Wow, What A Strange Class Trip

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 2011 Inductees has been leaked across the internet before the scheduled announcement on Wednesday December 15th and I have to say this...it"s not a bad class. It"s a strange class...but not a bad one.

Welcome to the Hall Of Fame.....Alice Cooper, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Tom Waits and Darlene Love.

Hard to believe isn"t it. Bear saying the inductees are not that bad. Don"t rush to judgment here, it could have been better, much much better but the voters could only vote for who the nominating committee sent over.

Did they miss the boat on not putting J. Geils in...Absolutely

Did they get it right by not voting in L.L. Cool J, Chic and Donna Summer...Hell yea

Look I actually like the five inductees. Alice Cooper was a no brainer, he should have been in when he was first eligible in 1995. I'm not so sure if Darlene Love is Hall worthy but I have always liked her and she is more worthy than Donna Summer. People will whine about Neil Diamond but before he went cheesy with Barbara Streisand he was considered rock in the 60’s and you would be hard pressed to find a more prolific songwriter of the past 50 years. Dr. John and Tom Waits I can put together as two artists I thought I would never see inducted, love them both but they are both so different from the mainstream I never thought they would see the inside of the hall except with a ticket. A happy surprise for sure.

Alice Cooper, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Tom Waits and Darlene Love. Wow what a strange class...Can't wait to hear the jam at the end of the night. Wonder what Tom Waits song will they do?

Hopefully this version of rock's wikileaks is true.

Nuff said, least till next time
Happy holidays to everyone
Peace Out
Bear

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s 15th Annual American Music Masters Series

Hey Cleveland, one of the biggest events in Rock and Roll is coming back to Cleveland for the 15th year in a row, The American Music Masters Series

If you missed last years great event honoring Janis Joplin don't miss out this year when the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame honors the music of Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew. This great event will not only feature the music of Fats and Dave but also the great music of New Orleans.

I mean come on Cleveland the house band is none other but Dr John and the Lower 9-11 what could be better.

This isn't just a one night concert, no......this is a week long celebration starting on Nov 8 with Rock And Roll Night School: A Spotlight On Fats Domino And Dave Bartholomeaw with something new every night leading up to the main event on Nov 13th.

Last year a lot of people I told about the Janis Joplin event all said "Bear I wish I would have known, I would have loved to gone" Well now you know so go to http://www.rockhall.com/ to get tickets and for a complete list of events. It'll be the best $30 you spent lately for a night of great music.




For more information on the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and all of the upcoming events at the hall go to http://www.rockhall.com/

American Music Masters®

2010: Fats Domino & Dave Bartholomew
2009: Janis Joplin
2008: Les Paul
2007: Jerry Lee Lewis
2006: Roy Orbison
2005: Sam Cooke
2004: Lead Belly
2003: Buddy Holly
2002: Hank Williams
2001: Bessie Smith
2000: Muddy Waters
1999: Louis Jordan
1998: Robert Johnson
1997: Jimmie Rodgers
1996: Woody Guthrie

The Wizard Of Oz And The Rock Hall Nominees

I could while away the hours, conferrin' with the flowers
Consultin' with the rain.
And my head I'd be scratchin' while
my thoughts were busy hatchin'
If I only had a brain.

I can’t get this tune out of my head this week. It started when I first saw the list of nominees for the 2011 Rock Hall Inductions.

Seriously, doesn’t it seem we go thru this every year now?

Who on this distinguished board of music experts nominates Chic....LL Cool J….Donna Summer?

Who stands up in that room and advocates for them?

Bigger question, who voted for them to get them to the final ballot?

I listened all week to spokespeople from the Rock Hall try to justify the selections, telling us that the nominees are based not on sales, popularity, etc but on their influence on music and other artists, their body of work, the length and depth of their career and my favorite “unquestionable musical excellence.”

Really…..

Can the person that nominated Chic tell me who they influenced, how their long and storied body of work demands them being in the Rock Hall? Please tell me about the depth of their career and the innovations to music they exhibited or better yet who on the nominating committee can tell me why they voted them onto the final ballot! Again! I know if I was on the committee and in that room and when Chic was brought up my first response would have been “Are you f___ing kidding me! That’s the best you could come up with!”

Really……

Look there are people on the nomination committee I really respect, some I know personally. People like Jim Henke, David Fricke, Lauren Onkey, Steve Van Zandt and Dave Marsh, I really respect their musical opinions. I don’t know who they nominated or voted for but I would find it hard to believe one of them stood up and said “This year I think Donna Summer should be inducted.”

