The nominations for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame came out this week, several weeks late, I understand. Five artists will be selected from among the nine nominated:
Chic- the disco group formed in New York City
The Dave Clark Five- one of England’s leading musical exports in the 1960s
Grandmaster Flash- the third consecutive nomination for the groundbreaking NYC DJ, who would be the first hip-hop artist in the Hall if he makes the cut
R.E.M.- a first-time nominee from Athens, GA, that went from fan favorites mainstream success.
Ronettes- a classic girl group from NYC, groomed by producer Phil Spector
Patti Smith- New York singer-poet
The Stooges- led by Iggy Pop, the Detroit group paved the way for punk
Joe Tex- soul singer born Joseph Arrington, Jr. in Rogers, Texas
Van Halen- the Pasadena, CA band eligible for at least the past three years, but a first time nominee, has sold more than 50 million albums in the US alone
Five will be chosen. Who do you pick?
The only one that’s a serious lock for me is R.E.M., a group that had both musical significance and commercial success.
As for the others: Chic had commercial success, and were quite influential musically. On the other hand, perhaps Nile Rogers should be in the Hall as a producer.
The Dave Clark Five rivaled The Beatles for a time. I think they’ve suffered because their catalogue can be hard to find.
Grandmaster Flash is clearly important with songs such as “The Message” and the first rap song I ever bought, “White Lines”. I straddle the fence. Chubby Checker had a song go to #1 in two-non-consecutive years, but isn’t, and shouldn’t be in the HoF.
The Ronettes had relatively few real hits, and were overpowered by their producer, unfortunately.
Although I own Horses, the debut album by Patti Smith, my sense is that she’s more important to the overall rock scene as a music critic and songwriter than specifically as an artist. But that could be my limitation.
Many claim The Stooges as inspiration. Certainly hooking up with Bowie helped their visibility somewhat.
Joe Tex wasn’t a big hitmaker on the pop charts often, but he has at least 10 top 10 soul hits, had a career that spanned 15 years and was well regarded. Moreover, his style presaged rap.
I own only one Van Halen album, and the group really isn’t my cuppa, but I gotta give props to a band who thrived with two different lead singers (with the third, not so much).
So:
1. Who would you vote to put in the Hall? I’d pick the Dave Clark Five, R.E.M., Joe Tex, Van Halen and…one of the others, not the Ronettes. I’ll flip a coin. O.K., Chic.
2. Who do you think will make the Hall? R.E.M., for sure. Stooges or Smith, or possibly both. Dave Clark Five and Joe Tex. Van Halen makes it only if the Stooges or Smith do not.
And on an entirely different topic:
3. How is it that a television show featuring an attractive African-American male and a woman in peril tied around deja vu, called Daybreak, with Taye Diggs is starting on ABC on November 15, while the movie Deja Vu with Denzel Washington is opening in theaters less than two weeks later? Or two movies about Truman Capote writing “In Cold Blood” are made at the same time, though released months apart?
BONUS QUESTION FOR FANS OF “LOST”:
How do you feel about Daybreak filling in for Lost? No “Lost” repeats; indeed, no “Lost” for several weeks.
CLEARLY, I’d love YOUR input.
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I was watching JEOPARDY!, a week or so behind, which is my practice, when I see a woman named Linda Sue Park on in the middle position. During the interview segment, Ms. Park lets it be known that she is a Newbery award winner. So Alex asks her to tell more. She then explains WHAT the Newbery is, offered up by the American Library Association. Alex tries again, and she proffers that the book is targeted at 9- to 11-year-olds. But she doesn’t ever give the NAME OF THE BOOK. Since she lost, she never will, at least on that show. So, I will: A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park, the Newbery Medal winner in 2002.
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Jaquandor fixes the NFL.
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I was looking for a graphic for this piece when I came across something for “America’s 20 Best Shcools”. The graphic was boring, but the spelling was exquisite.
