Hot and Rickety
Active Member
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2005
- Messages
- 267
This year's nominees (with very preliminary thoughts):
- Maná: I honestly had not heard of this group until today. I simply can't evaluate them other than: yes, the RRHOF is extremely lacking in Spanish-language artists.
- Chubby Checker: If we're measuring by impact, then he has to be considered, because "The Twist" helped get adults listening to what was then considered rock 'n roll. If we're going by musical innovation, then there's no way Checker belongs. Both of his No. 1 songs were covers, and most of his other hits were more or less novelty songs in the same vein as "The Twist."
- Joy Division and New Order: I think both were more influential than many realize, and probably deserve a good look.
- Mariah Carey: Will get in by virtue of her weaponized voice and her mashive amount of hits, most of which she had a hand in writing. If you remember that the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame probably should be called the Popular Music Hall of Fame, her induction (and the induction of others who cannot be considered "rock 'n roll") will go down easier.
- Soundgarden: Should get in but won't, because RRHOF voters hate metal and Soundgarden is the most metal of the Seattle bands.
- Joe Cocker: Is a Woodstock performance, a cover of a Beatles song and a payday soundtrack No. 1 from a hit '80s film enough? We'll find out! Most of Cocker's remembered songs were covers, and his songwriting resume was extremely thin. He also happens to be dead, and the RRHOF hasn't been too big on posthumous solo-artist inductions of late.
- Oasis: I never found them at all interesting or creative. I realize I'm in the minority here. The fact that they're back in the public consciousness probably will tip the scales in their favor, because the induction show needs a hook.
- Billy Idol: Early MTV loved him, but would things be all that different if Billy Idol chose to be a plumber instead of a performer? Probably not.
- Phish: Just incredibly hard to evaluate. These dudes are proficiently superior to anyone on this list, and their longevity is to be admired, but if you went up to 100 random people on the street and asked them to name one single Phish song, how many do you think would be able to do so? 10? 5? Their popularity is just so contained.
- Black Crowes: Boogie-woogie Oasis here has a couple of very fun early albums and then what? And like Oasis, I'm not sure they really broke any new ground.
- Outkast: Pretty inventive hip-hop. They're in.
- The White Stripes: Proof that only two people can make a very impactful racket, and that only one of them need be musically proficient. Jack White has been doing all the proper RRHOF stuff in recent years, which will endear him to the voting committee.
- Cyndi Lauper: Not a whole lot of staying power, but a couple of mashive early-MTV hits -- only one of which she had a hand in writing -- and an endearingly oddball persona could be enough.
- Bad Company: Foreigner walked so Bad Company could run, I guess. I'm not sure how you induct the former and not the latter. They're essentially the same band in all but their membership. After this, hopefully we're done inducting middling '70s rockers into the RRHOF.
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