2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees POLL

Do they put him under "H" or "B"? (I think I do put him under "H" but it seems questionable now.)

I think of Pop as made-up surname, but a surname nonetheless; I think Howlin' Wolf is meant more as a two-word phrase? Muddy Waters (who I've also had in the W's for years) seems more like Howlin' Wolf, a phrase. I don't know. Nor am I sure if Mama Cass should go in the 'M' or the 'E' section.

Once I decide, I'm going to start classifying each letter into "rock and roll" and "early influence" sub-sections.

There’s a joke here: “Where do you put Meat Loaf records?” “Oh, that one’s easy—nowhere, I don’t own any.”

Yeah, I think I always just thought of "Meat Loaf" and "Howlin Wolf" as two-word phrases as opposed to first name/surname so classified them by the 1st letter but am not sure that's defensible.

I was curious as whether the NY Times referred to him as Mr. Loaf. They don't.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/25/arts/meatloaf-bat-out-of-hell.html

my rule is if its a legal first & last name, its filed under surname. if theres any nickname or alteration whatsoever, it goes under first letter. anything else gets too confusing for me. screaming jay hawkins under s, muddy waters under m, meat loaf in the trash

I can see it both ways—but the fact that Wolf and Waters could be “normal” last names at least makes an argument for treating them that way, while “Loaf” doesn’t.

What is the distinction there?

Just that "Waters" and "Wolf" exist as Anglo-Saxon last names?

I was kidding about the Times--Meatloaf's just one word, you can't split it up. It'd by like filing Blowfly in the 'F' section.

I'm wrong! It is two words. My joke is salvaged.

I thought he does spell it as 2 capitalized words?xp ah

xxp Anglo-Saxon(?) They’re just not uncommon surnames in the US. No one is named “Loaf.”

Ha: https://www.ancestry.ca/name-origin?surname=loaf&geo_a=r&geo_s=us&geo_t=ca&geo_v=2.0.0&_ga=2.219026577.921939885.1613843597-1391661623.1613843597&o_iid=41015&o_lid=41015&o_sch=Web+Property

To me, it makes more sense to look at the first names. Does Howlin' make sense as a stand-alone name without Wolf? Did people actually address him as Howlin'?

Muddy Waters is also a two-word phrase, of course, but it's easier to imagine Muddy (rhymes with Buddy) as a stand-alone name.

From an interview:

"All of a sudden I became Muddy Waters. You know? Just overnight. People started to speakin', hollerin' across the streets at me. When they used to hardly say good morning, you know. I could walk down the street--'Hey, Muddy! Hey, Muddy! There go Muddy!"

I'm almost positive my entire rationale for any of this traces to the first (red) Rolling Stone Record Guide: they have both Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters filed under 'W' in their blues section. Elsewhere, Captain Beefheart is filed under 'B', the Captain & Tennille under 'C', Meat Loaf and Mama Cass under 'M'. They seem not to have given inconsistencies a great deal of thought.

Captain & Tennille is easy, of course that’s under “C.” I can see why Beefheart would be a toss-up, though I would probably also use “B.”

Howlin' Wolf under 'H', Captain Beefheart under 'C', because they are titles, not names.
Muddy Waters under 'W', Iggy Pop under 'P', because they are names, even though they are pseudonyms.
Cat Stevens under 'S', even though everyone called him Steve in the 70s.

Dr. John under 'D', also a title rather than a name.

Iggy and the Stooges under 'I', Alice Cooper 1969-1974 under 'A', because they are group names.

So you separate Raw Power from the other Stooges records?

Fwiw I always file Bob Dylan under W because his real name is Lucky Wilbury.

Yes, and separate from the Iggy Pop solo records too.

Where do you guys file MC / DJ ______ artists?

The only one I own is DJ Shadow, under 'D', although I can see how someone with a lot would use a different filing system.

Howlin' Wolf was Howlin' Wolf, this is canon

https://i.imgur.com/Yfek1IB.jpeg

TS: Miles vs (Col)trane

where the fuck is count basie

for that matter where the fuck is Count Bass D?

I hate every count I see from Count Base D to Count Base E

Pumpkins, Smashing

Smiling politely, Homer Simpson

I have legit seen Jane Eyre alphabetized under E, y'all.

where the fuck is count basie

I have separate shelves for the nobility, in order of rank. It goes foughly like this:

King Missile
Queen Latifah
Duke Ellington
Count Basie
Earl "Fatha" Hines
Sir Mix-a-lot
Common

Generally these are shelved after Eric Clapton, because royalty is only subject to God.

Foughly should be roughly

Also Bobbie Gentry goes before Common

Haha

Where do John Squire and Jordan Knight fit in?

All of the options are fine except the Foo Fighters. Voted "who cares?"

Filing the Foo Fighters under who-cares makes perfect sense to me.

This thread is the Rock Hall's greatest claim to fame.

If it's your own collection, just file them where you'd immediately think they'll be - you shouldn't have to think it over, it's for your own convenience. I guess I file them 'correctly,' but I was already used to the correct filing from libraries, stores, etc.

the reason I compared Foo Fighters to Jack Morris upthread, flawed as it was, as it seems like they're getting it purely on longevity, for being a 'decent enough' band that managed to last 25+ years.

which is kind of mind blowing to me, as I never expected them to have that kinda career arc when I first listened to them in the 90s. I don't think anybody was convinced they'd really be an ongoing thing until Colour came out and blew up.

fwiw it’s not just that they’ve been around, it’s that they’ve been around and been popular the whole time. foo fighters have 14 mil spotify monthly listeners, which i think is the most of any post-grunge group from their era.

It's not just that they've been around and been popular the whole time, it's that they've embraced this role of torchbearers of the Rock'N'Roll™ brand.

Build it a museum and establish guitar camps to teach it to kids

They defined the sound of modern rock radio, to the degree that you know all their hit songs but have no idea who sings them. Because they're so bland it could be anyone.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Adoration of the Mogwai (Deflatormouse) at 6:26 20 Feb 21

They defined the sound of modern rock radio, to the degree that you know all their hit songs but have no idea who sings them. Because they're so bland it could be anyone.


I actually think Foo Fighters are very identifiable, I instantly know it's them when I hear a new song

Everybody can complain about the Foo Fighters, but it's inevitable - first the grunge bands go in, the britpop bands are next, then the nu-metal bands go in (RATM as the first), and then brace yourself for all the emo bands. Paramore and Coheed & Cambria will be on that stage whether us old farts like it or not.