We had a thread before the nominees were announced about who you thought should/would be inducted. They announced the inductees earlier this week: Tina Turner, Carole King, The Go-Go’s, The Foo Fighters, Todd Rundgren and Jay-Z, not including the special category inductees Kraftwerk, Billy Preston, Gil Scott-Heron, LL Cool J, Charley Preston and Randy Rhoads.
What was your reaction? Biggest surprise? Who did make it but shouldn’t have? Who didn’t make it but should have? Why do they overlook Motley Crue every year? (Answer: At least a modicum of musical talent is required for induction.)
I’ll start: Overall, I was happy with the choices, particularly Carole King and The Go-Go’s.
Some people have said The Go-Go’s didn’t deserve it because they didn’t have the required longevity. Baloney. They released more original albums, for example, than either Buffalo Springfield or Guns N’ Roses. They were a seminal group — the first all-female band to write their own songs and play their own instruments. They were groundbreaking for female rockers. And, they were good.
After she was passed over so many times, I didn’t think Carole King would make it. She was inducted years ago as a song writer but had been eligible for induction as an artist for 25 years with getting in. She wasn’t quite the pioneer that The Go-Go’s were. Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins and Joan Baez all already had successful careers as solo female artists. However, all were folk/pop artists. The only solo female rock album I can think of which preceded “Tapestry” was by Laura Nyro, and it wasn’t the huge success —or influence — that “Tapestry” was. But, “Tapestry” was not, contrary to what some think, a one-shot wonder album. She has recorded five other albums which went gold or platinum. And, what “Tapestry” was — and is — is one of the best albums of all time. IMO it, standing alone, entitled her to induction.
It was obvious The Foo Fighters would get in. They deserve to be there. But, I don’t believe they deserved to get in the first year they were eligible. To me, that honor should be awarded infrequently.
The biggest surprise for me was Todd Rundgren. I consider him to be a marginally deserving candidate. I’m not unhappy that he will be inducted but I wouldn’t have been unhappy if he never got in.
Tina Turner was a no doubter. She already is in with Ike, but she certainly deserves it as a solo performer too.
I know who LL Cool J is because he has transformed into a TV actor. But, my knowledge of rap and hip hop is limited to NWA and The Beastie Boys, so I can’t opine on either him or Jay-Z as deserving or not.
When they hold the ceremony, I hope they give some in Memoriam recognition to John Prine. He was not a classic rocker by any means. He wasn’t a classic folk or country or bluegrass singer either. I play the guitar better than he did and my voice might have more range. But, with the exception of Bob Dylan, there has never been a better modern social commentator pick up the guitar and play songs that he or she wrote than John Prine.
The best song ever written about Vietnam veterans was “Sam Stone” and it’s not even close. I can’t listen to “there’s a hole in daddy’s arm where all the money goes” without both tearing up and getting angry.
I love “Paradise” the song he wrote about how the Peabody Coal company destroyed Muhlenberg County, Kentucky with its strip mining. It’s like a 3-minute version of John Styles’ great movie “Matewan.” And, then he could write great songs that were not full of social commentary like “Angel From Montgomery.” Take “Hello In There,” for example, where he wrote:
“You know that old trees just grow stronger
And old rivers grow wilder every day.
Old people just grow older.
Waiting for someone to say
Hello in there. Hello.”
He wasn’t even 30 years old when he wrote that compelling passage about what it was like to grow old alone.
I once asked Bernie Taupin, a former client, who he thought the best American lyricists were. Without hesitation, he answered “Dylan, Paul Simon and John Prine.” Robert Hilburn, the most influential rock critic in America, called him “one of the greatest songwriters America has ever produced.”
After leaving the LA Times 15 years earlier, Hilburn returned to write a guest column after Prine’s death from Covid complications in April 2020. He wrote that “You didn’t just listen to a John Prine song, you wrapped yourself in it like a favorite jacket.”
I’ve probably listened to his 1971 debut album “John Prine” 1,000 times. I think I’m going to go listen to it again.
What was your reaction? Biggest surprise? Who did make it but shouldn’t have? Who didn’t make it but should have? Why do they overlook Motley Crue every year? (Answer: At least a modicum of musical talent is required for induction.)
I’ll start: Overall, I was happy with the choices, particularly Carole King and The Go-Go’s.
Some people have said The Go-Go’s didn’t deserve it because they didn’t have the required longevity. Baloney. They released more original albums, for example, than either Buffalo Springfield or Guns N’ Roses. They were a seminal group — the first all-female band to write their own songs and play their own instruments. They were groundbreaking for female rockers. And, they were good.
After she was passed over so many times, I didn’t think Carole King would make it. She was inducted years ago as a song writer but had been eligible for induction as an artist for 25 years with getting in. She wasn’t quite the pioneer that The Go-Go’s were. Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins and Joan Baez all already had successful careers as solo female artists. However, all were folk/pop artists. The only solo female rock album I can think of which preceded “Tapestry” was by Laura Nyro, and it wasn’t the huge success —or influence — that “Tapestry” was. But, “Tapestry” was not, contrary to what some think, a one-shot wonder album. She has recorded five other albums which went gold or platinum. And, what “Tapestry” was — and is — is one of the best albums of all time. IMO it, standing alone, entitled her to induction.
It was obvious The Foo Fighters would get in. They deserve to be there. But, I don’t believe they deserved to get in the first year they were eligible. To me, that honor should be awarded infrequently.
The biggest surprise for me was Todd Rundgren. I consider him to be a marginally deserving candidate. I’m not unhappy that he will be inducted but I wouldn’t have been unhappy if he never got in.
Tina Turner was a no doubter. She already is in with Ike, but she certainly deserves it as a solo performer too.
I know who LL Cool J is because he has transformed into a TV actor. But, my knowledge of rap and hip hop is limited to NWA and The Beastie Boys, so I can’t opine on either him or Jay-Z as deserving or not.
When they hold the ceremony, I hope they give some in Memoriam recognition to John Prine. He was not a classic rocker by any means. He wasn’t a classic folk or country or bluegrass singer either. I play the guitar better than he did and my voice might have more range. But, with the exception of Bob Dylan, there has never been a better modern social commentator pick up the guitar and play songs that he or she wrote than John Prine.
The best song ever written about Vietnam veterans was “Sam Stone” and it’s not even close. I can’t listen to “there’s a hole in daddy’s arm where all the money goes” without both tearing up and getting angry.
I love “Paradise” the song he wrote about how the Peabody Coal company destroyed Muhlenberg County, Kentucky with its strip mining. It’s like a 3-minute version of John Styles’ great movie “Matewan.” And, then he could write great songs that were not full of social commentary like “Angel From Montgomery.” Take “Hello In There,” for example, where he wrote:
“You know that old trees just grow stronger
And old rivers grow wilder every day.
Old people just grow older.
Waiting for someone to say
Hello in there. Hello.”
He wasn’t even 30 years old when he wrote that compelling passage about what it was like to grow old alone.
I once asked Bernie Taupin, a former client, who he thought the best American lyricists were. Without hesitation, he answered “Dylan, Paul Simon and John Prine.” Robert Hilburn, the most influential rock critic in America, called him “one of the greatest songwriters America has ever produced.”
After leaving the LA Times 15 years earlier, Hilburn returned to write a guest column after Prine’s death from Covid complications in April 2020. He wrote that “You didn’t just listen to a John Prine song, you wrapped yourself in it like a favorite jacket.”
I’ve probably listened to his 1971 debut album “John Prine” 1,000 times. I think I’m going to go listen to it again.
