Posted on 01/08/2007 10:21:03 AM PST by slowhand520
Van Halen, Grandmaster Flash, R.E.M., Ronettes and Patti Smith make Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
CLEVELAND — Van Halen made a "jump" into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday along with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, R.E.M., the Ronettes and Patti Smith. A panel of 600 industry experts selected the five artists to be inducted at the annual ceremony, to be held March 12 in New York.
Van Halen was the 1980s hard rock quartet led by guitarist Eddie Van Halen, outrageous lead vocalist David Lee Roth, and later rocker Sammy Hagar, that put out hits such as "Jump" and "Dreams."
R.E.M. was the quintessential indie rock band until breaking through to mass success in the early 1990s with songs like "Losing My Religion."
Grandmaster Flash led the most innovative act in early hip-hop, and the song "The Message" was like a letter from urban America.
Punk rock poet Patti Smith and Phil Spector favorites the Ronettes round out the 2007 class.
To be eligible, artists must have issued a first single or album at least 25 years before nomination.
Wow! I don't remember that one. There were a lot of fake groups back then trying to cash in on the Beatles.
I recall walking into my local record store in Jan. 1964 and asking if they had any Beatles records. "Who?" the clerk behind the counter asked.
I dug around in the 45 bin on the counter and found one Beatle record; a Spanish 45 EP (four songs). Paid 49 cents for it. Sold it on eBay last year for $130.
Don't know if you'd consider Maryland "the South" (most don't, some do), and I'm a bit younger (in high school in the mid-80s), but the first four R.E.M. albums were rarely off my turntable and/or car tape deck. Other than "Automatic for the People" and (to some degree) "Out of Time" it's been pretty much downhill for them since then. But I was just listening to "Reconstruction" last night and it's still wonderful.
I wonder if there'll ever be any move to put the Replacements in. That was a great, great band that never got the recognition they deserved.
I saw them at the US Festival in Devore, CA in 1983. Roth was so drunk he couldn't even sing. He just stumbled around the stage and shouted. I was so disappointed.
He sounded a bit drunk when I saw him as well. ....more screaming than singing. The the sound mix was awful. The whole show was unprofessional.
Perfect and dead on. I liked Hagar as a soloist, that's why I thought I could maybe deal with him as lead to VH. Just didn't work.
Do you know who gave Van Halen his start in the music business?
The best part about "Losing My Religion" is that the song isn't about religion at all.
Doesn't translate well into today's music, though. I doubt that we'll be hearing "Get the Funk Out" anytime soon on a 'Classic Rock' station.
Me too. Van Halen is only Van Halen with David Lee Roth, IMO. I prefer Sammy as a solo artist.
And what about the Fuggs?
That's good stuff right there. Their IRS stuff is their best by far.
>>As for REM, if you went to college in the South during the 80's, you no doubt share the same memories I do of listening to that music nonstop.<<
I did, and I do.
I thought "Three Sides..." was even better. Gary has the pipes, but it just wasn't a good fit for VH.
No question. Each one of them has its own personality. I've always loved the murkiness of "Reconstruction," but the crispness of "Lifes Rich Pageant" is great, and the liquidity of Murmur is still completely unique.
Last I'd heard, Sammy was back. At least it's not Gary Cherone, what was EVH thinking??????
Put it this way. My friend Gary Cherone will not be there.
I saw DLR's first solo tour with Steve Vai on guitar. That was a good show.
I like the Cowsills...Susan Cowsill has put out some excellent solo stuff and her work with the Continental Drifters was excellent as well.
Hell, I'd put the Cowsills in there....
Gene Simmons of KISS saw them at the Starwood and got them into the studio for demo's. Ever heard those? They're amazing.
I'll need to dig out my old cassette collection and see if I still have it. That one wasn't as memorable to me, but I remember that there was one semi-hit off of it.
Their original album "EXTREME", wasn't bad either, as I recall. Can't tell you what was on it, though.
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