But, Dio, it is the Rock and Roll (a music that’s always been wonderfully diverse and mongrel) Hall of Fame, not the Rock (guitar based music largely made and enjoyed by white people) Hall of Fame.
Joe Tex did I Gotcha, remember?
Uh huh, huh
Thought I didn’t see ya now, didn’t cha?
Uh huh, huh…
He and James Brown were contemps.
Word.
the lack of respect Rush has always gotten from critics and the establishment has always been baffling to me. I can only think it’s because they don’t actually know anything about music (I know the guys who write record reviews don’t). Rush’s musicianship alone is irreproachable and unmatched, and when you add in their longevity, their distinct individuality and innovation, their hardcore, longtime loyal fanbase, their laundry list of classic songs, etc, it’s just inexplicable and inexcusable for them to be ignored like this.
Also, no Kiss? I’m not even really a fan of Kiss, but they were one of the biggest and most influential bands in rock history. How do they not rate ahead of fucking Chic or J. Geils Band?
Chic were very influential, perhaps not as much as Rush and certainly not in the same genre, but they don’t strike me as a “what-the-fuck” inclusion like the J. Geils Band does, for example.
I’m not a Rush fan but I recognise that they should have been nominated by now.
When these lists come out, I’m always shocked at who isn’t already in the HoF. This year it’s Alice Cooper. And I agree about Rush… it’s unbelievable that they haven’t been nominated.
I expect Dr. John will be inducted… he’s about to turn 70 at this point.
This thread could have been titled “Musicians I avoid at all costs.”
Gotta agree about Rush, even though I don’t care for their music. Kiss sucked.
First time, Jonathan, in the 10 plus years I’ve known you online that I’ve ever seen you get upset. I must say though, a worthy cause and your ire is spot on. Rush is as deserving as the Eagles, Grateful Dead, etc. Makes no sense and you gotta wonder what their rationale is.
Heh…and before this recent “respectability”, they were what defined a good portion of rock in the late 80’s/early 90’s.
To say they don’t deserve mention is…humorous, to say the least.
Preach it brotha! By the way, I’m seeing them tonight 
Back on topic: I nominate that the Hall be renamed The Pop Music Hall of Fame. That would end any controversy of why certain acts are inducted who aren’t considered “rock.”
Mu guesses: Beasties, Neil Diamond, Dr, John, Donna Summer, and Tom Waits
Alice Cooper
Neil Diamond
Donovan
Dr. John
Laura Nyro
I always tend to pick the ones who were songwriters rather than being cover artists. Laura Nyro was covered by everyone from Three Dog Night to the Fifth Dimension to Barbra Streisand, who got as close to rock as she ever did with “Stoney End.” Nyro was a gem of the singer/songwriter era, maybe just behind Joni Mitchell for excellence. Her big problem for inclusion was that her career lasted just from 67-71.
Nile Rodgers from Chic is one of the premier songwriters and producers of his era, besides his guitar work. J. Giles is a twiglet by comparison. I’m not a big fan of his music but that’s pretty much exactly why fans don’t get to vote.
The complaints about some of these people not being rock are eyerolling. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
Rock is r&b and blues and rockabilly and folk rock and singer/songwriters and progressive and punk and disco and alternative and metal and new wave and grunge and 50 other styles. You know it is. That’s what you and everybody else have grown up knowing. You don’t have to headbang for it to be rock or else you eliminate everybody up through around 1970. Rock is every style that the Beatles incorporated, and that’s a huge pile of styles.
I don’t like Rush, but yeah, it seems that someone in that band pissed someone off in the R&R HOF committee.
Chic is the only band I’m remotely interested in seeing making it. I guess Chic are the Velvet Underground of dance/rock. (Meaning their popularity might have been brief, but their influence was massive.) Someone upthread mentioned Duran Duran - there wouldn’t be a Duran Duran if not for Chic.
The singers were nice, but Tony Thompson, Bernie Edwards, and Nile Rodgers bridged rock and roll with R&B - the progenitors, I would say, of modern pop music. Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, Madonna, Duran Duran, INXS, Robert Palmer, and many others were produced by, had songs written by, or essentially sang while Thompson/Edwards/Rodgers played, arranged, songwrote, and produced.
All true - and you didn’t even mention how aggressively sampled they were; Rapper’s Delight by the Sugar Hill Gang is built on a Chic/Edwards bassline, fercrissake. And Duran Duran certainly wouldn’t have had the side project Power Station with out Thompson and Edwards 
Never heard of the song, “And When I Die”? “Stone Soul Picnic”? “Wedding Bell Blues”? “Eli’s Coming?”
Or groups like Blood Sweat and Tears, the Fifth Dimension, or Three Dog Night, all of whom became superstars singing her music?
