An Open Letter To The Rock Hall Induction Committee

To: Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Committee
Fr: Rock And Roll Fans everywhere

Ladies and Gentlemen,
It’s just a month away before the 30 or so of you get together and throw out your picks on who gets into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2010 so I am asking, no begging you, please look to our past and get some of the greats you have overlooked into the hall. I can’t figure out your reasoning on your past nominations but now is the time to right the wrongs and honor the greats that have been passed over year after year. So please, pull your heads out of your …..., no I won’t go that far. How about just think about us when placing your vote, the true rock fans.

Sincerely
Rock Fans Across The World

Next month the secretive society (well not really anymore. Click Here to see the list of voters courtesy of futurerocklegends.com) we call the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Nominating Committee will meet and argue, wheel and deal, and whatever else they do to get who they put up for nomination into the hallowed halls of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

How all this all goes about, we don’t know.

Who nominates Chic every year, we don’t know.

Who the hell votes for Chic every year to get them to the final list the past couple of years, we sure as hell don’t know.

This I do know, the fact that they continue to overlook bands such as Genesis, Rush, Yes, Deep Purple, Electric Light Orchestra, Alice Cooper, Kiss, The Doobie Brothers, Todd Rundgren, Steve Miller Band, Emerson Lake And Palmer, Faces, Gram Parsons, The Hollies, J. Geils Band, Lou Reed, The Moody Blues, Peter Gabriel (with or without Genesis), Heart, Three Dog Night, Blood Sweat And Tears, Steve Winwood, Tom Waits, etc, etc, etc…. makes you wonder, what the hell do they talk about in their secret meetings. It can’t be rock and roll.

Before the Induction Ceremony this year I put a poll on the website and the music fans that visit http://www.clevelandrockandroll.com/ responded in surprisingly huge numbers. They voted and they want to see inducted into the Hall Of Fame in order:

1. Rush
2. Stevie Ray Vaughan
3. Kiss
4. Genesis
5. Alice Cooper
6. Doobie Brothers
7. Heart
8. Electric Light Orchestra
9. Jethro Tull
10. Cheap Trick
Now, personally I am not a big fan of some on the list but I can’t argue with anyone of the Top Ten getting the nod but will they?

I don’t know, probably not!

Artists such as Chic, Run DMC, Grandmaster Flash, Earth Wind And Fire, Madonna and others keep getting nominated and even inducted over those older “classic rock” artists. It seems a trend with this committee is emerging. They are going away from rock, punk, and metal of the past and toward “popular music” artists representing disco, dance, and rap. There also seems to be a trend of “newer is better”. How does John Mellencamp get in before Steve Winwood, Leon Russell or Todd Rundgren or how does Metallica get in before Deep Purple? Now don’t get me wrong, I think Metallica should be in the Hall, but come on, before Deep Purple? Even James Hetfield in his induction speech went on a rant about the innovators of the past that should have been in the Hall already like Deep Purple, Rush, Judas Priest, Kiss, Motorhead, and Thin Lizzy.

You know who is up for nomination this year? Whitney Houston….

Do I think she will get nominated? Yes.

Do I think she will get inducted? Absolutely

Do I think she belongs in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame? Hell no but she seems to be exactly the type of artist the committee loves and wants in the hall. She was a money making machine for the record industry right along the lines of Madonna, how could they not vote her in with the logic they have used in the past.

I am starting to think Madison Avenue should be represented on the committee. Why? Have you listened to commercials lately on television? They are like listening to a classic rock station at times. ELO, ELP, Moody Blues, George Thorogood, Grand Funk Railroad, The Cars, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Deep Purple, Bad Company, Canned Heat, Donovan, Edgar Winter, Faces, Jethro Tull, Rare Earth, and Styx to name just a few are the soundtracks for the commercials Madison Avenue throws at us daily. Why do they do this? Because even they know these are classic songs from classic bands that we love and guess what, none of these bands are in the Hall Of Fame. Is Madison Avenue smarter than the so called music experts on the committee? I am starting to think so.

Scott Rowley, the editor of the U.K.-based magazine Classic Rock suggests the Hall is creating its own misconceptions about what rock evolved into. Rowley said in a recent interview “Rush and Yes and ELO are as good and as loved and as worthy as most of the acts in the Hall,” noted Rowley “I think it’s very damaging to the Hall of Fame’s credibility to continually ignore bands that they perceive to be on ‘the fringes,’ whether they’re prog, punk or metal acts. It makes you wonder if the selection committee is actually run by music fans.”

