2008 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame

[Yankovic]

These are the only people I am familiar with from The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Voting Committee

Anthony DeCurtis - RollingStone Magazine (He loves Leonard)
Suzan Evans Hochberg - Former President of Rock Hall (I don't know if she loves Leonard)
Joe Levy - RollingStone Magazine (He loves Leonard)
Robbie Robertson - The Band (He's Canadian) He loves Leonard
Paul Shaffer - From David Letterman (He's Canadian) He loves Leonard
Seymour Stein - Cofounder and Chairman of SIRE Records (I don't know if he loves Leonard)
John Sykes - MTV President (I don't know if he loves Leonard)

[lizzytysh]

4 "Know"s to 3 "I Don't Know"s ~ So far so good. At least one of the three oughta Love him. Then, there are whoever is left on the committee. Will be some Love hims there. Law of Averages and What's Not To Love ?


~ Lizzy

[Yankovic]

Have you voted yet?

http://www.futurerockhall.com/index.php

http://www.cleveland.com/rockhall/survey_2007/

[linda_lakeside]

They never give Canadians a place to vote. They ask "what's your State"? "What's your zip code" then, if one tries to enter a street/city in 'Canada', it's an 'error'. OK. I think I have a 'plan'.

[Yankovic]

The 2008 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Official Ballot
http://www.futurerockhall.com/blog.html ... try-id-108



Some interesting things to note about the 2008 Rock Hall Ballot:
The voting deadline is November 26, 2007 and votes received after that date "will not be counted." This is most likely in response to the controversy about the vote tallies from last year.
Voters don't have to vote for five artists, that is just the maximum. It's possible there may be quite a few ballots this year that are returned with only a couple of names checked off.
Voters are asked to rank their choices in order of preference. It's unclear if this information is used in counting the ballots. Previously, the rules stated that an inducted artist needed at least 50% of the vote, but that's no longer the case, since the Rock Hall has stated that exactly five artists will be inducted in 2008. It's very possible that artists could be inducted with less than a majority consent.

Rock Hall denies vote fixing
03.20.07 09:40 PM | 2007 Ceremony
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation has denied there was any foul play in the vote counts for this year's inductions:
Joel Peresman, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said the Fox News story was wrong.
When asked if [Jann] Wenner fudged the voting, Peresman said, "No. There is a format and rules and procedure. There is a specific time when the votes have to be in, and then they are counted. The bands with the top five votes got in."

Peresman said the only thing new about the induction process was a reduction in the number of voters. "We used to have 1,000 people who voted," Peresman said. "But we looked at who hadn't been voting over the years and took them off the list. Now we have about 560 or 570 voters. And of those, we have about an 80 percent return in votes."

In Cleveland, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum President and CEO Terry Stewart said he deals with similar charges every year at this time.

"It's aggravating because these kinds of anonymous sources and accusations serve to confirm the beliefs of anybody who feels their favorite band should have gotten in," he said.

Peresman doesn't deny that there were late votes that would have put the Dave Clark Five ahead of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, but he doesn't confirm that either. Why would Wenner have even opened the late votes -- especially when he apparently had the lineup he wanted? The Rock Hall simply needs to discard unopened ballots that come in after the deadline to avoid this type of controversy, or hire someone independent to tally the votes.

[linda_lakeside]

Well, as I look at that ballot, I'm going to throw a little ray of sunshine into your life (and unwavering pioneering on Leonard's behalf), if five are inducted, I can't see how Leonard can miss.

He should be inducted for 'gorgeousness' alone, on Hallelujah, FCS!

[lizzytysh]

Leonard is such an obvious heavyweight in that line-up. His name jumps off the page at the same time that it nails his space on the ballot.


~ Lizzy

[Yankovic]

L.A. Times

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/ne ... news-music

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees include Madonna, Beastie Boys
Gus Oseary / NBC Universal
Madonna is one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees.
Institution finds the definition of 'rock' stretched by eligible dance pop, hip-hop acts.
By Geoff Boucher, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 29, 2007
Is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ready for Madonna and the Beastie Boys? The Material Girl of pop and the clown princes of New York hip-hop are the biggest names on the final ballot for hall membership, along with Hoosier hero John Mellencamp, who is a more straightforward option for an institution that is increasingly finding that its definition of "rock" is being tested.

