away from farm life freed up more time for some youth to have fun and find things to do that adults didn’t have time to do; and the continued rise of automation, where machines replaced jobs that young boys might have otherwise held (because women generally didn’t work back then, and certainly not young girls), coupled with child labor laws, definitely helped till the soil that would be the bed for youth culture to spout. The seeds themselves though may have been planted when Franklin Roosevelt signed the Selective Training And Service Act in 1940. which allowed conscription even during peacetime, and suddenly the young folks, men especially, were continuously worried about being drafted.  Of course, unlike some of the wars that followed afterwards, there was virtual unanimity about the validity of going to war during the 1940’s, especially after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, so there wasn’t much division of thought between the generations at that point.  Following WWII, however, the necessity of the draft became more questionable.  Pop culture even took note of this at the time.  For example, towards the end of the 1947 movie, The Bachelor And The Bobbysoxer, starring Cary Grant, the young boy Jerry alerts the girl he loves, Susan, that he’s been drafted, to which she replies along the lines of, “Drafted?  But the war is over!”  And of course, the less popular Korean and Vietnam Wars that followed also helped the youth find their unity, their strength, and their voice as they fought against the draft that haunted them.

But during the time of U.S. involvement in Korea is also the time when rock ‘n’ roll began to coalesce.  Early heroes of R&B who’d be known as founding fathers of rock ‘n’ roll, such as Fats Domino, Ruth Brown, and Ray Charles were making waves, but not much crossover to the pop market.  Despite the anomalous popularity of “Sixty-Minute Man” by the Dominoes in the 1950’s, rock ‘n’ roll hadn’t really latched onto the fabric of society and incorporated itself into it.  One of the first people to really understand what was missing was Bill Haley.

Haley, of course, had been a country singer, known as the Silver Yodeler, and his band was first known as the Saddlemen.  But even before that, Haley had absorbed some of the music of Black culture in his vocations prior to singing country.  But when he and his band started fusing that sound with their established sound, it wasn’t instant magic.  The story goes that the nightclub audiences were rather unreceptive to it, and that was when the band realized that the people who wanted to hear this sound weren’t in the nightclubs, they were in the high schools.  After taking the chance by testing their sound by playing free shows at high schools, they noticed the style was a hit with the teenagers, and that eventually altered the course of their career, and music in general.  Haley even penned, “Crazy, Man, Crazy”, using the teens’ usage of the word “crazy” at the time, similar to how “radical” was used in the ‘80s, as a way of giving back to those teens.  And that was in 1953 (they had also made waves with their rendition of “Rock The Joint” the previous year, but that didn’t chart).  Haley continued with “Fractured,” “Live It Up,” his cover of “Shake, Rattle, And Roll”, the underrated “Dim, Dim The Lights (I Want Some Atmosphere)”, the double sided hits “Birth Of The Boogie” and “Mambo Rock”, then of course landed the first #1 rock ‘n’ roll hit in 1955 with “(We’re Gonna) Rock Around The Clock”, which had flopped the year before but gained popularity after its inclusion in the movie The Blackboard Jungle, the title of course, referring to school, where the youth were. 

Now what caused what is of course hard to say, since 1954 also saw pop chart entries from R&B groups like the Crows, the Spaniels, and the Drifters, but soon the youth and rock ‘n’ roll bonded together in a way that still exists.  Chuck Berry was soon tailoring his lyrics to the teenagers, Little Richard was electrifying youngsters with his wild vinyl performances, and let’s not forget the sheer sexual energy of Elvis Presley that influenced boys and mesmerized girls…all speaking to a youth culture.  In a telephone conference call with a forum at Michigan State University back in the early 2000’s, the never-to-be-inducted Pat Boone talked about the role that rock ‘n’ roll played in racial unification, and when asked, he concurred with the notion that rock ‘n’ roll bridged the racial gap at the risk of expanding the generation gap, noting that prior to rock ‘n’ roll, kids and adults listened to the same artists, for the most part.  Rock and roll is the first musical style that is uniquely of the young generation.  It’s this youth culture that saw the rise of the teen idols, popularized the dance records of the early ‘60s, absorbed the Beach Boys’ message of fun times and young philosophy, embraced the raucous British Invasion acts, latched onto the messages of Bob Dylan when their turn to be drafted loomed nigh, aurally devoured the bubblegum music of the late 60s and danced to disco through the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.  It’s the slightly older but still very much a part of youth culture nature of the college scene where acts like R.E.M. and U2 found their audiences, and where music snobs still say is the place to find the music that we should be listening to and will be the acts worth inducting into the RnRHoF in the future.  It’s the youth culture of the block parties where hip-hop found its origins in the ‘70s, and it was the youth culture of the early 90’s where grunge’s discontent resonated, thus also befuddling yuppie suburban parents.  And whether they admit it or not, it’s the place where the memories are stored for NomCom members, thus impelling them to nominate the acts associated with those memories (see Little Steven’s induction speech for the Rascals, and to a lesser extent the Hollies).

