Procol Harum didn't make the cut.
From Rolling Stone.com:
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has officially announced next year's inductees: Rush, Public Enemy, Heart, Randy Newman, Donna Summer and Albert King will all join the class of 2013, with Summer, who passed away this May, and King, who died in 1992, earning the honor posthumously. Lou Adler and Quincy Jones will both receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award for non-performers.
I will console myself, as I often do, by listening to perhaps my favorite track from their masterpiece A Salty Dog -- Matthew Fisher's beyond gorgeous "Pilgrim's Progress."
Incidentally, the short concluding section of this one -- which starts at 3:11 seconds in -- has roughly the same relevance to the body of the song as the non-vocal ending section of "Layla" has to the rest of that record.
And, IMHO, it's the single best instrumental in rock history.
I am not kidding about this.
I should add that until today I had no idea this had ever been released as a single anywhere.
10 comments:
The RnRHOF gets just enough right (looking at this year's list, e.g., Albert King) that most people overlook its egregious transgressions (Rush - 'nuff said; Public Enemy, Donna Summer - whatever you think about Public Enemy's and Donna Summer's music, no way in hell is it rock and roll, which has become one of the worst failings of the RnRHOF).
Maybe they should rename the damn thing to "The Hall of Fame for Shit that Jann Wenner Likes or Wants People to Think He Likes So It Will Sell Magazines and Make Him Look Cool" or something.
Anyway, I share your pain; Procol Harum should definitely be on the list.
Jann Wenner won't let the Monkees in.
Jann Wenner is one of the biggest asshats on the planet.
Where is Cheap Trick.
RUSH AND DONNA SUMMER???
Really?
Being an asshat doesn't start to explain it.
This is actually one of my personal favorite songs of Procol Harum.It ranks as one of their most prettiest melodies and the lyrics are very emotional.Matthew Fisher's lead vocals and organ set the right vibe for it.I have my own hall of fame and PH deservably belong there.Budd
Procol Harum goes in when Richard Thompson and Lucinda Williams goes in: NEVER! The voters are Assholes!
ROTP(lumber)
Oh, and just one more name in the list of people/acts who apparently got on Jann Wenner's copious bad side: Warren Zevon. Just think: Rush, but no Warren Zevon. Donna Summer, but no Warren Zevon. Public Enemy, but no Warren Zevon.
What a prick.
HI cthulhu -
Why such strong objection to Donna Summer and Public Enemy? I'm not a huge fan of PE or Summer myself, but I don't object to their being included in the Rock Hall. (I object more about Rush, but, as much as I dislike their music, I can see the argument.) But both PE and Summer made excellent music in their own niches, both were very influential, and if you straightjacket the definition of "rock and roll", you miss out on some really good music, as well as the cross-niche influences. I would hazard a guess that Public Enemy is =at least= as influential on "rock and roll" music as Albert King is.
My own response is that I'm most happy that Randy Newman made it in, as a fan of his. And he had a pretty good set of comments, relevant to what might be considered for the Hall, on the Rolling Stone website.
Excerpt:
RS:The term "rock & roll" is fairly elastic.
RN:It should be. To restrict it isn't right. It's funny; people get so doctrinaire about music. It should be the last thing you don't have an open mind about.
Link to RS interview
I'm not sure I've ever agreed more, word for word, with any comment on this site than John Fowler's above. It's been my privilege to know quite a few successful musicians, authors, chefs, and television writers/producers. If they have one quality in common, is a kind of catholicity in taste -- almost to a person, they are more accepting of a wide range of practitioners of their crafts than fans are.
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