Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Hall of Confusion

Okay, let me get this. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has just announced its next list of those being considered for induction. I get John Mellencamp; put him in pronto. The Sex Pistols and Lynyrd Skynyrd likely should be included, although their contributions don't match the likes of the Fab Four, Elvis and Stones.

But Miles Davis. Wasn't he jazz? Put him in the Jazz hall or something. Should they include opera tenor Placido Domingo too? Or Luciano Pavarotti?

And while they didn't put in Gram Parsons (the most significant alt country rock architect of the 20th century), they also have Blondie, the J. Geils Band and Cat Stevens on the list of those eligible. And the J. Geils Band. If they are simply looking at well-known names, shouldn't they have put in Hall & Oates? They scored a ton of hits and they have crafted great Blue-Eyed soul since the 1970s; put them in...

The Percy Sledge and O'Jays thing drove me crazy. Each had one hit that people know today. Shouldn't the Chantays ("Pipeline") and Surfaris ("Wipe Out") get in too?

By putting in weaker artists, the Hall of Confusion waters down the contributions of those pioneering artists who deserve a spot there. There is a reason the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix and Neil Young have crafted rock music that has lasted. If it doesn't meet that test, flunk it...

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