Overlooked Rock'n"Roll Hall of Fame Inductees
After making a blog on the 2020 Rock'N'Roll Hall of Fame Candidates, I have pondering if there are some "forgotten" acts that deserve to be inducted. While the classes inducted thus far represent a good portion of classic artists. I feel that just like how radio does not play some artists, some rockers deserve to elected.
But how do you get in?
To get into the RRHOF, an artist must have released their commercial debut for at least twenty-five years. The artist is selected by a committe and becomes nominated. Results are usually revealed during May, but the date floats year to year.
Who are these artists?
Here is a brief overview of artists that should have been inducted:
Uriah Heep: While their 1970 commercial debut led to shocking critical outrage, the records that followed: especially 1972's Demons and Wizards and The Magician's Birthday and 1973's Sweet Freedom are also staples of the emergence of heavy metal. Their most significant songs from the day include Easy Livin', Stealin,' Woman in Black, and the lengthy July Morning. The band more or less became a cult band after 1980 when Ken Hensely left, but rarely, and it's a BIG rarely, get spun on classic rock radio.
Supertramp: Yet another forgotten band. Formed in 1969 by keyboardist/singer Rick Davies and guitarist/singer Roger Hodgson, their first two LPs did not meet expectations, their third LP, Crime of the Century became an instant hit thanks to the single Dreamer and its reverse Bloody Well Right. The next two albums were hit and miss, but 1979's Breakfast in America has become a best seller. Friction between Hodgson and Davies led to the former walking out in 1983, and since then the band has had a cult following akin to Uriah Heep.
Foreigner: This Anglo-American ensemble were hitmakers in the 70s and early 80s. Formed by Spooky Tooth veteran Mick Jones, the band also featured Ian McDonald of King Crimson fame, as well as Dennis Elliot and Al Greenwood. Their name came from the fact that half the original band were Brits and the other half American so they would always be foreigners whenever they were on tour. Their hits included Cold as Ice (1977), Hot Blooded (1978), Urgent and Juke Box Hero (1981), and the ballad I Want to Know What Love Is (1984). Although rooted in slightly neo-progressive rock, the band made a move to a more hard rock style by the 80s.
Styx: Another deserving band. Their seventh LP The Grand Illusion, which was cleverly released on 7/7/77, was a big hit among the masses featuring their signature hit, and one that made me a fan, Come Sail Away. While the band took a dip in the mid 80s due to disagreements betwen Tommy Shaw and Dennis DeYoung (a la Davies and Hodgson of Supertramp), the band rebounded in the mid 90s when they came together to record an updated version of their 1973 hit Lady for their 1995 greatest hits package.
By the way the only reason they had to rerecord Lady is because Wooden Nickel, their original label, would not allow A&M Records the rights to use the song; however, a provision in their contract stated that it can be used if rerecorded for A&M. Come to think of it, the original version was restored for their anthology issued in 2004.
Jethro Tull: Why oh why is this band so overlooked? Formed in 1967 by founder and virtuoso Ian Anderson, the band became known for his signature flute solos. Tull broke through in 1969 with their anti-war smash hit Living in the Past, but it was two years later, that their fourth LP, Aqualung completely dragged them out of obscurity. Like Heep, Tull became more of a cult band by the late 70s, though they did rebound briefly with 1987's Crest of a Knave, which resulted in a CONTRAVERSIAL Grammy Award win.
The Guess Who and Bachman Turner Overdrive: Canadian rock is also very underrated in the US. These two bands achieved mass success in the 1960s and 1970s. Many actually believed, for quite some time, that the Guess Who were actually Brits because of the massive British Invasion of the day. All disbelief aside, the Guess Who hit the top with their 1970 LP American Woman and its title track with its recognizeable riff (Kravitz DID NOT record the original no matter what people think). Following the album, Randy Bachman left due to his Mormon reglious conflicts with the other band members, but his career didn't end there and then.
For it was shortly after leaving the Guess Who that Bachman started a project known as the Brave Belt with Guess Who aluminus and co-founder Chad Allan. The Brave Belt project evolved into Bachman Turner Overdrive (BTO) whose 1973 hit Takin' Care of Business became their signature song, not to mention being the slogan of, and used in, Office Depot commercials for the longest time. Their other hits included Let it Ride, Roll on Down the Highway, and You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet.
Steppenwolf: Another Canadian band that deserves more attention than it gets. The band was formed in 1967 out of the ashes of The Sparrows, a band featuring John Kay and Michael Monarch. Steppenwolf are perhaps best remembered for the 1968 motorcycle-associated song Born to be Wild - which was used in the 1969 film Easy Rider and Magic Carpet Ride in 1969. As of 1972, Kay is the only member left of the original band.
King Crimson and Emerson Lake & Palmer: I really don't understand why these prog rock acts don't get credit where it's due. The Robert Fripp-led King Crimson, as well as the Keith Emerson-led ELP, are both notorious examples of early usage of electronics in music. Fripp's signature "Frippertronics" came to attention in the early 70s as it was soon adopted by Roxy Music's Phil Manzanera. Emerson, on the other hand, became notorious as an early adapter of synthesizers, and acording to journalists, always tried to do "one better" than other keyboardists of the day. As for airply, only Karn Evil 9 (1st Impression, Part II), and occassionally Still You Turn me On get any airply at all. I have also heard From the Beginning on satelite radio.
Does the Hall of Fame need a new name?
Since 1983, the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame has used the same name, but the recent years have seen even rappers: NWA, Tupac Shakur, and soon-to-be-inductee Biggie Smalls, as well as RnB stars Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson, get in the door.
