The inductees have been announced for about a month now, and I've been busy letting it sink in, in addition to things going on in my personal life. After a tumultuous past couple weeks, I'm ready to write a few things down. But so many have already said so much that I really don't need to say a lot more, but I did want to weigh in with some thoughts. A couple quick things: six of my top eight seeds got in, but nothing that was too stunning that I got right. And I had Joy Division/New Order in very close contention for the top seeds, and I did say I wasn't ruling Sade out. So, nothing too surprising, just disappointed that Mariah Carey missed again. Come the fuck on, folks, get her in. The other personal note is that this class breaks my streak at twenty-one years. There's no one from my list of 100 names to consider for induction that got in this year. It's okay though, because in 2004, when I wrote that list of 100, I had a very poor understanding of the Hall, and my list skewed very heavily on '60s artists that just had a bunch of hits back in the day. There were a bunch on that list that I'm now embarrassed about, and many important bands not on that list because they weren't hitmaking machines. Like I said, this was twenty-ish years ago. Still a lot of names on there that I wish could be inducted, and that I think there's a good case for, but none this year.
So I don't really have any personal pride or skin in the game with this list. But in an attempt to do something different, let's see how you readers like this twist. I'll just start ranking the inductees in order of whom I'm most excited for. Lists lists lists, baby! But these bits will be less thorough than my other usual posts. But let's see how this experiment goes.
1. Linda Creed: I'm actually glad they inducted her separately from Thom Bell. They weren't joined at the hip, but they did collaborate quite a bit. But she worked apart from him, and he from her. It's a classic Venn diagram: overlap and separations. But as a huge Philly soul fan, I'm stoked about this one.
2. Steve Stevens: I'm not a fan of Billy Idol, but when a backing band member dedicates pretty much their entire career to be the right-hand man whose playing is a big part of shaping the artist's sound and even image, they don't give themselves much chance to build the connections in the industry and be known as a session player that could merit their own induction in the Award For Musical Excellence category. So, to give so much to have no reason to believe you'll get inducted or even get acknowledged in any meaningful way can be pretty heartbreaking. I was kinda lukewarm about Neil Giraldo back in 2022, but looking back, it's sweet. I'm good with it. It also makes me shake my head at how poorly the whole Steve Miller Band thing was handled, to only induct the eponymous member. But I'm really happy for Stevens.
3. Joy Division/New Order: I've explained this one at length. I'm not a big fan, but this was the annoying band that I still voted for in the fan vote because they're so deserving. And I'm hoping this leads to the B-52's being nominated next year.
4. Phil Collins: I'm not as adamant about making sure inductions happen while the artists are alive as many of the hobbyist community are, but I like making it happen when the artist is not snotty about being overlooked for so long. And I'm also glad we can still have worthy double-inductees.
5. Iron Maiden: With all the trouble heavy metal and harder rock seems to have getting enshrined, these guys getting inducted through the ballot, as well as including Blaze Bayley, warms my Xennial heart.
6. Luther Vandross: Much like metal, I'm glad to see that the Hall and the voters haven't forgotten about soul music, and with '80s soul, with all its production effects, getting recognized... it's really cool.
7. Wu-Tang Clan: A revered name, a brand really, but still a high level of quality. Gotta be stoked for that. I'm not thrilled with the mindset of those who think this is acknowledging all their solo efforts as well, but by the same token, that kinda was the master plan all along, so... uhkay.
8. Jimmy Miller: The inclusion of this producer gives me hope for some of the songwriters and record execs that are on my original list of 100 names for whom I think there's a good case to make. Between him and Arif Mardin, this is why I'm sad the ceremony won't be streamed live. I'm sure the editing is primarily to fix the sound in post to fix mistakes made live (think Doja Cat doing "Ms. Jackson"), but I'm bummed that it probably also means the video packages for people like Miller and Mardin are going to get left on the cutting room floor. It isn't enough to know he worked a lot with the Stones. I wanna know more. Those video packages often help me choose my Songs Of Proof. I don't wanna feel cornered to use a song from Exile On Main Street due to poor presentation of his case, if there's another, less obvious choice that is ultimately a better choice.
9. Arif Mardin: Much the same thoughts as I have with Jimmy Miller, but later in the timeline.
10. Fela Kuti: I'm actually really glad to see the Hall using the Early Influence category this way instead of creating another category. I love to see the way rock and roll helped shape a lot of world music, and vice-versa. While I hate using the Early Influence category in such a casual fashion, it's a bridge that's already been torched to the ground. With that acknowledgement, and knowing a little about Fela's story, I can't be too mad about this.
11. Celia Cruz: I don't love that this is the Hall forcing people to accept Latin music as a part of the rock and roll canon, but sadly, that is what it is going to take to get people to open their dang minds before they're willing to vote for it. I know exceedingly little about her. Another name I'd have loved to see the package for, but it is what it are.
12. Gram Parsons: I kinda figured the Hall would be done with country on the ballot after Dolly and Willie. At least for awhile. And alt-country? Not for years. So I'm fine with this. Plus, this is cleaning up the Past Nominees a bit, much as they've done with Fela Kuti.
13. Oasis: If I were a voter, I'd have been tempted to vote for them. Let's face it, the cinematic finale of their reunion culminating in an induction performance is very alluring. And I hope we can actually hear from members not named Gallagher about this, while also hearing from both of the brothers.
