We now will take an analytical look at the upcoming nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Using a 5 point system, we will determine which candidates are worthy.
20-25 points = surefire Hall of Famer
18-19 points = good candidate
16-17 points = fringe candidate
15 and under = not electable
Beastie Boys
LONGEVITY: 4
MUSICIANSHIP: 4
INFLUENCE: 4
ALBUM SALES: 4
ARTISTIC INTENT: 4
Final Score: 20
The Beasties have held up well over the years. The elephant in the room is their first album License to Ill which, for all intents and purposes, is a novelty record. Their best years were from 1989, when they released the wonderful album Paul’s Boutique, to 1998 when they put out Hello Nasty. They’re tremendously influential in hip hop for being the first mainline white rap act. It’s a good thing when you consider that they paved the way for 3rd Bass and Eminem, but a bit of a negative when you realize that they also paved the way for Vanilla Ice and Fred Durst.
The Cure
LONGEVITY: 4
MUSICIANSHIP: 3
INFLUENCE: 4
ALBUM SALES: 3
ARTISTIC INTENT: 4
Final Score: 18
Leading the revolution of Goth kids everywhere, The Cure have been a musical force for nearly five decades. With whimsical songwriting and a morbid image, they certainly have a lot of what it takes to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Inconsistency and the fact that for most of their existence they’ve been a Robert Smith solo act disguised as a band would be the biggest roadblocks to election. Plus, they have this “emo” thing that they have to live with… could you sleep at night knowing that you’re responsible for My Chemical Romance?
Donovan
LONGEVITY: 2
MUSICIANSHIP: 4
INFLUENCE: 2
ALBUM SALES: 2
ARTISTIC INTENT: 4
FINAL SCORE: 14
The first real clunker on the nominee list, Donovan was an excellent young folk singer who turned on, tuned in and dropped off some psychedelic music in the 60’s. Known for the songs Sunshine Superman, Mellow Yellow and Hurdy Gurdy Man, Donavan had a brief time in the spotlight in the mid to late 60’s and after releasing HMS Donovan in 1971 fell off both commercially and critically. He basically took the decades of the 80’s and 90’s off. There’s not enough of a legacy there to warrant induction.
Eric B. and Rakim
LONGEVITY: 2
MUSICIANSHIP: 4
INFLUENCE: 4
ALBUM SALES: 3
ARTISTIC INTENT: 4
FINAL SCORE: 17
One of the most influential hip hop duos of all time, Eric B. and Rakim were considered as good as it got during their brief tenure in the 80’s and 90’s. Rakim is often considered one of the best, if not THE best, MCs of all time. What hurts them is that they weren’t pioneers like Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, they weren’t commercial juggernauts like RUN-D.M.C., they didn’t have longevity like the Beastie Boys, and they weren’t firebrands like Public Enemy. I’m afraid in this context Eric B. and Rakim fall into the Hall of the Very Good, not into the Hall of Fame.
Guns ‘N’ Roses
LONGEVITY: 2
MUSICIANSHIP: 4
INFLUENCE: 4
ALBUM SALES: 5
ARTISTIC INTENT: 3
FINAL SCORE: 18
While it’s easy to pick on Axl Rose for his devolution into a human troll doll, his temper, the ridiculous corn rows and his ability to destroy everything he touches, there’s no denying the impact of Guns ‘N’ Roses on the rock and roll landscape. They were dangerous at a time when most hair metal bands were as threatening as a Care Bear and they made rock exciting again. Then Axl started inciting riots and jumping in crowds and producing schlock like “November Rain” and it all went to shit. Axl’s either been in seclusion for much of the last 2 decades or touring with a sock puppet version of Guns ‘N’ Roses. It’s a simple fact that GNR is comprised of Axl, Slash, Duff McKagan, Izzy Stradlin and either Steven Adler or Matt Sorum (preferably Sorum since he isn’t going in and out of rehab). GNR gets into the Hall of Fame on image alone, but they should have had an all-time kind of career.
Heart
LONGEVITY: 5
MUSICIANSHIP: 3
INFLUENCE: 2
ALBUM SALES: 3
ARTISTIC INTENT: 3
FINAL SCORE: 16
Sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson have been rocking as Heart for nearly 40 years and were one of the first female lead rock acts to make it big. Ann Wilson has one of the best voices in rock and Nancy’s outstanding harmony talents are often overlooked and underappreciated. However, much of their output has been pedestrian and they’ve been inconsistent artistically. They have many fun songs like “Barracuda” and “What About Love”, but few memorable ones. I wouldn’t hate it if Heart gets in, but I think there are stronger candidates.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
LONGEVITY: 4
MUSICIANSHIP: 3
INFLUENCE: 3
ALBUM SALES: 3
ARTISTIC INTENT: 4
FINAL SCORE: 17
The original bad girl, Joan Jett has rocked the world for years now with one of the best images out there. After getting her start in the legendary punk band the Runaways, Jett launched into her own solo career. Tough, no-nonsense and aggressive, Jett has been a pioneer for women who rock. An inconsistent output and an overdependence on cover songs may weigh her bid down, but no one questions her smoldering intensity and the importance of her as a seminal figure for female rock. Whether or not that will be enough, time will tell.
