Tuesday, December 15, 2009
National Skyline Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Honor ABBA, Genesis, The Hollies and Jimmy Cliff, Also Give Shaft to the '80s
Posted by Adam Gold on Tue, Dec 15, 2009 at 2:14 PM
To any rock fan with even the slightest shred of cynicism, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a bit of a joke. That being the case, let's make a little fun of it, as the hall today announced their inductees for next year. The class of 2010 is to include The Stooges, ABBA, The Hollies, Jimmy Cliff and Genesis. So get ready to live in a world where Phil Collins--the undisputed heavyweight champion of supermarket pop--is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The timing of this announcement couldn't be more perfect as, just yesterday, I was criticizing the Hall for dragging their feet on the Velvet Underground for four years. Equally egregious as passing over the Velvets for so long is the fact that the Hall denied The Stooges for 15 years before finally coming around and giving them some love. Never at a loss for words, head Stooge Iggy Pop told Rolling Stone:
We've been rejected seven times, and we would have set a record, I think, if it happened again.... It started to feel like Charlie Brown and the football. I had about two hours of a strong emotional reaction after hearing the news. It felt like vindication. Then I kind of scratched my head and thought, "Am I still cool? Or is that over now?"
Iggy then looked down and saw that he was still wearing Crocs, before remembering that he did a song with Sum 41, and again re-evaluated his "cool" as of late. (We'll just leave Jemina Pearl out this entirely.) I suppose, as far as cool points go, Iggy is a made guy, but he's really testing the cool waters these days. I'm hoping against hope that at the induction ceremony he cuts his stomach up with broken wine glasses, smothers peanut butter all over his chest and then walks across the hands of 2,500 industry suits gathered in the Waldorf Astoria ballroom. It's unlikely.
As far as Genesis is concerned, there's a reason why they've gone through 15 years of eligibility without being recognized by the Hall: They're fucking Genesis. Their biggest accomplishment is successfully rivaling the intolerability of '70s prog with barely tolerable '80s pop, before trumping both with the shockingly vapid "I Can't Dance" in the '90s.
It seems as though they've resorted to chumming the oceans of rock 'n' roll past to sell plates at the induction ceremony. Since they're doing that, it might be time for them to consider some of the artists they've neglected for years. In my opinion, if it's Genesis' time to shine then it's also time the honor be bestowed upon The Cure, Joy Division, The New York Dolls, Cheap Trick, T. Rex, The Replacements, E.L.O., Devo, The Jam, Big Star, Love, Nick Drake, Roxy Music, Depeche Mode, Tom Waits, Captain Beefheart, Gil Scott-Heron, INXS (debatably), The Faces, Sonic Youth, The Zombies or hell, even KISS as well.
Comments (30)
Showing 1-30 of 30
1) Who is that hot chick in the pic with Iggy???
2) I bet they're looking more at the Peter Gabrial-Genesis legacy rather than the Phil Collins era. Still, *yawn*. Also, Phil Collins has announced that due to extreme pain in his back while playing, he will never play the drums again.
3) The Hall of Fame is a joke (nothing new there).
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I forgot to mention that we can probably look forward to an end of ceremony all-star jam that will include both Iggy and Collins. Haha!
Mark - That's his hott Nigerian (I think) girlfriend. In RS's Top 500 albums issue from like a jillion years ago, there's an interview with both of them. She seems to be a good influence on him, although if she's responsible for the Crocs and the Sum-41 collab ...
No one likes Peter Gabriel era Genesis? I thought "Selling England by the Pound" was a great album--granted I wouldn't quite say it 'rocked.' Still, I dig that album--lots of great symphonic pieces. Ah well, I didn't write to argue with anyone; I was just curious.
I think it's more that it flies in the face of the Hall's obvious stance against prog-rock. I don't see Yes, King Crimson or Jethro Tull in there. Seems like they're rewarding genesis for the "hits" era. Like the Grammy's the Hall is more quick to reward those who generate the most money for the industry.
I always wanted to give The Mats induction speech...alas I'm not even sucessful enough to be considered the failure they were.
How about Uncle Tupelo? Just to see Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy (Gold's personal favorite...wink) not even look at each other.
Ah, that's a good point, Gold. Crimson really should be in there, that is if they're talking about actual musical value and influence. But we're not, of course.
of course they reward the artist with the most hits, and the most FAME. . . .it's a hall of FAME. I would imagine one must be exceedingly famous to be considered eligible. . . so yes, of course it's because of the hits era Genesis that they would be inducted.
Until Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett, The Faces and Leon Russell are inducted, the R+RHOF will continue to remain an irelevant and increasingly lame institution.
You lose any credibility whatsoever by even suggesting that INXS deserves a spot in the Hall. They were a joke in the '80s and the two or three decent songs they had are horribly dated now.
Whatever, "Kick" is a great record and "Don't Change" is one of the best songs of the era.
INXS doesn't need the Hall of Fame. They are better than that. Shabooh Shoobah, The Swing, Listen Like Thieves, Kick, and X were amazing albums. I'd be happy if they were NOT in the Hall since it is a big JOKE.
KISS is still not in the Hall of Fame. I like them but someone might think they are joke so why aren't they in there.
They can keep all my awesome 80's New Wave bands out of the Hall, Thanks.
