The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame released its list of eligible artists for its 2011 ballot. They include the Beastie Boys, Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper, Bon Jovi, Donovan, Tom Waits, LL Cool J, Dr. John, the J. Geils Band, Darlene Love, Laura Nyro, Donna Summer, Joe Tex, and Chuck Willis. Most of these artists I know, so I want to take a minute or two to discuss who I think should go in.
Say that, of this list, only five could go in. Who should go? I think you put in the Beasties, LL, Neil Diamond, Bon Jovi, and Tom Waits. The Beastie Boys should be an obvious in, but they have been on the ballot since 2008. Why? They released a classic in Licensed to Ill, which brought praise and controversy for its lyrics and their party-all-the-time attitude on tour. They were following in the suit of rap groups such as Run-D.M.C. and Sugarhill Gang, amongst others. They mixed their raps together and made their styles one voice. Following a disputes with Def Jam, more specifically Rick Rubin, they bolted for Capitol Records and released another classic, Paul’s Boutique. The raps were still good, but the beats were the real deal here. This album, with beats that came from songs from the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and numerous other artists, was crafted by the Dust Brothers and was the last album to blatantly take samples from major artists before the copyrights thing came into play. Check Your Head followed two years later and was the first time where the Beasties played instruments in addition to providing raps. For me this album along with Ill Communication should put them in, because not only were they a unique rap group that effectively melded their individual raps into one voice, they were also playing instruments, making their own beats. They’ve released a few albums since then and have become internet pioneers for music in some of the things they have done.
Neil Diamond should be in, and this shouldn’t even be a discussion point either. He’s written hits for numerous artists over the last 50 years, and his own catalog of music should be enough. Even the Red Sox, whom I despise, recognize this by playing “Sweet Caroline” at every home game. This is the guy that wrote one of my favorite ‘60’s hits, “Cherry Cherry”. Sure, he has the stigma of being the glittered-up, sequin-wearing Vegas show guy, but he’s put out some very good stuff.
Bon Jovi has been popular on and off for the last 25 years. I grew up listening to New Jersey and Slippery When Wet, and they have more or less had continued success since. They even reinvented themselves for a larger country music audience when they released the Lost Highway disc. I guess the question is their impact on music in general. Did the music they recorded and performed help change the way we listen? I think they make it in. There’s enough there.
The questions may come with LL and Tom Waits. LL Cool J has been in rap music for many, many years, and his raps have varied from trashing fellow MCs to “crooning” on love. Some would question whether or not rap belongs in the Hall. While the Hall is technically titled “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame”, I think you have to include artists that have branched from the rock & roll tree, including rap. Was LL innovative? He has influenced a ton of MCs since his start. Would we have Jay-Z or Nas without LL? I don’t think so.
Tom Waits has been a prolific singer-songwriter for years. Primarily a folk singer, his songs have been covered by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, and Hootie & the Blowfish. In fact, his popularity is driven primarily by his songs being covered. As an artist, he’s distinctive by his voice. The best description I have read that sums up his voice is this from critic Daniel Durchholz, which he says sounds “like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car.” Has he been influential? Obviously, based on how many artists have used his songs. But has he been influential in terms of what musically he brought to rock & roll? That’s a tough call. It’s one thing to have your songs covered; it’s another to do them yourself.
Why not any of the rest? Well, you have to look at them in the context of the era and genres they worked in. J. Geils Band, while a great Boston band, has never really had the star power that bands like Aerosmith or the Cars had in their time, and their songs, while catchy, were never really groundbreaking. Donna Summer was a great R&B and disco artist, but was she groundbreaking? Alice Cooper is a tough call, similar to KISS. Both bands wrote some great songs and are great performers, but did either band move music compared to other artists in their era or genre? Maybe from a performance standpoint alone they should be in, but from a musical standpoint I am hard-pressed to find the innovation.
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