Here we are once again, at the dawning of another Hall of Fame debacle. To be fair, I get the Hall of Fame. There are those that have been quite influential over the years and have inspired much in the realm of music. And my case is not one of “why did THEY get in?”…usually. What inspires me to rant about this useless procedure is simply the idiocy with which it is run.
First off, as Rock and Roll gets more and more widespread. we have to come to a conclusion, which is how in the “wide, wide world of sports” will the Hall ever put in the deserving bands and artists before we all die off (or the deserving potential inductees)? The answer is quite simple enough, actually. DON’T PICK A BATCH ONLY TO DENY ENTRANCE! Here’s the easy route (and we’d all love it):
Have your group of judges, bolstered by an online poll of fans, choose the year’s entries. Choose at least 20 (or if you must, ten), then let’s start the party. No voting on who out of the nominated should get in. That’s stupid. Dumb! Idiotic!
If you picked a list, go with that. Having said that, Yes, The Replacements, Deep Purple, The Meters, LL Cool J, Chic, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, N.W.A., The Zombies, and Link Wray all get in along with KISS, Nirvana, Hall & Oates, Linda Ronstadt, Peter Gabriel, and Cat Stevens.
And, well, that’s not the way it’s getting played out. And while I really have little problem who gets in, I do have a problem with who gets in over who.
So, (and this is my own opinion. You may or may not agree with them, but it is still just an opinion), I have to scratch my head and wonder how KISS was more deserving than Yes, how Linda Ronstadt beat out Link Wray, how Cat Stevens takes out Paul Butterfield.
We shouldn’t even be writing this piece. Everyone in the list should have been inducted. The club just AIN’T THAT exclusive, or should it be THAT exclusive.
There you have it. The most horrifying snub is definitely YES, and not because I’m a YES fan. It’s because few bands have been as influential and defining as they were. And who knows when they get a chance to be inducted again.
Ahhh, who cares. It is, after all, as one reader suggested, the rock and roll hall of fame (in lower case). It doesn’t have any relevancy, if it really ever had it.
I am glad that the fan vote was once again honored. I agree that Yes should be a no-brainer for the HOF. As I said though, I honor the fan vote for KISS. As long as there is a fan vote at least we know the elitist insider group that votes can’t ignore reality. FYI: I cast my votes for Yes and I only vote for one nominee (voting for five works against the band you most want to be inducted).
I was a huge KISS fan when I was growing up and when looking at some of the other questionable ‘rock and roll” artists that have been inducted, why not KISS. During the 2nd half of the 70’s they WERE the face of rock and roll (at least to those still in school). And you have to admit no other band has made more money (and a career) out of 6 good studio albums and 2 live albums. They should be honored for the marketing geniuses they are; a KISS casket, toilet paper, comic books with real blood in the ink (wonder how that would have went over in the post-Aids world?). I could argue that no band has done more with less.
Actually this is one of the few years that I can accept the entire group of inductees as both worthy and rock and roll (on some level). Still, no Yes is a slap in the face to creativity, musicianship, longevity, influence and album sales.
I’ve given up on the RARHOF. For the most part I find their choices insulting to real rock and roll fans and I’d be happier not paying attention (but I can’t because rock music. is an important part of my life). As I have said before, they could go a long way to shutting me up if they’d just change the name to the American Music HOF and lose the Rock and Roll part.
It’s like what I was saying in the other post about this as much of a genesis fan as I am they could have waited on peter gabriel to be inducted he went in with genesis a couple of years ago,I do agree that if you made the original list with the all the artists you think are deserving then put them all in.
Gabriel’s first solo album is almost 37 years old now. He’s waited long enough. If anything, he’s more recognized, more successful, and (arguably) more influential for his post-Genesis years. He belongs.
The real shockers, for me, are that Joe Cocker and Stevie Ray Vaughan haven’t even been nominated yet! Also, I think Jann Wenner’s blocking The Monkees year after year is shameful.