2008 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame

[Yankovic]

Digital Dream Door
http://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_ ... me_08.html

OVERVIEW
The 2008 ballot is a well-rounded one, with candidates who's prime careers span 1960 to the present, in styles ranging from instrumental to disco to folk to rap, hailing from the heartland of America to across the ocean in Great Britain, representing men and women, black and white, featuring hitmakers and underground cult figures alike. A more diverse ballot would be hard to find and this year is stocked with first rate candidates up and down the list, including one of the more impressive aggregations of first-time eligible artists in recent memory, led by Madonna, The Beastie Boys and Afrika Bambaataa. Returning nominees Chic, John Mellencamp and The Dave Clark Five all had surprising rejections in the past but each is making at least their third appearance on the ballot this year, a sign they may be building support among the voters. Meanwhile the Hall has finally given a long overdue nomination to the Queen Of Disco, Donna Summer, who arguably has been the most deserving eligible solo female artist for years. The Ventures, the most influential instrumental group ever, are also making their first appearance on the ballot after years of waiting. Only cult figure Leonard Cohen has questionable achievements to warrant strong consideration.

Since the majority of the Main Performers candidates are solid and eight of the nine selected would make good inductees, the attention should turn towards the other categories, which are not included among the announced nominees and have a different procedure for election. However they are considered and voted upon, the Hall has done a deplorable job with all of these categories from the very beginning.

There have been no Early Influence inductees in a number of years and half of those who did get in over the years were inducted more for their overall stature and name recognition in music than for any actual influence on rock's formation, which is what is supposed to be honored. Numerous candidates still waiting are absolutely mandatory selections in this category, and have been from day one, starting with Wynonie Harris, Roy Brown, The Ravens and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. All are deceased, which makes any induction for them in name only, though a handful of Early Influence candidates, Big Jay McNeely foremost among them, are still with us, so if they want someone on stage to fete during the ceremony he'd be a wholly deserving choice as well. Some of the aforementioned names are so conspicuous in their absence from the Hall that not inducting at least one of them this year will further cripple the Hall Of Fame's reputation as a legitimate institution.

The Sidemen category was created almost 15 years into the Hall's existence but rather than clean out the huge backlog of candidates in that area that had been waiting years for recognition they instead inducted only a select few and then have let this area go dormant as well, despite the countless names who should be in. Among the living candidates requiring immediate attention are Jerry Allison, Mickey Baker, Gene Barge, Herb Hardesty, The Memphis Horns, Maceo Parker, Huey "Piano" Smith and Marv Tarplin, while those who've passed on who need to be inducted eventually include Sam "The Man" Taylor, Lee Allen, Cliff Gallup, Jimmy Nolen, Michael Bloomfield and Billy Preston. There are far too many deserving candidates in this field not to have at least two or three inducted each and every year.

Finally, there's the much abused Non-Performer category which seems to be nothing more than a way to honor friends in the business rather than those who actually shaped the music's history. Year after year record label owners are inducted while the people who helped to create the music itself are completely ignored. The two most shameful omissions both died within the past few years, Jesse Stone and Tom Dowd, both of whom should've been Year One inductees, while Richard Barrett, Otis Blackwell and Wolfman Jack have all passed away within the last decade or so before they could be honored while alive. The Hall should start to correct those oversights as well as make sure that the most qualified candidates in this category among the living, starting with Cosimo Matassa, Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff and DJ Kool Herc are inducted while they are still all here to enjoy it. There's no excuse for the Hall's longstanding ignorance in these categories.

2008 NOMINEES

Afrika Bambaataa
First time eligible, Afrika Bambaataa is the ground zero point for the explosion of hip-hop culture as a whole. Though beaten to the charts by the Sugarhill Gang, Kurtis Blow and last year's inductees Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Bambaataa soon followed with the breakthough hit "Planet Rock" in 1982 which not only paved the way for the rap explosion that followed, but Bambaataa's entire persona gave the style its signature cultural look and feel. Musically, he injected electronic rhythms and pioneered the deep bass sound that still exists today. His hitmaking career only encompassed a few more releases, including the legendary pairing on "Unity" with James Brown, but there aren't many artists who were as influential as Bam in rock history.
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Qualifications: 7 - Solid Choice