14. Rick Rubin: Yeah, we kinda all know he's nuts. It's a slightly less horrifying version of Phil Spector. Okay, a much less horrifying version of Phil Spector, but you get my point. At the end of the day, you just can't deny his credentials and the worthiness of his induction. And it's also nice to see another post-1980's producer or writer or exec get in, especially one of this echelon.
15. MC Lyte: Maybe it's the denial of how old I'm getting, but I'm not a fan of acts that debuted after my birth getting inducted as "Early Influence." That's just rude. But also, it's just disheartening to know that the only reason this is happening is because of how few women got in via the ballot, and no all-women Performer inductees to boot. Years ago, I suggested just not putting White men on the ballot. At that time, it was a political protest, but now, I'd suggest it just for the sake of having exciting classes of groundbreakers that would be able to perform. MC Lyte is most likely too obscure to have ever gotten in through the ballot, but my goodness, it would have been worth seeing at least once.
16. Billy Idol: I'm glad we have a Performer inductee who will most likely be there. Billy Idol is a slight trigger, on a personal level. I don't recall if I've mentioned it here, but when I worked in commercial radio on overnight weekends, I dealt with the drunks, the possibly mentally disturbed, and the confirmed mentally handicapped who lived in a facility but were still given access to a telephone. I won't get into all the details, but at one point, I started jokingly saying that every time someone requested Billy Idol, I'd think, "Yep, there's another person that George W. Bush is smarter than." (Said as a joke, please don't at me.) So, not thrilled, but at least he'll do his best to make it good television.
17. Queen Latifah: Copy and paste my comments about MC Lyte, except she absolutely could have made it through on the ballot. She could have been the next one after Wu-Tang Clan. Seriously, this is just lazy. Stop with all the mediocre popularity and throw someone like this on the ballot who still has the name recognition. Maybe they were afraid she'd be the next LL Cool J... an obvious pick, but known more as an all-around entertainer rather than musician. I'm glad she's in, but this is just disappointing.
18. Ed Sullivan: I'm actually not as disappointed, but I'm also not as thrilled. In a way, this is reminiscent of John Hammond's induction forty years ago, in that both were important in the desegregation of popular music. He also booked the big names that Dick Clark couldn't. But at the same time, "The Ed Sullivan Show" was a variety show and not just dedicated to the music of the day, of youth culture. There were comedians, puppeteers, circus-like performances as well. Ed Sullivan was the host of a variety show that happened to be on at the emergence of rock and roll. It's also how I feel about Casey Kasem. He just happened to be the deejay who told us what the biggest records of the day were. He just narrated what was happening; he didn't direct the narrative. I dunno. Maybe I'm missing something. Maybe y'all can help me out here. That said, the fact they're inducting someone who did some cool things for rock and roll's progression despite the fact they hated rock and roll now means there's no excuse for not inducting Frank Sinatra as an Early Influence.
19. Sade: I... I'm trying to be happy for them. But absolute radio silence just makes it seem like this means absolutely nothing to them. Add to that how absolutely boring I find their music... just why? This class could be so much better and interesting if they swapped out Sade and inducted Mariah Carey instead. And no, aloofness is not rock and roll. Rock and roll involves emotion and passion. Sade is rock and roll because they express passion in a way that feels like a storm on the horizon. They're not rock and roll because they are indifferent about timelines and awards and opinions. Don't live and die for those things, but they aren't entirely irrelevant either. To say I'm "nonplussed" would be putting it mildly. The fact that they rank 19th in a list of 18 inducted entities probably says it best.
So there we are, a different way to react to the class. Let me know if you like this format for reacting to each of the inductees. As for the ones who missed out, well obviously I wanted Mariah to make it. I also really wanted Shakira to make it, but I did not get any hopes up for that one. Same for P!nk, though I thought INXS was going to squeak through. I can't say factually, but from my vantage point, the Lauryn Hill of it all worked exactly as I thought it would. Nothing to really say about the Black Crowes, Melissa Etheridge, or Jeff Buckley. As for New Edition winning the fan vote but missing out, it's a tough situation. Obviously, the Hall kept the fan vote active after the deadline for ballots from the voting bloc for the traffic and the clicks to the website. That's why they do it. But if you're going to do that, you've got to make it mean something. Before folding, the Vocal Group Hall Of Fame made the fan ballot weighted. I think it was either five percent or ten percent. Something like that might be worth looking into for the Rock Hall. Something that gives the fan vote more meaning to potentially tip the scale for a nominee, but not enough to outweigh the votes of the actual inductees and music industry insider folks. What is that balance? I don't know. Would it have made a difference for New Edition? Again, no clue. Admittedly, I don't feel all that bad about them missing out, as I'm kind of on the "Boy bands? Really?" side of the rope in that tug-o-war.
But there we sit. Looking forward to being disappointed by the streamed event that is heavily edited and less informative that it should be. Which will undoubtedly affect which Songs Of Proof I pick, because attending in Los Angeles is outside of my budget and the amount of vacation time I'll have after serving as a delegate to two union conventions. Unless I don't get the votes to be a regular delegate at the national convention. Then maybe. And no, I am nowhere near ready to start talking about 2027. In the meantime, enjoy this Class.
