Your Hall of Fame nominees: Release your snark

Here is the 2012 class of nominees, from Beastie Boys to War. Eight of the 15 will make it. If you're interested in the rules and other stuff, go to the official Hall site. Let the disgust and indifference begin.

• Beastie Boys
• The Cure
• Donovan
• Eric B. & Rakim
• Guns N’ Roses
• Heart
• Joan Jett And The Blackhearts
• Freddie King
• Laura Nyro
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Rufus With Chaka Khan
• The Small Faces/The Faces
• The Spinners
• Donna Summer
• War

Comments

[amy saia]

I love Donovan. Laura Nyro, good. And finally, FINALLY The Small Faces of Steve Marriott fame. The best male rock voice ever. Glad to see it.

[Kilby]

Don't know about the Blackhearts, but Joan Jett deserves a spot. She's paid some dues. Also cool to see Heart on the list. But Beastie Boys and Eric B & Rakim get the nod, and yet STILL no Rush or Kiss? Hmmmm......After Madonna got in, it all seemed fake after that anyway.

[who-fan]

DEEP FREAKIN' PURPLE!!!!!!!

[Pellboy]

Pretty solid list, but I agree with who-fan, how in the hell does Deep Purple always get overlooked. I will also beat my annual drum for Chicago as to me, they would meet all the (mine, anyway)criteria needed...influence, hitmaking, live presentation, longevity.

If eight from that list have to make it, here are my personal choices...

Beasties
The Cure
Donovan
Heart
Freddie King
Small Faces
The Spinners
War

[Steve]

Tell me how Stevie Ray Vaughn does not warrant a spot in the RnR HOF? Agruably the second best guitarist of all time after Hendrix. I saw him live 3 times in each phase of his career. 1st when he was gacked to the 9's on blow and scotch, 2nd when we seemed to be trying to get it together and lastly when we was clean and breifly using the stage as a pulpit to talk about his sobriety when performing Life Without You. Was amazing all three times. I had never seen a better player before and have not seen one since. Very few have displayed the raw spirit and emotion than SRV when doing his thing. Plus Rush should be in as well. Pellboy, I agree with you The Cure should be in. I gained a lot of respect for Robert Smith the last time they were in KC and he lost his voice but still played a full set of over 30 songs at Starlight. I would love to see The Cure again.

[jaker]

I wish this blog would stop acknowledging this NON-RNR-HOF, it is like acknowleging ma and pa kettles basement shrine to music they liked. A tourist attraction is all this POS thing in cleveland is...

It is is a bunch of BS, and does NOT deserve to be mentioned on a great music blog like this.

You might as well hype every goofball's music collection and who they added to it... but really no one cares... why should anyone care about a ignorant tourist attraction in Clevelened that ignores true Rock and Roll greats like Deep Purple, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Rush? That is just silly and ignornat...esp when they allow in gimmick atcs Beastie boys, are they kidding? are they making fun?

Please.... please lets ignore this place from now on.... unless you also start mentioning every lil ma and pa rock shop when they add a new shrine in it.

[Pellboy]

Wow, that's crazy, Steve, for some reason, hadn't ever even thought about SRV, maybe I assumed he was already in. Definitely deserving of inclusion and he doesn't even merit a nomination?! Agreed on his live performance. Only saw him once in actual paid performance, at Memorial Hall ('86?) sharing a bill with his brother's band (T-Birds opened) which included a brief "solo" set of he and Jimmie playing the same double-necked guitar together. Also was lucky enough to catch his unannounced sit-in at the old GE ('87?)with the Lonnie Brooks Band (huge favorite of mine at the time) following his performance at the Starlight that same night. I guess legend has it that he had a hankering (who didn't?) for Amazing Grace's BBQ and decided to play some while there. Quite the awesome surprise.

