The Time of the Season

It's that time of year for pointless arguments about who or who should not be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The voters continue to ignore prog-rock bands (where is Jethro Tull? Emerson, Lake, and Palmer?) while offering instead intriguing but ultimately nonstarters like John Prine (who is really a folk musician) or The Zombies (who only made two albums).

There are no first-year eligibles on the list this year. The closest is Radiohead, nominated for a second time after their debut last year. Instead there are fourteen other artists who have been eligible for years, some getting their first nominations (Stevie Nicks and Todd Rundgren for example). Nicks has been eligible since 2006, Rundgren since 1995 (!) I think they both deserve entry, and Nicks is running away with the fan vote. Rundgren may not have a ton of hits, but he was a producer as well, producing iconic albums like Bat Out of Hell and albums by Patti Smith, The New York Dolls, and Grand Funk Railroad.

Another group who is obscure to many but is incredibly influential is Kraftwerk, the German outfit that is the forerunner of all electronic dance music. I can only name of their songs: "Trans-Europe Express," but their pioneering status should get in them in their fifth nomination.

There are other bands on the list I don't personally care for, but certainly have credentials, such as The Cure (but no Smiths?), Def Leppard (teen-age metal), Roxy Music (part of the Glam movement, with Bryan Ferry and Brian Eno), Janet Jackson (but is she really rock and roll?) and LL Kool J (who is not rock and roll, but if Public Enemy and NWA are in, so should he).

Tougher calls are for MC5, a garage rock band that was influential but short-lived, and Rage Against the Machine, a highly political band with a hard sound, but they were around for only eight years. Devo, who are mostly known for "Whip It!" have been around a long time and have put out much more music than people think, but they are considered by many to be a one-hit wonder, despite their output.

Finally, their is Rufus featuring Chaka Kahn, who had a big hit in the '70s, "Tell Me Something Good." I admit to not being familiar with any of their other stuff.

I voted for Radiohead, MC5, Kraftwerk, Rundgren, and Nicks. I have written before, but it bears repeating, that I have had a forty-year crush on Stevie Nicks. I love everything about her, from her Welsh Witch act, her flair, her costumes, her voice, her eccentricities (I read that she keeps her fireplace going at all times throughout the year, even the summer--she just cranks up the AC) and most of all her songwriting. "Landslide," oh what a song. She went solo in 1981 and had a smash with Bella Donna, her later records not making as big a splash. She's already in with Fleetwood Mac, so maybe that has kept her out until now, but I think she deserves entry, even if it's all personal with me. She's over seventy now but I still think I'd date her if she'd have me (which of course she wouldn't).

If I had to predict, I'd say Nicks, Radiohead, The Cure, Todd Rundgren, and Kraftwerk get in this year, but this is very hard to predict, as it's a small voting group with very particular tastes. Again, no Jethro Tull?