# Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Latest Inductees



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

"The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced its 35th annual class of inductees, honoring six musical acts - Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G. and T-Rex - as well as veteran rock journalist, producer and artist manager Jon Landau."

-----From NPR story: https://www.npr.org/2020/01/15/7962...-among-2020s-rock-roll-hall-of-fame-inductees


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Some previous threads....

https://www.talkclassical.com/43679...-brothers.html?highlight=The+Strange+Magic+of

https://www.talkclassical.com/43746-strange-magic-marc-bolan.html?highlight=The+Strange+Magic+of

https://www.talkclassical.com/43237-strange-magic-depeche-mode.html?highlight=The+Strange+Magic+of


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

Every time the RnR HoF announces the latest inductees two things come to mind.

*1. __________ is getting inducted. You have seriously GOT to be kidding me.

2. Oh, __________ got snubbed. RnR HoF is a freakin' joke.*

*2020 Edition*:

*1. T.REX is getting inducted. You have seriously GOT to be kidding me.*

Supposedly T. Rex influenced several genres over several decades including glam rock, the punk movement, post-punk, indie pop, britpop and alternative rock. I don't see it. They scored four UK number one hits, ("Hot Love", "Get It On", "Telegram Sam" and "Metal Guru"). I can honestly say that none of those titles ring a bell.

Hold on a sec while I refresh my memory through the wonders of *Youtube* . . . .



*Hot Love*: nope, don't remember ever hearing THAT. JEEZ that's pretty lame.
*Get It On*: Oh, "*Bang a Gong*". 'Kay, I've heard that one. Different song titles in different countries. Catchy tune.
*Telegram Sam*: Never heard THIS one either. Sounds like a sequel to Bang a Gong.
*Metal Guru*: Strike three. Nice groove, I like the backing vocals. The violins seem gratuitous. Very "pop". Oh, and I don't recall every hearing it before.

I can get on board with the splash of color glam rock influence, but _musical_ influence? I sure don't hear it in these four songs.



*2. Oh, __________ got snubbed. RnR HoF is a freakin' joke.*

*Pat Benatar* - Srsly? She set the template for female hard rock singers at a time when few female hard rock singers had a presence on the charts or at rock radio
Judas Priest
Soundgarden
Motorhead
Dave Matthews Band (especially sing they won the Hall's Fan Vote by a large margin).
The B-52s
Iron Maiden
Los Lobos
*Todd Rundgren* - Seriously, one of the most innovative artists of the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, and 10s? Also a blockbuster producer of OTHER innovators in various genres.

But guess who *IS* in the *HoF*?

Darlene Love
Bobby "Blue" Bland
The Flamingos 
Dion

_OK, rant over._


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

I completely agree with your central point: people (like you and I) approve/disapprove of each and every major induction or failure to induct. We only differ on what names to drop into the blanks.


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## Ras (Oct 6, 2017)

pianozach said:


> *1. T.REX is getting inducted. You have seriously GOT to be kidding me.*


Try to hear these T. Rex songs:

-20th Century Boy
-Children of the Revolution
-Spaceball Ricochet


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## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

One day I’d like to go to the Rock and a Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Ohio. But it’s a long way from here, and there is probably no other reason to go to Cleveland. I’m sure it’s a nice city, but it’s on the other side of the continent, 3300 km from here.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

> Bobby "Blue" Bland


The guy is a legend! One of the great blues and soul singers who was making records before Pat Benatar was born. And since rock n roll encompasses blues and soul music he belongs there. And I've got nothing against Ms. Benatar. She's a great singer but I don't really want to listen to her records. And Jethro Tull belongs there ahead of Benatar or any other 80s rockers. But the RRHF doesn't like so called prog rock even though Tull released three or four great rock albums before they got long winded with Thick As A Brick.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

Ras said:


> Try to hear these T. Rex songs:
> 
> -20th Century Boy
> -Children of the Revolution
> -Spaceball Ricochet


Well, OK, be right back.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

starthrower said:


> The guy is a legend! One of the great blues and soul singers who was making records before Pat Benatar was born. And since rock n roll encompasses blues and soul music he belongs there. And I've got nothing against Ms. Benatar. She's a great singer but I don't really want to listen to her records. And Jethro Tull belongs there ahead of Benatar or any other 80s rockers. But the RRHF doesn't like so called prog rock even though Tull released three or four great rock albums before they got long winded with Thick As A Brick.


Alrighty then. Thanks. I simply hadn't heard of him before. I appreciate the info.

*Pat Benataur*: IMO - She was certainly popular, and I enjoy her songs. I appreciate that she was one of the very few rockers of the era, and I love the production of her released tracks. Does she belong in the HoF? I don't really think she was all that 'influenial' on other artists, other than allowing some other female vocalists to pick up where she left off, and sometimes having far more influence themselves.

*Jethro Tull*: I'm a big fan of *JT*, although not enough of one to own all of their albums (digitally only eleven studio albums, one compilation, one box set, and a live bootleg), only half their catalog of 23 studio albums.

I love how they continually evolved, from blues to folk rock to to rock prog to progressive folk to electronic rock to synthpop to hard rock to world. I'm an "arrangements/production" kinda guy, with a special appreciation for complexity in rock and pop.