But others on the committee, ah no……

Look, LL Cool J is the new Abba for the Rock Hall. Abba was eligible for 11 years before all of a sudden a hit movie comes out and magically they are Rock Hall worthy. LL has a hit television show and you know what…. Bam, this year’s Abba.

LL Cool J has been eligible for two years and has made the final ballot both times. Do you really think he was a bigger influence and has a better body of work than say Stevie Ray Vaughan who has never even sniffed the final ballot or Leon Russell or Peter Gabriel or …….. I could go on and on but it falls on deaf ears, which is really a strange concept since we are talking about music.

Based on the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Foundation’s own criteria for nomination, I said it last year (click here) and I’ll say it again, Frank Sinatra, Willie Nelson and Barbara Streisand all should be in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. (I can’t believe I am advocating Babs to be in the Rock Hall, look what they have done to me) Tell me where I am wrong.

Let’s look at these three artists:

They have said in the past that it isn’t restricted to just “Rock” acts….okay check.

Their body of work…. check.

Influence on music and other artists…. check.

Depth of their career and unquestionable musical excellence….duh check.

Under the criteria we are told over and over when they try to justify their nominees to us, Are they qualified to be in the Hall Of Fame….Absolutely

Should they be in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame…..? No

You know what the smart move would have been for the committee this year. Give the public a final ballot of just rock acts. If they would have given us a ballot of let’s say, Alice Cooper, J. Geils Band, Rush, Steve Ray Vaughan, Deep Purple, Peter Gabriel, Electric Light Orchestra, Jethro Tull, Lou Reed, Steve Winwood, Todd Rundgren, Yes, Moody Blues and to stop the emails to me, Kiss they would have shut up the very vocal public and then next year they could have gone back to their convoluted, mysterious ways.

That’s all they had to do…..

Do you really think someone would have thought that out after the past years of controversy? Hmmm……Let me reference my opening lines of this story, you can sing along if you want.

Look folks, LL Cool J is going to be shoved down our throats each and every year until he is inducted. Period. That’s just the way it is. That is the thinking of this committee.

Our only hope is the voters. The supposedly largest block of voters is the past inductees of the hall. Hopefully the Ozzy’s of the Rock Hall have more votes than the Madonna’s of the Hall.

Do we really need the proclaimed “Queen Of Disco” in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame?

As Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee David Gilmour once said “If you liked Disco, then you really didn’t like Rock And Roll.”

That says it all……

Nuff said, least till next time
Peace Out
Bear

Tonight's The Night or Welcome To My Nightmare

Tonight’s the big night!

Tonight the wait is finally over!

Tonight is what music lover’s the world over have been waiting for!

Tonight ABBA, Sweden’s biggest import since meatballs and Ikea, is inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame!

Okay I’ll wait for the applause to subside……………………………………….

Wow that wasn’t very long.

Tonight the iconic rock staple ABBA is being inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and guess what? Half of them aren’t even coming.

What!

You heard me right, two of the four members of ABBA are not even showing up to be inducted into the Hall Of Fame. One has “a family event” and the other one’s excuse is “I don’t like to fly.” Ahhhh didn’t you used to tour? Didn’t you fly then or did you take Greyhound from gig to gig?

Personally I don’t think any of them should be there simply based on their music, but that’s me. No one gave me a vote but come on, you get inducted over much more deserving bands and individuals and then you stiff the ceremonies. Wow that takes a huge pair.

Do you think the members of Deep Purple would have attended? How about Rush or Heart or Alice Cooper or The Moody Blues or The Doobie Brothers or The J. Geils Band or Chicago or Jethro Tull or Steve Miller or…………… oh hell, you get the point.

So many deserving rock artists are skipped over each and every year for inclusion into the Rock Hall and it is only going to get worse. The Rock Hall Foundation that oversees the induction selections wants to drop the 25 year rule (when an artist’s first album is released) to 20 years. Why? Because then “newer” acts would move up the ballot. Acts that are “fresher” and “have name value”.

Are you kidding me. “NAME VALUE” Really!

Hey Rock Hall Foundation do you ever take a look at the great artists that are not in and can you tell me with a straight face they do not have “name value”. If you can do that all I can say is, Wow another huge pair.

But under this cloud of delusion by the foundation members, the inclusion of ABBA makes perfect sense. They have been eligible for 10 years and in those 10 years only once before have they EVER even been nominated for induction. Once, that’s all.

Did their music somehow get better over the past 10 years to finally make them worthy?

No, it’s simple, ABBA got in to the prestigious Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame because of one thing. The movie Mamma Mia.