Well maybe this year (and in future years) the committee, will open their ears and eyes and put some deserving bands into the hall and maybe I won’t have to write this column in the future.

PS: Remember committee, if you put Whitney in this year, next year Bobby Brown is eligible! Oh boy…I would put in a whole new wing just to run episodes of their reality show!

Nuff said, least till next time
Peace Out
Bear

The Underappreciated And Overlooked Of Rock

A little while ago WNCX had a poll of the Greatest Voices of Rock. Their list included in order rock legends Freddie Mercury, Robert Plant, Paul Rogers, Roger Daltry, Ann Wilson, Bob Seger, Stevie Nicks, Jim Morrison, Steve Perry and Steven Tyler. I love all of them (well not really Morrison but that will be another story in another time) and but are they really the Greatest Voices Of Rock ever?

This past weekend working around the house and listening to a lot of music (and drinking a lot of beer) and as songs kept coming on and different bands played, I got to thinking, if the above singers are the Greatest Voices Of Rock, which singers are really overlooked and underappreciated in the world of rock?

I don’t mean those artists who were left off the list by WNCX. You know the ones you can roll off your tongue, artists like Phil Collins, David Gilmour, Rod Stewart, Van Morrison, Elton John, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney (really WNCX listeners, Paul McCartney didn’t get your votes!!! What were you too busy watching Biggest Loser or the Bachelorette to vote for Sir Paul, c’mon Cleveland)

I mean artists that if you were sitting around a fire, drinking beers with 9 of your buddy’s and each guy or girl picked 5 of the best voices in rock, none of the one’s below would have would have even crossed your mind and afterwards if someone mentioned one of them you would have said “how did I forget him (or her) I love him! The sad thing is over time you forget about them and the work they did and they are as good or in some cases better than the so-called Greatest Voices Of Rock on the list.

So in no particular order, here is my list of the Greatest Underappreciated Voices Of Rock.

Steven Georgiou (Cat Stevens) – Cat Stevens was one of the biggest stars of the late 60’s thru the 70’s but is basically a forgotten footnote in rock history since giving up music in 1979 for his religious views. His voice was so unique and for a lack a better word “pure”. I don’t know of anyone in the 70’s that didn’t have a copy of either Tea For The Tillerman, Catch Bull At Four, or Teaser And The Firecat and when you went to their house for a party, it seemed Cat was always on the speakers. I recently saw him perform on Jay Leno and I have to tell you, he still sounds amazing. I hope he tours again so I can hear him live one more time.

Christine McVie (Fleetwood Mac) – She is in my opinion one of the best female voices of rock ever. How the listeners of WNCX voted Stevie Nicks onto their list and overlooked Christine is sad. Even on Stevie’s best work, it was Christine’s fullness in the background that enriched the song for me. Most of my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs were not sung by Stevie but by Christine. Sit back and listen to Songbird or Over My Head and listen to richness of her voice. When Mick Fleetwood and John McVie say every time they would hear her sing Songbird live, they would cry, that’s good enough for me.

Pete Ham (Badfinger) – First off most people would never even know who Pete Ham is let alone call out his name as one of the best vocalist of rock but every time I hear Baby Blue or Day After Day on the radio, it hits me in the gut, how good he really was. How this band did not become bigger than they did is one of the mysteries of rock.

Leon Russell (solo) – Okay time to get up on my soapbox. Listen up Rock Hall committee. Put Leon Russell into the Hall Of Fame already!!! He was instrumental in the careers of many inducted into the Rock Hall and one of our greatest American songwriters ever! Okay time to step off the soapbox. Obviously I love Leon Russell as an artist but I can put on his debut album Leon Russell and just be swept away by his vocals. He created the Tulsa Sound and it amazes me how overlooked he is as a singer. His vocals on “This Songs For You” is unique and one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. He put everything he had inside him into that song. Just powerful.

Toy Caldwell (Marshall Tucker Band) – This is the man that got me into Country Rock plain and simple. He blended the country rock sound with a blues twang that just grabbed me and didn’t let go and I have been a fan ever since. His voice was powerful and again one of those unique voices that can’t be replaced. The right voice for the right band for the right type of music, that’s how simple it was. Listening to “This Ol’ Cowboy” and how Toy sings “this ain’t gonna be the first time this ol cowboy spent the night alone” reinforced me thru many nights in bars during my college days!

