My first post began with a few things I like in music. To juxtapose this, I’ve decided to start today’s Record Rewind with one thing I hate – the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
On Monday, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted its newest class of “performers,” “non-performers” and “sidemen” into what the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame self-describes as “a museum to educate visitors, fans and scholars about the history and continuing significance of rock ‘n’ roll music.” In other words–those of the Sex Pistols, specifically–it’s “a non-profit [sic] organization selling us a load of old famous.” And that was the least offensive bit in the Pistols’ 2006 letter to the hall.
Not to take anything away from Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper or any of this year’s inductees, but the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a joke. Not because it doesn’t have good intentions – it has generated $1.5 billion for Cleveland’s economy, according to its website – or because of its relatively loose definition of rock ‘n’ roll (ABBA has been inducted), but because of the Hall’s incredibly small amount of actual inductees.
In the 26 years of the Hall’s existence, only 92 groups have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. While this seems like a lot, it is a relatively small amount considering how many great Rock and Roll artists – and ABBA – have existed in the history of forever. As a result, whole genres of rock are missing. Reggae is represented only by Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff. Heavy Metal isn’t much better off.
It is an absolute travesty that the likes of The Cars, Rush, The Cure, Cheap Trick, Devo, The B-52s, The Specials, The Beastie Boys, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Depeche Mode, Boston, Chicago, Def Leppard, Dire Straits, E.L.O., E.L.P., Heart, Iron Maiden, Bon Jovi, Judas Priest, Journey, Kansas, Huey Lewis and the News, Styx and Pat Benatar, just to name a few, have not been inducted. And while I’m sure The Hollies were great in its time, I’m not so sure they deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame more than these other artists – and they are.
Maybe I’m looking too far into this, but every year old bands are inducted and more modern bands (modern, like the ‘80s) are ignored. I do apologize to you, dear readers, for this 437-word rant, but this makes me almost as angry as Air Coryell being passed over for the Pro Football Hall of Fame every year.
Read Record Rewind every Wednesday only on J.AM.
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