Numb1075
ONE love, blood, life
The 16 finalists for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2006 are a diverse group with no breakout star.
Whatever you thought of earlier inductees like U2, Bruce Springsteen or Prince, they were automatics. Without demeaning any of this year's nominees, there's no automatic on a ballot that comprises, in alphabetical order, Black Sabbath, Blondie, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chic, the Dave Clark Five, Miles Davis, the J. Geils Band, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Lynyrd Skynyrd, John Mellencamp, the Sex Pistols, the Sir Douglas Quintet, the Patti Smith Group, Cat Stevens, the Stooges and Joe Tex.
The scope of this list partly reflects the fact that the candidate pool is now up to the late '70s, when, some argue, popular music was largely transitioning out of rock 'n' roll altogether.
Best-selling "rock" was devolving toward Foreigner and Journey, while top-40 radio was still awash in late disco and pop like the Captain and Tennille. New wave, punk and hip hop were moving into the void, but were still (in most cases) years from mainstream penetration.
That is to say, the rock 'n' roll river was dividing again, which means Hall voters must again decide which tributaries they do and don't consider worthy.
Punk/new wave. The Hall loves these guys - it's already voted in the Clash and Elvis Costello. Yet it's rejected Patti Smith several times, which would be inexplicable if the Hall hadn't always been uncomfortable with women. It took Ruth Brown and Brenda Lee forever to get in, and the Chantels are still waiting for their membership cards.
Rap. The Furious Five were turned down last year, though they deserve entry both for their music and influence. To be blunt, a lot of rockers just don't like rap.
Metal. Voters keep rejecting Ozzy. Ozzy says good, so what. But can he be kept out forever?
Miles Davis' nomination raises the question of how much he had to do with rock 'n' roll at all, and then there are "catch-up" artists overlooked in the past. The standout in that group this year is the Butterfield band with Mike Bloomfield - just ask Bob Dylan.
Whoever gets elected - voters pick five to seven inductees a year - it will be a diverse class, which is not by itself a weakness. It's the music's greatest strength.
But that still leaves the question of quality, because in the end you'd like to think "Hall of Fame" means something extraordinary, not just solid and good.
It's possible to love Doug Sahm's music to death, for instance, and still not consider him a Hall of Famer, and the same could be said for Joe Tex - except that since the Hall inducted Percy Sledge last year, how does it now keep Joe out?
Over the years, I've looked at Hall ballots and thought most nominees should get in. This year, I'm not sure I'd go for more than a third. But at least we're not looking at Air Supply.
What do you folks think?
Whatever you thought of earlier inductees like U2, Bruce Springsteen or Prince, they were automatics. Without demeaning any of this year's nominees, there's no automatic on a ballot that comprises, in alphabetical order, Black Sabbath, Blondie, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chic, the Dave Clark Five, Miles Davis, the J. Geils Band, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Lynyrd Skynyrd, John Mellencamp, the Sex Pistols, the Sir Douglas Quintet, the Patti Smith Group, Cat Stevens, the Stooges and Joe Tex.
The scope of this list partly reflects the fact that the candidate pool is now up to the late '70s, when, some argue, popular music was largely transitioning out of rock 'n' roll altogether.
Best-selling "rock" was devolving toward Foreigner and Journey, while top-40 radio was still awash in late disco and pop like the Captain and Tennille. New wave, punk and hip hop were moving into the void, but were still (in most cases) years from mainstream penetration.
That is to say, the rock 'n' roll river was dividing again, which means Hall voters must again decide which tributaries they do and don't consider worthy.
Punk/new wave. The Hall loves these guys - it's already voted in the Clash and Elvis Costello. Yet it's rejected Patti Smith several times, which would be inexplicable if the Hall hadn't always been uncomfortable with women. It took Ruth Brown and Brenda Lee forever to get in, and the Chantels are still waiting for their membership cards.
Rap. The Furious Five were turned down last year, though they deserve entry both for their music and influence. To be blunt, a lot of rockers just don't like rap.
Metal. Voters keep rejecting Ozzy. Ozzy says good, so what. But can he be kept out forever?
Miles Davis' nomination raises the question of how much he had to do with rock 'n' roll at all, and then there are "catch-up" artists overlooked in the past. The standout in that group this year is the Butterfield band with Mike Bloomfield - just ask Bob Dylan.
Whoever gets elected - voters pick five to seven inductees a year - it will be a diverse class, which is not by itself a weakness. It's the music's greatest strength.
But that still leaves the question of quality, because in the end you'd like to think "Hall of Fame" means something extraordinary, not just solid and good.
It's possible to love Doug Sahm's music to death, for instance, and still not consider him a Hall of Famer, and the same could be said for Joe Tex - except that since the Hall inducted Percy Sledge last year, how does it now keep Joe out?
Over the years, I've looked at Hall ballots and thought most nominees should get in. This year, I'm not sure I'd go for more than a third. But at least we're not looking at Air Supply.
What do you folks think?