The movie Mamma Mia gave them as the Rock Hall Foundation states it “name value”.

Even ABBA member Benny Anderson isn’t as delusional as some members of the selection committee when they voted for him when he told Rolling Stone Magazine that he was shocked Abba received a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nod. “I didn’t think this would happen, because we were a pop band, not a rock band,” All I can say about that is neither did I Benny, neither did I.

Tonight all I want is one thing from Benny and Frida when they accept their awards. I don’t want them to thank God, their manager, their band mate who doesn’t like to fly, the fans, or even their cat’s chiropractor.

I would like to hear their acceptance speech go like this.

“We would like to thank the one person that made this happen for us, Meryl Streep. Without Meryl we would never have been recognized like this. We would have stayed in the obscurity we have been in for decades. Here’s to you Meryl”

If I was Alice Cooper I would be on the phone tomorrow saying “Meryl I got this idea for a movie called Welcome To My Nightmare, you would be the lead. A lot of music, snakes, and guillotines. It could be huge!”

ABBA in the Rock Hall, welcome to MY nightmare folks.

Nuff said, least till next time
Peace Out
Bear

Bear's Holiday Gift Ideas...or Everything Oprah Missed!

It’s that time of the year. People have thoughts of sugar plum fairies (ahhhhh what…..) as they try to figure out what is the cool gift to give this year.

I know you probably listened to Oprah or Ellen or some other TV talking head telling you their favorite holiday gift to give this year. The only problem is I can’t afford the gifts they suggest plus I would rather support the Cleveland artists, writers, craftsmen and venues they seem to overlook. (Take that Oprah!)

Well I’m here to give you the ultimate gift ideas (or at least in my eggnog soaked mind) for the rocker in your life.

There’s a lot of books out there about rock but what you need is a book about rock and Cleveland. The best one I’ve come across is John Gorman’s “The Buzzard – Inside The Glory Days Of WMMS And Cleveland Rock Radio”. Simply I love this book. Growing up in Cleveland with WMMS playing in the background of my life, I can relate to and remember many of the stories John tells about the formation of probably the greatest rock station ever created. It was a phenomenon we were a part of as listeners and it is great to get the behind the scenes look at our version or “WKRP”. Click here to buy

Need something to play in the background while reading “The Buzzard”? How about re-living Fridays at 6pm with Murray Sauls “The Get Downs Vol 1”. I mean the original wild man of Cleveland in the 70’s gave us his on the fly rants about politics, music, drugs, karma, work, life, liberty, sex, slavedriver bosses, and every other thing that crossed his fertile mind. Everyone tuned in at 6pm to get the proper start to the weekend. Always remember "We gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta.....get down, damnit!" Click here to buy

I’ve said it over and over. The only reason to buy the Plain Dealer is Michael Heaton. Plain and simple. Michael has a way of writing that you, me and everyone else can relate to and his book “Truth And Justice For Fun And Profit” is just fun reading. It’s a collection of his best works and as you finish one, you can’t wait to read the next. It’s a book you can’t put down. His view of Cleveland is to say “unique”. Also if you can get your hands on his “The Best Of The Minister Of Culture” it is worth the price of the book for just the story “Black Leather & Love: A Rock Fantasy” about his fantasy of being Mr. Joan Jett. Click here to buy

Looking for something unique or handmade? How about coming out and supporting Cleveland’s local artists at The Last Minute Market on Saturday December 19th from 10am-6pm at the Lake Erie Building at Templar Industrial Park 13000 Athens Ave. Lakewood. Local artists and craftsmen will be showing and selling jewelry, clothing, artwork and some really, really great rock concert posters (okay that’s my booth!). So why bother going to a crowded mall buying the same old run of the mill stuff when you can come by and get something unique and that one of a kind gift. Hey at worst case, you’ll finally get to see what I look like!

Ever walk down the street and see someone wearing a cool t-shirt and wonder where they got it? They probably got it from Psycho Reindeer! They have the wildest and coolest designs you can imagine and they are only $14 with free shipping. C’mon free shipping! Try to get that somewhere else. Click here to visit their website.

Looking to put the ultimate home theater in your house or looking for that audio system that goes “up to 11” or simply need that flat screen installed on the wall so it doesn’t fall off. Then you got to check out the guys at Crave Audio and Video. These guys know their stuff and I’m telling you this as a paying customer! Look it is easy to go to some of these overpriced audio/video specialist stores that are going to push you into something they want to sell you (trust me on this!) or that Best Buy where you got your tv and now what are you going to do as it sits in a box in the middle of your living room. These are good guys where the customer is first. Give Kyle a call at 440-623-5698 for a consultation and tell him Bear sent you. (Ask him about my A7’s!)

