2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee screechfest

Terrific voice. Never sang anything noteworthy. Hall of "Hey, I had one of her records!"

Not even if he buys a ticket.

Eh. Fine with it either way, but there are a bunch I'd put in before them.

 

I would be all for Nugent in as a performer, massively successful concert draw in the 70s and early 80s and he made some great albums (Double Live Gonzo is a tremendous live album in an era with loads of them). No way his political views get him anywhere near Cleveland.

BOC? No.

I saw Pat Benatar live on her Precious Time tour. Way out of her depth playing arenas, she made some decent records but I never thought of her as HOF-worthy. Others' mileage may vary.

 

How do you win four straight grammys for best female vocalist without singing anything noteworthy? Ya don't. I don't even particularly like her songs -- I find them depressing -- but IMHO she undoubtedly belongs. She had four Top 10 songs and nine in the Top 20 and her songs still get regular play. She was big in her time -- did I mention 4 straight Grammys? -- and has become a part of classic rock. BOC had Don't Fear the Reaper (peaked at 12) and Burning for You (peaked at 40). Those are their only two songs you ever hear anymore. Plus...

 

Take a look at the other nominees. One of those years the nominees included Yoko Ono, Lulu and Donna Summer.

Grammys are worthless.

 

So what is of worth in assessing someone's candidacy? She has the Billboard numbers, too. She has the staying power in terms of radio play. Four straight, man? That doesn't just happen. That's dominating your corner as a female musician for nearly half a decade.

 

Not being snarky, but as a 59-year-old, I know nothing of the Dave Matthews Band other than having heard the name and knowing their bus driver dumped their septic tank into a river.

Do they have hit songs (I can't name one) or is a cult following like the Grateful Dead and Jimmy Buffett?

 

It does happen. Tina Turner won four straight immediately after her.

It's a category with no competition. It didn't even exist until a year before she won it.

Look at the stuff she won for. "Fire and Ice" isn't even good by Pet Benatar standards..

 

A few hits -- "Crash" and "Ants Marching" -- but the Buffett/Dead comparison is pretty apt.

 

A Benatar song doesn't sound dated at all today. I can't even picture anyone else when I think "female rock singer."

 

Yep, this is fair. A little bit more in my wheelhouse because they came into their own when I was in college. I really did love the first three or four albums, but my interest just sort of waned after that. Bartender is a great fucking song.

 

Joan Jett? Ann and Nancy Wilson, who were doing it way before Benatar? Grace Slick?

 

I'm pretty sure I've posted this here before, but I'm biased toward DMB because they played my fraternity house right before Under the Table and Dreaming came out and were great dudes. That album exploded when I was a senior in college, so they have an extra boost in my esteem, whatever the hell that's worth.