Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Nominees for 2017

[timfitz63]

Well, I'll be honest:  I've been unimpressed and underwhelmed by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's list of inductees for quite some time now.  Heck, it took them three years to induct the Beatles, for cryin' out loud...  But for the first decade or two their inductees at least made some sense, from the perspective of artists who were genuinely influential within the genre of rock music.

Then it suddenly seemed like disco, dance-oriented, and rap artists were not only qualified for induction, but all but shoe-ins.  Backup bands were being inducted before legitimate rock groups who wrote and performed their own music.  Flash-in-the-pan artists and one-hit-wonders before artists with multiple hit records...  I didn't get it.

So now the 2017 nominees have been announced; Billboard is even laying odds on which nominees are the likely inductees.  And the list is, once again, a hodgepodge of artists that arguably belong in the Hall, and well, other musical artists...  Call me stodgy or old-fashioned, but I don't think Janet Jackson or Tupac Shakur belong in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame...  Certainly not before some of the other 2017 nominees -- or some of those artists who were, once again, passed over (e.g., The Moody Blues)...

But in 2017, the Hall is looking to correct at least one long-time oversight:  Electric Light Orchestra is finally among the nominees...

So, who do you think will be inducted in 2017?  Who do you think is being overlooked?

[mgap]

I don't understand how some of the performers that are inductees in the HOF are there either.  Many of them I don't know, have not heard of, or don't belong. 

Backup bands were being inducted before legitimate rock groups who wrote and performed their own music.  Flash-in-the-pan artists and one-hit-wonders before artists with multiple hit records...  I didn't get it.

I looked at the inductees list again and wonder how in the world did they get there.  When you think about all the great Rock and Roll bands that are not in.  They induct the Famous Flames but not The Doobie Brothers.  Frankie Lyman and the Teenagers are in but not the Moody Blues?

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a business.  They want to be able to stretch it out for as long as they can, and maybe they figure that they need to do a lot of filler bands to make each year have a real stand out.  Like Gene Pitney is in but Jethro Tull is not.  Who is Gene Pitney?

To be sure this years nominees like  E.L.O., Yes, The Zombies, Steppenwolf would all make good inductees.  Then there are the bad ones,  Bad Brains, Janet Jackson, MC5, all not worthy.

[jalbert]

Yes may finally get the nod this year. Then will come the interesting task of figuring out which of the 19 members (two deceased) will get inducted. Squire, Anderson, Howe, Wakeman, Bruford, White: sure. But Kaye, Rabin, Moraz, Banks, et al. could prove a challenge.

[woodnut]

Like Gene Pitney is in but Jethro Tull is not.  Who is Gene Pitney?

Thanks for mentioning Gene Pitney as I only have one of his songs, but will get more today on Amazon.

Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and sound engineer.[1]

Pitney charted 16 Top-40 hits in the U.S., four in the Top 10. In the UK he had 22 Top-40 hits, and 11 singles in the Top Ten. He also wrote the early 1960s hits "Rubber Ball" recorded by Bobby Vee, "He's a Rebel" by the Crystals, and "Hello Mary Lou" by Ricky Nelson. In 2002, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

[Jersey tuning]

Like Gene Pitney is in but Jethro Tull is not.  Who is Gene Pitney?

Thanks for mentioning Gene Pitney as I only have one of his songs, but will get more today on Amazon.

Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and sound engineer.[1]

Pitney charted 16 Top-40 hits in the U.S., four in the Top 10. In the UK he had 22 Top-40 hits, and 11 singles in the Top Ten. He also wrote the early 1960s hits "Rubber Ball" recorded by Bobby Vee, "He's a Rebel" by the Crystals, and "Hello Mary Lou" by Ricky Nelson. In 2002, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Gene Pitney sang the academy award nominated song "Town Without Pity" from the movie of the same name in 1961.  Other  hits include "It Hurts To Be In Love" and "The Man Who SHot Liberty Valance". He also wrote a number of songs turned into hits by cover artists like The Crystals, Roy Orbison, Ricky Nelson and Bobby V

[donlyn]

Jethro Tull should be in; would make a nice bookend for their hard-rock Grammy. 