And it’s not like the two worlds of rhythm and blues music and youth culture are mutually exclusive either.  If one was to choose one record label that was the quintessential “rock ‘n’ roll record label”, chances are that choice would either be Atlantic or Motown, both of whom were powerhouses of R&B, and both of whom regularly released music with wide appeal to the younger crowds.  Instead, it seems the powers-that-be would have us believe that Chess would be the end-all-be-all label.  Nothing against Chess Records, they did indeed put out some phenomenal music, and Leonard Chess was absolutely deserving of his induction, but outside of Chuck Berry, their artists didn’t pay much attention to the teenage scene, and no surprise, Chuck Berry was the runaway biggest artist from that label.  To forget about the youth culture would be to forget about the fun music from labels like the Cameo-Parkway empire, and fellow monitors know my belief that founder Bernie Lowe is one of the biggest snubs for the Non-Performer category/Ahmet Ertegun Award, and that the Hall has yet to recognize any of the artists that were key to that legacy.  And not just Cameo-Parkway, but also labels like Swan, Vee-Jay, and even a share of the artists on Imperial.

So why does the Hall Of Fame downplay the importance of youth culture in its rhetoric and nomination choices?  Well, to be fair, they don’t outright ignore it.  There’s some acknowledgment of it whenever a newly eligible artist is nominated much to the chagrin of people who think they shouldn’t be inducting ‘80s acts until they’ve inducted every act they deem worthy from the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s (and again, we’re all guilty of that one at some point or another).  There’s acknowledgment of it when they nominate and induct acts like ABBA, Madonna, and the Dave Clark Five, who were at some point pop chart powerhouses, the pop charts decided most heavily by the youth culture.  They do it when they finally lift the stigmas and nominate bands like Rush and Deep Purple, who still influence young guitarists to this day.  And they even acknowledged it with the very induction of Dick Clark, nicknamed “The World’s Oldest Teenager”, who hosted a show about the music that teens were listening and dancing to, and who often referred to rock ‘n’ roll as the music that keeps us young.  And even Seymour Stein, when inducted, sang a song that he supposedly sang at his bar mitzvah, asking why shouldn’t he sing, since it keeps him feeling young.  So the Rock Hall does acknowledge the importance of the younger generations’ contributions to the ongoing evolution of rock ‘n’ roll, but they do it rather subtly.

But why downplay it at all?  One possibility may simply be the same reason we have the 25-year rule in the first place: the test of time.  Youth culture, for all the power it holds, is not renowned for being discerning, and unquestionable musical excellence is still the overarching criterion for induction into the Hall Of Fame.  The 25 years it takes for an artist to become eligible is designed to acknowledge overall excellence as opposed to recognizing music we’re now ashamed of, or heralding some meaningless Guinness-type world record whose existence is little more than a curio for a cabinet.  It’s designed to ensure Nirvana and Green Day’s inductions and keep Milli Vanilli and the New Kids On The Block out.  Consequently, they latently define blues music and music of the youth as being antonymous to each other, which is simply not true.

Similarly, it may even be as innocuous as defining a genre of music by its musical structure, instead of by its target demographic.  “Youth” isn’t a genre of music, but “blues”. “country”, “folk”, “gospel”, and “jazz” all most definitely are.  If the Foundation is about saluting the music, then they should talk about it in the language of musicology.

Another possible explanation for the downplay that we see is because of who is in charge of the Foundation.  I don’t necessarily mean Jann S. Wenner, or Terry Stewart or any one person.  But the various members of the powers-that-be do for the most part come from the same generation.  And that generation is not the current one or even a fairly recent brood of spring chickens.  They might prove to eventually stop being receptive of the up and coming generations’ message and means of conveying that message.  So they don’t want to be like Patti Smith and salute the up and coming generations, and so as not to stir up the claims of hypocrisy, they downplay the important role of the youth culture from their own generation as well.