The Beastie Boys
One of the longest lasting, most versatile and innovative rap groups in history, the Beastie Boys also broke the color line in the process which helped bring the style into the white middle class teen realm, pushing sales of all rap artists higher. "Licensed To Ill" was the biggest selling rap LP of the 80's, but their follow-up "Paul's Boutique" was the album which contained the most experimental sounds and became massively influential on the sampling culture. Any thought that they had been a short lived novelty was erased when they topped the charts with two more albums in the mid-to-late 90's. Their music has continually expanded in scope over the years and they are even more respected today than they were when they first broke through.
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Qualifications: 8 - Unquestioned Credentials

Chic
The greatest self-contained disco artists in rock history, Chic has multiple nominations without getting in, despite their achievements which include two #1 hits for themselves, plus numerous hits that their founders, guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards, wrote and produced for others. The cultural backlash against the excessive disco style has likely kept their support for the Hall from growing, especially with the public, but disco was far too big a piece of rock for a full decade to be ignored and Chic boasted perhaps the greatest and most influential rhythm section (with drummer Tony Thompson) of any group in the past thirty years. The style itself is in need of more representation within the Hall and Chic stands out as the standard bearer of the sound from its heyday.
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Qualifications: 7 - Solid Choice

The Dave Clark Five
Along with the Beatles it was the Dave Clark Five who led the first wave of the British Invasion in the winter of '64 and really established an English presence in American music. Over the next few years they were overshadowed by many of the later blues-based British imports, but still scored 24 hits, including 8 Top Tens, plus a well-received feature film. The perception of them as second tier British act, plus the lack of availability for much of their work today, may hurt their chances, but this is their third straight nomination and they were the final cut last year so it looks as if they'll push the door open soon.
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Qualifications: 6 - Strong Case To Be Made

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

Madonna
In all of rock history only Aretha Franklin is a more impactful female artist than the chameleon like Madonna, who began as a dance-club sensation before moving into every field of rock imaginable, conquering them all and elevating the self-promotional media-savvy style to an art form. Her enormous success, her influence on a legion of artists who constantly shift their approach to stay fresh, and her cultural impact, which is off the charts, makes her the all but guaranteed centerpiece of this year's induction class. Love her or loathe her, Madonna is impossible to ignore or discredit, and is undoubtedly the biggest name in the game for the last quarter century.
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Qualifications: 10 - The Immortals

John Mellencamp
Exceedingly popular over a decade and a half with very strong critical acclaim during that time and a social conscious (helping to launch Farm-Aid) that voters seem to admire. Hard to understand how he's been kept out thus far, as he's had more success for a longer period than most of the recent inductees, including writing and recording some of the era's most identifiable songs. Maybe the fact that he was not seen as an innovator, but just a steady matter-of-fact hitmaker is affecting his image to some. This is his fourth nomination and with his track record eventually he has to be admitted.
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Qualifications: 7 - Solid Choice

Donna Summer
After years of being eligible Summer snags her first ever nomination and in the same year that Chic is nominated yet again, which shows the Hall might finally be softening their apparent discomfort with crediting disco, one of rock's most successful, but frequently mocked, styles. Her credentials, including being among the most successful solo rock artists on the singles charts ever, are clearly there and so keeping her out due to aesthetic tastes is getting harder for voters to justify. As it stands, Summer was the most deserving solo female artists to be eligible for years without getting a look, so with this nomination she may finally be getting her due.
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Qualifications: 7 - Solid Choice

The Ventures
More than any other artist The Ventures were the first truly album-oriented rock artists, which is all the more incredible for an instrumental group in a singles-dominated era. They ushered in the guitar-oriented 60's with their huge hit "Walk - Don't Run" in 1960, soon influenced surf-rock, were the first to bring rock to the far-east where they were massively popular, and had a string of hugely successful concept albums before that term was even conceived. If Duane Eddy is in, the Ventures have to make it. That this is their first nomination despite having been eligible since the Rock Hall was founded is inexcusable. That should be corrected this year.
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Qualifications: 7 - Solid Choice

[Yankovic]

Digital Dream Door
http://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_ ... me_08.html

Only cult figure Leonard Cohen has questionable achievements to warrant strong consideration.

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.

Qualifications: 2 - Mostly Insignificant

BURN IN HELL!!!