Look it is no secret here that my favorite Cleveland musician is Alex Bevan. I’ve been listening to Alex for over 35 years and his music just hits a cord with me and his latest CD “Falls And Angels” continues the tradition. It’s a beautiful CD that finishes off with the haunting “Gunfighter Smile”. Go over to Alex’s website and pick it up and while your there pick up some of his other great CD’s. Click Here to visit the website

Got a real rock and roll fan in your family? I got the perfect gift then. How about a membership to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Never thought of it before, don’t feel bad, it’s just one of those perfect gifts you just never think about. Wow, I got an idea!!!! Instead of going out and buying “Guitar Hero” or “Rock Band” so your child can sit in front of the TV pretending to be a rock legend, why not get them a membership to the Rock Hall in their name. Not only do they get a very cool members only rock and roll t-shirt, a collectable Rock Hall pin but a membership card with their name on it. Think how cool it would be when you take your family to the Rock Hall and your kid pulls out his/her membership card and tells them at the entrance “I’m a member”. Let’s start making a new generation of musicians and teaching them the history of rock and this is a great way to get started. Click Here to go the Rock Hall website

Okay one last gift idea. Just click over to the main website, www.clevelandrockandroll.com and click on the store button and check out the selections of the Cleveland rock concert posters I have available. Janis, Floyd, Stones, Zeppelin, there all there. Go on take a look! Click Here

Wow, okay now the eggnog (spiked of course!) is settling in and I think I might have given you some very cool gift ideas (hey, I have no problem if any of you would like to give me any of them. Just a thought) and you don’t even have to go to the mall and park a mile away and fight the crowds and blah, blah, blah. Okay you get the idea.

This holiday, give a little piece of Cleveland to your rock fan.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Nuff said, least till next time
Peace Out
Bear

Woe Is Me The Native Clevelander

You know being a Clevelander is hard.

We tune in and watch week after week as the Browns go thru the motions while the owner laughs at us being the suckers we are year after year.

We watch our former Indians pick up their World Series rings with their new teams as we go into another year of rebuilding.

The Cavs, well we’ll see. We’ll see LeBron dishing the pass off to Kobe or Dwayne Wade or Dwight Howard next year and we’ll just sit here and say what if?

You know it seems we like to be the underdog, the downtrodden, the “crapped upon”. It seems we relish it at times, wear it as a badge of honor because we keep taken it, year after year from our sports teams.

But you know what we have that every other city in the United States if not the World would love to rip away from us but we Clevelanders seem to take for granted?

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame…..

Other cities have football teams, baseball teams, basketball teams but none have the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. We do, but do you care?

I don’t know……

All you readers out there hold your hand up if you have been to the Rock Hall..…Okay keep them up if you have been there more than once….Okay now who has been there recently…..Okay that’s what I thought, you couple of people, lower your hands.

We love to bash the Rock Hall Foundation for not having the Induction Ceremonies here each year and complain that New York is stealing our glory, but if they were here every year would you go?

I don’t know……

We complained that the 25th Anniversary Concert for the Rock Hall was in New York and not here in Cleveland and we were being shafted again but would you have went if was?

I would hope so…….

While we were complaining about the Induction Ceremonies and the 25th Anniversary Concert not being held here did you know what is held here and NOT in New York for the past 14 years?


The American Music Masters Series Tribute Concert!

Now raise your hands out there if you knew this…..Keep them up while I count. Okay now those with your hands up, keep them up if you went….Yep that’s what I figured.

Okay, okay I’ll admit it, I didn’t know about it also until last year when they honored Les Paul but you know what…I won’t ever miss another one.

Every year for the past 14 years the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame honors one of the important figures in music with the American Music Masters Series Tribute Concert, right here in Cleveland. They have honored in the past Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Sam Cooke, Buddy Holly, Muddy Waters, Hank Williams, Robert Johnson and Woody Guthrie to name just a few and you know who came to Cleveland to perform at these concerts to honor the greats of the past? Well some of the greats of music now. Artists like Bruce Springsteen, Arlo Guthrie, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Levon Helm, Southside Johnny, The Allman Brothers, Bob Weir, Peter Green, BB King, Bo Diddley, Bonnie Raitt, John Mellancamp, Robert Plant, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello, Billy Gibbons, George Thorogood and this is a fraction of the artists that come to our town, our Cleveland, to perform for the past 14 years for us, not those New Yorkers we like to complain about, but us. Take that New York!

