Rock Hall: What’s It Going to Take
After the list for the Rock Hall came out yesterday people were still up set…
Commentary from Premiere Prep’s own Sal Cirrincione.
The folks on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame‘s nominating committee will tell you that their goal is to keep up with the evolution of music, but the disrespect for such artists as Foreigner, Jethro Tull and Jimmy Buffett is a downright slap in the face to them and their fans.
No disrespect to any of today’s nominees — Beck, Pat Benatar, Kate Bush, DEVO, Duran Duran, Eminem, Eurythmics, Judas Priest, Fela Kuti, MC5, New York Dolls, Dolly Parton, Rage Against the Machine, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon, A Tribe Called Quest and Dionne Warwick — but what makes them any more deserving than Foreigner, Jethro Tull, Jimmy Buffett, Bad Company, Joe Cocker, Boston, Styx, Phil Collins, Sting and many others who are consistently overlooked?
These acts have not only sold millions of records, but they are played on the radio every day, continue to tour and sell out, and have formed part of the soundtrack for millions worldwide.
In the case of Jimmy Buffett, he created a complete sub-genre of music, not to mention a cottage industry.
Perhaps it’s okay if they never get inducted, but it’s a downright crime that they’ve never been nominated.
Hot Takes:
- If the Rock Hall allows fans to vote, then they should allow them to vote on who should be nominated.
- One would think that one of the goals of the Rock Hall is to get people to visit the museum in Cleveland. To that end, do they really think that fans of Kate Bush, Eurythmics, Fela Kuti, MC5, New York Dolls, A Tribe Called Quest and Dionne Warwick are going to set attendance records?
- There is a reason why U.S. radio has not embraced the likes of Kate Bush, Fela Kuti, the MC5 and the New York Dolls. It’s great if they’re influential, but influence is not the be all and end all.
- The nominating committee definitely think they’re too cool for the room.
- Perhaps the Hall needs to do what the Baseball Hall of Fame does — limit the amount of times an artist can be on the ballot. The MC5 again? Enough! No one cares, except a few people in Detroit, where they’re from, and music critic, SiriusXM host, Detroit native and Rock Hall nominating committee member Dave Marsh.
- Who do you think should be nominated?
- Who would you remove from this year’s list of nominees?
- While nobody saw Meat Loaf‘s death coming, it would be nice to recognize some of the long overdue veterans before they’re pushing up daisies.
