# 2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 5, 2017, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026 "2017-10-05T15:02:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026/81 "2017-12-13T19:20:38Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > They did not perform _Arena Rock_, so they weren’t popular as a live band. They came out on stage and just played the songs like they were supposed to sound. No jumping around screaming “We love you”, or other stage show crap, just the music. I found that refreshing. I don’t know how many groups whose live performances ruined a song I had liked. Counterpoint: I never saw The Cars perform live, but I have several friends who did. All of them felt that it was among the worst concerts they’d ever attended – not because the music itself was bad, but because the band had no stage presence whatsoever. Different strokes and all that, I suppose. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026/82 "2017-12-13T19:29:53Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > I am happy to see The Cars get in, too bad Benjamin Orr is no longer with us. They were a blend of the New Wave sound and the old rock and roll in a stripped down, minimalist way. “My Best Friends Girlfriend” was clearly a call back to the Beatles, right down to the “yeah, yeah, yeah.” Their albums, (that’s what we still called 'em then), were all very listenable, not all stand outs but few duds that you just wanted to skip. > > They did not perform _Arena Rock_, so they weren’t popular as a live band. They came out on stage and just played the songs like they were supposed to sound. No jumping around screaming “We love you”, or other stage show crap, just the music. I found that refreshing. I don’t know how many groups whose live performances ruined a song I had liked. > > They fit perfectly into a place between the waning '70s sound and the new music that was to come. And for that they belong in the Hall of Fame. I agree. The Cars had a very cool, technical sound that was very refreshing in the late 70s. I was a teenager then and vividly remember how much I liked their first couple of albums. Their sound was futuristic and modern, and clearly paved the way for New Wave acts to follow. I liked how the singers really never screamed or shouted, using a laid-back delivery. They also didn’t go in for long, indulgent guitar solos. In addition to having hits and being around for a long time, I think The Cars deserve to be in the HOF due to being fresh and innovative. Much the same can be said for the Moody Blues a decade earlier. Innovative, professional and of high quality. In fact, Dire Straights fits in the same mold. I would place The Cars, Moody Blues and Dire Straights among my favorite bands, and I’m glad to see them make it. Bon Jovi? Never really cared for them, and I don’t think they deserve the HOF based on quality criteria, though they certainly do based on sales and longevity. So, perhaps. I have to admit I know nothing about Simone or Tharpe. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026/83 "2017-12-13T19:30:17Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Is there a British equivalent to corporate rock? Not pop groups put together by producers, but rock bands that turned middle of the road and lost their identities. Def Leppard. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026/84 "2017-12-13T19:33:42Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Counterpoint: I never saw The Cars perform live, but I have several friends who did. All of them felt that it was among the worst concerts they’d ever attended – not because the music itself was bad, but because the band had no stage presence whatsoever. > > Different strokes and all that, I suppose. 🙂 Oh yeah, no stage presence at all. I think they came out and introduced themselves, played the entire set and said thank you and left. I mean no banter with the audience at all. But the music was the way it was supposed to sound. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026/85 "2017-12-13T20:54:05Z")
I’ve always thought the entire list is a highly personalised and heavily biased one, and as such it has little real credibility - its just a self validation exercise by a few ‘opinionistas’ who are simply feeding off the talent of others. Whilst I certainly agree with many on the list, many on it are perplexing, and the omissions are simply bewildering. Where is Big Mama Thornton for example - listen to a few of her hits and explain to me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQi-524GfdA There is no Spencer Davis Group, no Alvin Lee, why have Howlin Wolf and no Lightnin Hopkins? You might imagine that Rainbow would be in there, or Focus - or at least their lead guitarist Jan Akkerman. If you have the Cars, then why not the B52s? There’s Parliament and Sly & Family Stone but no War If you are going to have the Beegees then you might imagine there would be KC & the Sunshine Band, that’s if you believe either of them should be in a rock n roll hall of fame at all Maybe its my own personal bias - but no Rory Gallagher Did Manfred Mann make across the pond? ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026/86 "2017-12-13T21:26:16Z")