The nine nominees on this year's ballot are rounded out by elegiac songwriter Leonard Cohen, disco stars Donna Summer and Chic, hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa, the British Invasion's Dave Clark Five and the Seattle surf-rock founding Ventures. Acts become eligible for induction 25 years after their first recording is released. Nominees are selected by a panel of musicologists and historians; inductees are then selected by about 500 voters that include performers, producers, music-industry executives and journalists.

After much criticism for overlooking rap in recent years, the hall inducted its first hip-hop act, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, earlier this year. The Beastie Boys or Bambaataa may well follow March 10 when five of the nine nominees will be welcomed in at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York.

[Yankovic]

What kind of information do the 500+ members of the Voting Committee receive from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation to help them complete their ballots? Not a whole lot. Included with the Rock Hall ballot is a brochure which contains short biography information about each nominee (which is very similar to the write-up in the press release), a "Selected Discography" listing, and a photo. Surprisingly, there isn't a CD included with some actual music. Is it reasonable to expect the voters (which comprise of "rock experts" and current Hall of Famers) to know the catalogs of each nominee? Is Billy Joel familiar with Afrika Bambaataa? Is Percy Sledge into the Beastie Boys? Who knows, but maybe that's the point. With such a broad range of voters only the artists with widespread impact on rock 'n' roll will likely appeal to enough voters to be inducted.The 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees Press Release
September 27, 2007
For Immediate Release:

THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES NOMINEES FOR 2008 INDUCTION

(New York) -- The nominations for 2008 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were announced today. The nine nominees are: Afrika Bambaataa, Beastie Boys, Chic, Leonard Cohen, The Dave Clark Five, Madonna, John Mellencamp, Donna Summer and The Ventures. Ballots with these nominees will be sent to over 500 voters who will choose the acts for inclusion into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for this year. Five new inductees will be honored at the annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on March 10, 2008 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York.

To be eligible for nomination into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an act must have released its first single or album at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. This year's nominees had to release their first single no later than 1982.

Afrika Bambaataabegan DJing at block parties in the Bronx in 1977 with the help of Universal Zulu Nation, an organization he founded to help pull Bronx youth away from gangs. Bambaataa's stunning knowledge of obscure funk grooves and his turntable skills earned him the nickname "Master of Records." As his parties grew, so did his Zulu Nation "“ which soon encompassed the Bronx's finest rappers, break dancers and graffiti artists. In 1982, Bambaataa released the Kraftwerk-sampling hit single "Planet Rock" which spawned an entirely new genre of music: electro funk. In 1984, he teamed up with former Sex Pistol John Lydon for "World Destruction" one of the earliest examples of rap fusing with rock and roll.

The Beastie Boys began as a hardcore punk band in 1982, but soon jumped to the city's vibrant rap scene. Their Rick Rubin-produced album, Licensed to Ill, was a masterful collage of classic rock samples, pop culture references and bratty attitude. Its fifth single, "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)" became an MTV staple and the party anthem of the 1980s. The Beasties' follow up, 1989's Paul's Boutique was a critically loved masterwork of sampling. In the 1990s, they became elder statesmen of the genre, scoring monster hits ("Sabotage", "Intergalatic") while speaking out about social and political issues such as the Tibetan Freedom Concerts. In 2007, the Beasties released The Mix-Up, a post-punk instrumental album further showcasing their boundless originality.

Chic was a pioneering New York jazz-funk group led by Nile Rodgers on guitar, Bernard Edwards on bass and Tony Thompson on drums. Chic brought refined musicianship and rhythmic innovation to 1970s disco, and also laid the foundation for hip hop, with their song "Good Times" providing the music for the groundbreaking hit "Rapper's Delight." Chic created some of the disco era's classic songs such as "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" and "Le Freak." Rodgers and Edwards went on to write and produce some of the '80s' biggest pop songs for Madonna, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Diana Ross, Sister Sledge, and others.