[Yankovic]

http://www.cleveland.com/music/plaindea ... xml&coll=2

Cleveland fans vote John Mellencamp as their No. 1 choice for Rock Hall
Saturday, November 24, 2007John SoederPlain Dealer Pop Music Critic
Ain't that America? Little pink houses for you and me, and a first-place finish for John Mellencamp in The Plain Dealer's eighth annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame poll.

The heartland rocker from Seymour, Ind., declined to comment, despite a clear mandate from the people of Northeast Ohio. Life goes on, long after the thrill of winning our mock election is gone, apparently.

Then again, perhaps Mellencamp doesn't want to jinx anything. He received two previous Rock Hall nominations, only to fail to get enough votes for enshrinement.

The Farm Aid co-founder had a No. 1 smash 25 years ago with "Jack & Diane," back when he went by the stage name John Cougar. Among his other hits are "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.," "Small Town" and "Pink Houses."

We asked newspaper readers and visitors to cleveland.com to tell us which nominees on the latest official Rock Hall ballot are most worthy of induction.

In order of popularity, pop superstar Madonna, British Invasion band the Dave Clark Five; disco sensation Donna Summer and rock 'n' roll instrumentalists the Ventures were the other top vote-getters in our poll, conducted just for kicks. More than 170 ballots were cast.

Besides our finalists, the other hopefuls who are in the running for a spot in the Rock Hall are Afrika Bambaataa, the Beastie Boys, Chic and Leonard Cohen.

Our call for write-in candidates generated a landslide of support for "Weird Al" Yankovic (who knew?), whose fans have mobilized online (check out http://www.allthingsyank. com/rockhall) to get the parodist of "Eat It" fame into the Rock Hall. Supporters of Harry Nilsson, the Moody Blues and Yes also made themselves heard.

The induction ceremony is set for Monday, March 10, at New York City's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The five incoming honorees will be announced in January, after the votes of an international pool of music-industry insiders and previous inductees are counted.

To reach this Plain Dealer

reporter:

jsoeder@plaind.com, 216-999-4562

http://www.cleveland.com/music/plaindea ... xml&coll=2

Readers sing out about Rock Hall nominees
Saturday, November 24, 2007
You endorsed the likes of the Dave Clark Five and John Mellencamp, questioned the validity of pop nominees and stumped for a certain legendary shock rocker. Let's crank up the feedback from our Rock Hall poll.

It would appear that the powers that be are endeavoring to reach a younger demographic by changing the Rock Hall into the Pop Hall. Don't be surprised if next year they figure out a way to nominate Beyonce and Fall Out Boy.

I cannot bring myself to vote for dance-hall divas or hip-hop acts. I therefore only can vote for the Dave Clark Five, who had the unfortunate timing to arrive in the midst of Beatlemania. At least John Mellencamp and the Ventures can be called rock 'n' roll, but they don't belong in there until Yes and Kiss are selected.

-- Chas Nebe, Eastlake

The Dave Clark Five should already be in the hall. Forty years ago, it was the British Invasion of the United States by the Beatles, the DC5 and the Rolling Stones. Those were the big three at first, and the critics refer to them as such. The DC5 should be in with the other two. Even if they make it now, it's a shame that all DC5 members can't come to the induction. One died last year [Denis Payton,] and Mike Smith is in a wheelchair.

-- Laurel Mamich, North Royalton

The hall can't be super without Alice Cooper! -- Dave Clark (no, not that Dave Clark), Seven Hills

I think what bothers many folks about the Rock Hall is that a fair number of what seem to be obvious choices have been passed over in favor of some questionable inductees, and some artists can't even make it onto the ballot.

These kinds of things do not serve the hall well. More and more frequently, I read comments online about what a farce it is. I have tried hard to defend the hall and Cleveland, as many in the public think the decisions about who gets in are made here.

As more and more later artists are inducted (now from the early 1980s), the older artists who helped develop the music will be overlooked even more.

-- Randy Smith, Cleveland

I picked John Mellencamp because I have one of his CDs, and my grandpa has all of them. Mellencamp has a really good voice. He kind of reminds me of Elvis. Mellencamp's lyrics are very well thought-out. . . . There is a point to all his songs.

-- Alex Danforth, eighth-grader, St. Charles Borromeo School, Parma

Madonna should be inducted because -- well, come on, she's Madonna! Everyone knows her catchy songs. She's constantly changing, so she'll always be "in." There's no way she can't be inducted -- but then again, Kiss hasn't been inducted, either.