Lastly, as with so many other conspiracy theories regarding the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, there’s the claim that it’s political.  Politically correct in this case.  In addition to being from the same generation, most of the members of the powers-that-be are from the same race, and that race isn’t the one that they claim rock ‘n’ roll’s music is most heavily rooted in.  So, out of political correctness, they heavily emphasize the bluesy beginnings, and ignore what made it thrive, made it lucrative. 

Whatever the reasons, the rise of youth culture as a catalyst for rock ‘n’ roll, both in terms of popularity and in terms of artistic creativity, mustn’t be stifled or ignored.  And when Chuck D boasts about hip-hop being “true to what rock ‘n’ roll is really all about”, not only does it sound cliché, but it also lengthens the wait of many deserving artists for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, from Teen Queen Lesley Gore to college-rock standouts Sonic Youth, simply because they also stayed true to what rock ‘n roll has been about for almost 60 years now: letting the youth express themselves.

HBO's broadcast of the 2013 ceremonies - brief review

After watching the televised induction ceremonies on HBO, this entry will be fairly short and sweet.  I think they did a pretty amazing job this year.  Breaking it down by inductee:

Randy Newman: Good performances.  Admittedly, of the eight inductees, I still maintain that Newman is least deserving, and by a pretty far distance at that.  Nonetheless, Don Henley did a respectable job convincing us why his non-cinematic work is all we need to deem him worthy of induction.  But honestly, Don, leave out the politics.  I agree that Rick Perry is a nutcase, but to everything its proper time and place.  This wasn’t it, despite past speeches by other presenters.

Albert King: Great speech by John Mayer.  It’s easy to forget he’s almost as talented as he is an annoying d-bag.  A White Kanye, if you will.  Gary Clark…amazing musician, great performance, loved it.

Lou Adler: Loved what Cheech And Chong did.  They were funny and succinct.  Great speech from Lou himself.  And Carole King is always great to see perform.  No complaints here at all.

Donna Summer: I loved what Kelly Rowland said about Donna, even if I didn’t agree with it 100%. Jennifer Hudson sang a great tribute, and I was impressed with how classy the family members were in their speech, not bitter about how the honor is posthumous, though they did hint that there was some resentment.

Heart: Chris Cornell did deliver a great speech, though apparently the best bits were left on the cutting room floor.  My one gripe with the editing process was that they cut out some of the inducted members’ acceptance altogether, or seriously shortened others.  Heart is more than the Wilson sisters; let’s let the other members speak too.  As for the performance, I had to smirk when they kept it all early:  “Crazy On You” and “Barracuda,” kind of temporarily disowning their later, more ballad-like material.

Quincy Jones: I view Oprah the way a lot of atheists view Jesus: no problem with the person per se, but save me from their followers.  That said, her speech for Quincy Jones was phenomenal.  I didn’t even realize that he had, in a way, discovered Oprah Winfrey.  Quincy’s speech was great as well, and Usher did indeed give a marvelous performance as tribute.

Public Enemy: Spike Lee seemed all too brief.  Harry Belafonte said some great things, but was a little hard to listen to.  Don’t know what he did to his voice, but it grated a little.  Once again, let the other members speak.  It looked like they cut off Terminator X completely and only let Professor Griff speak a little.  A shame that DJ Lord and the Bomb Squad weren’t included, but it was obvious that that’s how it would go down.  Still, being onstage completely together was wicked awesome. 

Rush:  The fans were definitely behind this one.  I loved the speech from Taylor and Dave (though again, the best lines were cropped from the broadcast from what I’ve heard), the speeches from Geddy and Neil, and of course, Alex’s. How could you not?  I’m not a Rush fan, but even I was floored by their performance.  Simply electrifying. 

The All-Star Jam was great.  I like how they almost managed to represent every inductee with it.  Too bad Randy didn’t get a verse, or Jennifer or Usher or Carole.  And is it just me or did Tom Morello look like he was playing hooky from his shift at Jiffy Lube?

