On Thursday, the 2008 class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were announced. The five artists who will be inducted are: The Dave Clark Five, Leonard Cohen, Madonna, John Mellencamp, and The Ventures. The nominees who didn't make the cut this year are: Afrika Bambaattaa, The Beastie Boys, Chic, and Donna Summer. Back when the nominees were announced last September, I wrote a post about who I thought would/wouldn't get in and why. You can click here if you'd like to read it.As for the 2008 inductees, here are my thoughts:
The Dave Clark Five: Although I'll pass on making any "Glad All Over" jokes, I am happy to see them get inducted. Because they didn't expand their musical horizons as did contemporaries such as The Beatles, The Stones, and The Who, the Dave Clark Five often get overlooked. Still, they were one of the hardest rocking bands to come out of the 1st wave of The British Invasion.
Leonard Cohen- Although I predicted that he would make the cut, I am still scratching my head a bit on this one. I know that Cohen is critically acclaimed and has a loyal cult following, he still doesn't deserve to be in Cleveland along side such artists as Fats Domino, Janis Joplin, and The Temptations.
Madonna- This was a slam dunk. I know that when the nominees were announced, many fans were up in arms; stating that Madonna is not a rock and roller. My guess is that their arms might pop out of their sockets after they find out that she will be enshrined in the Hall next year. Bottom line, the Material Woman belongs in the RRHOF.
John Mellencamp- Finally! Because he has been eligible since 2001, I was starting to think that Johnny boy was going to have to perform unspeakable sexual favors in order to receive his due. If any of his family members follow the cue of Paul McCartney's daughter Stella (she wore a T-shirt that said "About fucking time" when her dad was finally inducted 4 years after becoming eligible), can you blame them?
The Ventures- Sorry, but their induction is a stretch. I appreciate that the RRHOF induction committee are honoring an artist from rock's early days, but there are certainly more worthy 50s and 60s artists who continue to be passed over (Patsy Cline, Chubby Checker, The Marvelettes, and Paul Revere & the Raiders just to name a few).
In addition to the above performers, the RRHOF will also honor Little Walter in its sideman category and producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff will be inducted in the non-performer category. The induction ceremony is scheduled to take place on March 10, 2008.
What are your thoughts on the 2008 inductees and/or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in general?
Below is a video player that includes clips of all 5 performers who are being inducted next year.
12 comments:
Again I am disappointed. I mean I am happy about Madonna, but I also think Donna Summer is more than deserving of a spot in the RRHOF. You know what? I am not going to let this idiots (the five voters) run my blood pressure up. The could have let all of these acts in, even the Beastie Boys and Chic. They never fail to piss me off.
I'm sorry, but I have to disagree on the Madonna thing, fresh from posting on my own blog how she's not a rocker. I agree that there are too many artists often overlooked for induction and as far as Mellencamp goes, I agree, about time!
Pjazzy: Watch that blood pressure now. We know that the RRHOF is going to piss us off, but we can't help but following it to see who does and doesn't make it. In a somewhat twisted way, it wouldn't be as much fun to discuss if they got it right everytime. However, it would be nice if they got it right a little more than they have been as of late.
Michael T: Yes! I love a friendly debate! When I think of the term rock and roll, I consider it all encompassing... covering a wide variety of genres in popular music. If the RRHOF committee stuck strictly to what some people define as rock and roll, that would mean that a marginal act such as Poison would stand a better chance of induction over a pioneer like James Brown.
It would have made things easier if they called it the Pop Music Hall of Fame or the pop/rock/R&B Hall of Fame, but the former just doesn't have the same ring to it as the RRHOF and the latter is a mouthful.
I am most happiest about the inductions of Mellencamp and the Dave Clark Five. Both are long overdue.
Thanks for declaring the Madonna should be in the hall of fame...I knew you really liked her...:) I don't care what anyone says, she had a very powerful voice! Have you heard her sing the acoustic "One More Chance" or "You'll See"? Those are two of my favorites.
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You got it half right michaeladams, Madonna is not rocker, but neither is Brenda Lee, Percy Sledge, Aretha Franklin, Martha Reeves, Isaac Hayes, Hank Williams...I could go on and on. We kind of get it twisted nowadays, Rock and Roll and what we refer to as "Rock" are two different genres of music. Nevertheless there is room for all.
It was probably initially referred to as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because it honored the golden age of Rock and Roll (50's and 60's). That's why among the first inductees was Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers, and Sam Cooke. Some of these are not your conventional rock and rollers but they still deserve to be there.
Madonna is also deserving if only for her consistency and the body of work she has produced. If Prince and Michael are in the Hall, she should be right beside them. It has always been a difficult for women, especially in the music industry simply because women are not taken seriously. While she might not have the best voice in the world, her longevity and her ability to reinvent herself makes her one of the best in the business.