-- Alexandra Karla, eighth-grader, St. Charles Borromeo School, Parma

The Rock Hall should induct Donna Summer, because she's obviously significant in the making of disco. From hits like "Last Dance" to "She Works Hard for the Money," Donna has sung it loud and clear with her powerful voice.

-- Lauren Schaeffer, eighth-grader, St. Charles Borromeo School, Parma

[linda_lakeside]

Sounds like many of the voting members of the academy 'could' be influenced by those in the eighth grade (my 'grandpa' has all his albums??) - doesn't bode well for Leonard, but let's hope that the 'real, of age' voters have a little more R&R savvy. After all, that's what they're paid to do - access, promote, listen to and distribute R&R, among other things. I really hate it when someone tries to 'define' R&R...for instance, were CS&N 'R&R'? (whether they ever made it or not is moot) Countless others, even our powerful voiced 'disco' queen, Donna Summer - is 'she' R&R? Maybe the academy should determine what R&R really is. How about: contributors to music who don't make you wear argyle socks to 'be cool'.?

[Yankovic]

Today is the last day for the 500 Rock Hall electors to turn in their votes!

[dick]

How soon will they announce the tally?

[Yankovic]

Some time in January!

[Yankovic]

http://1heckofaguy.com/2007/09/28/first ... l-of-fame/

1HeckofaGuy.com

First We Take Manhattan But Cleveland Is Nice Too - Leonard Cohen Nominated To Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame

Leonard Cohen and 8 Others, Including Madonna, Nominated For 2008 Induction

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame In Cleveland

Rolling Stone reports, in 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees Announced,

You heard it here first: Madonna, the Beastie Boys, the Dave Clark Five, Leonard Cohen, Afrika Bambaataa, John Mellencamp, the Ventures, Donna Summer and Chic have been nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next year.

Within the group of nominees, Leonard Cohen, Madonna, Afrika Bambaataa, the Beastie Boys, Donna Summer and the Ventures are on the ballot for the first time while Chic, the Dave Clark Five and John Mellencamp are back in contention after failing to win enough votes for induction into the Hall of Fame.

Five members from this group of nominees will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008.

Madonna, by virtue (smirk) of her 200 million albums sold, her fifty Top 40 singles, concert tours drawing millions of fans and hundreds of millions of dollars, a film career that includes flicks ranging from “Desperately Seeking Susan” to “Evita,” a series of children’s books, another volume titled “SEX,” and, as they say, much, much more, is surely the best known of the nominees.

And, DrHGuy has long nurtured all manner of positive feelings for The Material Girl and her bullet-point lingerie, harbors enthusiastic admiration for the Ventures, the Dave Clark Five and John Mellencamp , and in fact, has enjoyed work by Afrika Bambaataa, the Beastie Boys, Donna Summer and, yes, even Chic.

Nonetheless, the hopes, prayers, Karmic vibrations, and psychic investments of the Heck of a Guy Blog are committed to Leonard Cohen, the class act in this group of nominees.

The Hall of Fame Game
The first group of inductees, inducted on January 23, 1986, included Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and Elvis Presley.

Currently, groups or individuals are qualified for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Nominees should have “demonstrable influence and significance within the history of rock and roll.” Four categories are recognized: Performers, Non-Performers, Early Influences, and since 2000, Sidemen.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, based in New York City, oversees the induction process. Ballots are sent to an international pool of voters, including record company executives and previous inductees.

On The Flip Side
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has its detractors. Their case is outlined in this excerpt from Wikipedia:1

Criticism

The main criticism is that the nomination process is controlled by a few individuals, such as founder Jann Wenner, former foundation director Suzan Evans, and writer Dave Marsh, reflecting their tastes rather than the views of the rock world as a whole. A former member of the nominations board once said:

At one point Suzan Evans lamented the choices being made because there weren’t enough big names that would sell tickets to the dinner. That was quickly remedied by dropping one of the doo-wop groups being considered in favor of a ‘name’ artist … I saw how certain pioneering artists of the 50s and early 60s were shunned because there needed to be more name power on the list, resulting in 70s superstars getting in before the people who made it possible for them. Some of those pioneers still aren’t in today — but Queen is.