So other than editing out some people’s speeches, the show was really amazing.  The editing was actually really great for the most part.  A thoroughly enjoyable broadcast.  HBO did the event justice.  Probably the best broadcast since 2008’s very fly-on-the-wall presentation.

The R&B Hall and how it might affect the R&R Hall

In the much too long hiatus at the beginning of the year, a lot of drama has unfolded regarding the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, even as recent as this past week.  Among the biggest pieces of news, but not so fully explored, was the announcement of the departure of key people at the Rock And Hall Of Fame Foundation, including some members of the Nominating Committee.  Supposedly, these people left to focus on the development and execution of the new R&B Hall Of Fame.  The R&B Hall Of Fame announced its inaugural class shortly after the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame announced its Class Of 2013.  Looking at the people behind and the charter inductees of this new establishment, it raises some questions and concerns about the direction of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.  Some of the questions looming nigh deserve serious discussion.

First off, why the split in the first place?  It really does seem pointless for a couple reasons.  For starters, how much extra time and energy does it take to be a part of two halls of fame?  Admittedly, perhaps ignorance on the subject matter is coming through, but given how many years the Rock Hall existed without even having a museum, and given that NomCom members only meet to decide nominees, decide inductees in the categories outside of Performer, and to actually attend the ceremonies; it doesn’t seem like a heavy extra commitment on top of their regular jobs already, all of which are at the very least tangentially connected to the recording industry anyway.  Planning the ceremonies themselves are really the only seriously strenuous part of being involved in the process, outside of trying to convince other committee members that a certain nominee belongs on the ballot, even if at the expense of another candidate who may also be deserving.  Taking part in another hall of fame shouldn’t be that demanding.

Maybe this is being done in recognition of the changing of demographics in the United States.  As political pundits loved to repeatedly point out upon announcing Barack Obama’s re-election, Caucasians are rapidly, if not already, losing status as a majority, and may in fact soon not even comprise a plurality.  Shouldn’t there be a Hall Of Fame for a musical style that hasn’t been skewing more and more White over time (which is another blog entry itself for the future), to reflect that?  But if that were the case, why not also make plans to begin a Latin Music Hall Of Fame in the States, since that is the most rapidly growing demographic?  Or maybe it’s being done to reflect the extreme dominance of R&B and rap in the Pop charts and the programming of Contemporary Hits Radio stations.  Again, this is insufficient because it leaves danceable pop out of the picture, which has carved out its own strong presence with the likes of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, etc.  Changing demographics as an explanation only raises more questions than it answers. 

On top of that, hasn’t the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame pretty much acted like an R&B Hall Of Fame?  Not per se, but in the first eight years, at least half of the inducted Performers were African-Americans, none of who were renowned for playing rock and roll that leaned more heavily on the folk or country side.  And there have been only three years where none of the Performer inductees chosen from the ballot were Black, and one of those years had a blue-eyed soul act while another had a trio of White rappers (although one year did have a jazz artist in lieu of an R&B artist, and two more had reggae, which while still derived from R&B isn’t part of the traditional connotation of “R&B”).  Even as recent as 2008, Jann S. Wenner reminded the room how rock and roll is rooted in the “music of the Black man”, i.e. blues, jazz, gospel, and R&B.  There’s pretty much been representation of R&B of some sort in every year of inductions in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Which again begs the question, why the impetus to cut bait now?  While the language of the resignations has all been very pleasant, one really need only look at what they’re creating upon leaving to get at potential ulterior motives.  On the surface, it would appear that the people who’ve split feel that R&B has been getting less than adequate representation, which as mentioned above is an odd attitude to take given the continual presence in the annual selections.  Even more incredible given the littering of lists one can find online of the most snubbed artists.  Most are either classic rock, metal, or early alternative scene acts, none of which appeal heavily in the R&B scene.  Still, a look at the artists who’ve been repeatedly nominated but have failed to get in reveals at present the likes of Chic, Chuck Willis, and Joe Tex as the top three, with 18 nominations between the three of them.