Funny you should mention *Thick As a Brick*: They were actually *kidding*; they were actually making fun of Prog Rock. Ian Anderson was surprised that the critics didn't 'get' the joke. Instead, he wrote and released a 'real' Prog album, *A Passion Play*, to show them what a 'Prog' album was, and probably to prove he could. He and his band only released those two "epic" albums, most of the rest were only Prog from the standpoint of being albums with a concept, as well as the virtuosity of the players, and the more complex arrangements which he'd pretty much been doing since the second album.

But if a concept is prog, then perhaps *Frank Sinatra* did it first with his 1955 release *In the Wee Small Hours* which dealt with themes such as loneliness, introspection, lost love, failed relationships, depression and night life. Even the cover artwork reflected that vibe.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Wake me up when Grand Funk Railroad make it.

Kindest regards,

R. van Winkle.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

pianozach said:


> . . . *T. Rex* . . . scored four UK number one hits, ("Hot Love", "Get It On", "Telegram Sam" and "Metal Guru"). I can honestly say that none of those titles ring a bell.
> 
> *Hot Love*: nope, don't remember ever hearing THAT. JEEZ that's pretty lame.
> *Get It On*: Oh, "*Bang a Gong*". 'Kay, I've heard that one. Different song titles in different countries. Catchy tune.
> ...





Ras said:


> Try to hear these T. Rex songs:
> 
> -*20th Century Boy
> -Children of the Revolution
> -Spaceball Ricochet*


Those three tracks are superior to their four "hits" IMO.

*Ballrooms Of Mars* came up automatically after Spaceball Ricochet. I enjoyed that one two.

But "liking" their songs doesn't cross the threshold into "Influential" HoF status for me. These eight songs remind me of *David Bowie*, sometimes just *Bowie Lite*, with a bit of *ELO, Iggy Pop, Roxie Music*, and even a little solo *John Lennon* thrown in. All of those names (with the exception of Lennon) were quite influential on pop music. With the exception of Lennon's first album and his early solo hits, he really never blazed any new territory after that.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Rock critics are Thick As A Brick. I guess that's why they poke fun at accomplished musicians and rave about Petty and Springsteen. You'd think they would appreciate Ian Anderson since he's such a literate songwriter. I'm glad Rush got in so Alex Lifeson could deliver his famous blah, blah speech. And as Alex likes to say, "everybody remembers my speech."


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## philoctetes (Jun 15, 2017)

I'm a T. Rex fan since high school (class of 72) and have opinions. Their best album is Electric Warrior, the one with Bang a Gong. It's not their best song at all, but it made them very famous. Yes Telegram Sam (covered by Bauhaus) is a remake but it's a far better song, great lyrics, but The Slider is not as good as Electric Warrior as an album.

Before Electric Warrior they had been more of an acoustic group, doing British gothic hippie psychedelia. Ride a White Song was one of their first electric hits. It's included in the excellent anthology called Bolan Boogie, which kinda sums up the acoustic and Electric Warrior phase.

Try all the songs I mentioned and Beltane Walk, Jeepster, Cosmic Dancer (covered by Morrissey) and Rip-off - they also did a pretty mean Summertime Blues. Notice the strings and other early psychedelic touches....

I didn't follow them after The Slider as I wasn't that much into glam and preferred groups like Bowie and Roxy when I was. But Bolan had a broad music spectrum and was definitely a "style setter"


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

^^^^I completely agree that _Electric Warrior_ is T. Rex's best ("my favorite") album. Lists come and go, but Electric Warrior is regularly found on Greatest Albums lists.


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

senza sordino said:


> One day I'd like to go to the Rock and a Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Ohio. But it's a long way from here, and there is probably no other reason to go to Cleveland. I'm sure it's a nice city, but it's on the other side of the continent, 3300 km from here.


Been there (when my brother played in an amateur competition - long story). I'm a modest rock fan. It's worth a visit if you're in the area.


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

pianozach said:


> Those three tracks are superior to their four "hits" IMO.
> 
> *Ballrooms Of Mars* came up automatically after Spaceball Ricochet. I enjoyed that one two.
> 
> But "liking" their songs doesn't cross the threshold into "Influential" HoF status for me. These eight songs remind me of *David Bowie*, sometimes just *Bowie Lite*, with a bit of *ELO, Iggy Pop, Roxie Music*, and even a little solo *John Lennon* thrown in. All of those names (with the exception of Lennon) were quite influential on pop music. With the exception of Lennon's first album and his early solo hits, he really never blazed any new territory after that.


Just because you don't know anything about T Rex, should give you pause to not become Rock historian all of a sudden. Bolan was an amazing artist and many other artists mentioned him in their songs. He was a friend of Ringo Starr, which should tell you something. Listen to the Album Unicorn. He was influencing people like King Crimson going back to around 1968.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I'm a big Bolan fan - I'm glad he (and the others, as T. Rex were originally a _band_) made it. Bill Legend is the only T. Rex member from the glory days still alive.


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## Jay (Jul 21, 2014)

pianozach said:


> 2. Oh, __________ got snubbed. RnR HoF is a freakin' joke.[/B]
> 
> Bobby "Blue" Bland


Agreed, it _is_ a joke.


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## Grigoriy (Aug 26, 2021)

For this "rock and roll hall of fame" I have only one question - is there Deep Purple?


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

I don't care who is in the Hall of Fame, it's a joke .... simply because it is Cleveland.


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## Grigoriy (Aug 26, 2021)

SanAntone said:


> I don't care who is in the Hall of Fame, it's a joke .... simply because it is Cleveland.


And I don't care about such a parody of the "hall of fame".:ржу не могу:


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