Tuesday, October 14, 2014

"AT THE COUNT OF 3," HE SAYS, "I HOPE I CAN DISAPPEAR":  Current results from your Rock Hall voting, while not producing any OMG Of Course universally-agreed-upon inductees, still show some patterns:
Yes, You Must Induct
Lou Reed (35/43 votes)
N.W.A. (33)

Significant Support
Nine Inch Nails (28)
Green Day (25)
The Smiths (25)
Stevie Ray Vaughan (24)

They've Got Their Adherents
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (18)
Kraftwerk (17)
And the Also Receiving Consideration crew: Chic (5), Sting (4), The Spinners (2), Paul Butterfield Blues Band (2), The Marvelettes (1), War (1), Bill Withers (1).

I'm pretty sure that everyone in those top two groups eventually gets in, except for The Smiths, insofar as this is an America-based institution and they've never even had a top-50 album here and commercial impact has to matter some. (In general, of course, the Hall has big problem in not finding a way to recognize influential-but-not-commercial acts of the post-Founding era.)

I will try to work up a Keltner or two in the coming weeks, especially since I'm a little surprised that Nine Inch Nails didn't place a little higher. Intuitively, their (well, his) case is really strong to me; I'd like to see if it holds up under analysis.

12 comments:

  1. I actually fully expect Green Day to be a rock solid, first ballot inductee. Dookie is a Diamond album which spawned 5 big singles (because they weren't released as physical singles, they didn't Hot 100 chart at the time), and American Idiot is BELOVED by the type of folks who make up the gatekeepers of the HOF (Jann Wenner types).

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  2. Joseph Finn10:25 AM

    I'm actually really curious to see that Keltner for NIN. I think, as a band, they're not quite there for me (I'd put them in the Paul Konerko Hall Of The Very Good), but I can see someone making a solid argument for them.

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  3. The Pathetic Earthling11:44 AM

    I have a friend who -- when this thing comes around -- is constantly saying that Sheryl Crowe should be in the NCPMHoF. I simply don't see this, but my friend is monomaniacal about it. Except, I should note, when I point out that Joan Jett is not yet in the NCPMHoF and then she concedes well, of course, Joan Jett. But then Sheryl Crowe!

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  4. Joseph Finn11:50 AM

    We could do a whole entry on "What is your one hill you want to die on in terms of who should be in the NCPMHoF that isn't in already?" And hell, what is mine now that Rush is in?

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  5. Adam C.11:51 AM

    There's an argument to be made based purely on sales and Grammys, but otherwise, no.

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  6. Adam B.11:51 AM

    Took an underground genre and helped mainstream it with lots and lots of hits.

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  7. Adam B.11:51 AM

    Etheridge first, then Crow.

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  8. 6 platinum albums (3 of which are multi-platinum), 8 top 20 singles, 9 Grammys/32 nominations (including Best New Artist and Record of the Year wins, and nominations for Song/Album of the year). No #1 albums or singles, but much of the work holds up pretty well. She's not a cinch, but Crow's case isn't frivolous.

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  9. Adam C.12:09 PM

    My view is that Etheridge has a far better body of work than Crow. They're probably pretty close on album sales. But Crow trumps her in Grammy wins by a mile.

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  10. FWIW, Etheridge's numbers: 2 Grammys/15 nominations, 5 platinum albums (3 multi-platinum), 2 top 20 singles.

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  11. NIN has had 2 Top 40 mainstream Hot 100 hits, though 19 Top 40 Alternative hits. (More surprisingly, NIN didn't have a #! alternative until The Hand That Feeds in 2005.)

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  12. The Pathetic Earthling9:25 PM

    Well, if we can have an influencers wing then BOC, but I can't really think of an act I need to see in there that shouldn't get in there without my dying on your hill... Stevie Ray Vaughn, for instance.

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