Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees Announced, Lynyrd Skynyrd denied entrance for the 4th straight year.
December 17, 2001 4:50 PM Subscribe
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees Announced, Lynyrd Skynyrd denied entrance for the 4th straight year. Now, I realize Skynyrd has become every critics mullet-rock whipping boy, but how they can be kept out when not only Aerosmith, but Billy Joel have been inducted is beyond me. Along with the Allman Brothers they invented the genre of southern rock, they introduced the twin-lead-guitar configuration to rock, and penned some undeniably classic songs. Chalk it up to some critics anti-southern bias is all I can guess
i agree with your post, however i refuse to acknowledge the Hall until AC/DC gets in.
posted by tsarfan at 5:04 PM on December 17, 2001
posted by tsarfan at 5:04 PM on December 17, 2001
if Billy Joel is an influential force on rock'n'roll, then by god so is Lynyrd Skynyrd!
posted by mcsweetie at 5:08 PM on December 17, 2001
posted by mcsweetie at 5:08 PM on December 17, 2001
As much as I can't stand Skynard, you'd think that "Sweet Home Alabama" alone would be enough to get them in. Not to mention "Free Bird." I mean, when was the last time you went to a concert--any concert--where some drunken dipstick did't decide it'd be really funny to yell out Free Bird? Shouldn't they get in for that? The Free Bird Clause?
I can't stand Skynard (particularly because I'm from Alabama and they reinforce every negative stereotype about the South), but I can't tand the Hall either. They both seem big and dumb enough for each other.
posted by emptyage at 5:10 PM on December 17, 2001
I can't stand Skynard (particularly because I'm from Alabama and they reinforce every negative stereotype about the South), but I can't tand the Hall either. They both seem big and dumb enough for each other.
posted by emptyage at 5:10 PM on December 17, 2001
Damn I was rooting for AC/DC too. Lynyrd Skynyrd deserve to be in there too, if only because they wrote Freebird.
Not a big of Ramones, but any band that sang the Spiderman theme song and gets into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Fame is good sign.
posted by riffola at 5:13 PM on December 17, 2001
Not a big of Ramones, but any band that sang the Spiderman theme song and gets into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Fame is good sign.
posted by riffola at 5:13 PM on December 17, 2001
I mean, when was the last time you went to a concert--any concert--where some drunken dipstick did't decide it'd be really funny to yell out Free Bird?
One time at a Built To Spill show, some guy yelled out "FREEBIRD!" and they actually started playing it! needless to say, I exploded into a couple dozen pieces, most of which were never found.
posted by mcsweetie at 5:14 PM on December 17, 2001
One time at a Built To Spill show, some guy yelled out "FREEBIRD!" and they actually started playing it! needless to say, I exploded into a couple dozen pieces, most of which were never found.
posted by mcsweetie at 5:14 PM on December 17, 2001
they reinforce every negative stereotype about the South...
How? by writing an anti-gun song("Saturday Night Special") or an anti-racism song("Ballad of Curtis Lowe")?
Some of Skynyrd's fans may fall under the redneck stereotype but Ronnie Van Zant himself was all about creating a new yet still southern style.
mcsweetie-I saw the same thing at an Indigo Girls show...things become cliche's for a reason.
posted by jonmc at 5:18 PM on December 17, 2001
How? by writing an anti-gun song("Saturday Night Special") or an anti-racism song("Ballad of Curtis Lowe")?
Some of Skynyrd's fans may fall under the redneck stereotype but Ronnie Van Zant himself was all about creating a new yet still southern style.
mcsweetie-I saw the same thing at an Indigo Girls show...things become cliche's for a reason.
posted by jonmc at 5:18 PM on December 17, 2001
Is that AC/DC with or without Bon Scott...or does it matter? Hrm.
posted by suprfli at 5:35 PM on December 17, 2001
posted by suprfli at 5:35 PM on December 17, 2001
McSweetie, they did that at the last BTS show I went to. Nobody even asked for it. I was suprised how many people knew what it was.
We can either thank K-TEL or their parents I suppose.
posted by perplexed at 5:43 PM on December 17, 2001
We can either thank K-TEL or their parents I suppose.
posted by perplexed at 5:43 PM on December 17, 2001
One time at a Built To Spill show, some guy yelled out "FREEBIRD!" and they actually started playing it! needless to say, I exploded into a couple dozen pieces, most of which were never found.
This happened at a metallica show I went to. Cracked me up.
posted by juv3nal at 6:01 PM on December 17, 2001
This happened at a metallica show I went to. Cracked me up.
posted by juv3nal at 6:01 PM on December 17, 2001
what aspiring rock guitarist hasn't sat in his or her room working until they've mastered that guitar solo?
posted by rebeccablood at 6:05 PM on December 17, 2001
posted by rebeccablood at 6:05 PM on December 17, 2001
Southern rock had become the national rage. But three years later, around the time that Skynyrd’s plane crashed, the movement was eclipsed by disco and the first rumblings of punk. Lengthy guitar solos and earnest lyrics were out; short songs with ambiguous meanings were in. Where the Allmans had expressed sadness and Skynyrd anger, R.E.M., a five-piece [sic] band from the college town of Athens, Ga., took a wildly different approach to their cultural heritage.
