Tuesday, October 31, 2006

LET 'EM IN


This is an ode to those acts who, like me, can only visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with a paid admission. I’ve been in the music collecting and selling business nearly my entire life and have no idea why the following cannot get elected while other lesser acts enjoy the spoils of having it on their resume. When I see acts like Billy Joel, Elvis Costello, the Police, Aerosmith or the Pretenders in there it just seems ridiculous. Ask yourself: what in music would be different if those acts had never come along? Answer: nothing. A few record labels would have a few less dollars, but nothing else would have changed.

All that said, let me be the first to say that the place, like a lot of these shrines created just for revenue, has little credibility with me. But, people love awards and they love to keep score, so if that‘s the case then these acts deserved to be included. This is by no means a complete list, their ( the “hall”) sins go way beyond these six. These six inductions though would at least let the hall voters glimpse the road to credibility on the horizon.

After reading this list how many of these acts would you have sworn were already in the hall? Think about it.

MARC BOLAN / T. REX The hall preaches influence and if that is the case then here’s a guy who single handedly triggered a second British Invasion. With his infectious riffs, androgynous look and radio ready anthems he paved the way for many others and eventually even the punk scene. I was there and believe me it was the first time since the Beatles that something that big had happened in the music industry. The impact was not quite as great here in the states, but there was no escaping that something exciting this way came.

NEIL DIAMOND The only thing I can surmise is that the voters are penalizing him for some of his late seventies and entire eighties and beyond output. That makes no sense when very few could touch his sixties and early seventies catalog. That and the fact that last year with his Rick Rubin produced “12 Songs” he showed that there was still some fresh ink left in his songwriters pen. That album, and his mid-seventies watershed “Beautiful Noise” should have been enough to wipe away some of the lazy years.

THE HOLLIES If just chart action and longevity were the tenets for induction then this band would have certainly been in line ahead of many others. Percy Sledge anyone? I’m not sure how oldies radio would sound without some of their numerous hits. This band belongs there as much as any other British Invasion band. Unlike many other groups personnel changes seemed to re-energize them and take them to new places with their music. And don’t be suckered into the argument that they were just a singles band. They recorded some classic albums and had several excellent UK only releases in the seventies that never made it to these shores. There’s got to be more to this story than we’re getting.

THE MONKEES Don’t get all excited here. This band’s music has endured while many others came and went. Their influence reaches beyond their “barrel full” of hits. Their television show let our parents come to understand that the musicians who played and sang rock weren’t bad kids at all. They were mostly just kids with musical instruments instead of basketballs and ball gloves. They turned the tide in my house. The musical segments ushered in once and for all the marriage of music and film to the masses. And on a final note here if I’m in a rock band and have a nice voice during the sixties, trust me it’s ok if most of my records are written by Boyce & Hart, Neil Diamond, Goffin & King, etc.. And anytime the best session guys in the country want to play on them and have Jeff Berry produce it‘s fine by me too. Wake up people.

MOODY BLUES I’ll admit, I’m not their biggest fan these days, but fair is fair. In an era of hit singles and self indulgent junk (Yes, ELP, etc.) this band quietly turned out some of the most fully realized albums of their generation. From “Days Of Future Passed” through “”Seventh Sojourn” they consistently crafted ethereal, melancholy and melodic works that don’t sound nearly as dated today as things from just say ten years ago. They spawned very few imitators owing to their unique sound. Like the Beatles and Who before them, and the Electric Light Orchestra later, they were able to pull stand alone gems from concept recordings for singles. They weren’t into padding their albums with long meandering tracks. Isn’t life strange indeed?

LEON RUSSELL If congress truly wants to launch a meaningful investigation then they can report back to me how this guy is still on the outside looking in. Even the large space this blog affords me doesn’t have room to mention all the reasons for this guy being inducted. This borders on criminal. I have never heard a single disparaging word about him and he’s had as many “hits” as some others currently receiving mail at the hall. Throw in songwriting, producing, session work and you have a true renaissance man. His omission leaves an ozone layer type hole that must be repaired before I visit.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

About the Monkees...it has been said even by them that because it was a television show firstly, they are probably overlooked by the R&R H of F...but actually they certainly ought to show up somewhere! The first boy band some say, and the marriage of tv with music cannot be overlooked imho. And even though people in the biz have tried to duplicate them, the New Monkees being the most glaring example..no one has. They certainly deserve some sort of recognition!!

Anonymous said...

I agree about Neil Diamond.I never understood how Elton John,Billy Joel and James Taylor could become the biggest Light-FM artists of all time,yet they easily get in.Yet Neil Diamond is punished for the same thing.Neil Diamond's MOR period really lasted less then 10 years-1978 to 1986.By 1988,he was rocking hard on the underrated 'Best Years Of Our Lives' album.Then he was giving props to the Brill Building,singing guitar based country music,and releasing two great albums:12 Songs and Three Chord Opera before then.