Friday 12 October 2012

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2013 Nominations

Haven't Really Got A Clue

When I first heard the nominees for next year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame I got my kneejerk opinions sucked in to the circus by both a sense of obvious support for some and then dismay at others, before I remembered being aroused when I bothered, I think last year, to find out who had and hadn’t already been inducted over the years when today’s poles of reaction where rocket-launched to gratified satisfaction and incredulous outrage.


This time round the new nominees are Rush, Deep Purple, N.W.A., Public Enemy, Albert King, The Marvelettes, Procol Harum, and these join the previously nominated acts Chic, Heart, Kraftwerk, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Randy Newman, Donna Summers, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The Meters.

In tackling the above list and considering offering an opinion one has to first decide whether to accept any or all of the nominations. That of course is impossible without recall to who is already in, and I can’t in all honesty be assed, so in accepting the premise that these are logical nominations, one can at least engage in offering views on who should and shouldn’t be considered from this list.

Not one to ever shy from expressing musical opinions – which would make writing this blog a non-starter – I did suddenly realise how subjective these would necessarily be, but not just because of the simple if critical factor of liking or disliking a nominee. It is more complex than that, obviously. The most evident aspect is whether I actually know the music well enough of any one nominee, and for quite a few I don’t! This being the case I couldn’t really comment that expansively on Rush, N.W.A., Public Enemy, The Marvelettes, Chic, Heart, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and The Meters.

Removing those from the list makes the job of choosing easier if you don’t mind cheating. Some speculation would concede that Rush has a significant fan base, Heart equally so and an importance for their role as female exponents of Rock [is that sexist, really?], and The Meters are perhaps the most distinctive in their contribution to and influence upon a genre in music.

Of the rest, it seems to me that Albert King gets a free pass because he’s Albert King. After that, as it’s Rock, Deep Purple should have been inducted long ago, Kraftwerk are ripe candidates because of their innovations, Randy Newman should be there if other singer/songwriters are because he is one of the greatest though I am not a huge fan in terms of how much I actually listen to him, and Paul Butterfield Blues Band should also have been inducted long ago. Donna Summers? As performer/purveyor of a new sound? You tell me.

My biggest personal surprise is in querying if I’d put Procol Harum in. I’m sure if I did revisit who already is a famer I’d definitely push them in. If it was for one enduring brilliant song, I’d push them in. But when I think about their albums as a whole and the impact they have made, I don’t readily recall that impact.

If you want to have your wider say, you can do so here: http://rockhall.com/get-involved/interact/poll/
 

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