If we’re talking influence, then there’s Elton John, Elvis Costello, Alice Cooper, Kanye West, Barry Manilow, Bob Dylan, and many others. Outside of rock, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, and Stephen Swartz.
Much more deservring than a two-bit power trio out of Canada, for instance.
This is true. Duran Duran have said their music is “Chic meets the Sex Pistols.”
Nile Rodgers produced Duran’s biggest hits.
Nice. This is too long for a sig line, or else I’d shamelessly appropriate it. Thanks for putting it so well.
All of them likely did – they are almost certainly paying the price for all the S.F., concept albums, and Randianism.
People who start rock museums are generally uncool middle age white guys trying to feel cool. They don’t achieve this by nominating/hobnobbing with uncool white guys who were (and whose fans were) dorks from the word go. A Jann Wenner or Paul Allen can feel okay nominating an S.F.-infected band only if they mitigate the dork factor by some hedonistic (Zep, to some extent) or otherwise exotic (Bowie – he’s English, and androgynous!) concomitant traits. Being a pasty white Canadian Objectivist doesn’t particularly cut it. The RRHOL (l for lame) has been criticized for marginalizing black acts, but I’d think a black act would have a significantly better chance of getting by (hey, they’ve got soul!) than Rush, about who there is little that could be associated with a cool factor. Not saying it’s right or wrong, but helps put in perspective that the whole thing is a bit of a bad joke.
Its strange, I enjoy music, and more importantly I enjoy a wide range of music. I’m not an expert by any standard, but I have a good knowledge of bands, both established and more recent.
And the ONLY place I have ever even heard of the band “Rush” is here on this board. I have no idea of their music, they have zero presence in this country now, nor have I heard anything by them in the many countries I have travelled to.
Every time one of these threads is done, the outrage about “Rush” gets repeated and every time my reaction is the same.
Who?
Sigmagirl, thanks for the validation. I figure I’ll go back at some point and see the thing properly, but we only had an hour and a half before we had to be on the road again, and I couldn’t justify my brother-in-law, who was paying, spending that kind of money on me, on something I wasn’t really all that interested in anyway, so I happily let them go on in and just wandered around, watching the Air Show and the people and the place and had a great time. It’s a beautiful campus, and there’s WiFi outside.
You embarrass yourself. Not because you don’t know who she is, but because that “the hell” in there shows a disdain that’s not only not deserved, it makes you look like an ignorant jerk who can’t be bothered to do a little research.
Good: “Who is Laura Nyro?” = “I’m curious as to who she is and why her name is on the list.”
Bad: “Who the hell is Laura Nyro?” = “Hey everybody, I’m a disrespectful dick and don’t care who knows it.”
I’m not one to say that Laura will or should get in the HoF before other artists, but damn, a little respect please! For her music and legacy, but also because she died an untimely death of ovarian cancer and the world lost a great singer-songwriter. She influenced artists as diverse as Janis Ian, Suzanne Vega to Todd Rundgren and Rickie Lee Jones.
Laura Nyro’s “Stoned Soul Picnic”
The 5th Dimension’s “Stoned Soul Picnic”
Laura Nyro’s “Wedding Bell Blues”
The 5th Dimension’s “Wedding Bell Blues”
Laura Nyro’s “And When I Die”
Blood, Sweat & Tears’ “And When I Die”
Laura Nyro’s “Eli’s Coming”
Three Dog Night’s “Eli’s Comin”
Laura Nyro’s “Stoney End”
Barbra Streisand’s “Stoney End”
(Also covered by Linda Rondstat, Maynerd Ferguson, The Blossoms, Peggy Lipton (who also wonderfully covered Laura’s “Lu”), Diana Ross and others.
Laura Nyro’s “Sweet Blindness”
The 5th Dimension’s “Sweet Blindness”
Laura Nyro’s “I Never Meant To Hurt You”
Barbra Streisand’s"I Never Meant To Hurt You"
That’s just scratching the surface with some of her best-known songs, but there are dozens of others. I’d list them but I’m off to a movie. Here’s one though:
Rush was most broadly promulgated on AOR stations or stations specializing in what would later be classed as “classic rock.” IMLE, that format or genre of station was not prevalent (if it existed at all) outside North America.
Second, few if any people outside N. America would get the Rand stuff (I’m sure many of their fans didn’t care about it either).
Third, IME Rush concerts were a big part of their appeal (I never went). As one acquaintance put it, Rush was right up there with the bands that dozens of your classmates would be wearing the t-shirt of the day after the show. I just glanced at their (super long) touring history and while I’m sure they’ve done a lot of shows internationally, the bulk have been in the U.S. and Canada, so to the extent that their stage dynamism drove popularity, it may not have translated to, say, Ireland if they rarely made it there.
Only the high-profile part of her career. She came back with all-new albums in 1976, 1978, and 1984, plus a couple of live albums were issued.