Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nightmares?

[eplovejoy]

Little Richard is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So are The Beatles, Aretha and, soon, U2 and The Pretenders.

So far, the people deciding who gets in have done what seems to me a pretty good job of selecting worthy honorees. Their choices so far are listed here: http://www.rockhall.com/hof/allinductees.asp

But they are human and so eventually the Hall's gatekeepers will make a mistake. Which acts do you think have a chance at being inducted but do not deserve it?

Duran Duran seems like a very long shot so the band I'm most concerned about is JOURNEY. If music were oatmeal, it would sound like "Oh, Sherry."

[theworm[$]]

eplovejoy said

If music were oatmeal, it would sound like "Oh, Sherry."

I just choked on my coffee! G-d I hate that song!!!

[Joubert[$]]

Actually, Oh, Sherrie was a solo effort from Steve Perry (dedicated to his wife, I believe). You'll have to pick on Open Arms or something like that.

--music geek who now returns you to your discussion

[theworm[$]]

But I have this problem.
Any time I hear the words "Steve Perry" in ANY context my brain always says "Steve Perry - Oh Sherry" and then I sort of shudder.

[pageclot[$]]

How about REO Speedwagon? Or KC and the Sunshine Band? Air supply?

When is Blondie going to be inducted, I wonder? Or The Cars? Or Joy Division? Or The Smiths?

[pageclot[$]]

And when are The Sex Pistols going to be inducted? They may have been more infamous than famous, but they sure were rock and roll.

[eplovejoy]

Joubert said

Actually, Oh, Sherrie was a solo effort from Steve Perry (dedicated to his wife, I believe).

Thanks for correcting my facts and spelling, George, although now I have to worry about a solo induction for Mr. Perry as well.

pageclot said

How about REO Speedwagon? Or KC and the Sunshine Band? Air supply?

REO Speedwagon might actually have a chance years from now. The other two would be stunning, although I think a songwriting award for KC is long overdue, uh huh, uh huh.

[Joubert[$]]

Awww, I just had to set the record straight. Get it, record, hehehehehe.

Journey was by no means my favorite band, but I think that Neal Schon is one of the most underrrated guitarists around (he was sitting in with Santana as a teenager) and Jonathan Cain is a fine keyboardist. I'm not a fan of their power ballads, but they did several songs I really enjoy.

It's interesting how popular artists and critically acclaimed artists are so different. When they come together (get it, Come Together, awww, never mind), the choice is easy. That's when you get artists like The Stones or Springsteen or Prince.

But then you start looking at incredibly popular bands who really didn't change the art, but succeeded far and above everyone else.

KC and Air Supply are bad examples (although both had really solid chart success), but what do you do with artists like Hall and Oates? They didn't add anything beyond a healthy respect for the Motown sound, but their chart record is amazing, and I think they're the top selling duo of all time.

Does Meat Loaf ever get in? Probably not, but Bat Out Of Hell is one of the best selling releases of all time.

What about Rod Stewart? He's been in for 10 years, but he never really changed music. He was a hitmaker, though, so I wonder if there's a bias in the voting towards longevity and chart success.

[eplovejoy]

Joubert said

But then you start looking at incredibly popular bands who really didn't change the art, but succeeded far and above everyone else.

That's a good point and it creates an interesting challenge for the people who select inductees. At first it was easy to pick acts that were both original and successful. But eventually the Hall of Fame is going to face harder challenges for acts that were popular but not innovative. Van Halen? Bon Jovi? Guns 'n Roses? Peter Frampton?

If Toto ever gets in, we'll know that the criterion is sales.