Did you go?

This year I did and man, I am glad I did. This year’s honoree was Janis Joplin and it was a great night of music. It showcased the not only Janis but the periods of music that flowed thru her life. From her early days in Austin Texas with the country roots to her love of the blues to the San Francisco sound to her following her heart and finding her unique style as a solo artist. This was all done with an eclectic mix of musicians, many who were friends of Janis.

The night started out with the big cowboy Ray Benson from Asleep At The Wheel accompanied by Carolyn Wonderland and they started the night out on the right track with “Silver Threads And Golden Needles” and for the next 3 hours it never waned. Highlights for me from the night were Carolyn Wonderland, who is just a powerhouse on stage, doing “Down On Me”, Susan Tedeschi’s great versions of “Try (Just A Little Bit Harder” and “Kosmic Blues”, Nona Hendrix doing “Move Over”, Gregg Rolie and Michael Carabello of Santana doing “No One to Depend On” and “Evil Ways” and truly confirming to me that the best music Santana ever created was when Rolie was the voice of the band, and Nick Gravanites “Buried Alive in the Blues” which he wrote for Janis for the Pearl album but she never got to record before she died. A beautiful blues ballad that Janis would have made her own. I especially loved the video of Kris Kristofferson who couldn’t be there talking about him and Janis during the recording of “Me And Bobby McGee” and the very funny stories he told of the two of them. The Rock Hall also did a great job of weaving video of Janis throughout the concert highlighting different parts of her life and seeing the transformation of this woman who finally became Pearl.

I had the honor of being with the press interviewing these artists before the show and got to see for myself how they really felt about the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and Cleveland. For Rock Hall Inductees like Gregg Rolie and Michael Carabello, they said it was cool for them to see their old outfits and items on display from their early days of Santana and for every other artist I talked to, they were like kids in a candy store as their eyes lit up while they talked about going thru the Rock Hall and seeing the guitars, lyrics and personal items of the artists they idolize.

I’m going to be publishing the interviews throughout the next few weeks here and they should be entertaining reading (at least I hope!). They were very open and gave great insights into their careers and music in general from Rolie and Carabello taking about the creation of Santana to Ray Benson telling me about seeing a 17 year old Stevie Ray Vaughan for the first time to Susan Tedeschi talking about the new project with her husband Derek Trucks (Allman Brothers Band) to Nona Hendrix of LaBelle fame talking about working with Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Jimi Hendrix but her revelation about her time hanging out with rock’s ultimate bad boy Keith Moon of The Who was definitely an eye opener.

On a personal note, I want to thank Reena Samaan and Margaret Thresher for their invitation and for their great hospitality.

We need to remember as our sports teams disappoint us again, we still think we are a great sports town but before that we were known as THE great music town and that’s why the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is here and not New York or San Francisco or Philadelphia or London. It’s here for a reason. Cleveland was the epicenter of Rock, period. Rock was formed here, given its name here, careers launched here and no one ever skipped playing here. That’s why the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is here so let’s make sure it stays here. Go out and support the Rock Hall. Go visit the hall, go to one of the talks with the guest speakers they bring in, go see one of the shows like U2 3D in their theatre. Just Go and show them why Cleveland is still the Rock And Roll Capital Of The World!

Take that New York!

Nuff said, least till next time
Peace Out
Bear

Random Thoughts On The Rock Hall, The End Of Summer And A Good Cause

Random Thoughts On The Rock Hall, The End Of Summer And A Good Cause:

On The Rock Hall debate….
I want to thank everyone (and there were hundreds) who took the time to email me about last week’s story on the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nominees and I have to tell you, people are pissed off.

I was going to do another story this week on the subject as an open letter to the committee but the more I research this, the madder I get so I am going to wait until the finalist are announced and with what I find out, I’ll put it all out there for you.

Just a couple of things I found out and don’t want to wait and have to get off my chest. Some of these members who hold themselves in such high esteem (ie: Robert Hilburn - LA Times music critic) don’t even bother to go to the nomination meeting and I’m sure there are others who didn’t bother to go but Bob made it public last week “tweeting” about it. Hey Bob, don’t complain about who the 12 finalists are if you don’t think it’s important enough to attend the meeting not just this year but the past several years. Here is his comment to futurerocklegends.com (a very cool site that I came across and covers the Rock Hall process) about this “unable to attend ny meetings in recent years; sent my choices to the chairman. so don't know how debate went this time”.

