Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees For 2007

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recently announced the list of the upcoming inductees. Below is the list of the 2007 class (followed by my thoughts):

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five: As you may already know, they are the 1st rap act to receive the honor. There are probably alot of people who have a problem with them getting inducted. I can hear it now, "Rap is not rock and roll" or "they didn't have enough hits to get in". What I say to people who throw out the rap not rock and roll argument is this... inductees such as Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Marley, and Hank Williams Sr. aren't necessarily rock and roll. However, since the term "rock and roll" is an umbrella title for a variety of genres, they (along with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five) belong in the RRHOF. As for the lack of hits argument...if hits were that important an element in getting into The Hall, acts like Herman's Hermits, Olivia Newton-John, and Neil Diamond would be in already. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five may be the 1st rap act to get into The RRHOF. However, I guarantee you that they won't be the last.

REM: a personal favorite of mine and a "lock" for being inducted. However, it's hard to believe that it's been 25 years since the release of their first record (the eligibility requirement for getting inducted). I will bet that there are many 30 and 40-somethings who are saying that it seems like yesterday when they purchased a copy of "Murmur"... on vinyl no less! An added bonus is that it'll be cool to see Bill Berry rejoin his bandmates for a number or two during the induction ceremony.

The Ronettes: I was pleasantly surprised to hear that they are getting into The Hall this year. When you consider that Phil Spector (the creator of the Wall of Sound behind the Ronettes and several other acts) is in, I think you have to give the nod to The Ronettes. Although the average listener may not know any of their songs outside of "Be My Baby", The Ronettes left behind some outstanding material. If you don't believe me, pick up a copy of "The Best of the Ronettes".

Patti Smith: this is the only 2007 inductee that I am really torn on. There seems to be a conscious effort to induct more women into The RRHOF, which is a great thing. However, I think that there are other eligible women artists who should go in ahead of her (Patti Labelle/Labelle, Wanda Jackson, The Marvelettes, and Joan Jett come to mind). You can add Tina Turner to this list. Although she is an inductee for her work with Ike Turner, she has yet to be honored for her solo work. Let me also mention such worthy females who should be honored for their non-performing contributions: Ellie Greenwich, Cynthia Weil, and Rosalie Trombley (long-time music director for legendary radio station CKLW). I don't deny Patti Smith's influence and significance, I just think that the aforementioned women should go in ahead of her.

Van Halen: I am surprised that it took so long for VH to get the nod (they've been eligible since 2003). Besides the fact that they deserve to be in the RRHOF, one of the reasons that I have been looking forward to their induction is to see whether or not there will be any fireworks between DLR/Sammy and the Van Halen brothers at the ceremony. Plus, DLR is bound to give a memorable acceptance speech! It will also be really cool if all 5 members perform together on stage. I wonder if Gary Cerrone will be watching. I'll bet that it was Extremely disappointing to him that his stint with VH didn't work out.