A couple of Saturdays ago, I was shocked to learn that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced their Nominees for the Class of 2024 Induction Ceremony. As I looked over the list, my first thought was there were many first-time nominees as well as a few nominees who had not been nominated in years, which was kind of cool. BUT, outside of solo Ozzy Osbourne, Foreigner, Cher, Peter Frampton and Mariah Carey, I found the list lacking a few HUGE names from previous years.
First, when are the voters going to wake up to the fact that Iron Maiden, Motörhead, MC5, New York Dolls, The Jam, The Time, Cyndi Lauper, Joy Division/New Order, Big Star and The Monkees all need to be inducted BEFORE anyone on this list except for the three aforementioned artists. I truly find the Nomination Committee’s process lacking when it comes to artists overlooked in the recent past. It’s no wonder Eddie Trunk and his followers believe the Hall is a joke. There seems to be a lack of historical significance being shown in the nominee lists. Ask yourself a question: As worthy of an inductee as Sheryl Crow is, what was the hurry to induct her over any of my snubbed artists? That’s what makes the Hall so frustrating.
Hell, I could make a list a mile long of artists deserving of induction BEFORE most artists who were nominated. I mean, look at this list of artists still on the outside of the Hall: Boston, Styx, Jethro Tull, Slayer, Kurtis Blow, The Damned, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Hüsker Dü, Pixies, Loverboy, The Marvelettes, Mary Wells, Procol Harum, Huey Lewis & the News, Warren Zevon, Los Lobos, War, Weezer, Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, OutKast, Queensrÿche, The Bangles, Supertramp and Waylon Jennings, off the top of my head. Some of those artists I have named have NEVER been nominated!
I will never understand why I care so much. Except, maybe, just maybe, I want history to be written correctly, not to be the lasting opinion of the former chairperson of the Hall, and founder of Rolling Stone magazine, Jann Wenner. Since his unceremonial ousting from the Hall, the Hall needs to air out his critical dislike of so many artists important to the story of rock & roll music.
By the way, I only got three artists correct on my official prediction list back several weeks ago. Actually, I did better on my wish list as I got four artists correct on that one. Maybe, in the future, I should keep plugging for artists I think deserve induction ASAP as opposed to trying to read the tea leaves, so to speak.
With all of that said, allow me to introduce the 2024 Nominees for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in order of what I believe are their chances for induction this year. Now don’t get me wrong. I truly believe that every one of these artists SHOULD be inducted eventually. I simply feel others should get precedent over most of these. One other thing, so far in the 2020s, each class has had seven inductees. That means my top seven would constitute the Class of 2024 for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
1. Cher. This lady has a huge amount of backing from critics and Hall watchers, plus the industry no longer views Cher as a joke. Her ability to genre jump from a 70s singer/songwriter vibe with her early 70s hits (“Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves”) to her disco days (“Take Me Home”) to her hair metal pop (“If I Could Turn Back Time”) to her international dance hit (“Believe”), Cher has proven her ability to adapt to the times. Plus, she has had hit songs in SEVEN decades! SEVEN!
2. Ozzy Osbourne. So, the man was a mess by the end of the 70s when Black Sabbath kicked him out. Then Sharon came into his life and got him refocused as a solo artist. Ozzy discovered Randy Rhoades and started to collaborate with him. And the rest, as they say, is history.
3. Mariah Carey. Mariah OWNS the month of December if only with one song that’s now 30 years old. But, throw in all the number one hits she has that run the gamut from big power ballads through dance/rap collaborations, Mariah proves she can do it all (And, I didn’t mention the rumored alternative rock album she created and shelved back in the Nineties.). There isn’t a style the woman cannot conquer with her otherworldly voice. She is definitely the next diva in line for induction after Aretha, Chaka, Donna Summer, Pat Benatar and Whitney. All we are missing is Ms. Cyndi Lauper to be fully up-to-date.
4. Sinéad O’Connor. The outspoken singer from Ireland is long overdue for this moment. She was rock & roll through and through right down to her soul. Her vocals were always amazing as she always knew how to cut down to the emotional core of a song. Her views on life were a good thirty years ahead of her time, not to mention her killer music. Why does it take the death of an artist to fully appreciate he or she?
5. Peter Frampton. If you are around my age (61), you know just how ubiquitous Frampton Comes Alive was. I’m not sure why his management marketed him as a teen idol after the success of that album because it killed his career as a serious musician and songwriter. I’m in You was a very good album as were his pre-live album LPs. Even David Bowie tried to revive Frampton’s career by making Peter his featured guitarist on tour in 1987. This man should NOT be forgotten to time!
6. Foreigner. Right there with Journey, as far as hits were concerned, Foreigner was one of the pillars of Album Oriented Radio. Believe it or not, but Rolling Stone named “Urgent” the song of the year in 1981. And the band’s main songwriters singer Lou Gramm and guitarist/band leader Mick Jones were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame a while back, so Foreigner has major critical backing. Their induction would be a major middle finger to Jann Wenner who allegedly blackballed the band from the Hall. See? Someone was trying to rewrite rock & roll history!?!?