Bob if you can’t be there to advocate for your choices then RESIGN. Let someone that cares enough about their choices and feels strong enough about them come in and take your place. I know you said “Here are Rock candidates I would have preferred: Lou Reed, the Replacements, Gram Parsons, Tom Waits, Kraftwerk, Randy Newman, NY Dolls” but it wasn’t important enough for you to even go and voice your opinion so you know what, you get to vote for ABBA this year as you said you were going to.

If you guys on the committee feel as several have stated “keep seeing tweets about disco, punk, soul etc not being valid for rock hall--not true. the hall should embrace the great acts of rock era” and “The Rock Hall uses the word rock in the broadest possible definition, which makes a lot of sense” then as you embrace disco artists, rap artists, etc which performed during this “rock era” and this is the criteria you are using then where are the country artists such as Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson (true songwriters) or vocal artists such as Sinatra, Streisand, Dean Martin. Why are they not being considered based on your own criteria? During this time period they were as important to music as any artist out there. Look I love Willie, Frank and Dean but do they belong in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame?.....No! But under your strange rationalization your telling me Donna Summer had a bigger impact on music than Frank Sinatra or LL Cool J was a bigger influence than Willie Nelson let alone artists that actually should be in the Hall Of Fame such as Alice Cooper, Deep Purple, Leon Russell, Stevie Ray Vaughan, etc. That is actually what you are saying to us with your nominations. You are so arbitrary with what you deem to be “important” in music and how and who you make your choices for, it absolutely makes no sense.

Remember it’s only Rock And Roll.

It’s great to get comments from the readers like “keep up the fight”, “you are right on about this”, “you’re speaking for all of us”, “Thank you” because at times you don’t know if it is just you (or the voices in your head!) or is this how others feel (Except for Bob The Cop who let’s me know very strongly how he feels each week!). I will keep up the fight alongside people like Bob (The Cop not Hilburn) because this process they using and who is on this committee, is just wrong.

______________________________________

On The End Of Summer….
Now that summer is gone, the Browns are officially eliminated from the playoffs (they are aren’t they?), the Indians AAA team is playing out the season at the Jake (I can’t get myself to say The Prog) and I just don’t care about the Cavs (what is everyone in Cleveland going to do next year when he is wearing someone else’s jersey) I have time on my hands so my good friend Matt from addictedtovinyl.com has a great feature on his site called the “Monday Morning Mix Tape” where you can submit your version of the old mix tape everyone used to make. It can have a theme, no theme, random songs or just whatever you like. Just put together your music for everyone to see.

I started mine to submit and it is “The End Of Summer” with songs that just remind me of summer days when I hear them. They don’t have “summer” in the title, they just have something that sparks some hidden memory for me. These are the songs I turn the radio up with the top down on the Jeep on those warm summer nights. So far I got Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison), Three Little Birds (Bob Marley), Grand River Lullaby (Alex Bevan), I’m Your Captain (Grand Funk), Baby Blue (Badfinger), Two Of Us (Beatles), My Whole World Ended (David Ruffin), Gimme Gimme Good Lovin (Crazy Elephant), Two Lane Highway (Pure Prairie League), Out In The Country (Three Dog Night), Got To Give It Up (Marvin Gaye), Time Won’t Let Me (The Outsiders), 6th Avenue Heartache (The Wallflowers), Ripple (Grateful Dead), Trick Of The Tail (Genesis).

Wow, what an eclectic mix. I swear I picked these “not under the influence”. That’s my Mix Tape so far. Now I just got to figure out which order to put them on the CD. Let me know your mix tape and make sure to send them into Matt.

_____________________________________

On Doing A Good Thing….
On October 10th Michael Stanley and Alex Bevan, two of Cleveland’s beloved musicians are doing a benefit at the Beachland Ballroom for the organization Roots Of American Music (ROAM). ROAM is a non-profit organization that focuses on presenting and preserving roots music (Blues, Jazz, Bluegrass, Folk) and using the music as a academic vehicle to help kids reach their benchmarks and educational goals.

This show features these two great artists for the first time ever together doing an intimate all-acoustic show of their best loved songs along with the stories and tales of their colorful careers.

So think about it readers, you get a great night of music and you get to do something good for the community and for a great cause.
Call Roots Of American Music at 216-321-9353 or visit http://www.rootsofamericanmusic.com/ for benefit reservations or www.beachlandballroom.com.

Well that’s it for this week. Let me know what you think good or bad of my random thoughts at bear@clevelandrockandroll.com.

Nuff said, least till next time
Peace Out
Bear

The Rock Hall Induction Committee Steps Into It Again

Today the Rock And Hall Induction Committee announced their list of finalists for the 2010 Class for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and as we say year in, year out….What were they thinking?