Gene Pitney also recorded the first Jagger-Richards song released on record in the U.S.
Unfortunately, it bombed.

[timfitz63]

Jethro Tull should be in; would make a nice bookend for their hard-rock Grammy... 

I concur that Jethro Tull deserves a place in the Hall -- certainly ahead of two of this year's inductees...

The 2017 inductees were announced a few days ago; the acts selected generally followed the results of fan voting -- with a couple of obvious exceptions.  I'll leave it to you, the reader, to determine for yourself the rationale behind inclusion of the aberrant inductees...

[donlyn]

Think any money changed hands? Can't think of any other logical explanation.

Oh yeah, gave up on the R&RHoF years ago. it's an HoS.

[timfitz63]

Think any money changed hands? Can't think of any other logical explanation.

Oh yeah, gave up on the R&RHoF years ago. it's an HoS.

Yeah, as I acknowledged in my initial post, I'm often left shaking my head where the so-called 'Rock & Roll' Hall of Fame is concerned.  A lot of folks -- myself included -- don't see many of the musical acts that have been inducted as rock artists.  And not even by a small stretch of the term.  Then to compound the confusion, there are far too many legitimate rock acts that have yet to even be nominated, let alone inducted...

[donlyn]

At this point, I think 'Eddie and the Cruisers' has a better chance of getting nominated than the 'J. Geils Band'.

[timfitz63]

At this point, I think 'Eddie and the Cruisers' has a better chance of getting nominated than the 'J. Geils Band'.

Well, at least it would be a nomination of a rock act -- fictitious or otherwise...  What baffles me is how does Tupac Shakur get a nod -- especially after scoring so poorly in fan voting...?

[donlyn]

"-- fictitious or otherwise..."

. . . kind of like the Monkees? 


". . . especially after scoring so poorly in fan voting...?"

Seem to have been a number of shenanigans associated with the nomination and voting process, including many curiosities and head-scratchers.

[donlyn]

Small correction. The J. Geils band did get nominated. They just didn't make the cut.

Should have written 'elected' instead of 'nominated'.

[timfitz63]

"-- fictitious or otherwise..."

. . . kind of like the Monkees? 

In the same vein.  Again, I could forgive the nomination -- even election -- of the Monkees since they at least truly fit somewhere in the rock genre and have been performing as a group for something like 50 years.  Even if they were just conceived of as a Saturday-morning farce of the Beatles...

". . . especially after scoring so poorly in fan voting...?"

Seem to have been a number of shenanigans associated with the nomination and voting process, including many curiosities and head-scratchers.

The mechanics behind the decision to induct artists like Tupac Shakur will be the subject of speculation for years, I suppose...

My guess is Tupac Shakur was this year's 'diversity' selection.  When he was announced as a nominee, it had already been decided by the powers that be at the Hall that he was in -- whether he belongs or not.  And whether the fans agreed or not.

My rationale for that statement:  Steppenwolf finished at the rear of fan voting -- just like Tupac; but the Hall could have made a convincing case that the group had made significant contributions to the rock genre and selected them despite the popularity-based fan vote.  Far more convincing than for a selection of Tupac Shakur...  Instead, they select a rap artist over an actual rock group...

So much for the notion that anything in America is a meritocracy; or that it isn't tainted by politics...  But I digress...

Small correction. The J. Geils band did get nominated. They just didn't make the cut.

Should have written 'elected' instead of 'nominated'.

Either way, they deserve a nod before all the non-rock artists and one-hit-wonders that have been inducted.

And while the lists of inductees for the past couple of years have corrected some glaring oversights (Chicago, Deep Purple, ELO, Journey, Steve Miller, Yes), the list of shunned rock artists is still rather impressive.  Still no Moody Blues; still no Kansas; still no Styx.  I'm sure I'm forgetting dozens more.  But to overlook such long-standing rock staples in favor of acts that are Johnny-come-latelys and/or could hardly be considered rock & roll performers -- even at the fringes of the genre -- is just embarrassing for the Hall.  It serves to diminish the honor when bestowed on acts that truly deserve it.

[donlyn]

+1