Looking even closer at what they’re creating, the inductees themselves also reveal another side to this split.  Some of the no-brainers are there, such as Aretha, Ray, Sam, James, and Berry Jr.  There are even a couple awesome surprises for charter induction like Johnnie Taylor and Martha And The Vandellas.  But what ultimately is telltale is the inclusion of inductees like the Spinners, the Marvelettes, Whitney Houston, and Don Cornelius.  No one is saying that these choices are less than deserving, but the Spinners missed out on the Class Of 2012, the Marvelettes on the Class Of 2013, Whitney Houston from nomination for the Class Of 2013, when many thought it was a certainty, and Don Cornelius not receiving a posthumous Ahmet Ertegun Award induction this year either.  Though these are but four of the forty-eight inductees, the fact that these four are noteworthy snubs from the past two years of Rock Hall inductions.indicates possible bitterness about these people getting snubbed, and possibly other artists they want to see nominated, but can’t make any headway in the process.  Mere speculation, but not to be entirely ruled out either.

Another possible factor is the rise of rap in the ranks of the Rock Hall.  NomCom member Toure, who is not listed among those splitting, has sworn to only nominate rap artists from here on out.  That may seem counterintuitive, but again, look at the inductees.  Whitney Houston and Luther Vandross are representing the ‘80s, but there are no rap artists, not even Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five.  On the surface, it would seem no conflict should be present.  Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five got in the same year as the Ronettes who, while part of the Spector sound did have R&B in that sound.  Run-D.M.C. was inducted the same year as doo-wop group Little Anthony And The Imperials and “Soul Preacher” Bobby Womack.  This year, Public Enemy is inducted alongside blues guitarist Albert King and disco queen Donna Summer.  Even 2012’s elected Performers were half “blue-eyed” R&B of sorts.  So rap doesn’t seem to be conflicting with other forms of R&B.  Nonetheless, looking to the future, the presence of non-rap R&B candidates may get thinner in terms of soon-to-be eligible, viable candidates.  Whitney Houston herself might still not even be part of the conversation if not for her famous passing away early last year.  Beyonce, Destiny’s Child, Usher, and maybe Mariah Carey are the strongest candidates right now, but what about the likes of Mary J. Blige, Boyz II Men, or Faith Evans?  Does Bruno Mars have a shot, assuming he maintains his current pace?  Another piece of evidence, though by no means concretely telling, is the Rock Hall Projected project on Future Rock Legends.  Non-rap R&B artists of the ‘80s and beyond are pretty scarce, and those that made it often took multiple nominations.  Again, the opinions of the people on FRL vary quite differently from those of the NonCom and the voting bloc, but the sentiment may not be confined either.  If not, maybe there is a need to branch out after all.

Whether or not these are good reasons is partially moot, since the split has been made already.  Which brings us to the next logical question: how will this shape the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame classes in the future?  One obvious but perhaps erroneous conclusion is that the classes will get a lot more “Rock” oriented, meaning overwhelmingly heavy with guitar bands, a classic rock fan’s utopia.  This seems to be what would happen, since without a strong R&B presence, what’s left?  And the recent nominations of KISS, Bon Jovi, Deep Purple, and the recent inductions of the likes of Rush and Alice Cooper seem to point in that direction.  The problem with that logic is, of course, there are still a lot of NomCom members remaining in their seats of power who still don’t like those acts.  KISS and Bon Jovi have yet to return to the ballot, and it may be that Deep Purple will continue that trend. 

Those remaining members, in fact, may even serve to keep the Rock Hall continuing same as usual.  After all, how many members did the NomCom really lose?  Out of how many?  Ultimately future ballots and future classes will not only present the immediate answers, but also hint to the long-range possibilities.  And who knows: perhaps this split will wake up NomCom members and voters alike in favor of some of these overlooked artists?  Will the next time be magic for the Spinners or the Marveletees?  Will the Chi-Lites, Manhattans, and Dramatics finally be noticed for their impeccable smooth soul?  Will Johnnie Taylor, the Bar-Kays, or the Ohio Players serve to open eyes beyond the world of Pop chart sensibilities, and re-orient said eyes towards the R&B chart history?

Whatever happens, one thing seems sadly inevitable: the eventual closing up shop of the R&B Hall Of Fame.  Not to cast signs of doom and gloom, but things are already looking bad on the outset for this new creation.  Here are a few signs that may indicate repatriation to the Rock Hall by those who chose to split:

1. It seems to be done out of spite.  As stated earlier, some of the inductees seem like choices made to spite the Rock Hall for not getting them in sooner, while they had a chance to prevent any kind of fissure.