The finalists are the Red Hot Chili Peppers, LL Cool J, Kiss, Genesis, The Stooges, Donna Summer, ABBA, Darlene Love, Laura Nyro, The Chantels, The Hollies, and Jimmy Cliff.

I would like to know. Which member of the Induction Committee stood up and argued as the advocate for ABBA? Seriously!

Can we see some problems here?

By looking at the list, you can almost imagine the conversations in the room when you see a Genesis alongside Donna Summer or Kiss next to Darlene Love or The Hollies beside LL Cool J. Each of these artists have someone nominate them, argue for them and make deals to get them on that final list. “I’ll vote for Kiss if you vote for ABBA.”. Is this the way an artist should be honored?

By looking at the list and seeing Genesis (eligible since 1993 and first time on ballot), Kiss (eligible since 1999 and first time on the ballot), The Hollies (eligible since 1989 and again first time on ballot) it is like they said amongst themselves “We better put some classic rock bands on the list or we’ll get crucified in the press again.” Dave Marsh, a member of the Induction committee, was quoted last year about Kiss “Kiss is not a great band, Kiss was never a great band, Kiss never will be a great band, and I have done my share to keep them off the ballot.” Then when pressed on the Kiss issue by City Scoops Magazine he responded by email “I oppose Kiss because I think it was a shitty rock band, not worthy of induction. What else is there to say?”

Then why are they on the ballot now Dave?

You know what Gene Simmons response was? “There are disco bands, rap bands, Yiddish folk song bands in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but not Kiss. I believe we have more gold records in Americathan any other group, but it’s OK.”

No it’s not Gene. (Bear’s Note: As my readers know, I am not a huge Kiss fan, I like a couple of songs but to not acknowledge their impact on music in general is a travesty)
Little Steve Van Zandt of The E Street Band and a member of the Induction Committee in the new issue of Rolling Stone is quoted as saying “There's dozens and dozens of early rock & roll groups that should be in. I notice a bias toward the post-art-form rock critics' sensibility as opposed to the pre-art-form rock & roll sensibility. That's why I had so much difficulty getting the Rascals and the Dave Clark Five in. We'll probably never get Paul Revere and the Raiders in. Anybody who didn't eventually get into Important Personal Lyrics is not regarded seriously. It's very difficult for me to justify the Talking Heads being in the Hall of Fame before the Hollies, or Michael Jackson being in before Johnny Burnette.

Now there’s some insight into the process folks!

It is like they are trying to placate us by throwing us a bone here folks. Don’t get overexcited by seeing Kiss or Genesis, The Hollies, Jimmy Cliff, or The Stooges being on this list. Remember in the end, they don’t have to vote for them and only 5 of these bands will get in. So throwing us the bone now maybe lessens the blow later when we see Donna Summer get it.

As Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee Madonna put it so clearly when she learned she was inducted "I heard about it and I kind of felt ambivalent, like, 'What is that, the place they put musical dinosaurs?' ".

Committee Members and Rock Hall Voters….Nice Job! This is who you honor by putting them into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame?

Last spring we did a poll on http://www.clevelandrockandroll.com/ (here is the link for the archived story http://clevelandrockandroll.blogspot.com/2009/03/votes-are-in-readers-vote-on-hall-of.html) and the Top 10 bands the fans wanted to see inducted were Rush, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Kiss, Genesis, Doobie Brother, Heart, Jethro Tull, ELO, Cheap Trick. You know what they all have in common, not one disco song among them!

Looking at this list and based on the past voting here’s how I see the Class Of 2010. LL Cool J, Donna Summer, Jimmy Cliff, The Stooges and The Chantels. Next in line would be the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

No Genesis, No Hollies and it seems if Dave Marsh has his way NO KISS!

Sad is all I can say, hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think so. The real rock fans just don’t seem to matter.

Maybe next year Stevie Ray……..

Nuff said, least till next time
Peace Out
Bear

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 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

The Votes Are In. The Readers Vote On The Hall Of Fame

The results are in, and you spoke loud and clear.

I can say one thing. The readers of clevelandrockandroll.com are passionate for their favorites and especially who they don't like.

The race for "Who Should Be In The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame But Isn't" was close to the end, but a last minute surge this past week gave us our winner.

RUSH.....with 22% of the vote. The readers have voted Rush into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame!!! Okay we know the Rock Hall is not going to put them in based on your votes but maybe some of the real voters will listen to you, the music fans, next year.
Now for the results and some of your comments.

