Since the Red Sox couldn’t make the playoffs, New Englanders will have to distract themselves by imstead following the musical playoffs: Induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Everyone’s favorite vegetables band, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, went down in history last year, along with other well-known groups such as Guns N’ Roses and the Beastie Boys. While this year’s crop is a bit less fruitful, it is still full of excitement. It also beats rooting against the Yankees again.
Chic, a ‘70s era American disco and R&B group that no one has ever heard of, has made the ballot for nominees to the 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees for the seventh (that’s right, seventh) time. While they continue to join the nominee ballot, they have failed to make it in for more than the past half-decade. This may be due to having about fifty people on the list of one-time members; the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame may simply not have enough trophies to go around. It is obvious that they lack the needed support, outside of their fifty families, to make this legendary club of musicians. Now, on to more important people.
Geddy Lee and his band Rush have made the ballot along with other notables Deep Purple, and The Marvolettes, that girl group from the ‘60s that everyone has heard of but has no idea who they actually are. Kraftwerk, the German pioneers of electronic music, is nominated for a second time. Most individuals would not recognize them but see their influence stretch from Joy Division and Franz Ferdinand to Coldplay and U2.
A surprise this year is how far the Hall of Fame extended the phrase “rock and roll” for the nominee ballot. The Hall of Fame states that, “One of the Foundation’s many functions is to recognize the contributions of those who have had a significant impact on the evolution, development and perpetuation of rock and roll by inducting them into the Hall of Fame.”
That said, a collection of diverse genres makes up the nominees, including blues, punk and funk. However, a line must be drawn at some point or another. Surprisingly, N.W.A. and Public Enemy, hip-hop and gansta-rap groups, have also been added as nominees this year. While the members have made significant strides in their separate field of music — like the field of gangsta-rap — it would be a stretch to say that they have contributed to the rock and roll genre. If only there was a Gangsta-Rap Hall of Fame.
Rounding out the list are hopefuls Heart, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Albert King, The Meters, Randy Newman, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Procol Harum and Donna Summer. I call them hopefuls because I do not, nor does anyone I have talked to, know a single thing about any of them. That does not mean that they are bad; it just means that they are old.
One of the new features this year is the inception of a fan ballot, allowing Geddy Lee enthusiasts to rush to their computers and cast their votes. The top five fan votes are compiled with “an international voting body of more than 600 artists, historians and members of the music industry” to get the new inductees for the 2013 year. While this new aspect attempts to make the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame seem more hip and less rock n’ roll, its process gives the fans very little control over the voting. One out of 600 votes will barely make a difference, if any at all. But, in a world where every talent show and voting process is decided by viewers, the qualities valued by pure professionals are often lost in favor of mere charisma and fan connection. Let real music historians decide — after all, they should know their music. Plus, they are old enough to have heard of all the names on the ballot, unlike the vocal voters of our college population.
The official inductees will be named in the next few weeks and the ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on April 18, 2013. That’s two weeks after opening day. If the Red Sox fail down the stretch again they might as well call up Chic to their roster. Chances are, one of their fifty members can pitch better than Beckett did this past season.
Wow, what a waste of Internet space. Perhaps it would have been helpful if you had actually listened to some of the music recorded by the nominees. You may not have heard of them, but you (hopefully) would have recognized their influence on contemporary music, in est, “Gee, that sounds like Justin Bieber!” (or whomever you listen to).
Alright, calm down bro. I’m pretty sure the guy who wrote this was being facetious. Obviously the fact that they’re being nominated for the Hall of Fame means their influence is recognized, and obviously this guy cares enough about it to take the time to write an article about it, so my bet is he’s probably heard of them and is being facetious. No need to get your knickers in a twist. Let’s all be honest with each other; Joan Jett was awful and we all know it.
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