With all the threads about whether certain acts should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, how about a thread about acts that you absolutely love but will never (and should never) be in there?
My choice? Lesley Gore. She never had a top 10 single after her first year, and she never had a top 25 album ever. She wasn’t an innovative artist at all. But dangit, the songs she put out instantly make me smile, full of the exuberance of youth. And wouldn’t the world be much better if songs like these had been hits?
Hm. So many to pick from for different reasons. I think I’ll go with Joe Jackson, who has simply not been that big of an influence nor has he been prolific enough. Great musician and songwriter, but ultimately short on the “fame” category.
The Bonzo Dog Band. The Monty Pythons of rock (actually, Monty Python was the Bonzo Dog Band of comedy, since the Bonzos came first and Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin worked with them pre-Python). Their work is still extremely funny (only the Bonzos and Spike Jones could get you laughing at an instrumental), but never caught on in the US. They only had one UK hit single (produced by Paul McCartney) and appeared in Magical Mystery Tour, but are just too obscure to be considered for the Hall.
But no rock group or musician (I’m looking at you, Weird Al) came close to their brand of anarchic humor and wide-ranging musicianship.
You left out Immortality! That is not allowed!
Probably… Blue Oyster Cult.
To expand… what acts are there that have multiple songs on my Kindle and that I’ve seen in concert, but that I just don’t think were ever popular, original or influential enough to make it to the Hall of Fame?
NONE of these acts would be a terrible selection, and all are better than some acts that HAVE been selected. But none strike me as deserving
The aforementioned Blue Oyster Cult
Squeeze
Cheap Trick
Bad Company
The Cars
Kansas
Boston
Electric Light Orchestra
Scorpions
Then there are acts that WERE extremely popular for an extended period of time… that had a lot of hits, that sold out a lot of big arenas, that had loads of songs I like but none I really love:
Bryan Adams
Def Leppard
Foreigner
REO Speedwagon
Styx
Again, ALL those acts are at least as deserving as, say Heart or John Cougar Mellencamp… but I’m not sure I’d vote for any of them, if I had a vote.
Wow. I don’t have any strong opinions about any of this, partly because I agree that HOFs and WOFs and the like are goopy, creepy-fan, money-driven marketing wanks, but I see those five as being absolutely keystone groups in their era. Maybe not pinnacle innovators, but strong foundation blocks in the development of their genre. Cars especially. But I don’t claim an encyclopedic history of RR, so if they’re all latercomers and poseurs…
I’m going with Johnny Rivers. On paper he has everything: a bunch of hits, some solid writing, he produced some hit acts, and he’s had a long career. But most of his hits were covers of other artists, his roots were really country, not rock (not that there’s anythng wrong with that, but it calls for a different HOF) and his songs were really more pop than rock. I wouldn’t start a riot if he were voted in, but I wouldn’t vote for him, either.