Tuesday, July 22, 2008

2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: My Picks

The main "official" criteria for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame eligibility is the 25-year rule. It has to be 25 years since your first record was released. Bearing that in mind and looking at the acts becoming eligible this year, I see three no-brainer, mortal locks for induction:

- Stevie Ray Vaughn

- Run-D.M.C.

- The Smiths

Since that's kind of a tiny class, why not use this year's ballot as an opportunity to correct a couple of semi-glaring omissions? Taking into account the 25-year rule, and factoring in the additional qualifications of influence and popularity (not to mention the amazing longevity of one of these two acts), I would close out my 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ballot with:

- The Cars

- Cheap Trick

The Cars were by far the biggest-selling New Wave/skinny-tie band. And they didn't wear out their welcome...six albums and out. "Just What I Needed" still jumps out of the radio at you today just like it did the day it was released. Heartbeat City was one of the essential albums of the eighties. They managed to make some of the most innovative and enjoyable videos of MTV's heyday despite not having a thimble of charisma between all five members of the band combined. The dudes from Fountains of Wayne (hey, "Stacy's Mom" sounds like it came straight from side two of The Cars' Candy-O) could handle the induction duties.

Cheap Trick would have to take a rare night off to be inducted. They're still out there...playing 200-plus nights a year just as they have for the past three decades. They are responsible for "Surrender," the most underrated rock anthem of all time. They had that amazing run of Heaven Tonight, Live At Budokan, and Dream Police. They were glam. They were New Wave. They were metal. They were pop. They oughtta be in the Hall. I'm sure die-hard Trickster Billy Corgan would be pleased to deliver a few induction remarks on their behalf.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Coincidentally, I'm wearing my Cheap Trick shirt today. Down with picks completely. I still tell people the best live show I've ever seen was when I caught Run DMC at the 40 Watt in the mid-90s. Hell, I just played Mary, Mary at work.

Most people are prolly sick of hearing this but motherfucking KISS needs to be in there. More gold albums than any other band. They made the live album relevant, and don't for one second that every popular musician today shouldn't be sucking on Gene's kosher dong for showing them how to put their own name on well, EVERYTHING.

And yeah, The Cars rule all.

Jamie

Mike-El said...

Man, I always forget that KISS aren't already enshrined. And it's ridiculous that they aren't. Same for Alice Cooper. And The Monkees. And Joan Jett/The Runaways.

Anonymous said...

You can vote for the most deserving but overlooked artists in the Rock and Roll HoF at:

http://www.rateitall.com/t-2529-deserving-of-the-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame.aspx

The top 120 vote-getters at this point as voted by true rock fans are:
1 Rush
2 Deep Purple
3 Moody Blues
4 Yes
5 Alice Cooper
6 Chicago
7 Donovan
8 Neil Diamond
9 Jethro Tull
10 Genesis
11 Stevie Ray Vaughan
12 The Hollies
13 Heart
14 Kiss
15 The Zombies
16 The Guess Who
17 Electric Light Orchestra
18 Dire Straits
19 The Cars
20 Doobie Brothers
21 Cheap Trick
22 Steve Miller
23 Pete Townshend
24 Cat Stevens
25 Three Dog Night
26 Grand Funk Railroad
27 Styx
28 Hall & Oates
29 Joe Cocker
30 Wolfman Jack
31 Jim Croce
32 Roxy Music
33 Carole King
34 Duran Duran
35 Peter Gabriel
36 Pat Benatar
37 Joe Walsh
38 Jeff Beck
39 Def Leppard
40 T. Rex
41 The Stooges
42 Ozzy Osbourne
43 Boston
44 Journey
45 The Monkees
46 The Spinners
47 Gordon Lightfoot
48 Steppenwolf
49 Judas Priest
50 Foreigner
51 The Cure
52 Bad Company
53 Warren Zevon
54 Tommy James & the Shondells
55 Todd Rundgren
56 Steve Winwood
57 Badfinger
58 The Replacements
59 ABBA
60 Eurythmics
61 Los Lobos
62 Metallica
63 Emerson, Lake & Palmer
64 Ben E. King
65 The Smiths
66 Squeeze
67 The Jam
68 Billy Idol
69 B-52s
70 Carly Simon
71 Supertramp
72 Thin Lizzy
73 Iron Maiden
74 Blue Öyster Cult
75 Connie Francis
76 Donna Summer
77 The Grass Roots
78 Leon Russell
79 Tom Dowd
80 Scorpions
81 Lou Reed
82 Marianne Faithfull
83 Blood, Sweat & Tears
84 MC5
85 Harry Nilsson
86 Jan & Dean
87 Sting
88 Willie Nelson
89 Lesley Gore
90 The Go-Go's
91 Stevie Nicks
92 King Crimson
93 XTC
94 Joan Jett
95 Phil Collins
96 Johnny Rivers
97 Melanie
98 10,000 Maniacs
99 Carpenters
100 Little Feat
101 Barry White
102 Linda Ronstadt
103 Joe Jackson
104 War
105 Quincy Jones
106 Bon Jovi
107 Kansas
108 The Commodores
109 Ted Nugent
110 Run-D.M.C.
111 INXS
112 Peter Frampton
113 Sonny & Cher
114 Beastie Boys
115 Bread
116 Ringo Starr
117 Arlo Guthrie
118 Tom Waits
119 Red Hot Chili Peppers
120 Spencer Davis Group

Mike-El said...

Any "true rock fan" who thinks Chicago ought to get into the Hall AT ALL (let alone ahead of KISS) richly deserves a severe, no-mercy beatdown.