rock solid?
For all the other rock and roll historians that may be readers of this blog:
2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees
Interesting group. The big names are R.E.M. and Van Halen - the latter being a group I question as to whether they belong, the former for their unquestioned authority over alt-rock in the late-80s to mid-90s. The Ronnettes, Phil Spector's pet project, also will be making their way into the Hall. Since Phil Spector also holds membership in the Rock Hall I find this a curious choice - taking nothing away from the Ronnettes' ability as singers, Spector was the acknowledged (it would seem today literally) mad genius behind the wheel of the group.
Also making their way in are Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, making them the first rap act to make their way into the hall of fame. P-Funk and the recently deceased James Brown may have laid the foundations but this is the first true rap outfit to make their way into the Rock Hall. It's interesting to see that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame seems to be tacitly recognizing rap as a distinct subgenre of rock and not a separate genre in and of itself. Though there is a common bond of rock coming from the influences of funk and soul I would say that there comes a certain point where the apple has fallen far enough away from the tree that it starts an entirely new plant. In the next few years I wonder if we'll be seeing Run D.M.C., the Beastie Boys and the gangsta rappers making their way in as well.
The inductee that really makes me happy to see on the list is Patti Smith. Associated with the punk movement but never really part of it (art-punk at best), she strikes me almost as an aural artist more than a traditional rock musician. Fierce, independent and creative, I recommend the album Horses to anyone wanting to hear fascinating, boundary challenging popular music. Her reworking of the Van Morrison-penned classic "Gloria" opens with the lines "Jesus died for somebody's sins/but not mine" and take off from there, bringing out the sexual desperation already inherent in the song and adding her own rebellious take on sexuality. The result is a song that challenges notions of sexuality, religion, gender and gender roles and still manages to do that which all rock songs ought to do, which is rock. And that's just the opening song on the album. Frankly, if all Patti Smith ever put out was Horses I would say she deserved induction for expanding what rock songs could achieve artistically; that said, she remains a vital performing artist today, even if she seems to be focusing more on writing than her music today.
Really, when I consider Patti Smith vs. Van Halen, I can't believe VH made the cut.
2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees
Interesting group. The big names are R.E.M. and Van Halen - the latter being a group I question as to whether they belong, the former for their unquestioned authority over alt-rock in the late-80s to mid-90s. The Ronnettes, Phil Spector's pet project, also will be making their way into the Hall. Since Phil Spector also holds membership in the Rock Hall I find this a curious choice - taking nothing away from the Ronnettes' ability as singers, Spector was the acknowledged (it would seem today literally) mad genius behind the wheel of the group.
Also making their way in are Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, making them the first rap act to make their way into the hall of fame. P-Funk and the recently deceased James Brown may have laid the foundations but this is the first true rap outfit to make their way into the Rock Hall. It's interesting to see that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame seems to be tacitly recognizing rap as a distinct subgenre of rock and not a separate genre in and of itself. Though there is a common bond of rock coming from the influences of funk and soul I would say that there comes a certain point where the apple has fallen far enough away from the tree that it starts an entirely new plant. In the next few years I wonder if we'll be seeing Run D.M.C., the Beastie Boys and the gangsta rappers making their way in as well.
The inductee that really makes me happy to see on the list is Patti Smith. Associated with the punk movement but never really part of it (art-punk at best), she strikes me almost as an aural artist more than a traditional rock musician. Fierce, independent and creative, I recommend the album Horses to anyone wanting to hear fascinating, boundary challenging popular music. Her reworking of the Van Morrison-penned classic "Gloria" opens with the lines "Jesus died for somebody's sins/but not mine" and take off from there, bringing out the sexual desperation already inherent in the song and adding her own rebellious take on sexuality. The result is a song that challenges notions of sexuality, religion, gender and gender roles and still manages to do that which all rock songs ought to do, which is rock. And that's just the opening song on the album. Frankly, if all Patti Smith ever put out was Horses I would say she deserved induction for expanding what rock songs could achieve artistically; that said, she remains a vital performing artist today, even if she seems to be focusing more on writing than her music today.
Really, when I consider Patti Smith vs. Van Halen, I can't believe VH made the cut.