While classic hip-hop is becoming the new classic rock, it is not rock'n'roll. As such, I think the Hall of Fame should drop the Rock'n'Roll and go with a name such as the Popular Music Hall of Fame, especially since it has seen more than rock being inducted.
But how do you get in?
To get into the RRHOF, an artist must have released their commercial debut for at least twenty-five years. The artist is selected by a committe and becomes nominated. Results are usually revealed during May, but the date floats year to year.
Who are these artists?
Here is a brief overview of artists that should have been inducted:
Uriah Heep: While their 1970 commercial debut led to shocking critical outrage, the records that followed: especially 1972's Demons and Wizards and The Magician's Birthday and 1973's Sweet Freedom are also staples of the emergence of heavy metal. Their most significant songs from the day include Easy Livin', Stealin,' Woman in Black, and the lengthy July Morning. The band more or less became a cult band after 1980 when Ken Hensely left, but rarely, and it's a BIG rarely, get spun on classic rock radio.
Supertramp: Yet another forgotten band. Formed in 1969 by keyboardist/singer Rick Davies and guitarist/singer Roger Hodgson, their first two LPs did not meet expectations, their third LP, Crime of the Century became an instant hit thanks to the single Dreamer and its reverse Bloody Well Right. The next two albums were hit and miss, but 1979's Breakfast in America has become a best seller. Friction between Hodgson and Davies led to the former walking out in 1983, and since then the band has had a cult following akin to Uriah Heep.
Foreigner: This Anglo-American ensemble were hitmakers in the 70s and early 80s. Formed by Spooky Tooth veteran Mick Jones, the band also featured Ian McDonald of King Crimson fame, as well as Dennis Elliot and Al Greenwood. Their name came from the fact that half the original band were Brits and the other half American so they would always be foreigners whenever they were on tour. Their hits included Cold as Ice (1977), Hot Blooded (1978), Urgent and Juke Box Hero (1981), and the ballad I Want to Know What Love Is (1984). Although rooted in slightly neo-progressive rock, the band made a move to a more hard rock style by the 80s.
Styx: Another deserving band. Their seventh LP The Grand Illusion, which was cleverly released on 7/7/77, was a big hit among the masses featuring their signature hit, and one that made me a fan, Come Sail Away. While the band took a dip in the mid 80s due to disagreements betwen Tommy Shaw and Dennis DeYoung (a la Davies and Hodgson of Supertramp), the band rebounded in the mid 90s when they came together to record an updated version of their 1973 hit Lady for their 1995 greatest hits package.
By the way the only reason they had to rerecord Lady is because Wooden Nickel, their original label, would not allow A&M Records the rights to use the song; however, a provision in their contract stated that it can be used if rerecorded for A&M. Come to think of it, the original version was restored for their anthology issued in 2004.
Jethro Tull: Why oh why is this band so overlooked? Formed in 1967 by founder and virtuoso Ian Anderson, the band became known for his signature flute solos. Tull broke through in 1969 with their anti-war smash hit Living in the Past, but it was two years later, that their fourth LP, Aqualung completely dragged them out of obscurity. Like Heep, Tull became more of a cult band by the late 70s, though they did rebound briefly with 1987's Crest of a Knave, which resulted in a CONTRAVERSIAL Grammy Award win.
The Guess Who and Bachman Turner Overdrive: Canadian rock is also very underrated in the US. These two bands achieved mass success in the 1960s and 1970s. Many actually believed, for quite some time, that the Guess Who were actually Brits because of the massive British Invasion of the day. All disbelief aside, the Guess Who hit the top with their 1970 LP American Woman and its title track with its recognizeable riff (Kravitz DID NOT record the original no matter what people think). Following the album, Randy Bachman left due to his Mormon reglious conflicts with the other band members, but his career didn't end there and then.
For it was shortly after leaving the Guess Who that Bachman started a project known as the Brave Belt with Guess Who aluminus and co-founder Chad Allan. The Brave Belt project evolved into Bachman Turner Overdrive (BTO) whose 1973 hit Takin' Care of Business became their signature song, not to mention being the slogan of, and used in, Office Depot commercials for the longest time. Their other hits included Let it Ride, Roll on Down the Highway, and You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet.
Steppenwolf: Another Canadian band that deserves more attention than it gets. The band was formed in 1967 out of the ashes of The Sparrows, a band featuring John Kay and Michael Monarch. Steppenwolf are perhaps best remembered for the 1968 motorcycle-associated song Born to be Wild - which was used in the 1969 film Easy Rider and Magic Carpet Ride in 1969. As of 1972, Kay is the only member left of the original band.
King Crimson and Emerson Lake & Palmer: I really don't understand why these prog rock acts don't get credit where it's due. The Robert Fripp-led King Crimson, as well as the Keith Emerson-led ELP, are both notorious examples of early usage of electronics in music. Fripp's signature "Frippertronics" came to attention in the early 70s as it was soon adopted by Roxy Music's Phil Manzanera. Emerson, on the other hand, became notorious as an early adapter of synthesizers, and acording to journalists, always tried to do "one better" than other keyboardists of the day. As for airply, only Karn Evil 9 (1st Impression, Part II), and occassionally Still You Turn me On get any airply at all. I have also heard From the Beginning on satelite radio.
Does the Hall of Fame need a new name?
Since 1983, the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame has used the same name, but the recent years have seen even rappers: NWA, Tupac Shakur, and soon-to-be-inductee Biggie Smalls, as well as RnB stars Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson, get in the door.
While classic hip-hop is becoming the new classic rock, it is not rock'n'roll. As such, I think the Hall of Fame should drop the Rock'n'Roll and go with a name such as the Popular Music Hall of Fame, especially since it has seen more than rock being inducted.
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