7.Kool & the Gang. Did anyone out there know who the only American band to be part of the Band Aid record “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” in 1984? That’s right! Kool & the Gang. That’s how hot this band was in the early 80s. In the 70s, Kool & the Gang was one of the premiere funk bands, right up there with Parliament/Funkadelic; Earth, Wind & Fire; War and the Commodores. Then, they had some disco hits in the late 70s, followed by the mainstream dance/pop hits in the early 80s. By the time the mid-80s rolled in, Kool & the Gang evolved into a powerful soul ballad band. These guys were so talented that they were able to adapt to the times and remained just as successful and influential as before.
From the point, these artists would not make the Hall. That does not mean that I do not find them worthy. Not at all! As a matter of fact, all of this year’s nominees, much like the past couple of lists, deserve induction. I think it would be cool if the Hall would just induct all nominees over the next few years to alleviate the logjam of deserving artists in the coming years. But, there’s nothing logical about this Hall of Fame.
8. Jane’s Addiction. I LOVE Jane’s Addiction! I have ever since I heard “Jane Says” and “Mountain Song” on WOXY-FM 97-X in Oxford, Ohio, back in 1987. These guys are one of the all-time greats who, with the Pixies and Mudhoney, played something akin to an alternative music John the Baptist to the upcoming Grunge era in the early 90s. Then there’s lead singer Perry Farrell who invented the whole influential Lollapalooza Tour that took all forms of alternative music to the masses during those heady days of the Nineties. These guys justly deserve the call of induction.
9. Sade. Oh my goodness! This band’s brand of jazz-tinged soul is just so flawlessly romantic, it becomes perfect for comedy moments in TV shows. Perhaps the greatest thing about Sade the singer is that she has remained successful without ever changing the formula. Maybe that’s due to the fact that she only releases an album or two per decade since her initial three albums in the 80s. I truly cannot wait for the next Sade album!
10. Eric B. & Rakim. I know that hip hop is a controversial issue when it comes to the Hall. But, the whole pop/R&B/funk/soul/hip hop/rap wing represents the “roll” in rock & roll. Plus, much of today’s music would not exist without the contributions of the roll in rock music. To me, it’s pretty bigoted to disregard the music of the black community with respect to the Hall. Anyway, Rakim is still considered by many experts and artists as the best MC ever. And Eric B. is held in high esteem for his production work and his innovative use of jazz samples in the duo’s music. They should have been inducted long ago.
11. A Tribe Called Quest. This group of rap futurists actually added a touch of surrealism into their jazz-based music. The gang’s muse was so strong that they were able to make a comeback in 2017 with one of the year’s best albums period. ATCQ should have been inducted years ago. But, like Eric B. & Rakim, ATCQ lacks notoriety in the mainstream world. Still, that should NOT matter!
12. Oasis. I get that they were the biggest band in the UK in the mid-90s. But, when their spiritual forefathers The Jam, or even a solo Paul Weller, sit on the outside of the Hall, how can I justify Oasis being inducted? Don’t get me wrong, I love this band, and they deserve the honor. But, not before The Jam AND solo Paul Weller. It just ain’t right!
13. Mary J. Blige. In the lineage of divas, Mary J. is chronologically right after Mariah. So, I’d have no problem with Ms. Blige bringing her hip hop-tinged R&B music to the Hall so long as Mariah is inducted with her. Once again, it’s all about history.
14. Lenny Kravitz. I absolutely LOVE Lenny Kravitz and his music. He is much like a poor man’s Prince, able to synthesize everything sound around him into his own sound. And I also think Lenny deserves more love now than he used to get back in his day. His music has always been timeless and straight from the man’s soul. Much like my opinion of Sheryl Crow, he deserves to be inducted, but what’s the hurry when there are so many others who have been waiting forever to get in.
15. Dave Matthews Band. I think I have made it clear that I am not a fan of Dave Matthews Band. Personally, I think Phish is the more dynamic jam band of that era and deserves induction way more than DMB. But, I also recognize that DMB must be doing something right to account for their successful tours and albums over the years. If nothing else, that popularity speaks volumes. Plus, it’s their second time to be nominated. I won’t bitch too much if they are inducted, although there just might be 100 artists that should get the honor before them. Sorry Dave fans! That’s just my opinion.
Well, folks, there’s my predictions, for what its worth. Please keep in mind that nothing will surprise me concerning who actually becomes part of the Class of 2024. Shoot, O’Connor and Carey could be replaced by a hip hop artist and DMB for all I know. Remember, the Hall wants to have an exciting Induction Ceremony with great performers so they get good TV ratings when Disney+ and ABC broadcast it. What can I say? Ratings really do drive this thing.
If My Records Could Talk 