Petitions with tens of thousands of signatures were also being ignored and some groups that were signed with certain labels or companies or were affiliated with various committee members have even been put up for nomination with no discussion at all.

Another criticism is that too many artists are inducted, allowing for several lesser acts to make it in. In fifteen years, 97 different artists have been inducted. A minimum of 50% of the vote is needed to be inducted, although the final percentages are not announced and a certain number of inductees (5 in 2007) is set before the ballots are shipped.

There are very few progressive rock bands in the hall, with Pink Floyd being the only true progressive rock group inducted. This has been noted by the columnist John Sinkevics, who notes the genre has more fan backing than any other.

The Sex Pistols, inducted in 2006, refused to attend the ceremony, calling the museum a “piss stain.”

2007 voting scandal allegations

On March 14, two days after the 2007 induction ceremony, Roger Friedman of Fox News published an article claiming that The Dave Clark Five should have been the fifth inductee, as they had more votes than inductee Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five. The article went on to say “[Jann Wenner] used a technicality about the day votes were due in. In reality, The Dave Clark Five got six more votes than Grandmaster Flash. But he felt we couldn’t go another year without a rap act.”

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame would later deny fixing the vote, although they didn’t deny that late votes were received, saying, “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.”

1 Comment
Our optimistic prayers are also with Leonard!

Dick and Linda

Comment by dick — September 30, 2007 @ 9:56 am



From left to right, Top row: Leonard Cohen, John Mellencamp, Donna Summer;
Middle row: Chic, Beastie Boys, Afrika Bambaataa; Bottom row: Ventures, Dave Clark Five, Madonna



Rock and Roll Hall of Fame In Cleveland

[Yankovic]

http://www.villagevoice.com/blogs/statu ... d_ro_1.php

The Village Voice

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Gets It Right, Sort Of
posted: 4:08 PM, September 28, 2007 by Tom Breihan

Something totally unexpected happened this morning: I found myself getting sort of guardedly amped when I saw this year's list of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees. I'm not any more happy than I ever was about the basic concept of the Hall itself: a semi-official canonization process whose music ideally should fuck up the whole idea of canonization in the first place. And I especially hate the idea that artists aren't eligible for nomination until twenty-five years after recording their first records, a sure way to make sure nothing remotely vital or current will ever find its way in there. But the twenty-five year rule also has some weird ripple-effects, especially now that we're getting deep into the string of 80s-era nominees. The 80s were maybe the first decade in pop to actively resist the boomer-defined ideas of authenticity and rebellion upon which the hall itself was founded, where boomers ceased to be the music's chief target-demographic. The 80s certainly had their transcendent old-school world-changing rock figures, and most of those are already in the Hall: Springsteen, U2, R.E.M. But the decade also had a whole mess of stars who don't fit so easily into preestablished big-rock narratives. And this year's list of inductees is just an absurdly mixed group, especially when you look at the first-time nominees: one enormously popular all-surface pop icon (Madonna), one enormously popular all-surface robo-disco godess (Donna Summer), one folk-hero electro pioneer (Afrika Bambaataa), one instrumental surf-pop group (the Ventures), one culty folk-poet type (Leonard Cohen), and one snotty hardcore band who became snotty joke-rappers and took a long-ass time to absorb boomer-approved ideas of maturity and responsibility (the Beastie Boys). Not all of them have only just become eligible for nomination, but the Hall, for whatever reason, has waited up until this moment to pick Summer and Cohen and the Ventures, and all of them form into a really interesting group. Improbably enough, everyone on that list of new nominees is sort of great in one way or another; if we have to have a canon, we could do worse. And looking at that list, it's a whole lot of fun to imagine what might happen if you locked all of them in a room together and forced them to interact. The list also includes past nominees John Mellencamp, Dave Clark Five, and Chic, and the only two real no-brainers are Madonna and the Beasties, which will mean the induction ceremony will give Madonna and MCA another chance to make out backstage like they did during the 1985 Like a Virgin tour. I have no idea how the voters will possibly choose between the remaining nominees, but for once it'll be interesting to watch who they pick.