Gotcha... Good call on the eschew of prog rock by the R+RHOF. Still, kinda sad the baby, bath water and tub tend to get thrown into the abyss of hades when Genesis gets mentioned. Cheese pop... Dey haz it; but they also had a couple of great progger albums earlier with Peter from Gabriel. And yeah, Phil is a helluva drummer.
listen to 'keep it dark'. . . . Genesis did record a lot of dad rock, but they also did make a lot of great music. . . and generated a great deal of fame. Even at their worst, they were very, very smart.
On another note. . . There are a lot of GREAT bands/artists that will NEVER be inducted into the hall of fame because quite simply, they aren't famous enough!!! I'm not getting how you think a rock and roll hall of fame which only inducts the most famous of rock and roll artists is a joke. Credibility, influence, greatness and FAME are not necessarily in any way related. Get over it.
Obviously major success and fame are key factors into getting inducted, but artists are also inducted based on the scope of their influence. The hall has always inducted blues and soul musicians who are far from household names, due to their influence. On the flip side there are plenty of artists, like KISS, who despite their phenomenal fame, are deemed too tacky for the Hall. It's not purely about rewarding fame to them, they're trying to put forth an air of credibility and that's what they laughably fail at sometimes. They're too good to induct cheeseballs like KISS, but when it comes to The Velvet Underground, they wait years to pull the trigger.
Nothing screams rock-n-roll like cranking up ABBA and rolling down the windows!
I'm figuring the Rock Hall has to postpone inducting KISS because of the obvious shortage of future nominees (90's??)!
What a joke!
Has anybody heard Phil's work with Brand X?
Phil deserves an award simply for playing on The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, if nothing more; even if the recognition is expressly for his revolutionary work on Invisible Touch.
On a tangential note, how many years until Kings of Leon is eligible? Ooh, can't wait.
So much junk music is recognized as hall-of-fame worthy. Where are the true musicians like Yes, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Wishbone Ash, etc. Let's have some more garage bands playing Gregorian Chant-like music(?) joining the Hall of Fame like they really deserve it. Yeah!!
Roxy Music is by far the most glaring omission from the Rock Hall. They are the 2nd most influential band in the world after the Beatles per the Guardian. They have four records in the RS500. They are listed in the RS100 Immortals. They are the highest rated band in acclaimedmusic.com not to be in the Hall. Go figure......
Don't get me wrong, I love love love Roxy Music music, but I think crowning them as the "2nd most influencial band in the world after Beatles" is hyperbolic. The U.K. music press tend to be a little ethnocentric when talking about these kinds of things.
Without an appreciation of Foxtrot, Nursery Crymes, Selling England By The Pound, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway,... all the way through personnel changes and style changes, Mr. Gold indicates that he has a taste for the Phil Collins hits, but is unable to appreciate Genesis' earlier work. If ever a critic blew their credibility, this was it.
Further on... extolling Jimmy Cliff and The Stooges. There was nothing special about Genesis's and their progressive colleague's incorporation of jazz, classical and avante garde genres into rock, but REGGAE should be better represented? PLEASE!!! Keep extolling your bias - it seems to have served you well. Your appreciation of rock and the platform that's been given you is scary for one that's been listening for years longer than yourself.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers SHOULD have been voted in, and it has nothing to do with their age. They've added to and helped define rock in their generation. I'd add Primus to that list as well as soon as Les and Co are eligible.
Instead of worrying about Velvet and the Stooges, where was your mention of The Moody Blues, King Crimson, Yes and Jethro Tull? Velvet is represented in the hall by Lou Reed, who somehow was inducted before his label-mate Frank Zappa. I'm sure you don't care though, it doesn't suit your "taste" - the quotes are purposeful - I don't believe you truly possess any that are worthy of print.
INXS Debatably? Devo oh yeah for sure...The Replacments - oh yes, they did some fine work...\sarcasm INXS, debatably? Really? I guess thanks for thinking of them, but as Abbey says, INXS doesn't need the Hall of Fame. They are better than that. I never understand the hating on INXS all the time. Is it because Michael Hutchence was such a God and therefore alienated every homophobic man(Rick)? Because musically they were always trendsetters. Live, they were AMAZING. Their songs stand the test of time. Don't Change? That song is still being covered by other bands 26 years later. Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence were one amazing song writing team. And Hutchence was one of the last true rock stars. Debate that.
I can`t believe all this crap which i just read.
1. Genesis composed the best progressive rock album of history: "selling england...." nothing sounded more prog like this album
2. Genesis composed the the fourth place best progressive rock album of all time; the lambs lies down on broadway.
3. Genesis created the 7th best progessive rock album of history: foxtrot, with the amazing Supper's Ready, the finest prog rock song.
Source: top 50 prog rock albums, Classic ROCK Presents PROG magazine
never subestimate the human ignorance
I can`t believe all this crap which i just read.
1. Genesis composed the best progressive rock album of history: "selling england...." nothing sounded more prog like this album
2. Genesis composed the the fourth place best progressive rock album of all time; the lambs lies down on broadway.
3. Genesis created the 7th best progessive rock album of history: foxtrot, with the amazing Supper's Ready, the finest prog rock song.
Source: top 50 prog rock albums, Classic ROCK Presents PROG magazine
never subestimate the human ignorance
Phil Collins and Genesis not Hall of Fame material?! Are you kidding me? You don't know what the hell you're talking about. You sound like you've only listened to Genesis' pop stuff on the radio and heard nothing else. Collins is multi-talented as a performer and a drummer. Banks and Rutherford are excellent song writers. I've seen Genesis 6 times in concert since 1980. They are one of the best acts I've ever seen live!
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