Webster reviews the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2017
With the conclusion of the Grammys last week, the next major event for the music world comes in early April with the induction of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2017. This is the 31st class to be inducted into a Hall of Fame that includes Elvis Presley, Metallica, Nirvana, Bob Dylan, Van Halen, The Rolling Stones and countless other greats. An artist becomes eligible for nomination 25 years after the release of their first album. This year’s class has some greats, but also some questionable choices.
ELO
ELO stands for Electric Light Orchestra, a play on the fact that the band uses a light orchestra as well as electric rock instruments. The band, formed in 1970, has gone through multiple reformations, with some lasting only a few months, and others lasting several years. They are critically acclaimed both in their home of Britain and in the United States. John Lennon praised them for carrying on the torch from the Beatles in dramatic fashion more than once. The band also holds the record for having the most Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hits (20) without having a number one single in the US. They have thus earned their place in rock history, influencing many future bands such as the Flaming Lips and most intriguingly Daft Punk.
Joan Baez
Joan Baez has been a part of the music industry since 1958. She took folk music and transformed it into something more, her songs providing a platform for her to make change. It is her interpretation of other artists, however which make her so unique. Her version of “We Shall Overcome” is the one used by Martin Luther King Jr. at the marches she performed at. She became deeply involved in the Civil Rights Movements of the 1960s and ’70s, and it has given her work a timeless feature. In a career spanning 30 albums and 55 years, Joan Baez has set an example of the important role that music plays for change.
Journey
Journey has a special place in many people’s hearts. Their most memorable hit, “Don’t Stop Believin’,” has transcended music to become a something more, ingrained in our society. Since their inception in 1973, the band has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide. Their discography includes 23 different albums and 43 singles since 1975. They ushered in the age of stadium rock, and for that they have earned their place in this year’s inductees.
Pearl Jam
Like the aforementioned Journey, Pearl Jam has, in my opinion, more than deserved their place in this year’s class. Coming out with the album Ten in 1991, the band has gone on to have ten top five albums, five of which reached number one. Their sound is undeniably unique, often featuring up to three guitars at once, all augmented by the baritone howls of the front man, Eddie Vedder. They helped to popularize the Grunge movement, and, along with their cohorts in Soundgarden and Nirvana brought about a style of music the world had never seen before.
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur continues to fascinate people to this day. His work sparked conversation about race relations and about young black men in particular. As 50 Cent wrote in Rolling Stone “Every rapper who grew up in the ’90s owes something to Tupac.”
Tupac has sold almost 75 million records worldwide. His influence can be seen in artists today like Eminem and Kendrick Lamar. Therein lays my issue with his induction: Tupac is by no stretch a rock and roll artist, nor is he the pioneer who brought rap into the mainstream world of music. That honor would belong to N.W.A., inducted in last year’s class. Therefore, Tupac does not perhaps deserve a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but rather deserves an accolade of some other kind for his well-crafted music.
Yes
Yes is a peculiar case. While guitarist Steve Howe continues to be underrated, all of the other members are regarded as artists without peer. They represented the height of progressive rock, a style famous for its use of keyboard instruments, which artists such as Pink Floyd and Genesis paving the path for Yes to make it big. Their most recognizable songs include “Owner of a Lonely Heart” and “Roundabout”. While their contribution to Rock and Roll is appreciative, Yes remains only a somewhat solid pick for a Hall of Fame full of the best of the best.
This year’s class is still a particularly strong one. All of the artists featured above have provided strong examples of what can come from hard work at a craft. However the selection process always seems to generate questionable choices every single year. Whatever your opinion on this year’s class, be sure to tune in on Apr 7th to watch the induction ceremony that will feature each living artist performing their greatest hits for the ceremony.