2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees

This year's nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were announced last week.  Here they are, in alphabetical order:

Paul Butterfield Blues Band

Chic

Deep Purple

Peter Gabriel

Hall and Oates

KISS

LL Cool J

The Meters

Nirvana

N.W.A.

The Replacements

Linda Ronstadt

Cat Stevens

Link Wray

Yes

The Zombies

This is the first time Nirvana, Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oates, The Replacements, Linda Ronstadt, Link Wray, Cat Stevens, Yes, and The Zombies have appeared on the ballot.  Musicians are eligible 25 years after the commercial released their first recording (album or single), so 1988 is the magical year at issue here.  (And yes, Nirvana released their first single in 1988.)

Now, over 600 supposed "experts" from around the world will vote for the next few months on who will be inducted.  To be inducted, an artist or band must receive at least 50% of the votes.  In addition, this is the second year that fans can vote.  Until December 10, fans can vote on Rolling Stone's website for their top five artists.  When all of the fan votes are compiled, the top five vote-getters will be cast as one ballot (whoopee!).  Generally, five to seven performers are inducted each year.

According to the Rock Hall's website, "[c]riteria [for induction] include the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll."

I think the list of nominees is pretty strong, although based on years past, I'm not all that optimistic that the bands and artists who truly deserve to be inducted will make it in.

Back in January 2012, about a month after the 2012 class of Rock Hall inductees was announced, I posted a list of the artists I thought most deserved to be in the Hall of Fame that were not yet.  Rock Hall voters must read GMYH because, from my list, Heart and Rush were inducted last year.  And the nominators must be reading too, because Deep Purple, Hall & Oates, KISS, and The Replacements all made appearances on my list.  With that in mind, of the list of nominees, here are the six that I think most deserve to be inducted (in alphabetical order):

1.  Deep Purple

Here is what I wrote in my January 2012 rant about Rock Hall snubs, and it all still holds true:  Deep Purple is one of the most underrated bands in rock history, in my opinion. The band was one of the pioneers of heavy metal, and a huge influence on the genre, be it Richie Blackmore's guitar, Ian Gillan's soaring vocals, or Jon Lord's fuzzed-out organ. They found success with various different line-ups, with 8 Top 40 studio albums in the US and 10 in the UK (and 22 total Top 40 albums in the UK including live albums and compilations). Songs like "Smoke on the Water," "Woman From Tokyo," "Hush," and "Highway Star" are hard rock staples.

2.  Hall and Oates

It's honestly hard not to like Hall and Oates, or at least hard to dislike them.  On one hand, you have Daryl Hall's blue-eyed soul and, on the other hand, you have John Oates's iconic mustache.  For many children of the '80s, Hall and Oates was a fixture at home, in the car, and on MTV.  You can't really dispute that Hall and Oates can write a hell of a pop song.  They are, after all, the most successful duo of the rock and roll era, with 7 platinum albums, 6 #1 songs, 16 Top 10 hits, and 29 Top 40 hits.  Between 1980 and 1985, it was almost guaranteed that any song they put out would crack the Top 10.  And, with Daryl Hall's successful web series, Live from Daryl's House (where he literally has bands over to his house to jam), Hall and Oates has reemerged into the public consciousness in recent years.

3.  KISS

I'm going to paraphrase and directly quote my January 2012 rant here, but it's an absolute abomination that KISS is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  If the criteria for induction include "the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll," look no further than the greatest live rock and roll band ever.  The band has sold over 100 million albums worldwide (with relatively little radio airplay, especially in the beginning), is probably the best live band ever, revolutionized live shows, revolutionized live albums from an afterthought to a viable vehicle for bands and record labels, revolutionized rock merchandising, and has influenced thousands of artists from Anthrax to Weezer. They have 35 Top 100 albums, 28 Top 40 albums, 9 Top 10 albums, 8 Top 40 hits, and 2 Top 10 hits.  For Christ's sake, they wrote "Rock and Roll All Nite," a song that, more than any other, defines what rock and roll is all about. They gain more and more fans with every generation.  I'm not sure what the Rock Hall is looking for when it comes to "perpetuation of rock and roll," but I would think 40 years of kicking ass and celebrating rock and roll would suffice.  It's probably not too much of an exaggeration to say that there is no one on Earth who doesn't recognize KISS, and there are very few bands or artists in the history of rock for whom that is true.  Get your shit together Rock Hall voters, and vote KISS in.

4.  Nirvana

This one's a no-brainer.  Even though they were short-lived, thanks to the rock and roll cliché of a tortured, drug-addicted genius who died at 27, there is no question that they changed music and were one of the most important bands of my lifetime, so I won't belabor the point.