Freddie King
LONGEVITY: 3
MUSICIANSHIP: 5
INFLUENCE: 4
ALBUM SALES: 2
ARTISTIC INTENT: 3
FINAL SCORE: 17
One of the finest blues guitarists of all time, Freddie King came in the same wave of talent that included Albert King, Albert Collins and Buddy Guy. Strong voiced and with nimble fingers, King recorded both the instrumental “Hide Away” and the classic standard “Have You Ever Loved a Woman?” He was very influential to guitarists such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Robert Cray, but he also had a great deal of competition in the blues world and having died young at the age of 42, his longevity pales in comparison to some of his peers. Albert King, Albert Collins and Otis Rush all have similar resumes and longer careers and none of those men are in the Hall.
Laura Nyro
LONGEVITY: 3
MUSICIANSHIP: 4
INFLUENCE: 4
ALBUM SALES: 1
ARTISTIC INTENT: 4
FINAL SCORE: 16
A strong voiced songstress from New York, Laura Nyro dazzled critics and musicians alike with her songwriting and phrasing. Among the artists that covered her songs were the 5th Dimension, Barbra Streisand and Three Dog Night. Blood, Sweat and Tears even butchered covered “And When I Die.” Nyro had some commercial success earlier in her career but fell off after a brief retirement. While she was influential to many artists (Elvis Costello, Todd Rundgren, Rickie Lee Jones and Elton John are among the artists who have claimed her as an influence) she never gained the commercial success that others with similar styles had. Her output became erratic in the later stages of her career before her tragic death due to ovarian cancer. Great talent, but not sure if she’s fame worthy.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
LONGEVITY: 5
MUSICIANSHIP: 4
INFLUENCE: 4
ALBUM SALES: 5
ARTISTIC INTENT: 3
FINAL SCORE: 21
One of the best-selling artists of the 90s, the Red Hot Chili Peppers exploded on the scene in 1984; making them one of the longest tenured bands of the Alternative era. High school running buddies Anthony Kiedis and Flea have been the stalwarts of a lineup that has included 6 guitarists and 3 drummers. Since 1989, popularity has not been a problem, but inconsistency and a tendency to not take themselves seriously have occasionally derailed the band. Flea is a top tier bassist and former guitarist John Frusciante was an eclectic edge for the band to have. This could be their year.
Rufus with Chaka Kahn
LONGEVITY: 2
MUSICIANSHIP: 3
INFLUENCE: 2
ALBUM SALES: 3
ARTISTIC INTENT: 2
FINAL SCORE: 12
Another questionable nominee, Rufus was formed in Chicago in 1970 out of the ashes of the band the American Breed. Rufus found a nice groove and ran with it, earning a high profile fan in Stevie Wonder who wrote “Tell Me Something Good” which was their biggest hit. Rufus had a ridiculous number of personnel changes with only keyboardist Kevin Murphy staying for the entire run of the band. In the thirteen years after forming, Rufus had a total of 14 different members. While Rufus had a good deal of commercial success in their day, the lack of a core unit and real imprint should cost them induction. When a band is most famous for launching the solo career of their lead singer, they’re not Hall worthy.
The Small Faces/The Faces
LONGEVITY: 2
MUSICIANSHIP: 4
INFLUENCE: 3
ALBUM SALES: 3
ARTISTIC INTENT: 3
FINAL SCORE: 15
One of the bands from the British Invasion that didn’t quite commercially invade the US, the Small Faces were a tremendous success back in the UK. Founded in 1965, the band had one major international hit with “Itchycoo Park” and major hits at home. Original lead singer Steve Mariott left the band in 1968 to form Humble Pie with Peter Frampton, the remaining members recruited a couple of guys named Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood from some guitarist named Jeff Beck’s band. The new band was rechristened the Faces (should have been The Noses to be fair) and reinvented themselves as a hard charging rock band. While very influential, The Faces failed to grab the commercial success that was probably deserved. Rod Stewart would eventually get that success by himself and now can be blamed for “Hot Legs.” The main problem with their Hall status is the fact that it’s not really one band, it’s two distinct bands with completely different sounds.