John Lyon (Southside Johnny And The Asbury Jukes) – I know this is going to hurt most of you Bruce fans(especially my good buddy Matt from addictedtovinyl.com) but when I want to hear someone from Jersey, I turn on Southside Johnny. I’ve seen and worked security for most of Bruce’s shows in the early days here in Cleveland and love Bruce but from the first time I heard Johnny I was blown away and still am. The bluesy, bourbon soaked voice makes him one of my favorites singers. He does an acoustic version of “Walk Away Renee” with Little Steven that can bring tears to ya.

Jeff Lynne (Electric Light Orchestra) – You know you can listen to a band for years or even decades and it doesn’t hit you how much a voice really identifies the band but this one really came to light for me as I went to see ELO in Detroit last Friday and seriously seeing them live without him reinforced to me what a great singer he is and how important he was to ELO.

Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron, Cory Wells (Three Dog Night) – I know, I know this is three singers not one but all three were fantastic singers in their own right and together, made a powerful lineup. Three Dog Night was a hit making machine because of the talent of their 3 lead singers and we never seem to remember how good they were individually. To remember, put on their greatest hits album and you can hear all three of them take the lead.

Greg Lake (King Crimson and Emerson Lake And Palmer) – This is one that usually after the discussion about singers someone says those famous words “How could I forget him?” How could you forget him especially with the vocals he produced on Lucky Man and From The Beginning. An amazing voice that somehow we seem to forget about.

James Hetfield (Metallica) – Okay, I know your now looking at your computer screen with your eyes crossed saying “James Hetfield?” Yea, James Hetfield! Rock music to me encompasses everyone from Cat Stevens and his laid back storytelling to Metallica and beyond. Look Metallica didn’t become the goliath of heavy metal just by pounding out ear shattering riffs. There had to be a voice that could match the dynamic of the band and James does just that plus he can tone it down when needed and render as great a vocal as anyone. Listen to him on Hero Of The Day and tell me I’m wrong. Definitely overlooked.

Joe Elliott (Def Leppard) – I was never a fan of the so-called hair bands of the 80’s but with Def Leppard something about them was different and it was the voice. Joe Elliott brought something to the table the other bands of the era couldn’t plus they have produced some of the best music ever heard in a strip club. Seriously what would strippers dance to without “Pour Some Sugar On Me” or “Bringing On The Heartache” or “Armageddon It” or "Rocket" or ohhhh I could go on and on but seriously Joe Elliott has a great rock voice that doesn’t usually jump to the front of your mind when thinking about great rock voices.

There are others I didn’t mention. Here’s a few more you can think about. Artists like Ian Gillian (Deep Purple), Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Tim Buckley (solo), Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Joe Jackson (solo), Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), Mark Farner (Grand Funk Railroad) and Graham Parsons (The Byrds).

Well go ahead and discuss among yourselves. Agree with me or not, at least you don’t have to be corralled into such a narrow funnel of musical taste that we call radio.

Nuff said, least till next week
Peace Out
Bear

The 2009 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Inductions Thru My Eyes

(All Photos below courtesy of Sandy Durbin)

The 2009 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Inductions came back to Cleveland for the first time in 12 years and the Rock Hall and the City Of Cleveland need to give themselves a pat on the back for not only a great event on Saturday, but a fantastic week of music and events to celebrate music, the Rock Hall and our city.

I know, some of my readers are going to say “Bear you sold out”, but no. I have been a critic in the past of the Rock Hall VOTERS, not the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I am a proud member of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and think they do a fantastic job. Anyone that has come to Cleveland and walked thru it especially this week cannot say differently. The new Springsteen exhibit, the Motown exhibit, the special events for teachers and students, the Free Day at the hall on Saturday featuring live music all day, and of course the Induction Ceremony itself showed they know what they are doing, and they do it well.

My night started early as my son and I made plans to meet up with some friends. Matt from Addicted To Vinyl and Brian from broken headphones at Great Lakes Brewery for some dinner and what else, a few beers. (little side note: if you are into music folks and you must be if you keep coming to my site, these are two of the best music blogs around, make sure to check them out) The dinner was good but the conversation was great. We swapped stories about concerts we’ve been too, talked about the inductions and argued over Run DMC being inducted (it was 3 to 1 and I lost), and Matt told us about his dinner the night before with Paul Shaffer and them going to a private party at the House Of Blues. (I would tell you more but go to Addicted To Vinyl to read about Matt’s great night out partying with the stars, lucky bastard!).