With the 1966 release of In My Life by Judy Collins, containing Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" and "Dress Rehearsal Rag," Cohen became a folk rock icon of the singer songwriter movement. Already an acclaimed poet and novelist in his native Canada, Cohen moved to New York in 1967 and released his classic album Songs of Leonard Cohen on Columbia Records. Its music launched Leonard Cohen into the highest and most influential echelon of songwriters. Cohen's elegiac work is widely used in film and covered by artists from Jeff Buckley to Bono to Bob Dylan to R.E.M. As Kurt Cobain said, "Give me a Leonard Cohen afterworld so I can sigh eternally."

One of the most successful British Invasion bands of the Sixties, The Dave Clark Five topped the UK charts in 1965 with their iconic pop song "Glad All Over." Thundering production set the DC5 apart. Their slick melodic sensibility masked their boom factor: The DC5 were the loudest group in the U.K. until the advent of The Who. Drummer, songwriter and manager Dave Clark provided a perfect foundation for Mike Smith's soulful vocals. Reaching the Top Forty 17 times in just three years, with more appearances on the Ed Sullivan show than the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, the DC5 were an enormous pop phenomenon before disbanding in 1970. The Dave Clark Five have sold more than 50 million records worldwide to date.

Doors opened wide for Madonna Louise Ciccone in 1982, after five years as a singer and dancer on New York City's competitive club circuit. She signed with Sire Records (her label for the next 14 years) where her idiosyncratic persona exploded onto turntables, dance floors and airwaves and captured the imagination of the first generation of MTV viewers. She went on to become the top female star of the 1980s with seven #1 hits, three #1 albums and seventeen top ten hits in that decade. In addition to molding her public image, Madonna is a meticulous studio craftsperson and completely uninhibited stage performer. From her first #1, 1984's "Like A Virgin" (produced by Nile Rogers of Chic) to her most recent two year Confessions campaign, Madonna remains one of the most ferociously original artists in music today.

Over the course of his career, John Mellencamp has become a symbol of the hopes, struggles and passions of America's heartland. As a songwriter, many of his efforts have transcended "hit" status ("Hurts So Good," "Pink Houses," "I Need A Lover") and have entered the cultural vernacular. Mellencamp's musical heart is in his ballads and rock numbers rooted in late 50s and early 60s rock and roll. His music describes the American experience; the hopes and fears of the common everyman. As co-founder of Farm Aid, Indiana's favorite son gives voice to issues that might otherwise be ignored, from our disappearing farmlands to the role of race and class in America.

Raised in the church, rooted in gospel, LaDonna Andrea Gaines would become Donna Summer, the undisputed "Queen of Disco." In 1975, "Love To Love You Baby" began a long-term association with Munich-based songwriters and producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. Summer made history from 1979-1980 as the only artist ever to have three consecutive multi disc albums all hit #1: Live and More, Bad Girls and On The Radio. Her first U.S. recorded LP, the self-titled Donna Summer, produced by Quincy Jones in 1982 featured Bruce Springsteen and other notable rock contributors. "She Works Hard For The Money" kept Summer at the top of the charts in 1983, followed by the top 10 hit "This Time I Know It's Real" in 1989. Endless covers and sampling of her music proves that Summers' contribution remains compelling and classic.

From Seattle, The Ventures defined instrumental guitar rock in the 1960s. Their hits bookended the decade, from 1960's "Walk Don't Run" to 1969's "Hawaii Five-O." Nokie Edwards' twang-guitar and the crisp rhythm of Don Wilson, bassist Bob Bogle and drummer Mel Taylor gave every Ventures album their trademark bent note sound. Long admired by other bands like the Beatles (and especially George Harrison), Stephen Stills, Joe Walsh, Aerosmith, and others, The Ventures hit the Billboard chart nearly three dozen times in the 1960s. The transparent stereo mixes enabled guitarists to isolate and learn every riff, an idea that fueled 1965's essential instruction LP Play Guitar With The Ventures. Founders of surf rock, The Ventures inspired a classic line of Mosrite guitars and have maintained a flourishing touring and recording career for decades, especially in Europe and Japan.

Five new members will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The five inductees will be announced in January, 2008, and the induction ceremony will take place on March 10, 2008. All inductees are ultimately represented in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, in Cleveland, Ohio. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a nonprofit organization that exists to educate visitors, fans and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music. It carries out this mission both through its operation of a world-class museum that collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets this art form and through its library and archives as well as its educational programs.