She's been around 25 years and she still gets press. How many of her peers from back in the day can say that, male or female? I see people go into the Hall that deserve to be in there about as much as I do, yet they will deny acts like John Mellencamp or the Dave Clark Five because of some political agenda.
Malcolm, speaking here as a member of Leonard Cohen's "cult" and a big, big fan of the Ventures, I'm sad to see you give them such short shrift. I'm delighted, though, to see Johnny Cougar get his Golden Ticket! RRHOF is like most other HOF-type things, though. Generally speaking, I say feh, and wave my hand dismissively. There will never be a truly representative RRHOF because of some glaring omissions and glaring inclusions, as Malcolm and the other posters herein have pointed out with the usual clarity.
Yay for Dave Clark Five...but Madonna and JCM? No. There are too many others that are more deserving. but then again, the hall of fame isn't about "rock" it's about hit makers. I guess that's why The Moody Blues aren't in.
Malcolm,
I have to admit I had a bit of a gut reaction when I saw that Madonna was being inducted. After a long conversation with someone whose opinion I rely on heavily i've, well I won't say i've changed my mind, but I have changed my point of view.
It seems to me that if you do limit induction into the RRHOF just because someone is not a "rocker" you're limiting almost all genres of music. There are so many subcategories that you just can't pick and choose.
If you limit the induction to "rockers" do the Ramones count?
The definition of "rock" has changed so much since it started that even rock isn't the same thing anymore. And as pjazzypar mentioned, those pioneer acts that many would not consider rock, they deserve their spots based solely on the contributions they made to get rock where it is today.
I make no apologies when I say that I am not a fan of Madonna's music, but I do think she possesses the criteria to be considered one of the great performers of our time.
Leonard Cohen's songwriting probably got the committee's notice, so I don't think he's much of a stretch. The Ventures, on the other hand, leave me scratching my head too.
Holly: I think I sometimes come off as a Madonna hater. The perception of her as a cold, calculating (insert derogatory epithet of choice here) has sometimes clouded my opinion. I actually like a lot of her songs. I like how you defend Madonna vocal skills. Although I don't agree, I respect your persistence. Unfortunately, I haven't heard the two songs you mentioned.
One thing that I am looking forward to is her appearance at the RRHOF induction ceremony. I hope that she doesn't go diva on us and not perform or not bother showing up at all.
Pjazzy: If the powers that be had called it the Popular Music Hall of Fame, they wouldn't be in this mess and us music fans wouldn't be debating about who is and who isn't a rocker. Right now my tongue is so firmly in my cheek that it's close to breaking skin.
Amy: When it comes to artists that I think are worthy of induction into the RRHOF, I try to leave personal preferences out of it. Two of my favorite bands are The Box Tops and The Turtles. They are not in the RRHOF and I don't think that they belong. If I drove a Cadillac, you would not see a Deadhead sticker on it. However, the Grateful Dead are and belong in the RRHOF. I like The Ventures and I've enjoyed some of the work of Leonard Cohen. As for them being worthy of the RROF, survey says... buzz!
Like you stated, the RRHOF is like other HOFs... as well as awards ceremonies like the Oscars and the Grammys. The inclusions and omissions will always leave someone scratching their head.
Mistress of the D: I have to disagree with you in regards to the RRHOF being about hitmakers. If it was, acts like The Velvet Underground, Bo Diddley, and The Ramones wouldn't be inductees... while artists such as The Commodores, Hall & Oates, and Linda Ronstadt would be virtual locks for induction.
As for the Moody Blues, it seems to me that the RRHOF induction committee has a bias against "progressive rock" bands (Pink Floyd being the lone exception). Although I don't necessarily think they belong, I wouldn't cry "foul" if they did get inducted. At the very least, I think that they are worthy of consideration.
Michael T: As you alluded to, if the RRHOF limited inductees to "rockers", that beautiful glass building on Lake Erie would be pretty empty. I like your objectivity in regards to what you said about Madonna being worthy of induction. I suspect that the RRHOF voters don't possess that same objectivity.
X. Dell: I heard the other day that music critic/writer Anthony DeCurtis is a big Leonard Cohen fan, so he may have gave it a push for him to be inducted. I wouldn't have any problem with Cohen being inducted in the "non-performer" category for his songwriting accomplishments, but as a performer... I don't think so.
For the record, I completely agree with the fact that she is a shameless diva and she has an ego the size of the Grand Canyon... But growing up, I was infatuated with her...I can only imagine what my parents were thinking when their sweet little Catholic 7 year old girl wanted to stay at the skating rink just a little bit longer because my favorite song ("Like a Virgin") was playing...I had no idea what the song was about, but I knew I loved that voice! And I still do!
www.mamapj.com
Holly: That's cool that your parents let you stay at the rink a little bit longer. I remember having the "Like A Virgin" album on cassette. The album cover is still one of my favorites.
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