2. The quotas of eras.  Admittedly, not enough research has been done into this one, but offhand, quotas of eras do not bode well.  The Vocal Group Hall Of Fame did the same thing, and folded after a clean decade.  The same thing happened with the UK Music Hall Of Fame, which was even more short-lived and less restrictive than the Vocal Group Hall.  Meanwhile, the Rock And Roll, the Country Music, and the Baseball Halls Of Fame all require a minimum of time passage prior to eligibility.  Definitely more correlation than causation, but it’s still noteworthy.

3. Ridiculous pace at the outset.  Forty-eight inductees in their first class.  Maybe they’re trying to get things started with a bang, but this is more than twice the number of inductees than the Rock Hall has ever inducted in a single year.  Even if they do start including rap artists, there’s no way they’ll be able to maintain that kind of pace.  Like the Rock Hall has done, they’ll have to slow things way down to ensure long-term durability.

4. Significant omissions.  As mentioned earlier, some of the inductees are no-brainers.  Unfortunately, so are some missing names: Michael Jackson, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, etc.  Even worse, they seemed to have forgotten that R&B predates rock ‘n’ roll, as Ray Charles is the only inductee listed whose chart history predates 1955.  Where’s Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five?  The Ink Spots?  The Mills Brothers?  The Ravens?  Just some glaring omissions out of the gate, due possibly to the era quotas they seem to have in place.

5. Absurdity of some of the inductees.  Making judgment calls on the merits of particular inductees can certainly lead to heated arguments, but there are some questionable calls on this one.  It may not be about hits as much as musical excellence (similar to the Rock Hall’s apparent mission), but a charter class should be about those who are easily and undisputedly among the royalty.  To that end, Enchantment?  They only had a couple significant albums and less than a dozen hits across all the Billboard charts.  Or the Hesitations, a band with even less presence than Enchantment?  It would be an understandable statement to include acts that were huge on the R&B charts but largely unknown on the Pop scene, but they didn’t induct Millie Jackson, Fatback, or Chuck Jackson.  They went for the Hesitations and Enchantment.  Additionally, the inductions of places and record labels seem a bit ludicrous.  Was Motown absolutely pivotal in the evolution of R&B?  Absolutely.  But they’re simultaneously inducting Berry Gordy, Jr. and Motown Records.  Inducting a whole record label just seems ridiculous, especially when it makes more sense just to induct the people who made it monumental (and while the subject’s been broached, where’s Stax-Volt or Jim Stewart?)  Inducting exhibition locations?  Again, no one will downplay the importance of the Apollo, but that’s why exhibits are built spotlighting these locations, or why people petition the local council to name it a historic landmark.  But to induct a club is just a bit out there.  Lastly, Al Sharpton.  Seriously?  Being friend and mentor to James Brown does not merit induction into a music hall of fame.  By that logic, Perry Como should be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame because he was friend and source of strength for Elvis Presley during his Las Vegas stint, and helped keep the King going during the depressing post-Priscilla days.  But no one’s seriously mentioned the Man Who Invented Casual as a Rock Hall candidate.  Nor should Sharpton be in the R&B Hall.  The NAACP Hall Of Fame?  Unequivocally.  The R&B Hall Of Fame?  No.  Just no.

In conclusion, the R&B Hall Of Fame seems like a creation curious in its origins.  There is certainly an ample supply of acts to induct and honor, many of whom will likely never even be seriously considered by the Rock Hall’s NomCom, but the approach needs considerable re-alignment before they induct their second class.  Otherwise, it’ll go down as a footnote in the history of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

2013 Mid-Season Report

After a much too long hiatus, Rock Hall Monitors has returned.  Hopefully to be more frequent.  The ceremonies haven’t happened yet, and we still don’t even know who the presenter will be for Public Enemy or either of the Ahmet Ertegun Award recipients.  Nonetheless, it is March, which is six months away from September, which is about the time predictions appear for who will be on the ballot for the next year’s class.  Which means now is the appropriate time for a mid-season report.  What is the current reading on Rock Hall barometers everywhere?  These things are subject to change based on what happens during the year.  New albums, shocking deaths, and press statements are among several external factors that can influence members of the NomCom, and that doesn’t even include internal factors that go on in NomCom members’ lives.  Nevertheless, there is some consistency across the board, and here is a preliminary look at some names that might surface on the 2014 ballot.