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Future Rock Hall is not affiliated with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

[Yankovic]

The Leonard Cohen page at Futurerockhall

http://www.futurerockhall.com/artist.ph ... nard_Cohen

[lizzytysh]

Well, at least we can vote on the Chances of his getting in there:

Total votes: 149
Thanks for voting! Your vote has been factored into the Future Rock Hall "Induction Chances" score

I need a maths person to explain how 87 "yes" and 13 "no" make for a 45% chance, though. There may be a way I could figure that out on my own, but just not going to try. Will return later to add comments.

You're right, Yankovic. Not much info. I hope the videos are well chosen. I guess "The Essential" being selected was to give an overview, but it's just never sounded as good to me. The integrity of each song ended up homogenized to fit the whole. The result was too Muzak-y for me.


~ Lizzy

[Yankovic]

The Ottawa Citizen
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/new ... 2eab21e1fa

Next stop for Cohen: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
First, Canadian's up against Madonna
Heather Adler, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Saturday, September 29, 2007
Legendary singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen is among nine acts that have been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Joining the Montreal-born poet are Madonna, hip-hop pioneers the Beastie Boys, John Mellencamp, Donna Summer, Jamaican beat originator Afrika Bambaataa, jazz-funk infusionists Chic, the Ventures and Dave Clark Five, it was announced this week.

The nine artists will be pitted against one another, with only five eventually being honoured at the induction ceremony on March 10 in New York. The winners will be chosen by 500 music industry professionals.


Leonard Cohen joins Madonna and eight other artists on the nominee list.
Peter Redman, National Post

Mr. Cohen has already been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. Mr. Cohen was also named a companion of the Order of Canada in 2003.

He is one of the most influential musicians of our day, known as much for his poetic yarns of love, sex, religion and depression as for his striking arrangements. Mr. Cohen, who has suffered from manic depression most of his life, is a first-time nominee.

He was cited by Nirvana's Kurt Cobain in the song Pennyroyal Tea with the phrase, "Give me a Leonard Cohen afterworld/ So I can sigh eternally."

That's no surprise, since Mr. Cohen is one of the most interpreted artists in pop music history. His song, Hallelujah, was covered by Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright, Patricia O'Callaghan and Bob Dylan.

According to one website, there are more than 720 cover versions of Mr. Cohen's music.

Mr. Cohen was the title character in Looking for Leonard, a movie about the discontented girlfriend of a bank robber whose hollow existence is brightened only by the prose of Leonard Cohen. And he has himself appeared on the small screen: He appeared on Miami Vice as guest character Zolan in 1986.

This is the first eligible year Madonna, the Beasties and Bambaataa could be on the ballot (25 years after an artist's first release), and Ms. Summer and the Ventures are also first-time nominees. Mr. Mellencamp was on the 2004 and 2006 ballots.

Jewish rap superstars the Beastie Boys have enjoyed more than 20 years of mainstream success, dominating the airwaves with such classics as Fight For Your Right, Sabotage and Ch-Check It Out.

Madonna signed with Sire Records in 1982 and has been entertaining -- and sometimes enraging -- people around the world ever since, even being crowned the most successful female artist of all time by the Guinness Book of World Records.

OK, that's a lot of competition. But hey, what's the worry? Everyone loves Leonard Cohen.

With Ottawa Citizen files

© The Ottawa Citizen 2007

[Yankovic]

The Digital Dream Door
http://digitaldreamdoor.com/

The Music List
http://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/music0.html

The 2008 Nominees mini-bios
http://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_ ... me_08.html

Leonard Cohen
The most unusual rock "star" of all-time, a published poet and author before beginning his musical career in his mid-30's, his style was widely praised, but not altogether widely popular. Nevertheless he was the bridge between the folk movement of the 60's and the acoustic-based singer-songwriter 70's style. Cohen is a left-field candidate who'll get support from some circles but who's achievements are far too limited to be deserving over so many artists who've yet to get in. The nomination itself should really be the limit of his recognition from the Hall.
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Qualifications: 2: Mostly Insignificant

[lizzytysh]

Good Lord! Who in the world wrote that!?!


~ Lizzy

[Yankovic]

Good Lord! Who in the world wrote that!?!


~ Lizzy

The Digital Dream Door website