Oh, No Keller! Let It Go!

For those who have been reading this blog since the Facebook days, you know I have been obsessed with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. At least, I said I would be until Cheap Trick got in. Now, my one-man crusade is over. It only took 14 years, but it happened this year when my men from Rockford, Illinois, finally got inducted, even if the night was mainly a classic rock radio induction (Thank the Good Lord for N.W.A for breaking that thing up!).

Now, I have two artists that I will put my energy behind. Both are artists about whom I have written. I really think the Hall will NEVER be close to complete until The Cars and The Jam are inducted. Honestly, I think The Cars will get nominated again after last year’s surprise nomination. I think that nomination put The Cars back into the public’s conscious, along with their boxed remastered Elektra catalog being released, along with the closest to a “true” single-disc greatest hits compilation called Moving in Stereo: The Best of The Cars. On the other hand, The Jam were a U.K. phenomenon, who never broke over here. For some reason, many of those important artists are overlooked by the nominating committee. Personally, I love Goldmine magazine’s criteria for their Hall of Fame. If you have the hits, world-wide or in the U.S., they induct you. That’s why they have a truer view of rock’s immortals, such as Bananarama, Paul Revere & the Raiders and Chic are all in. With Jann Wenner’s Hall (he’s the publisher of Rolling Stone), Wenner tries to induct the artists that he likes and the heck with the rest. Let’s face it, the baseball hall of fame does not have the inventor of the curveball in the hall. Nope, just the pitchers who perfected it statistically. See what I mean?

With that rant out of the way, here is my early list of my 15 nominees, if I had a ballot. These musicians are listed in alphabetical order.

1. The Cars – After four classic rock inductees, let’s try to keep the number of nominees down. Sorry Def Leppard and Bon Jovi.
2. Chic – Ten times nominated and still not in! This is a joke! Put them in all ready! Barry White, you will be next up.
3. Janet Jackson – Another one of those “she’s not in the Hall?” questions. Unfortunately, it’s true. Women are so difficult to induct, which is so unfair. I could have put Chaka Khan or Whitney Houston in this spot.
4. Judas Priest – Let’s start getting the metalheads in the Hall. Let’s start with the Priest, then Iron Maiden, Motorhead, etc.
5. Kraftwerk – New wave, electronica, ambient music, EDM, electrofunk and rap all need to give this band their props.
6. The Marvelettes – The only great Motown artist that has not been inducted. My other 60s girl group I considered for this spot was The Shangri-La’s. They both need to have their days.
7. The Monkees – You saw that correctly! It’s the 50th anniversary of the Pre-Fab Four’s TV show’s debut. Plus, the new album is still one of my favorite albums of 2016. What a celebration that would be.
8. Nine Inch Nails – My son claims that he remembers me blaring “Head Like a Hole” in the car when he was four. I don’t quite remember it that way, but Trent Reznor has always been big with the critics. Unbelievably, The Replacements were my second choice for 80s college rock artists.
9. Gram Parsons – The Keller household, extended as it is now, have been big on the Cosmic American Rock sound produced by Parsons. Other country artists that were considered were Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, any of whom are deserving.
10. Pearl Jam – It’s their first year to be eligible, but they WILL get in. Green Day got in during their first year, and Pearl Jam ARE the greatest band from the 90s.
11. The Smiths – Here we go again, a British-centric band that should be inducted since they are ground zero for Britpop. I gave them the nod over The Cure.
12. The Spinners – I hate that I am making slots for artists. I just realized that. I’m so sorry, but my 70s R&B choice is this great long-running band. I choice this Philly band over Commodores (“Brick House”) and Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes (“Wake Up Everybody” and another Philly band).
13. War – The Hall is lacking a Hispanic touch, so why not this great multi-racial but mainly Hispanic funk band from L.A. My beloved Los Lobos could have been in this spot.
14. Yes – Prog rock has been long neglected. Check out the list of those not in the Hall in addition to Yes: the Moody Blues, Procol Harum, King Crimson and Roxy Music, to list but a couple.
15. 2pac – Yes, you saw that right. But, it’s his first year of eligibility! I know. But when are considered one of the greatest of all time, then I say, “Welcome to the Hall!” Of course, we are stepping all over De La Soul, LL Cool J, Eric B & Rakim, A Tribe Called Quest and the Jungle Brothers to get ‘Pac in. I hope ?uestlove can pull off his magic with the hip hop world!

There you go ladies and gentlemen! Let me hear your thoughts! Put your 15 nominees down in the comments! Have a great weekend!

Author: ifmyalbumscouldtalk

I am just a long-time music fan who used to be a high school science teacher and a varsity coach of several high school athletic teams. Before that, I worked as a medical technologist at three hospitals in their labs, mainly as a microbiologist. I am retired/disabled (Failed Back Surgery Syndrome), and this is my attempt to remain a human. Additionally, I am a serious vinyl aficionado, with a CD addiction and a love of reading about rock history. Finally, I am a fan of Prince, Cheap Trick, Tom Petty, R.E.M., Hall & Oates, Springsteen, Paul Weller & his bands and Power Pop music. View all posts by ifmyalbumscouldtalk