[live music fan]

When I first looked at that list I thought that it was full of crap, but when I tried to whittle it down to eight I had a hard time. Here's who'd get my votes:

Beastie Boys
The Cure
Guns N’ Roses
Heart
Joan Jett And The Blackhearts
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Donna Summer
War

And if I only got one vote it would go to War. They're definitely the most original and inspirational (to other bands) of the groups on the list.

[Pellboy]

While I mostly agree with where Jaker is coming from, the whole idea of a HOF for something as subjective and originally anti-establishment as rock music seems a bit absurd, I try to keep it all in perspective as to me it's mostly a museum and a place to honor those who played a significant part in creating a culture that is part of this country's fabric. Like with any other HOF, there will be controversies and debates regarding inductees and omissions, but I even look at that as sort of a positive as it only drums up more interest in those being discussed.

And to those who take the terminology too literally and think it's wrong to include rappers, disco & pop artists, etc. in a building with the words "Rock and Roll" in it's moniker, I think you might be looking at things through a narrow lense as this institution is more about era than it is about specific genre and simply a place for future generations to gain some insight into a popular form of music that crosses all cultural lines. Accept it for what it is, not what it isn't.

[joe]

I too am shocked SRV is not in. He along with Richard Thompson, imo, should be in solely on their guitar playing skills. Thompson obviously has that folk moniker - rightfully so, but his electric guitar playing skills put him at the top of most guitar player lists.

[NEW]

Oh gosh, Jose. The RRHOF is wayyyyy too mainstream for RT. Next thing you know, you are going to be asking why Big Star has not been inducted.

[joe]

EXACTLY NEW... But why stop at Big Star? I believe the RRHOF will need to start revisiting these less than mainstream groups because the volume of worthy candidiates is thinning, imo.

[Green]

When will Disturbed and Slipknot be inducted, can't wait for those guys to get into the hall.

[Nick]

Mötley Crüe,kiss,Judas Priest,Steve Miller Band,Iron Maiden,Stevie Ray Vaughn,Wham!,Willie Nelson,this list Should Be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.........

[luthur]

The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame is nothing more than Jann Wenner's vanity project. It is dumb that this shame gets publicity.

Still love your blog, Tim.

[luthur]

The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame is nothing more than Jann Wenner's vanity project. It is dumb that this shame gets publicity.

Still love your blog, Tim.

[BrainOfJ]

KISS!

[Bolt]

fkn beastie girls? what the hell is up with that? absolutley redonkulous

[Spiro]

the only worse place than this fake hof craphouse is the crossroadskc, I HATE THAT PLACE TOO... wood chips, porta potties, looks like a dump, smells like a dump, IT IS A DUMP.

boycott both places,
boycott them into proper behavior,
or it is YOUR FAULT. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

[Troy]

This list is a joke! Maybe the beastie boys but where is SRV, the Moody Blues, Chicago and Kiss? The rnr hall continues to disappoint

[chi flat iron]

Good share,you article very great, very usefull for us…thank you

[web design Landon]

. I had never seen a better player before and have not seen one since. Very few have displayed the raw spirit and emotion than SRV when doing his thing. Plus Rush should be in as well. Pellboy, I agree with you The Cure should be in.

[Bob L.]

Let's face it, the list of bands worthy of the HOF is quickly shrinking into oblivion. Seriously, someone name me a band that has sprung up over the last 20 years that anyone would one day consider HOF material. Kings of Leon?! Please. The business model for music is completely stacked against longevity. Bands now have to tour relentlessly to make it, and that's a burn-out model. It'll be interesting to see how far down the bottom of the barrel the HOF is going to have to scrape in the coming years.

[NEW]

@ Bob L. I'm thinking Nirvana is HOF material for one although they started putting stuff on Sub Pop in '89. But isn't one of the criteria that one must have had a recording out at least 25 years earlier?

[onthemark]

I visited the RnR HOF back in the summer of 2001. Took my kids too. We thought it was pretty cool. There was a live band playing when we arrived, I believe it was 'Sum 41' shooting a video but cannot recall for sure.

Anyway, I am not going to get into the debate about who is in and who is not. That tends to be pretty subjective based on the individuals personal likes and dislikes.