1st Place.....Rush (346 votes)
.....Until reading this, I thought they were already in the Hall Of Fame. How can they not be - (Russ from Canton)
.....Best band to ever come out of Canada! Really how many great bands come out of Canada! - (Bob from Toronto)
.....Geddy Lee's voice alone should have this great band in the hall. - (Sue from Buffalo)

2nd Place.....Stevie Ray Vaughn (321 votes)
.....Stevie Ray is considered one of the greatest guitar players ever. Wake up voters - (Tom from Cleveland)
.....Top 3 if not the #1 guitarist ever. This is a no brainer. - (Steve from Atlanta)
.....Better than Hendrix, better than Clapton, better than everyone. Why is he overlooked? - (Tim from Akron)

3rd Place.....Kiss (234 votes)
.....Kiss not in? I didn't even know that. The biggest band in the 70's and they are not in? - (Tom from Euclid)
.....Gene Simmons is hated by the music world for how he marketed Kiss. That can be the only reason they are not in. - (Marcy from Columbus)
.....The biggest, baddest, rocking band of my generation! KISS. (Mark from Parma)

4th Place.....Genesis (176 votes)
.....Come on, they could be put in twice for the Peter Gabriel era and then the Phil Collins era. Two totally different bands but both great. - (Ron from Cleveland)
.....I can see why they don't put them in for the music they made with "Invisible Touch" and "We Can't Dance" but the work they did when Peter was in the band was magic.- (Ray from Hinckley)
.....In their early years they were one of the top prog groups on the scene. They have to be in. - (Thomas from New York)

5th Place.....Alice Cooper (149 votes)
.....Alice was theatric rock at it's best. - (Bill from Las Vegas)
.....Are you sure Alice Cooper is not in? - (Kathy from Solon)
.....Schools Out, an anthem for a generation. That alone should be enough. - (Sam from Cleveland)

6th Place.....Doobie Brothers (92 votes)
.....One of the biggest bands of the 70's. Come on voters! - (Bill from Lakewood)
.....Great vocals, great musicians, what more do these voters need? - (Tom from Toledo)

7th Place.....Heart (87 votes)
.....Ann and Nancy taught everyone what a hard rockin female band should sound like. - (Bridgett from Cleveland)
.....They changed my idea what a rock band should look and sound like. - (Bob from Eastlake)

8th Place.....Electric Light Orchestra (85 votes)
.....They made a whole new sound in rock.- (Nancy from Avon Lake)
.....The ultimate rock orchestra. (Jeff from Marrietta)

9th Place.....Jethro Tull (81 votes)
.....Who would have thought a band with a frontman with a flute would be rock legends. I do. (Dave from Houston)
.....I was shocked to look it up and see they were not in. How is this possible. - (Carol from Willoughby)

10th Place.....Cheap Trick (76 votes)
....."At Budokan" defined what a live band should sound like. - (Marcus from Cleveland)
.....Unique, no one was like them. - (Jim from Cleveland)

On the flip side "Who Should Be Thrown Out Of The Hall Of Fame" had a runaway winner!

MADONNA with 72% of the vote (692 votes)
.....The hall lost all credibility with putting her in. - (Karen from Parma)
.....It made me sick. - (Alan from Cleveland)
.....What's next Brittany Spears? - (Tim from Lorain)
.....A JOKE!!!! - (Randy from Chicago)
.....They took a great thing like the ROCK HALL and made it a joke. - (Brett from Cleveland)

2nd Place.....Michael Jackson (183 votes)
.....The self proclaimed King Of Pop has become a world wide joke. - (Sarah from Cleveland)
.....When he was voted in, I stopped caring. - (Ryan from Canton)

3rd Place.....Earth Wind And Fire (73 votes)
.....No rock at all here. - (Mike from Medina)
.....Disco? Disco? Did the voters in 2000 think they were running out of great rock bands to vote for? - (Brian from Boston)

4th Place.....Run DMC (61 votes)
.....I didn't even know who they were except for one song. Should that put you in the Hall Of Fame. That's like putting a baseball player in the Hall of Fame for hitting one home run in his career. - (Jim from Akron)
.....One song with Aerosmith does not make a career. - (Mike from Tremont)

5th Place.....Grandmaster Flash (38 votes)
.....Why voters, why. No good rock bands left? - (Bob from Hudson)
.....Another example of record company hacks voting for what they think is cool instead of what's good. - (Mike from Independence)

You spoke readers, maybe they will listen to you next year.

Nuff said, At least until next week
Peace Out
Bear