Priest, MC5, Link Wray, Zombies. Thumbs up, get 'em in there. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026/87 "2017-12-13T22:08:50Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Update: > > “The band [Bon Jovi] will be inducted along with **Nina Simone, the Cars, Dire Straits, the Moody Blues and Sister Rosetta Tharpe** , who will receive an Award for Early Influence, at the 33rd induction ceremony on April 14 at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland; the show will be broadcast later by HBO and SiriusXM.” > > Interesting. I had Dire Straits (Knopfler is one of the great guitarists in the David Gilmour tradition–why weren’t they in years ago?), the Moody Blues (also surprised they weren’t already in), and Sister Rosetta Tharpe–who I think had been “telegraphed” by various media sources in the last couple of years. I’m glad she is getting proper recognition for her influence on the shape of rock guitar. I would have also chosen Kate Bush, though; she essentially defined the singer-songwriter role for women distinct from the understated tradition of people like Joan Baez, Carole King, and Joni Mitchell. Without Kate Bush, there is, arguably, no Tori Amos, no Amy Lee. She showcased the possibilities of the upper reaches of the human voice for lyrical content as well as diva-like high notes, and carved a role for women in art rock. Her omission is a bit perplexing; I’m assuming she didn’t make it because she’s not as well-known on this side of the pond. It’s very unfortunate. I hope she makes it next year. It was good to see RAM nominated also. Their case isn’t as strong as Bush’s, but it’s good to have their name on the table. Of the other three who got in: I’ll admit I liked Bon Jovi and The Cars when I was a teen in the 80s. I don’t think of them as Hall of Fame material by a long shot if you define Hall of Fame material as The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, or The Velvet Underground–innovators, technical wizards, artists whose creativity takes the breath away. That’s not Bon Jovi or The Cars, but they made a lot of people’s youth a happier time, I guess. Sambora was a good enough guitarist, and Ocasek is an above-average songwriter and stylist. Consulting Wikipedia, I see the Cars have been covered by Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, and the Melvins, so there’s that. Nina Simone WAS technically brilliant and breathtakingly creative, and I think I did vote for her online at least once. I was probably a little hesitant to do so since she was not a rock singer by any stretch of the imagination, but I’m not sorry she’s been inducted. If Cooperstown ever wants to induct Jim Thorpe or Robert Frost, I probably wouldn’t argue with that, either. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026/88 "2017-12-13T22:43:44Z")
> [@casdave](#): > > Did Manfred Mann make across the pond? He had some hits here, but mostly covers. _Doo Wah, Diddy Diddy_, _The Mighty Quinn_ (written by Bob Dylan), and with his Earth Band, a couple of Bruce Springsteen covers, _Blinded By the Light_ and _Spirit in the Night_. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026/89 "2017-12-13T22:57:39Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Priest, MC5, Link Wray, Zombies. Thumbs up, get 'em in there. Link Wray is an odd case. I used to see guitarists cite him as a major influence all the time (I forget who it was that said “he taught me you could curse without using words”), but his body of work just doesn’t seem to support his being included in the upper pantheon. He SEEMS like he should be in there, what with his pioneering of power chords and all, but it’s hard to get past the whole “who the hell is that guy” thing. Also very hard to see him in before Dick Dale. Maybe this is just my ignorance talking. If I listened to him more, I might feel differently. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026/90 "2017-12-13T23:06:08Z")
One band that’s so thoroughly ignored it gets rejected from the list of rejects is Styx. Kinda puzzling since they put out a lot of great songs. According to Wikipedia: > [@](#): > > Styx has had 4 consecutive albums certified multi-platinum by the RIAA as well as 16 top 40 singles in the US, 8 of which hit the top 10. Pretty impressive credentials but I guess Jann Wenner must really hate them. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026/91 "2017-12-13T23:07:57Z")
I normally wouldn’t recommend such an honor for just a single song, but in this case I believe that if Rumble was the only thing Link Wray gave to the world, that he deserves this honor for it. It was way ahead of its time power and distortion-wise, and very influential to those moved by it. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/BuAD_sQUgpw/maxresdefault.jpg "Rumble Link Wray original 1958 instrumental with street video") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuAD_sQUgpw) ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026/92 "2017-12-13T23:34:41Z")
> [@sqweels](#): > > One band that’s so thoroughly ignored it gets rejected from the list of rejects is Styx. Kinda puzzling since they put out a lot of great songs. According to Wikipedia: > > Pretty impressive credentials but I guess Jann Wenner must really hate them. They’ll get in. Corporate rock bands got shunned for a long time, but really, 30 years later I’d hope the artistic value of these bands is seen. The HOF voters act like the 60s were this amazing time of creativity. The 60s were, but it’s not like the 60s didn’t have ubercommercialism in music. It’s just that people of that generation celebrate it. People who grew up in the grunge era have the same disease, acting as if grunge wasn’t totally corporate by 1993. Once MTV started to structure their whole image around alternative it stopped being about the art. Another thing that bugs me is the love of “raw”, as in, not too talented, vocalists and players. I recognize that for many fans of rock, it’s supposed to be dirty and chaotic, but as with any other style of music there’s room for virtuosos as well. Those ultra talented bands that were super slick and super tight while pushing the envelope of what could be done technically earned their place in rock history. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026/93 "2017-12-14T01:02:16Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > They’ll get in. Corporate rock bands got shunned for a long time, but really, 30 years later I’d hope the artistic value of these bands is seen. The HOF voters act like the 60s were this amazing time of creativity. The 60s were, but it’s not like the 60s didn’t have ubercommercialism in music. It’s just that people of that generation celebrate it. People who grew up in the grunge era have the same disease, acting as if grunge wasn’t totally corporate by 1993. Once MTV started to structure their whole image around alternative it stopped being about the art. > > Another thing that bugs me is the love of “raw”, as in, not too talented, vocalists and players. I recognize that for many fans of rock, it’s supposed to be dirty and chaotic, but as with any other style of music there’s room for virtuosos as well. Those ultra talented bands that were super slick and super tight while pushing the envelope of what could be done technically earned their place in rock history. There was no ubercommercialism in music in the 60s because it had been invented yet. Record companies had no idea what to do with rock groups, had no idea of what the rock audience was, and had virtually no way of reaching it in the first place. The whole apparatus took a decade to form. You’re thinking of the 70s. I do agree that people, meaning critics, have for rock generations pushed rawness and slicklessness to an obsessive degree. Not to mention that the flase equivalent that pretty=vapid. That attitude’s a plague on the field. The group I want to see in that never seems to get talked about is Roxy Music. Glam rock pioneers, fine instrumentalists, a top notch front man, eight albums making the British top ten eight times, ended a decade of progressively better work with _Avalon_, one of the all-time great albums. What more does a group need to qualify? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026/94 "2017-12-14T01:08:05Z")
> [@sqweels](#): > > One band that’s so thoroughly ignored it gets rejected from the list of rejects is Styx. Kinda puzzling since they put out a lot of great songs. According to Wikipedia: > > Pretty impressive credentials but I guess Jann Wenner must really hate them. Probably zero chance Dennis DeYoung would be invited to attend the induction. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026/95 "2017-12-14T01:35:52Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > The group I want to see in that never seems to get talked about is Roxy Music. Glam rock pioneers, fine instrumentalists, a top notch front man, eight albums making the British top ten eight times, ended a decade of progressively better work with _Avalon_, one of the all-time great albums. What more does a group need to qualify? Probably recognition in the US beyond a marginal cult fanbase. Roxy Music has never had a top ten album in the US (though _Avalon_ did grind its way to platinum status). Their highest-charting single peaked at #30. King Crimson isn’t in, either. Neither is Cliff Richard. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026/96 "2017-12-14T04:29:24Z")
[quote=“bobot, post:91, topic:798026”] I normally wouldn’t recommend such an honor for just a single song, but in this case I believe that if Rumble was the only thing Link Wray gave to the world, that he deserves this honor for it. It was way ahead of its time power and distortion-wise, and very influential to those moved by it. [/QUOTE] If you haven’t had a chance to see [RUMBLE: THE INDIANS WHO ROCKED THE WORLD](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6333080), definitely check it out. It’s about the long strain of Native American influence in the history of blues and rock ‘n’ roll and a good share of attention is given to Link Wray, with a ton of testimonials on how that one song made a lot of future stars go into rock. It’s a terrific documentary. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026/97 "2017-12-14T04:54:41Z")
I LOVE [Nina Simone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCTP5zjQTWE)! mc ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026/98 "2017-12-14T11:04:28Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > There was no ubercommercialism in music in the 60s because it had been invented yet. Record companies had no idea what to do with rock groups, had no idea of what the rock audience was, and had virtually no way of reaching it in the first place. The whole apparatus took a decade to form. You’re thinking of the 70s. > > ? Certainly the record companies had it down pat by 1966 when the Monkees debuted. And even if there wasn’t a massive corporate structure yet, the titans of the time geared their music towards making hit records in a systematic fashion every bit as crass as Britney Spears. At least later corporate rock bands were producing 40-60 minute albums of quality material, often concept albums. Most of the successful 60s groups focused on singles, 20-30 minute albums, and 20 minute concerts. Most 60s groups heavily relied on major labels’ songwriting stables and studio musicians. Whereas on a Journey or Styx album, nearly every note is played by the band and nearly every song is written by the band. In the 60s the labels may not have known how to promote rock, but they sure figured out quickly how to mass produce it. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026/99 "2017-12-14T16:43:51Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Certainly the record companies had it down pat by 1966 when the Monkees debuted. The Monkees had a television show. Nobody else did. Nobody else had their success either. 1 + 1 = $ ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026/100 "2017-12-14T17:19:19Z")
> [@MovieMogul](#): > > If you haven’t had a chance to see [RUMBLE: THE INDIANS WHO ROCKED THE WORLD](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6333080), definitely check it out… Thanks for that tip, I’ll look it up! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/798026.md?page=6)