Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Nominees 2023

Mellencamp, or I should say Johnny Cougar since it would be the debut: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chestnut_Street_Incident

Sheryl Crow rocks. I love that story about her crashing the closed audition and landing a gig as MJ's backing vocalist. Hollywood baybee!!

Every time I hear Sheryl Crow’s voice I think, “What’s this an ad for?” Turns out she indeed started out as a professional jingle singer. No idea why she chose to retain that approach to singing throughout her career. I do like “If It Makes You Happy,” though.

It's Willie, but I'm voting for Sheryl Crow because of all the disrespect in this thread. She does rock!!

Which inducted band would have caused most incredulity if you went back in time to the year of their debut

Billy Joel/Attila?

Attila wouldn't really count as Billy's debut, he recorded two albums with the Hassles before that (which admittedly no-one would have called Hall of Fame-worthy either).

Three Imaginary Boys probably would have seemed less promising than Speak and Spell (from the standpoint of what in 1979 seemed like history-making rock and roll).

Voted Kate Bush just because she's made the most music I like, and a little bit because her induction would tip the applecart a bit in terms of the hall and her own determination to do everything her way. Would she sail to Cleveland to perform?

I mean, she must be one of very few nominees who has never performed a live concert on American soil (Saturday Night Live doesn't count). Joy Division also, but they are sneaking in with New Order.

‘It’s a No From Me’: Two Rock Hall Voters Dissect This Year’s Ballot

https://www.vulture.com/2023/03/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2023-voters-share-ballots.html

Their take on the Spinners is awful:

Voter 1: They were a great vocal group for the Motown sound. But I feel like they didn’t have a huge impact on other peers of theirs. They’re on the bubble for me. They’re going to just fall short. They definitely had some jams. “I’ll Be Around” and “Working My Way Back to You” are great songs. But again, they’re almost too ephemeral.

They didn't get big until they left Motown and hooked up with Thom Bell - if anything they had a tremendous impact on the PHILLY sound. They were the most successful practitioners of that music, commercially and artistically.

Voter 2: I like the Spinners, but I don’t know if they’re the right fit here. I appreciate the music, but it’s like we break the mold for some things and not others. I’d love to hear the counterargument, but I don’t think the overall influence versus popularity adds up. For me, it’s too far back. I can’t name the lineage of groups that were influenced by them.

Given how often they're sampled, this is baffling. It's not even limited to samples - someone I know tried to make the argument that one of Willow Smith's singles was this underrated masterpiece after it blew up on TikTok, and as soon as I played the opening, it sounded like the backing track was based on 'I'll Be There' but in a lower key.

With the Spinners, I'd count whatever influence they had as an extra; just on how great their music was alone (by which I really mean a representative compilation--although at least one regular-issue album is a classic, 1973's The Spinners), they should go in. Their chart-success, too, although again, I think there should be a level of excellence that gets someone in regardless. (You mean "I'll Be Around," right?) Which, I realize, is the most subjective call of all.

I suppose this doesn't bode well for them going in.

I don’t know if they’re the right fit here.

That’s the same horseshit argument MTV execs made in the early ‘80s for excluding Black acts while putting Hall & Oates in heavy rotation.

(Hall & Oates were inducted in 2014.)

"They didn't get big until they left Motown and hooked up with Thom Bell"

Yes--"It's a Shame" is great, but it's prelude, not a defining song in the way that "I'll Be Around" and "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love" are.

The one voter’s point re: why slayer should get in before Iron Maiden:

I think for somebody from metal to be in, we should nominate Slayer for the Hall of Fame. They had a great career. They headlined stadiums around the world and arenas, and they left a mark.

I’m pro-Slayer but…they’re talking about Maiden right?

They headlined stadiums around the world and arenas, and they left a mark.

you'd be hard pressed to find a band with a more international fanbase and has toured more places than maiden

(You mean "I'll Be Around," right?)

Ah, correct, that's what I meant. It really does feel like there's little chance for their induction. They've been nominated several times before, and it's surprising they haven't gotten in when the O'Jays were inducted in 2005. I love the O'Jays too, but they're about on par with each other - it's baffling how nearly 20 years later, the Spinners are still struggling to get in.

One of a Kind Love Affair: The Anthology is probably the best place to hear them, though for some reason they left out "Cupid/I've Loved You For A Long Time." (There's still plenty of room to spare on disc two.)

Maiden STILL plays arenas.

Slayer never drew like they did. Admittedly their final tour was an arena tour but the show I was at was far from sold out

The last four arena shows I've seen of Maiden have been.

Lol what a batshit argument

Would love to talk to that voter

They should let people vote for Best Mascot.

If I were being really flippant, I'd say Ringo--but I love Ringo.

Cyndi Lauper will be acknowledged for her work forging the worlds of rock and wrestling.

― Chris L, Wednesday, February 1, 2023 6:06 AM (one month ago)

cyndi lauper isn't even in the wwe hall of fame, which includes donald trump, which is disgusting and maybe she doesn't want any part of that or any hall anyways

is there any reason why a "voter for the rock and roll hall of fame" needs to be anonymous? beyond not rocking the boat and losing their ticket to the yearly cool kids dinner?

Joy Division/New Order

Voter 1: ​I won’t be voting for them because this is part of my strategic vote — I think they’re going to get a lot of votes.

LOL, it's like the ILM poll...