The Spinners
LONGEVITY: 4
MUSICIANSHIP: 4
INFLUENCE: 3
ALBUM SALES: 3
ARTISTIC INTENT: 2
FINAL SCORE: 16
The Spinners were the most important of the Philadelphia soul groups of the early 70’s, even though they were from Detroit. That’s how good they were. Formed in the 1950’s as a corner doo wop group, they languished for a decade at Motown before leaving to sign with Atlantic and work with producer Thom Bell. The Spinners were hit makers for a decade before slowing down in the 1980’s. Their commercial success is laudable, but it’s hard to place them in the hierarchy of vocal groups. They’re a dark horse to make the Hall this year.
Donna Summer
LONGEVITY: 3
MUSICIANSHIP: 3
INFLUENCE: 2
ALBUM SALES: 4
ARTISTIC INTENT: 2
FINAL SCORE: 14
Donna Summer was the Queen of Disco. Her first hit was in 1975 with “Love to Love You Baby” and it kicked off a 10 year period where she was a force to be reckoned with. Beautiful with a sultry voice, Summer sexed up the Disco charts as well as the Billboard top 100. Between 1975 and 1983, she belted out 13 top ten hits and sold an amazing amount of records. The problem was that when disco died, her career didn’t sustain its momentum. Many of her songs are purely commercial with no attempt at pushing any boundaries.
War
LONGEVITY: 4
MUSICIANSHIP: 5
INFLUENCE: 3
ALBUM SALES: 3
ARTISTIC INTENT: 4
FINAL SCORE: 19
War was a multi-racial band based out of Los Angeles. While working as Deacon Jones’ backing band as Nightshift (yes that Deacon Jones and no I’m not making that up) they were discovered by industry heavyweight Jerry Goldstein who mentioned the band as a possibility to former Animals lead singer Eric Burdon who wanted his career to go in a different direction. Joining them along with Danish-born harmonica virtuoso Lee Oskar, Burdon rechristened the band War. After two albums with Burdon, War struck out on their own and produced some of the best soul music in the 70’s. Phenomenal musicians with incredible range, there are few acts with such a diverse array of musical talent. While War was certainly commercially successful, they lacked the blockbuster album that could put them over the top.
Using this objective method, my five votes would go to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys, The Cure, Guns ‘N’ Roses and War.
For fun, I’m going to review three other bands who should have been nominated.
Rush
LONGEVITY: 5
MUSICIANSHIP: 4
INFLUENCE: 4
ALBUM SALES: 5
ARTISTIC INTENT: 4
FINAL SCORE: 22
There are great mysteries in this world. How did the dinosaurs die? Is there a Loch Ness Monster? How many licks does it take to make it to the center of a Tootsie Pop? And why hasn’t Rush at least been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? They obviously have longevity because they released their debut album in 1974 and posted a Billboard top 5 album in 2007. Their musicianship is impeccable with drummer Neal Peart being regarded as one of the best rock drummers of all-time. Geddy Lee’s bass playing is amazing and his voice is… um, he plays the bass well. Alex Lifeson is a great and versatile guitarist. They’ve become very influential with Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, Trent Reznor of nine inch nails and Les Claypool of Primus all citing Rush as a source of inspiration. They’ve sold over 25 million albums and never stopped pushing musical boundaries. The only reason that they’ve never been nominated is because rock critics didn’t think they were cool. That’s not a good reason. Just nominate them, willya?
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
LONGEVITY: 3
MUSICIANSHIP: 5
INFLUENCE: 4
ALBUM SALES: 3
ARTISTIC INTENT: 3
FINAL SCORE: 18
One of the finest guitarists of the rock era, Stevie Ray Vaughan died young but left a large legacy due to his blistering style. Backed by Tommy Shannon on bass and Chris Layton on drums, Double Trouble was as tight musically as any band this side of Booker T. and the MG’s. When Vaughan played the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1982, David Bowie offered Vaughan the chance to play on Bowie’s upcoming album and Jackson Browne offered him free time in his studio. When you have two icons falling over themselves to help your career, you have serious peer support. The two issues with Vaughan’s candidacy are the lack of variety in his music and the tragic brevity of his career. In my opinion, Vaughan is the second best guitarist of the rock era eclipsed only by Jimi Hendrix.
Kiss
LONGEVITY: 4
MUSICIANSHIP: 2
INFLUENCE: 4
ALBUM SALES: 5
ARTISTIC INTENT: 1
FINAL SCORE: 16
The most overrated Hall Candidate of all time, Kiss remains the biggest overselling of a legacy in music. Gene Simmons has convinced Kiss fans and heavy metal that Kiss is one of the top selling artists of all time. While their album sales are impressive, they haven’t sold nearly as many copies as they say they have. To put in perspective, AC/DC has sold twice as many copies of Back in Black than Kiss has with their entire catalogue. With mediocre musicianship and laughable artistic intent, their candidacy will remain on the fringes aided only by the cries of the public.
No comments:
Post a Comment