5.  N.W.A.

Like I've said before, I have no problem with rap and hip hop acts being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  N.W.A. is probably my favorite rap group ever, and they represent everything that is "rock and roll," from their innovative and gritty music to their fuck-the-establishment (and the police) attitude to their dissolution due to members being prima donnas.  They changed rap and hip hop, ushered in gangsta rap, and produced two of the most important names in rap and hip hop history, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube.  Frankly, I can't think of more than a handful of rap or hip hop acts that I would consider more important and worthy of Rock Hall induction than N.W.A. (and most of the others are already in the Hall).

6.  Linda Ronstadt

She'll probably get in because female singer-songwriters always get in.  (Again, who the fuck is Laura Nyro?)  But seriously, she absolutely deserves to be inducted.  She's one of the most successful female rockers in history.  In addition to being one of the great collaborators of the past 45 years (she has appeared on over 120 albums by other artists), she has 21 Top 40 hits, 10 in Top 10 hits, and one #1 ("You're No Good"), along with 10 Top 10 albums and 3 #1 albums.  Sadly, it was recently announced that she has been diagnosed with Parkinson's.  Not to be flippant, but that all but guarantees her induction, since, obviously, the more it progresses, the less likely it is Ronstadt would be able to perform at the induction ceremony.

With respect to the other performers, here are my thoughts:

Paul Butterfield Blues Band.  Great and influential '60s Chicago blues band.  Mike Bloomfield was an amazing guitarist.  I just don't think they have the broad appeal to get inducted.

Chic.  A disco-rock band best known for disco hits "Le Freak" and "Good Times," both of which went to #1 and have been sampled heavily over the years.  I'm kind of torn with disco acts, and Chic, while purportedly influential, was really only big for about two years (their five Top 40 hits were all between 1977 and 1979) and died along with disco.

Peter Gabriel.  I think Peter Gabriel has a decent shot at eventually getting in as a solo artist (he's already in as a member of Genesis), although oddly enough, this is the first time he has been nominated as a solo artist, despite releasing his first solo album in 1978.  I'm just not totally sold on his staying power as a solo artist.  Yes, the So album in 1986 was huge, "In Your Eyes" is forever with us because of Say Anything, and "Solsbury Hill" seems to be in just about every dramedy, but he really doesn't have the chart success that you would expect from a pop star.  He's only had three Top 10 albums in the US (8 in the UK), 5 Top 40 songs in the US (10 in the UK), and 2 Top 10 songs in the US (4 in the UK).

LL Cool J.  I like LL Cool J, I like his music, and I think he has had a very solid career in music and acting.  Of his 13 studio albums, 9 have cracked the Top 10.  He has 14 Top 40 songs, and 6 of those made it into the Top 10.  For one reason or another, I just don't see him getting into the Rock Hall this year.

The Meters.  The Meters are definitely within the "influence" category, rather than the commercial success category.  They were early funk pioneers, and have been sampled by legions of hip hop artists.  I don't think they are well-known enough to get in right now.

The Replacements.  I think The Replacements are awesome, Paul Westerberg is a great songwriter, and they certainly influenced a lot of alternative rock, punk, and pop punk bands, but punk, post-punk, and college rock bands generally haven't had huge success getting into the Rock Hall.

Cat Stevens.  Now known as Yusuf Islam (after his conversion to Islam in 1977), Stevens was a singer-songwriter and folk singer, probably best known for his songs "Peace Train" and "Wild World."  He was pretty successful in the '70s, notching 7 Top 10 albums (and one #1 album), 11 Top 40 songs, and 4 Top 10 songs in the US during that decade.  I'm just not sure he has the whole body of work and influence that merits inclusion in the Rock Hall.

Link Wray.  Wray's 1958 distorted, brooding guitar instrumental "Rumble" is credited with introducing the power chord to rock and roll, which is obviously a huge deal.  He has been cited as an influence by the likes of Eric Clapton, Iggy Pop, Pete Townshend, and Jimmy Page.  The fact that this is the first time he has been nominated is either an indication that he may not deserve to be in the Rock Hall or that people are finally starting to see his influence.  It probably helps his case that Duane Eddy and The Ventures have both been inducted.

Yes.  English prog rockers Yes probably won't get in on their first shot, but, for better or worse, Rush definitely paved the way for more prog bands to get serious consideration.  Yes was actually a lot more successful on the charts than I had expected, and for a longer duration than I had expected as well.  Between 1971's Fragile album and 1991's Union album, all 10 studio albums they released made Billboard's Top 20, including 7 in the Top 10.  On the singles chart, they weren't quite as successful (which can be expected from a prog rock band), with only 6 Top 40 songs in the US (4 in the UK), and only on Top 10 hit, although that was "Owner of a Lonely Heart," which did go to #1 in early 1984.

The Zombies.  The Zombies were a British Invasion band who were pretty popular for several years in the mid-to-late '60s, before breaking up in 1967 prior to the release of their last album.  They only had three Top 40 songs in the US, all of which made it into the Top 10 ("She's Not There" and "Tell Her No" in 1964 and "Time of the Season" in 1969).  Outside of those three songs, I'm not sure The Zombies have the credentials to be in the Rock Hall.