The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees got announced yesterday. KISS is in, but the most unique band of the British Invasion, i.e. The Zombies...
...got hosed agaim.
You know, I don't have a problem with the HOF basically, but there are some bands that deserve to be in it. And there are some bands that deserve to be in it before some other bands.
If The Zombies aren't one of them, then I'm Marie of Rumania.
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I hate the RoRHOF precisely because it's much more of a popularity contest than anything else. Seriously, KISS over the Zombies? (Sounds like an idea for a spectacularly bad TV show...) And Link Wray, the guy who invented the power chord, isn't in there??!! Jeebus Ghod...
Hey, life IS high school.
:-)
The problem was their name. By the time you got done browsing for a record , you would find one way before you got to that part of the alphabet.
I agree in full. Colin B. is one of my favorite singers. As to KISS, it's a cartoon. And, after reading NYM's Shoes story, it's readily apparent that Simmons is a horse's patoot.
If Kiss were around for a thousand years (God forbid), they couldn't produce a song half as great as "Care of Cell 44". Kiss gets into the HOF because they a cultural phenomenon (for good or ill), not because they made great music. People who created well-crafted pop music end up getting ignored by the HOF. Rush gets in before Hall & Oates? And where are The Carpenters? Karen Carpenter was one of the greatest altos of the last fifty years.
I will offer the dissenting opinion here: KISS should have gotten in long before a lot of other bands. They were influential in their stage show -- even if you hate their music (which I don't -- I think their pantheon of songs stands for itself -- dumb, fun, rock and roll.)
This doesn't mean the Zombies won't eventually get in, but, they were nowhere near as influential to a generation of musicians as KISS were.
I'm not about to debate who should have gotten in when. And, yes, Care of Cell 44 is probably the finest Zombies song in their entire catalog -- and probably better than a lot of other bands *entire* catalogs.
But KISS fully belong in a Rock N Roll Hall of Fame (certainly by now) and it's sad it took the "fan vote" to finally get them in.
I don't have a problem with Kiss getting in. I do have a problem with the HOF's priorities, however.
On the other hand, what the hell -- as Chuck Barris famously said, what do I know -- I like cold toilet seats.
:-)
I was in a few bands with guys who were influenced by KISS. They got in the way. I think it was the inability to compose, or to be party to a decent composition. That's the trouble with anti-music shithead celebrations of eternal boyhood, and KISS in particular: there's the specter of Gene Simmons as your guide to the adult world, or even the world of "what doesn't suck hairy balls of phlegm outright".
Like his coequal in emotional intelligence,Ted Nugent, that motherfucker ought to be barking out the window of a cold basement jail.
Ever hear the Kiss cover of the Stones "2000 Man"?
Awful doesn't even come close to describing it...
Since the RoRHOF is indeed a popularity contest, you may conceivably never see The Zombies inducted. But so what? That doesn't in any way diminish their talent. It just reflects on the fact that they weren't influential. That's what happens when you break up before your best work is released. But nothing will ever take away from the brilliance of "I'll Call You Mine", "Imagine The Swan", "Whenever You're Ready" and so many others. Gotta go now and play a few of these. Thanks for the Zombies wake up call.
It's the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Great Music --- everybody knows who KISS is. And since it's linked to the museum, more people would probably want to see their costumes than the Zombies' sweaters ---
Good point.
Zevon's not in yet, is he?
So much for Jann's credibility...
Odd how obsessed Americans are with this so-called Rock & Roll Hall of Fame thing. It's just the same sort of bullshit as the Grammys or the Oscars - it's somebody else telling you what's good and what is not. Fuck them! Make up your own minds, you don't need to get your opinions engraved, do you?
Cleveland, city of light, city of magic.
What exactly are the criteria? It should not be based on the $$$. But how does one judge: talent, influence, live performances, songwriting ability? One bad day and you can end up on someone's shit list. So subjective. Everyone's a critic. Certainly true great artists are there. And so many are left our. To the general populous - The Zombies are hardly a blip on the radar.
I'll second the support of Zevon. One of the best songwriters to come around.
Hannes A. Jónsson,
And while we're at it, who needs the Nobel Prize?
All awards are an acknowledgement of a contribution of some kind, and you have completely misinterpreted our respective reactions. We ARE making up our own minds --- as individuals, sometimes we agree with the organization's decision, and sometimes we don't.
You, on the other hand, have made a sweeping generalization about Americans.
Gosh, I love the Zombies to death, but their reputation basically rests entirely on two albums. By any *objective* measure--popularity, critical acclaim, influence--they are way behind Kiss, and a lot of other acts that aren't in.
Sure, I like them better, but I can't expect everyone to share my tastes.
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