Article laying out the situation for why Prog Rock, and Rush in particular, is not likely to feel the love of the RRHoF.
I am not a Rushie but I went through the Prog phase every earnest rock music lover went through in the 70’s and 80’s, and I just saw them last year when my closest total-Rush-head friend was having his bachelor party (how classic is that? It fits totally with how Rush was worked into the plot of that new movie, I Love You, Man - so I hear…). Even if you are not a big fan, they deserve a lot of respect for their music, their longevity, their relationship with a huge fan base, etc. In their own, Canadian, Prog sort of way, they totally rock.
Bottom line is that, whether you or I like them or not, Rush and a few other Prog Rockers deserve the nod.
Ah - the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame - bringing music lovers together for 30 years.
I still can’t believe Jefferson Airplane lobbied their way into the Hall…
I’ve always been ambivalent about prog (somehow I bypassed that prog phase you speak of, unless Pink Floyd counts) – but I recognize that’s a matter of my personal taste.
As far as I’m concerned, if there’s room for ZZ Top and AC/DC, there’s room for Yes and Rush.
Same here, but I’d also nominate King Crimson and Genesis. I could never really get into Yes, and Rush was hit and miss, but King Crimson and Genesis were unfuckwithable.
I admit, I was a huge prog-rock fan in my youth (and still am, to a lesser extent). So, I’m biased in favor of Yes, the Moody Blues, King Crimson and Genesis, all of whom belong in the R & R Hall of Fame, in my opinion.
But even if I HATED those bands, that would be irrelevant.
There are a LOT of bands and artists I hate that I would HAVE to vote for if I were on the Hall of Fame committee. Even if I HATED Elvis or the Beatles, I’d HAVE to vote for them, because their popularity and influence were enormous.
Even though I never much liked the Ramones, honesty would force me to admit they belong in the Hall, because they were extremely influential, and practically created the punk phenomenon.
Even though I HATE Madonna, I’d have voted for her because anyone who’s sold that many records and launched so many fashion trends BELONGS.
So, never mind whether you LIKE the Moody Blues. Look at the facts:
They’ve sold tens of millions of records.
They’ve filled large arenas all over the world for decades
They made hit records over a lengthy period (from “Go Now” in 1965 to “Your Wildest Dreams” in 1986)
They inspired numerous imitators, and sparked an entire rock movement
Objectively, that means they BELONG in the Hall of Fame.
An Arky for the win. When they inducted John Effing Mellencamp last year, that sealed the deal for me. Not that there aren’t good artists in there—indeed, most of them are pantheon-level talents—but it’s always struck me as a fairly ridiculous idea to begin with.
I don’t think it’s quite as irrelevant as the Grammys yet, if for no other reason than the Grammies were irrelevant - at least in terms of recognizing rock and pop music - almost from the moment they were created. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame didn’t become stupid for at least a few years.
Metallica, holy shit. Like, do they know Metallica is a big prank?
Eric Clapton is in there THREE TIMES. Leaving aside my strident hatred for the Clap, there’s just no reason to have any artist in there three times. Patently stupid.
Metallica definitely deserves to be in there for all their 80s work. In my opinion, there’s no room for debate, they simply were that important and influential. But, even so, even Metallica tooks cues from the world of progressive rock (compositionally, at least) in sculpting their sound and their version of metal. Progressive rock needs to be represented, it’s too huge and influential of a subgenre within rock to ignore.
Nice to see you posting again, sir. I don’t necessarily agree with your opinion on Clapton - he’s not my cuppa either, but I respect a lot of his (mostly early) work and influence - but I know where you’re coming from. And your basic point about the RRHoF is spot on…
The only reason I ever watch is because I get to see Keith Richards mumble some crap on stage - which I find hillarious. Paul Schaffer also does a good job. And once in a while you get to see a great act like Prince’s stunt at the end of a song one year (he was only on as a guitarist that time), when he tossed his guitar in the air at the end of the song and it just dissapeared. What a showman.
Other than that, the RRHOF to me is about as relevant as a Star on the sidewalk somewhere in California.
I am a huge Rush fan, and at one time the RRHOF thing bothered me. But then I came to the realization that it is more Rock and Roll to be on the outside and not care, then to be on the outside desperately wanting to be a part of the cool kids club. Rush has been a vital, and changing musical group for over thirty years, I will take that over mere popularity any day.
Yeah, Wordman, I agree about some early Clap, but with I think his solo career is an atrocity, which he was also inducted for. It’s to the point where they’d induct Eric Clapton for a particularly impressive bowel movement.
And, yes, I too agree with pulykamell. Setting aside my aforesaid scorning of the RRHOF, they’ve got Sabbath & Zepellin in there (both considered “metal” by critics, though I’d quibble with Zep, certainly) and Metallica, but no prog? They’ve got plenty of rappers in there (Grandmaster Flash, Run DMC this year), who, hate to break it to you, are NOT rock ‘n’ roll. That’s just bizarre. I mean, those are worth artists, influential, ground-breaking, and I suppose an argument could be made for Run DMC (Aerosmith cross-over, used a lot of guitar samples), but Grandmaster Flash? I can get down with his songs, but they’re simply not RnR. They’re hip-hop.
Disagreed. Joke from the first, much like Paul Allen’s Rock Experience idiocy in Seattle. A mixture of dumb hippie nostalgia and pop (not real rock, hence many of the incongruities noted herein) pap for the masses.
John Strausbaugh rips into the RRHOF pretty effectively, in pretty much those terms, in this book: