In case you missed the news (or even if you didn't) the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced their newest inductees today.
Madonna, John Mellencamp, The Ventures, Leonard Cohen, The Dave Clark Five, bluesman Little Walter.
Not too early to think about future Rock Hall candidates. With the understanding that candidates must have issued their first recording a minimum of 25 years before they can be voted in, here are seven I would like to see given serious consideration:
Dick Dale. He, not the Beach Boys, invented surf music guitar.
Tom Waits. A poet, a seminal Bukowski-like figure, who influenced numerous rock musicians.
Neil Diamond. Wrote so many hits in so many styles. Confounded and crossed musical boundaries.
Chicago- Never rock crit darlings, but set the tone for horn bands. By the way they still rock, 40 years after their 1967 founding.
Alice Cooper: Pioneer of show-centered metal and related theatrics.
Moody Blues- For more than 40 years, they have been offering us thoughtful rock and beautiful melodies, often with a spiritual tinge.
And finally:
The Monkees. Yes, you read that right. With dignity, creativity and more talent than snobs give them credit for, they set the tone for so many teen idol groups who came after them. They weren't the first to start a tv star to live star movement- Ricky Nelson was first- but in terms of groups rather than individuals, they blazed the trail for generations of boy bands.
Who would you like to see get in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that hasn't been voted in yet?
And, yes, the Moody Blues (but Jann Wenner doesn't like prog rock) and Alice Cooper (who opened the door for theatrics in the rock and roll show).
Likewise with her/them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPhRhCkOB8A
http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/inductee-list/
They were alternative before there was a word for it, and their only radio home was the occasional college station. It probably didn't help that they weren't big on promoting themselves, and even seemed to go out of their way to sabotage the band and themselves. Just listen to the music, though. Powerful stuff.
They should be in the HOF because if you look at the influences of all the great alternative bands today, they will cite the Mats and will probably state one album in particular that "changed their life".
The old joke is that their 1984 release "Let It Be" sold just a few copies, but everyone that bought a copy started a band. Kurt Cobain of Nirvana and Billy Joe Armstrong of Green Day to name a couple off the top of my head.
Well, you ask, weren't The Monkees really just guys who sang over other musicians' tracks performing others' songs? Why, yes, just like the Supremes, The Temptations, The Four Tops.
I got to say, the whole concept behind the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame is so vague as to defy a rational understanding of who belongs and who doesn't. It ends up being a list of critical favorites from a self-selecting set of critics. The Four Seasons are in and Boyz to Men will not be, and you can't tell me that that has to do with any thing other than rock 'n roll boomer tastes and times. It certainly isn't because one was creating "art" while the other created "product."
If it were me, I'd put in any one who made one record that was memorable in a positive way. (Sorry, Terry Jacks.) And admission would be granted to the name artist and the producer, the musicians, and the writers. The Monkees are in my hall of fame.
Who is eligible and should be in? The Silver Apples, without a doubt. They practically invented electronica, used synthesizers, sampling, etc., in the late 1960's. Lightyears ahead of their time, they profoundly influenced what would become the music of today...
Dick Dale:YES! Moody Blues:YES! The rest of your list comes up way short.
Is Jackson Browne in? He deserves a spot.