Here's something else: the Hall has always been really big on iconic guitarists, which is probably the main reason Van Halen made it in last year. But of this year's nine nominees, only five are really famous for guitars, and only two of them (Mellencamp and the DC5) really pull trad-rock guitar-moves with any frequency. Chic's Nile Rogers had no use for rock-hero moves; instead, he used his guitar more for rhythm than for melody, slashing and stabbing and touretically stuttering. Cohen played guitar, but he used it more for atmospheric shading than anything else; his voice was always the focal point. And the Ventures basically used guitars as stand-ins for singers; their guitars played the melodies that the vocals would've handled if their songs had vocals. Madonna and Summer, meanwhile, tended to make robotic dance-music where the individual instruments were all sublimated to the beat; the same could be said of Chic if Rogers' playing wasn't so distictive. Bambaataa, for all I know, has never touched a guitar in his life. And the Beastie Boys only really started fucking around with guitars once they got old; even then, the guitar wasn't particularly important to the music they were making. For probably the first time in its history, the Hall has recognized a group of musicians for whom the guitar wasn't really an especially big deal, and that, I think, says a lot about the Hall's perception of itself. One of the big ongoing controversies in the selection process is that the Hall never picks prog bands; Genesis partisans are going to be spitting mad once they see this list. Another stems from last year's inductions; according to Fox journalist Roger Friedman, the Dave Clark Five got more votes than Grandmaster Flash last year, but Jann Wenner, who supposedly exerts dictatorial control over this whole process, decided that they needed a rap group in there instead. As arbitrary and pointless as the whole induction process might be, I can't really argue with a governing body who ignores prog and who favors a group of rap pioneers over a fifth-string British Invasion band. If nothing else, Wenner has managed to insure that this year's induction ceremony will be a pretty entertaining affair.

The most interesting nominee on this year's list is, I think, the Beastie Boys. For one thing, just about everyone seems to agree that their work up until Check Your Head is way superior to their more recent stuff, but it's tough to imagine them being such a mortal lock for induction if they'd broken up in 1993. Seems to me they get patted on the back more for getting old than they ever did for being young in the first place, if that makes sense. Also, the only stuff the band was putting out in 1982 was particularly shitty hardcore. If it's wrong that the second rap group to find its way into the Hall might be a snotty group of white kids, it seems even worse that the Beasties would be the first hardcore band. You could probably argue that Black Flag or Minor Threat would make at least as much sense on that list as Bambaataa, but the Hall sure hasn't rushed to recognize them. Maybe next year.

[Yankovic]

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/09/28/211246.php

My Thoughts On The Rock Hall Nominees
Written by Brad Laidman
Published September 28, 2007

Madonna is a mortal lock. She will make it and deserves to. Blaming Britney Spears et al on her would be akin to blaming Eddie Van Halen for Yngwie Malmsteen. Longevity, video pioneer, redefining what a female pop star could be (even if you don't like what that was), an easy choice.

Donna Summer - She was basically the face of disco so she'll make it and I don't have a huge problem with that.

The Beastie Boys - Deserve to be in if only for the Sabatage video. Acquiring a social conscious cinches it.

Chic - They probably get a lot of points for impact and the later production work of Nile Rodgers, but I wouldn't vote for them.

John Mellencamp - I'm on the fence about him. I think he falls a little short, but Hall of Fame type people love his pseudo-Springsteen reawakening and his Farm Aid cause so I expect him to get in

Ventures - The Ventures, are well, the Ventures. They don't deserve to be in the Hall of Fame.

Leonard Cohen - Critics love him. Hardly anyone else listens to him. If you can make zero commercial impact and still make the Hall of Fame, he belongs. Personally, I'm not a huge fan so I'd leave him out.

Afrika Bambaataa - Critics seem to love him, so he'll make it. The only record of his I own is World Destruction with John Lydon. Last year's induction of Grandmaster Flash shows that you can only have one or two hits if you're influential. I wouldn't vote for him, but as with Cohen I wouldn't be proud telling people about it.

Dave Clark Five - Whoever nominated them has been sniffing a ton of glue.

Then again if the Ronettes deserved induction last year, everyone but Barry Manilow does.

On a side note: Induct the Monkees you idiots.

The Monkees deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but they aren't because people think of them as prefabricated. The truth is that their fakeness was pretty up front, compared to some other groups. I don't think half of the Beach Boys played on a majority of their albums. Really, what's the difference between The Monkees and The Temptations? They are both vocal groups who had a bunch of hits that were chosen for them by producers who molded them to be popular. If they can put Eric Clapton into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twelve times, they can at least let the Monkees come to a dinner or two.