After dinner we made the trip to Public Hall and it brought back memories. It’s been over 30 years since I was there but walking up to Public Hall outside with the red carpet, the searchlights and the press everywhere, it seemed as I stepped into another world.

We went to our seats and I was surprised at how the old hall looked. The City Of Cleveland put over $500,000 into renovations and clean up of the 87 year old hall and the only thing I could think of was this must have been the way it looked when it first opened. In all of my times there in the 70’s, it was old looking, smelly, dirty and those were some of the good virtues. Our seats were in the 2nd row only around 30 feet from the stage in the lower balcony and we were able to watch the stars, politicians, power brokers finish their meals and hob knob with each other. The funny thing is, except for the, I’m sure fine meal, my tickets were better than most of the ones at the $50,000 tables below.

Before the show started I noticed the great rock photographer, Janet Macoska, taking a picture of the stage at the end of my row and sitting two rows behind me. It was important to me to go and say hi as I have admired her work for a long time. Her photos of rock legends can almost make you hear the music thru her lens. Take some time one day and take a look at her work. You won’t regret it.

The show started with a film montage of past inductees pictures with parts of their speeches playing and I have to admit it got me pumped for the evening especially how it ended with the iconic photo of John Lennon and his voice saying “John Lennon you made it, tonight you’re in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame”. I was ready for the night to rock.

Little Anthony and the Imperials started the show musically with a melody of their hits “Tears On My Pillow”, “Hurts So Bad”, and “I’m All Right” before the Smokey Robinson walked out to officially induct them into the Hall Of Fame. During one of the Imperials speeches he made a plea “the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is fantastic, keep it here, Please”. (Side Note #2: Why is this being even discussed Rock Hall Foundation? I know that NY feels it should be there because they just opened an annex there and they have hosted the induction ceremonies every year but why would you move to a city that doesn’t even care enough to have a simulcast of this year’s ceremony at their annex because they seem to be pouting, if it’s not in NY they do not want any part of it. The Hall Of Fame is where is should be, Foundation members, we care. Okay enough of my rant back to the story)

Wanda Jackson was the next inductee and was presented by Roseanne Cash. During the video into of Wanda her advocates Elvis Costello and Bruce and Patty Springsteen talked about her influence and seeing here perform on the video from the 50’s showed she really did know how to rock and she proved it at age 71 as she strapped on her guitar and rocked out with “Mean, Mean Man” and “Let’s Have A Party”

Paul Shaffer was next to present Spooner Oldham and I have to tell you it was one of the best parts of the show for me. Paul gave a passionate speech interlaced with Spooner’s licks as they went thru some of the great songs he played on. Songs like “Mustang Sally”, “When A Man Loves A Woman”, “I’m Your Puppet”, “Natural Woman”, and “Cry Like A Baby”. This speech alone showed why the Sideman category is so important to the Hall Of Fame. These unspoken masters made the music we love, even if they never sang a note. I would have loved to hear Spooner play his masterpieces but as a Sideman Inductee they don’t get to play.

The screen lowered and the video montage of Bobby Womack was great with the old Soul Train clips and interviews and then out came Ronnie Wood who in his speech you can tell really cares about Bobby Womack and is his friend. The fact that he did it without notes and it came from his heart tells you how he feels. There is a bond between these two men. Having Womack inducted in his hometown made it even more special. When Bobby opened his speech with “It’s great to back home in Cleveland” and his voice started to break, you know how he felt about the honor. Bobby took the stage for his performance and with an acoustic guitar played the great “Across 110th Street” and then Ronnie came out and backed him on the Stones hit written by Bobby “It’s All Over Now”.

Next up was Run DMC who were inducted by Eminem. Now I am not a fan of Eminem like my son is but his speech was one of the best of the night. It was heartfelt about how he felt about Run DMC and how they influenced him. I have let it be known, I don’t feel Run DMC should be in the Rock Hall even though friends and family have told me differently. Even though they used rock/metal records to scratch on, it still doesn’t fall into the rock category but as a musical artist, they are at the top of their genre, you can’t say differently. They led a lot of firsts in the Rap world and were pioneers. One thing I did not understand was they did not perform. I know they said they wouldn’t perform without Jam Master Jay ever again but last year Rev Run was out doing Run DMC songs with Kid Rock and “DMC” McDaniel said at the end of his speech he’ll be back here in 25 years as a solo artist. I think it would have been a way to salute their friend with a performance together at their induction.