Since mid-January, I’ve had a gnawing feeling of already being able to pick next year’s class.  Normally, I hate predicting a class without even knowing who the actual nominees are; however, certain indicators seem to point to six strong possibilities as the Class Of 2014.  It begins naturally with the glaringly obvious selection of Nirvana.  This one just couldn’t be any more obvious.  There was some discrepancy of when they are first eligible, but it currently holds that 2014 is their first year, and it’ll be their induction year. 

The second obvious selection is Whitney Houston.  Now, she was predicted as an obvious selection last year, too, only to not be nominated, but the omission is easily explained by the impetus to get Donna Summer inducted, and now that Summer is in, Houston is clearly next in line.

It gets a little hazier from there, but the next most obvious choice has to be Chic.  Their next nomination is their eighth.  There’s no official “automatic eight” rule that we know of, but no one other than Solomon Burke has needed more than eight.  And the powers that be are probably going to want to keep it that way.  Chic’s in next year. 

The path gets even hazier after that.  With Public Enemy as the fourth rap inductee, it’s obvious rap will be a staple in future classes.  Maybe not every year, but often enough.  At present, we have four hip-hop acts previously nominated that have not made it yet.  We know NomCom member Toure has sworn to nominate only hip-hoppers from now on, so who’ll be high on his list?  He may go for N.W.A. again, but I think he has assigned a higher priority to rap’s first solo superstar, LL Cool J.

The next pick is a dome-scratcher, but something keeps telling me that the Class Of 2014 will include Joan Jett And The Blackhearts.  It was surprising to see them nominated in the first place, and we did a double take when they garnered a second nod.  They may get the next year off from the ballot, but if they appear again in autumn, three consecutive nominations will show a persistence that was shown for Laura Nyro and also Donna Summer and will strengthen the bid for them in the Hall.

As has happened the past two years, I’m predicting a sixth entrant for 2014 in the Performer category.  And name-dropping by Jann S. Wenner earlier in 2013 was enough to get the Paul Butterfield Blues Band back on the ballot, and much like Darlene Love, two consecutive nominations after having been absent from the ballot for awhile should prove efficacious for this outfit.

So while I don’t normally engage in the practice, that’s my early inclination toward the Class Of 2014.  But the mid-season report doesn’t stop there.  Who else will be on the ballot?  The recent blog entry on the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame’s official site about Patsy Cline may prove prescient towards her finally getting some recognition.  It may prove unpopular though, since country has seldom gotten serious recognition from the Rock Hall, for reasons both valid and curious. 

Another strong possibility for nomination will be De La Soul as they’ll be newly eligible this year alongside Nirvana, and also a pet rap act for Toure to nominate.  And they really are deserving, but not having too much limelight even at the height of their popularity will mean more than one nomination will be needed to get them in.

Returning names, aside from those already mentioned will likely include Procol Harum and Cat Stevens.  The NomCom has shown their hand on the former: Procol Harum is the next nominee from the ‘60s British Invasion that has to get in before they nominate any others.  As for Yusuf Islam, the second nomination of Randy Newman this past year shows the continuances of the two trends of bringing back past nominees that hadn’t been nominated in awhile and of commitment to the singer-songwriters.  Cat Stevens is the only remaining past nominee who is noted primarily as a singer-songwriter (though Lou Reed, Gram Parsons, and possibly even Steve Winwood would fit that bill).  Meanwhile, after being off the ballot last year, War could return, though once again, they’ll probably get lost in the shuffle.  The desire for more guitar representation could see either Bon Jovi or KISS getting a second nod (I don’t see Deep Purple making it onto the ballot two years in a row, sorry).  Aside from Whitney Houston, soul music may also be represented by Joe Tex, who hasn’t been on the ballot for a couple years.  He’s due to reappear.

Just like that, we’re up to 14.  One more likely slot, and normally I choose a left-field candidate.  But last year, Future Rock Legends made an interesting prediction with Junior Parker, noting their commitment to the blues.  While they may not want to divide the ballot against Butterfield, they may want to keep it going now that the King triumvirate is complete.  The trend right now is towards the guitarists, and so, while somewhat leftfield as well, a possible blues guitarist to keep in mind would be Albert Collins.

And with that, the mid-season report is concluded.  As stated earlier, there are many factors that could come into play that were ignored here, many events that could occur to change the direction of the ballot, and many other ways this could go.  September holds the answer.