I will say that it is a pretty cool repository for a lot of rock and roll memorobilia! Just a ton of really cool stuff to see, all gathered in one setting.

When I was there, the special exhibit was on John Lennon. The entire top floor was devoted to all things Lennon.

So, for those who want to bash the HoF, I say go check it out. You might be surporised at how easy it is to spend an entire day wandering around checking out the history of rock and roll!

[Pellboy]

I see Pearl Jam as a lock after they meet their 25-year threshold. As previously defined, yes it would appear the list will begin to shrink, but perhaps they'll need to change up the criteria to include worthy acts that have endured, but maybe haven't reached the popular heights of their 60-80s era predecesors. Bands like Los Lobos, Wilco, Foo Fighters, Beck or Flaming Lips perhaps. I don't know, doesn't matter that much to me or the artists I'm guessing, but they'll have to eventually start including some latter-day groups simply based on what they accomplished during their respective eras.

[NEW]

Good point, PB. I will always remember Carlos' press conference after he was nominated. He was asked about his thoughts. His response was something along the lines of "I've had the privledge of playing with the likes of Miles Davis and BB. You are never really going to top that." It was a great response.

[Pellboy]

Still, nothing beats the Sex Pistols response to their induction...

"Next to the Sex Pistols, rock and roll and that hall of fame is a piss stain. Your museum. Urine in wine. We're not coming. We're not your monkeys. If you voted for us, hope you noted your reasons. Your anonymous as judges but your still music industry people. We're not coming. Your not paying attention. Outside the shit-stream is a real Sex Pistol."

[NEW]

That's awesome, PB. I can't believe I missed that one.

[Pellboy]

Yeah, and in classic Sex Pistols fashion, came in the form of a badly scrawled hand-written note. See link below.

http://www.sexpistolsofficial.com/feature/sex-pistols-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-letter-2006

[Steve]

Pellboy, I was at the SRV/Fabulous Thunderbirds show. I was 4th row center. That point when he drug that stool out and he and Jimmie played that guitar together was probably the single most amazing thing I have ever seen at a show. A close second was when the Who were at Arrowhead (in 88' I think) and they opened the show with about 30 or so minutes of Tommy. I can still hear those french horns from the Overture in my head to this day. #3 was seeing the Dead at the Silver Bowl in Vegas in 93' when they started their 2nd set just as the clouds were breaking after a 10-15 minute storm that just whipped the crowds ass and started the set with Here Comes Sunshine. Glory days how they pass you by.

[Pellboy]

Yeah, saw that Who show as well, amazing performance that from sheer enjoyment standpoint, stands up with and perhaps exceeds the half-dozen other times I saw them although I will always rank that 1980 Kemper show w/ the Pretenders at the top because it was my first time seeing them.

[NEW]

Forgot the Pretenders opened for the Who for a leg of the '79/'80 tour. We didn't get that back East.

@Steve. A '93 show? Really? Come on now! I'm just messing with you of course but to be honest, I never saw much worthwhile after the Fall '92 rehab stint. You coming out to RR this weekend for Furthur?

[Ricco]

Rock & Roll? Eric B and Rakim? War? Is this a horrible joke that Cleveland is making. If I was a respectable "rock & roll" band I would inform this "hall of fame" no thanks. Knowing that this "hall" exists makes Kurt, Jim, Jerry, Janis, and I cry a little every day. Please stop it Cleveland! You do not rock!

[Steve]

New, it was the Saturday show on Memorial Day Weekend in 93', Sting opened. Sting butchered A Day in the Life in his set and Jerry and the boys showed him how it was done by closing the show with Lucy in the Sky w/ Diamonds. Was an awesome show, although it also could have been because my experience was "enhanced". I have not seen Further yet, but would love to. A RR show would be killer. Saw DSO and think JK is a pretty good stand in for Jerry, but it will never be the same w/o him or the Rhythem Devils. 4/1/95 in Memphis was a killer show as well. The only time I saw them indoors. But less than two months later in Vegas was brutal. Jerry's death was really sad but not surprising.