Brings to mind 2016 when I either knew or saw on the news a lot of people who voted for Jill Stein in America or in support of Brexit as a show of protest in the UK, believing Clinton was a lock and Brexit wouldn't happen. Brilliant strategy.

read that vulture article and while i disagree with them a a good deal and they’re factually incorrect a few times, they look like paragons of taste when compared to the ghoulish oscars voters they unearth every year

i looked up the attendance of the Slayer show I saw at PNC Arena in 2019 - 7,011 tickets sold (it seats 21,000 for concerts).

lol. that jibes with my memory of things.

I still think they should just retroactively just say that LL Cool J, Kraftwerk, Gil-Scott Heron and Judas Priest are normal inductees, it's so weird and aggravating

i've never been to the hall, or even to cleveland, but my understanding of how the inductees are presented in the hall is that everyone is presented as "normal" and the same, with no distinctions made for what route it took to get them in.

I dunno what it’s like now, but that wasn’t the case the handful of times I went to the hall (between 2006 and 2009). I distinctly remember the sign accompanying Louis Jordan’s saxophone and band book identifying him as an “early influence,” and a sign in the Cleveland room saying something along the lines of, “They’re not inductees, they’re just from Cleveland and they gave us some stuff.” (Best part of this room: the hammer and railroad spike donated by David Thomas.)

I went to the induction ceremony at the Barclays Center several years ago, and all of the inductees were treated and presented equally. Like, The Zombies must have gotten in through the Musical Excellence category, but were given a plumb (the penultimate) spot in the line-up that night.

I distinctly remember the sign accompanying Louis Jordan’s saxophone and band book identifying him as an “early influence”

i just looked at the inductee list on the rock hall website and saw that louis jordan, judas priest and everyone else is specifically designated by their route of entry ("musical excellence," "early influence," "performer," etc.), and so i hereby withdraw my attempt to extend a measure of grace to the institution.

The Zombies must have gotten in through the Musical Excellence category

they were voted in!

With time, I'm sure they may make some kind of adjustment that puts everyone on equal plane, whether it's getting rid of the category designations or turning them into footnotes of some kind and making everyone "regular" inductees. Not anytime soon but given how things are evolving, the definitions for those categories are only to grow more awkward and non-sensical. (It already is - Kraftwerk and Louis Jordan are both "early" influences?)

It wouldn't be controversial - like nobody goes to the baseball HOF and says "oh, he's a COMMITTEE induction, not a real induction"

The Baseball Hall of Fame, by contrast, does not differentiate between being voted in by the writers or by a rotating Veterans Committee comprised of ex-players/managers/GMs--even though the politics and inner workings of each are very distinct.

Missed your post...over time that distinction disappears, agree, but in the moment--Harold Baines is the best example--I think many fans are aware of it. And I imagine some people who walk into Cleveland would understand the difference between Chuck Berry and and an early influence they may not have heard of.

I don't remember if there was like an actual place in the Hall where every inductee was listed & some were ghettoized... I do remember some of the exhibits having the "early influence" sign, but in that context it almost felt more like a sign of respect than an asterisk.

Plus they had Andre 3000's jacket from the Stankonia tour, several years before OutKast even became eligible for the Hall, so who fucking knows

FWIW, there's two glaring omissions I noticed recently that should get a committee induction: Lee Dorsey and Huey "Piano" Smith. There's no way they're going to get voted in at this point or possibly nominated - there's too much newer competition - but they're exactly the kind of important figures that a committee should induct.]

Another (checked to confirm): Richard Berry. And not just for "Louie, Louie" (with or without comma)--there's "Riot in Cell Block #9"; the Flairs ("The Big Break" and "Next Time"); and, according to Wikipedia, he also spent time in the Penguins (not mentioned on their page, so I guess he wasn't on "Earth Angel") and a bunch of other doo-wop groups.

Can't believe Soundgarden isn't already in.

Soundgarden will likely get in this time. I think strong competition every time they've been nominated has kept them out. (I think they deserve to be in, but even on this ballot, I'm not even sure I'd put them down as a hypothetical tenth pick, let alone fifth.)

we need to collectively ignore the R&RHOF until they finally stop doing it. it will be such a good day.

I expect the big four grunge bands will all get in, they're just spreading it out a bit.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Joy Division + New Order winning and by double is about as ILM you can get.

Great job, never change

If the top 7 do get inducted, it would be a pretty amazing class of inductees, probably the best in a long while.

I like both JD and NO but combining them seems a bit off (compared to, say, Faces/Small Faces). They are different acts despite the personnel overlap. Compare Jefferson Airplane vis-a-vis Starship.

My entire heart is with Cyndi here (if I had to choose, and fortunately I don't)

Was this poll timed to the announcement? Is that imminent?

Fan voting is ending in a few days so almost.

xp Agree with this

I always thought it should be Joy Division/New Order. It's the same band to me. Just listen to Movement. It's also the only way either band would get in the hall tbh.

I can't believe George Michael isn't already in. It's also his first time being nominated !!!

There is less personnel change between the Joy Division and New Order eras than in comparable lineup shifts in Fleetwood Mac and Genesis. And I think there's less change between what JD and NO did creatively in every respect than there was between FM and Genesis, although I expect you guys to strongly disagree…

less change between what JD and NO did creatively in every respect than there was between FM and Genesis

^^^ 100 million percent this.

the rock hall has spent the better part of 40 years doing mind-bogglingly strange things, but this isn't one of them. this one actually makes sense.