The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Hard to be excited about crop of Rock Hall nominees
Considering 2015’s star-studded Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction class, which included Green Day, Lou Reed, Ringo Starr and Joan Jett, momentum was bound to wane regarding next year’s group.
Still, it’s hard to deny there’s not an anticlimactic reaction to the recently announced 15 nominees for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.
With all due respect to those artists in the running, the inductee list seems more like an afterthought with a slew of ’70s bands – clearly in the shadows of giants from their era – boasting successful-to-a-degree résumés that for decades fans have been championing while voters hemmed and hawed.
That list includes the both hard-rocking Deep Purple and prog-rock act Yes, which after recent inductions by Kiss and Rush are the two bands dominating “Why aren’t they in the Rock Hall?” message boards. Also fitting the afterthought bill this year are first-time inductees The Cars, Chicago, Cheap Trick and Steve Miller.
The truth is the predominantly baby boomer-age voters don’t know what to do with the likes of The Cure, Massive Attack, The Smashing Pumpkins, Joy Division, New Order, The Pixies, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains. Eligible for years, all of these groups deserve attention, if not in some cases for commercial success then definitely in influence.
Perhaps scratching that (in their mind) esoteric itch is The Smiths appearing on the inductee list for the second straight year. Odds are if there’s going to be the right time for Morrissey and company to get the nod, this is it.
Back to the aforementioned ’70s bands. What’s induction based on? Rock Hall voting is as arcane as naming the next pope and or figuring out the logic behind off-the-field punishments in the NFL.
Basically, to be eligible for Rock Hall nomination, an individual artist or band must have released its first single or album at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. Ballots are then sent to an international voting body of more than 800 artists, historians and members of the music industry. From there, the criteria remain anyone’s guess. (Fans can cast their vote for the Rock Hall Inductees at rockhall. com)
As far as this year’s inductees, when The Cars, Chicago, Cheap Trick and Steve Miller are discussed, does that mean Boston, Eddie Money, Styx, Kansas and other classic rock radio staples are in the mix. If so, the Rock Hall loses any luster it currently maintains.
Sure, inductees Nine Inch Nails and N.W.A are valid choices.
The former industrialalternative act (which includes visionary Trent Reznor, who has ties to Northeast Ohio) has been on the ballot before, while the latter gangsta-rap bellwether act watched public interest skyrocket after its biopic “Straight Outta Compton” became one of this summer’s biggest movies.
Other inductees of note include Chaka Khan, who first emerged with innovative funk/rock group Rufus before becoming a disco queen herself, as well as Janet Jackson. The multiplatinum pop-R&B singer Jackson dominated the ‘80s and ‘90s and influenced a generation.
It’s been said disco act Chic is one of the most sampled bands. So with the Rock Hall’s recent embracement of hip-hop, it makes sense the Nile Rodgers group and its “Good Times” would be considered.
As for The J.B.’s, you can bet James Brown’s funk-innovating backing band will be getting inducted soon.
Then there is the critically acclaimed Los Lobos, which most people know for their 1987 cover of “La Bamba.” While the outfit is revered in musician and songwriter corners, Rock Hall induction may be a stretch.
Similar to the voters digging deep into the classic rock world for inductees, there’s a related feeling experienced with R&B vocal group The Spinners compared to the eligible Babyface and Whitney Houston.
Nevertheless, we’ll find out in December which of the 15 will be walking on stage at the Rock Hall Induction Ceremony taking place in April in New York City.
As for the future, voters in the next few years have tough choices ahead with bands becoming eligible including Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Dr. Dre, Rage Against the Machine, Boyz II Men, Beck and Alanis Morissette.