Others I'd put in:

The New York Dolls
The Jam
The Specials
Madness
The Replacements

[Yankovic]

http://www.ncobrief.com/index.php/archi ... ss-my-ass/

Let’s just take a look at the 2008 nominees shall we?

Africa Bambaataa - I’m sorry, I don’t even know who this person is.

Beastie Boys - I like the boyzzzzz as much as anyone my age…but not rock…

Chic - Le Freak? Really?

Leonard Cohen - For a Judy Collins album from 1966? What, he didn’t get enough Grammys and Tonys?

The Dave Clark Five - Okay, at least they’re 60s pop rock.

Madonna - Excuse the FUCK out of me? Before Tina Turner?

John Mellencamp - I know, many don’t like him, I do. Should he be there before Todd Rundgren? HELL No.

Donna Summer - The Queen of Disco in the Rock’n'Roll Hall of Fame? I have issues.

The Ventures - Okay, I can live with this. How many of you HAVEN’T beat on the bar table or the back of your party partner during the drum solo of Wipeout?

Excuse me while I gape, jaw on the floor, with this sucktitude of nominations.


http://www.stereogum.com
Leonard Cohen is the only noteworthy artist on the list; but he should have been inducted years ago.

[Yankovic]

http://communities.canada.com/montrealg ... -five.aspx

The Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame: Come ON, Dave Clark Five!
Remember the outcry when Jethro Tull won a best heavy-metal artist Grammy, beating Metallica, in 1989?

That controversy seems quaint when you look at the list of nominees for the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame this year. Categories and labels, it would seem, have lost all meaning at that particular institution. In fact, the casual observer could be forgiven for wondering whether some major changes have been made to the very definition of rock n' roll at the hall's Cleveland headquarters and a decision taken not to send out a press release about them.

For starters, Leonard Cohen? Not to question the Montreal bard's poetic genius in any way, but even he must be laughing at that one. The Beastie Boys, Donna Summer, Afrika Bambaataa and Chic are all worthy artists in their own way, but their selection as nominees for this particular honour could give rise to some interesting tavern discussions. As for Madonna, she's way overdue in the Hall of Fame for Obnoxious Self-Promoters.

That leaves John Mellencamp (the poor man's Bruce Springsteen) the Ventures (the poor man's Shadows) and the Dave Clark Five.

Let's spare a moment here for the good old DC5, who were, at the dawn of their career, running neck and neck with the Beatles in popularity on this side of the Atlantic. While it didn't take long for the Fabs to leave them in the dust, the Five left behind a series of thumping great singles, crazy instrumental tracks and buried album treasures before disbanding in 1970. Glad All Over, No Time To Lose, Any Way You Want It, Having a Wild Weekend, Try Too Hard and the definitive Do You Love Me are but a few of the high points.

Sax player Denis Payton died last December and keyboard player Mike Smith --- whose muscular, throat-shredding vocals defined the group's sound as well as anything --- was paralyzed from the waist down and in his right arm when he suffered a spinal cord injury after a fall at his home in 2003. With the clock ticking, let's hope their second shot at the Hall of Fame is a successful one.

– Bernard Perusse

[Tony]

I would be grateful if someone who has read all this could give me a short summary as my attention span is only average.

[Paula]

In a way I hope Leonard doesn’t get in. I really don't understand their thinking about totally irrelevant artists being strong contenders and people like Leonard who is also a writers writer lacks some sort of credential. I don't understand it and I think Leonard is too good to go in the Hall of Fame with some of the dross they have highly rated.

It should be no contest but they seem to be dismissing his vast back catalogue of self penned songs and opted to go for "singers". The Dave Clark Five come on what have they ever done that was of any significance?

But then there is so much information there Yankovic I am not sure what I have just read!

[lizzytysh]

I really don't understand their thinking about totally irrelevant artists being strong contenders and people like Leonard who is also a writers writer lacks some sort of credential. I don't understand it and I think Leonard is too good to go in the Hall of Fame with some of the dross they have highly rated.

As much as I've wanted Leonard to be inducted [with his being an absolute given], you make some unfortunately really good points, Paula. Just look at the photos and see what I mean. A picture speaks a thousand words and, in Leonard's case, a million.


~ Lizzy