Max Weinberg and Danny Tallent of the E Street Band presented the next two inductees from Elvis’s old backing band, bassist Bill Black and drummer DJ Fontana. Bill Black’s son and daughter gave a heart tugging speech about their father and DJ Fontana almost stole the night with his laid back speech. The one thing about the “Sideman” inducted Saturday was how laid back they were. You could tell in both DJ’s and Spooners speeches, that these were guys that didn’t need the limelight. They were happy to just play the music.

Jeff Beck was next and the place erupted when Jimmy Page came out to present Jeff with his 2nd induction into the Hall Of Fame, the 1st with The Yardbirds and now as a solo artist. Jimmy said that he thought that Jeff was the best solo artist he ever heard. To listen to someone like Jimmy talk about how amazing guitar player Jeff is with his unorthodox style and how he feels about him as an artist is what I knew would get me, the music/guitarist geek in the end. Jeff speech was great and his thanking the people that keep him going and the finger he gave those that didn’t was funny. It was also very cool of Jeff to acknowledge the great Scotty Moore who was in the audience as someone he admired. After his speech Jeff came out on stage with his backing band and launched into “Beck’s Bolero” and give props to the camera people for focusing on his hands during it on the big screens. It was a pleasure to watch this artist play like this, again being the music/guitarist geek. When Jimmy came out the two launched into “Immigrant Song” chills went up my spine. Jimmy Page backing rhythm guitar to Becks leads was a highlight for me. Jeff finished with a rocking “Peter Gunn Theme”. How he plays lead solos like he does with his thumb is mind blowing.

The night ended with the last inductee and the one the fans in the balcony (as well as my son and myself) seemed to be waiting for, Metallica. The video montage went thru the history of Metallica and what I thought was fitting for them also interlaced footage from the documentary “Some Kind Of Monster” showing the highs and lows of this powerful band. Flea presented them and another great speech from an artist that seemed to really care about the band. When Metallica came up to give their speeches I was on the edge of my seat to see how they would all interact with Jason Newsted but it looked like nothing in the past ever happened and it was one big happy reunion. I was also interested in how they would acknowledge Dave Mustaine and Ron McGovney but no mention of either even though McGovney was in the audience and at the private Metallica party the night before. We all know the tension and feelings in the band throughout the years and it was nice to see they were all shelved in their speeches and they realized that it was a whole group effort to get them to the Hall Of Fame. It was also great that each one shared their thoughts on the late Cliff Burton with Cliff’s father accepting his award. After the speeches the only break into the show came as Metallica got ready to perform. After about a 5 minute wait they came out and blew the roof off with “Master Of Puppets” and “Enter Sandman” with both Newsted and Trujillo playing bass! It was very cool to see them playing the same notes in two totally different styles. (just a thought, maybe on the new tour!, how cool would that be to see the 5 of them together) The music was loud, driving and great.

The finale was something I was waiting for all night, especially with the diverse styles of the inductees but what disappointed me was they did it in two parts. The first finale was Wanda Jackson, Roseanne Cash, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Spooner Oldham, Bobby Womack, Ronnie Wood and Jeff Beck along with Paul Schaffer and the band doing a rockin version of “Jailhouse Rock” The sad part was this was not even included on the television broadcast by Fuse.

The second finale had Metallica, Jeff Beck, Ronnie Wood, Jimmy Page, Flea and Joe Perry playing the classic “Train Kept A Rollin” which was covered by almost everyone on the stage. James Hetfield said it best before they started “I don’t have to do a lot of playing with what’s behind me” and it was a guitar fans feast on stage. They rocked it and at the end of the song we wanted more.

What happened to the seemingly endless jams at the other inductions? Why have two different finales? It would have been cool to see Hetfield and Wanda trading lines on “Jailhouse Rock”. How about Lars and DJ pounding out the licks on “Train” side by side. Think outside of the box guys. If they all go into the same Hall Of Fame, have them all play together. It really would have been golden and it would have worked. This is my only real problem with the whole night.

Kudos to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on a great night. To Mayor Frank Jackson and the City Of Cleveland you did a great job of making the city look like a Hall Of Fame city.

Last but not least, congratulations to all of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees of 2009.

A huge Thank You to Sandy Durbin who was sitting next to us and was kind enough to send me the pictures she took at the inductions. I used just a small sample of her photos here and the rest can be seen at the main website http://www.clevelandrockandroll.com/

Keep rockin Cleveland
Nuff said, at least till next week
Peace Out
Bear