[live music fan]

Do bands have to pay to get inducted into the R&R HoF? The Sex Pistol's letter made it sound like that:

"Fame at $25,000 if we paid for a table, or $15,000 to squeak up in the gallery, goes to a nonprofit organization selling us a load of old famous."

[Pellboy]

How is War any less deserving then a Fleetwood Mac or The Eagles? Again, for the 1,000th time, this Hall honors the ERA, not the specific genre of rock and roll. By your standards, Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin or Marvin Gaye shouldn't be in either as they aren't "rockers" in the literal sense. War started out with a traditional English rocker (Eric Burdon) leading them and while they blend jazz and funk elements, they can bring it as hard (harder, actually) on stage as the aforementioned light rock of Mac and the Feebles.

No need to include soul and R&B vocal groups either as choreographed steps and great harmonies have no place along side the screaming guitar solos that apparently define your limited view of the all-encompassing term of rock and roll as it pertains to this institution. Don't get all the hate for the Beastie Boys either. Yes, while their music may not be created in the basic rock guitar/bass/drum sense we are accustomed to, their shit rocks as hard as almost any traditional rock outfit, but don't believe me, Check Your Head.

[NEW]

"How is War any less deserving then a Fleetwood Mac or The Eagles?"

Thanks for echoing my thoughts, PB. War/Lowriders are awesome. No way are they any less deserving than any previous inductees.

[Big Walter]

Each year the screams(posts) of BS!!!! grow louder and louder against the non-HOF, the only reason they nominate (divers)crappy acts is to possibly draw more people to pay $22.00 per ticket tho this tourist trap. They know if they onlt select REAL rock and roller, then it limits who will pay $22.00 for a ticket.

The more diverse ( NON-ROCK AND ROLL ) the displays they have, the wider the potential suckers who will buy a ticket.

The proof ios in the pudding, if that crap hole was really about the music (versus the money) then the website would be much better than it is (try to navigate their shty website)... their website is nothing but a teaser to buy a tciket....

fk that cleveland tourist trap... and fk the crossroadskc, both of them do nothing but leech off the music, and I spit on the money rubbing greedy POSs behind each.

HOOCKTOOEY!!!!

[Green]

If you ask me there is a small very very small list of bands that should be in the Hall. Stones, Floyd, Young, Elvis, Clapton, Hendrix, Iggy, Beatles and so forth. Nothing against all these other bands, but the Hall, the actual Hall, the "these are the best of the best" should be for the Gods of rock. Let these others have a spot in the building but there should only be a select few in the Hall. Make it mean something, make it worth walking in the hall, but these lists that come out each year are a joke. Donna Summer, Heart, ahh, please, they are not Gods of rock, nothing to worship there. If anything drop the list from the public and just announce one band a year.

[Hamster]

Spot on, Green!

[Kraig]

This place is a tourist attraction in Cleveland. It is not a real Hall of fame, it is not only about rock and roll, theyare in business to sell tickets, not glorify rock and roll.

The reason they are allowing a greater variety of music, and rap, in this place is to appeal to a larger group of protential ticket buyers.

A proper name for this place would be
"modern music, and rap, museum of Cleveland", and it should stop getting the publicity it get from this blog.

[Pellboy]

I do agree with that, Green, similar to my thoughts on the baseball HOF only including the likes of Cobb, Ruth, Mays and Aaron level stars, but much like what's been said in regards to the Rock Hall, inclusiveness trumps exclusiveness at the ticket counter.

Still odd to me that people get so bent about a freaking museum though. Big deal, I'm under the mindset that discussing sports/music/art is always fun, in any context.

[onthemark]

I'm under the mindset that discussing sports/music/art is always fun, in any context.

Well said PB, and I agree!

At the opposite end would be discussing religion/politics...

[gsp]

And regardless of your opinion on who's in/not in, it's worth a visit, great way to spend a day.