Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Names 2003 Inductees

Yahoo (reuters) ^ | 11/07/02 | Reuters

[Bella_Bru]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Australia's heavy-metal rockers AC/DC along with three British groups -- Elvis Costello (news) and the Attractions, The Police and The Clash -- climbed to the ranks of rock's pantheon after being named the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 2003 inductees, organizers said on Thursday.

They were joined by The Righteous Brothers, Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield, whose 1965 chart-topping hit "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" helped define what came to be called "blue-eyed soul" during that decade.

"These inductees represent many influential genres of rock, including 60s soul, heavy metal and 1970s English punk," said executive director Suzan Evans in a statement.

The Hall of Fame's 18th annual induction ceremony will be held in New York on March 10 and as in recent years, it will likely reunite bands that parted ways several years ago, sometimes acrimoniously.

The Police, The Clash and Costello followed in the footsteps of The Ramones and Talking Heads, who last year became the first punk and new wave bands to break into the Hall of Fame. Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record.

Sting, the solo artist who was bassist and lead singer for The Police, told his web site Sting.com: "I am very proud of the legacy of The Police. We were a damn good band and it still holds up."

The Police fused punk with reggae grooves and intricate arrangements to gain global popularity. With Andy Summers (news) on guitar and Stewart Copeland (news) on drums, The Police's rise culminated with the 1983 album "Synchronicity" which featured the hit song "Every Breath You Take." The trio broke up in 1985.

The anti-establishment Clash rose to prominence at the dawn of the punk era, lashing out against war, racism and the sorry state of the British economy to gain global fame with hits like "Rock the Casbah" before splitting in 1982.

Critically respected, Costello drew from the energy of punk with his first solo album "My Aim Is True" in 1977 before joining with the Attractions, made up of keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Bruce Thomas and drummer Pete Thomas, until the mid-1980s. Since Costello has jumped music genres from jazz to a collaboration with Burt Bacharach (news).

The hard-charging guitars of Angus and Malcom Young combined with the growl of AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson to power the band's aggressive sound with anthems such as "You Shook Me All Night Long" in 1980.

[BibChr]

No Chicago yet??

Heck with 'em.

Dan

[Argh]

Maybe Alzheimer's has destroyed my "brain", but that's the first time I ever heard of "blue-eyed soul", Miss Bellissima. If people used that expression in the 60's I must've been asleep.

[Hildy]

THE CLASH???? THey were one-hit wonders....maybe two..but that's it.

[Bella_Bru]

AC/DC and the Clash BUMP!

[Bella_Bru]

Decent punk band. I like a lot of what didn't get played on the radio.

[newfreep]

How about Pete Rose?

Sorry....wrong Hall of Fame.

[Pahuanui]

THE CLASH???? THey were one-hit wonders....maybe two..but that's it.

While I personally don't like them, they were pivotal in the history of punk and rock, and were a huge band worldwide.

You need to get out more.

[Vidalia]

"Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Names 2003 Inductees"

Great, but who were the other 1,990 others?

[BarHopper]

Delbert McClinton is the king of "Blue Eyed Soul" JMHO.

[San Jacinto]

Pete's out. They caught him betting on which songs would make the Top Forty.

[Bella_Bru]

LOL! Not as long as Bud Siegel (sp?) has a say.

[TruBluKentuckian]

Wooohooooooo!!!

I'm surprised Elvis Costello got in this soon, but he deserves it. I've been a big fan since my college days in the late 70's.

[Fintan]

Thud.

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

The Police RULE!!!

[ThreeYearLurker]

Outstanding list. Everyone got in that I wanted this year except for Black Sabbath. I saw Elvis Costello and the Attractions about a month ago. They were great. AC/DC, the Clash, and Costello have been in heavy rotation in my CD player for months now. Can't wait to see the induction ceremony on TV.

[stylin19a]

I recall the term "Blued-eyed soul" and it was attributed to The Righteous Brothers sound.( which was part of Phil Spector's "wall of soind")
I am a long-time Righteous Brothers fan,( the name righteous brothers supposedly came about because someone heard them sing and said...That's Righteous, Brother), and it's nice to see them get into the HOF.

[michaelt]

They're all good choices, but I don't consider AC/DC "heavy metal" and for the Hall of Fame director to call them that indicates she knows more about museum administration than rock music.

Hey, it's picky, but if we're stuck with these labels, we might as well use them properly. ;-)

[GirlShortstop]

THE CLASH????    Those boys Rock!!

The king called up his jet fighters
He said you better eaarn your pay
Drop your bombs between the minarets
Down the Casbah way
As soon as the shareef was
Chauffeured outta there
The jet pilots tuned to
The cockpit radio blare
As soon as the shareef was
Outta their hair
The jet pilots wailed