The list of the nominees is up. They are:
- The Paul Butterfield Blues Band – an extremely important group (okay, my piano teacher was the original keyboard player, left before their first album) but more for their live performances and their abilities; their albums were mostly just okay.
- Chic – I never listened to much disco and haven’t felt the urge to go back to check what I might have missed, though I recognize Nile Rodgers’ importance.
- Deep Purple – I suppose they belong. I had no use for them after around ’73 or so.
- Heart – Again, they had 2, maybe 3 good albums in them and then yawn.
- Joan Jett & the Blackhearts – Really? Okay.
- Albert King – As influential a guitarist as they come, I’m so happy that I got to see him in concert one time.
- Kraftwerk – What? They’re not already in? They should be a shoo-in this year.
- The Marvelettes – Pretty much every other Motown group has made it in; these gals were good but pretty much second-stringers.
- The Meters – Intensely good, intensely influential, steamy New Orleans funksters.
- Randy Newman – How is he not in already? One of the greatest songwriters of the past 50 years, though I suppose his voice remains an acquired taste.
- NWA – Well, yes, of course, one of the top 5 hip-hop acts of all time.
- Procol Harum – To my way of thinking, each of their first four albums was better than the previous one, then they dropped off a cliff when Robin Trower (lead guitarist who didn’t sing and hardly ever wrote) left the group. Most people can’t name any song they did after Whiter Shade of Pale but there were some good ones.
- Public Enemy – I guess this is hip-hop’s year and P.E.’s It Takes a Nation of Millions always scores high with white critics. I stopped listening to them after their DJ started making anti-Semitic remarks.
- Rush – I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to like them. I simply can’t do it.
- Donna Summer – A relatively brief portion of her career in the spotlight but I think she deserves it.
Apparently starting this year one of the spots is reserved for fan voting. Not sure this is a good thing.
I had not heard of the Hall’s adding the fan vote. I *am* sure this is not a good thing.
The other Butterfield albums are fairly average, but “East West” stands out. As for public voting, it’s been claimed by some critics for years that certain acts are effectively blacklisted by a few influential people involved with the Hall of Fame.. Maybe a little more public participation can help remedy that.
I am not sure if Ralf (even ex founder Florian) are really eager to be in that Hall ……..
Here are the top 50 Deserving, Eligible but Overlooked Artists for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – according to rock fan votes
at:
http://www.rateitall.com/t-2529-deserving-of-the-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame.aspx
1) Rush
2) Chicago
3) Deep Purple
4) Yes
5) Doobie Brothers
6) Moody Blues
7) Dire Straits
8) Jethro Tull
9) Electric Light Orchestra
10) The Cars
11) Heart
12) Pete Townshend (solo)
13) Steve Miller
14) Squeeze
15) Journey
16) Styx
17) Carole King
18) Stevie Ray Vaughan
19) The Guess Who
20) Hall & Oates
21) T. Rex
22) Badfinger
23) Kiss
24) The Monkees
25) Supertramp
26) Foreigner
27) Jim Croce
28) Emerson, Lake & Palmer
29) Peter Gabriel (solo)
30) Boston
31) Cat Stevens
32) Three Dog Night
33) The Zombies
34) Gordon Lightfoot
35) Bad Company
36) Todd Rundgren
37) Steppenwolf
38) Scorpions
39) Grand Funk Railroad
40) INXS
41) Def Leppard
42) Cheap Trick
43) The Replacements
44) Thin Lizzy
45) Los Lobos
46) The Grass Roots
47) Steve Winwood (solo)
48) The Jam
49) Linda Ronstadt
50) The Cure
Thanks for posting this. Some of them there I disagree with but there are some where my reaction was, “they’re not already in?”