A friend of mine has this great theory that REM is, in fact, Lynyrd Skynyrd. The theory begins by drawing the fabulously long bow between the Skynyrd plane crash in Georgia, and the subsequent emergence of REM... Could the ghost of Ronnie van Zant live on in Michael Stipe?
No? Oh well. Nice to see Chris Blackwell getting a Hall o' Fame guernsey, though.
posted by blue at 6:08 PM on December 17, 2001
A friend of mine has this great theory that REM is, in fact, Lynyrd Skynyrd. The theory begins by drawing the fabulously long bow between the Skynyrd plane crash in Georgia, and the subsequent emergence of REM... Could the ghost of Ronnie van Zant live on in Michael Stipe?
No? Oh well. Nice to see Chris Blackwell getting a Hall o' Fame guernsey, though.
posted by blue at 6:08 PM on December 17, 2001
blue - in a weird sort of way...yes, and Michael Stipe would probably agree. Pete Buck as well.
posted by jonmc at 6:10 PM on December 17, 2001
posted by jonmc at 6:10 PM on December 17, 2001
ok ok ok, so yeah, the hall is worthless, morally bankrupt, a self-congratulation society/ puppet show run by the big money boys. Its credibility as a cultural arbiter or institution has been repeatedly stretched beyond the breaking point. But its like that other sacred cow of the music world, the cover of Rolling Stone. You know in your heart that getting there has nothing to do with talent or importance or anything beyond the whims and greasy schemes of the industry. But against all reason, it still means something ...
As glad as I am that The Ramones and The Talking Heads got the nod, I know that it comes at the expense of Patti, Television, Johnny Thunders, all seminal musicians that the industry has no intention of bringing out of the ghetto. Well, maybe Patti, if she keeps sniffing like a stray at the door like she has been for the past few years.
And the sound of The Talking Heads is evident in the music of RHCP? Did I miss something?
I'd love to see Gram Parsons get in, and he probably will 'cause he's nice and safe and dead. Meanwhile living legends like Steve Earle who continued Gram's work will be ignored.
And yeah, Skynyrd should get their due. They're not my personal faves, but I'd rather see a hard-working true-to-their-roots rocknroll band get the nod than many of the hacks who surely will in years to come.
posted by hipstertrash at 6:30 PM on December 17, 2001
As glad as I am that The Ramones and The Talking Heads got the nod, I know that it comes at the expense of Patti, Television, Johnny Thunders, all seminal musicians that the industry has no intention of bringing out of the ghetto. Well, maybe Patti, if she keeps sniffing like a stray at the door like she has been for the past few years.
And the sound of The Talking Heads is evident in the music of RHCP? Did I miss something?
I'd love to see Gram Parsons get in, and he probably will 'cause he's nice and safe and dead. Meanwhile living legends like Steve Earle who continued Gram's work will be ignored.
And yeah, Skynyrd should get their due. They're not my personal faves, but I'd rather see a hard-working true-to-their-roots rocknroll band get the nod than many of the hacks who surely will in years to come.
posted by hipstertrash at 6:30 PM on December 17, 2001
I gotta agree.
damn first song I learned on guitar was Sweet Home Alabama. I don't know too much of their catalog but I thought they always kinda reveled in their redneckness. And I personally respect that.
P.S.
Gotta say since Back in Black is post Bon Scott AC/DC gets in with both singers
posted by bitdamaged at 6:31 PM on December 17, 2001
damn first song I learned on guitar was Sweet Home Alabama. I don't know too much of their catalog but I thought they always kinda reveled in their redneckness. And I personally respect that.
P.S.
Gotta say since Back in Black is post Bon Scott AC/DC gets in with both singers
posted by bitdamaged at 6:31 PM on December 17, 2001
Let's see, Indigo Girls, Built to Spill, R.E.M., Metallica...
maybe all these indie-rockers are closet mulletheads...beautiful, I say embrace the buttrocker within...drag out those lighters and put on some Humble Pie...as a very wise man once said,it's all good.
posted by jonmc at 6:32 PM on December 17, 2001
maybe all these indie-rockers are closet mulletheads...beautiful, I say embrace the buttrocker within...drag out those lighters and put on some Humble Pie...as a very wise man once said,it's all good.
posted by jonmc at 6:32 PM on December 17, 2001
I'm born and raised in New York, and "Sweet Home Alabama" was the first song I ever played in my high school rock band. Skynyrd belongs in th Hall of Fame, no question.
Also, Billy Joel is a master songwriter. Give credit where credit's due...
posted by Ty Webb at 6:41 PM on December 17, 2001
Also, Billy Joel is a master songwriter. Give credit where credit's due...
posted by Ty Webb at 6:41 PM on December 17, 2001
what aspiring rock guitarist hasn't sat in his or her room working until they've mastered that guitar solo?
You've mastered that... Man, I suck. Gary Rossington is right up there with Ritchie Blackmore on the list of un-sung guitar heroes.
Anyway, it is a slight. No doubt about it... As for them being rednecks. I think that if you asked them at the time, as well as most of the surviving members, they would agree with you whole-heartedly. Despite whatever we say here, or what they do at the Hall of Fame, they have done pretty well for themselves:
"MCA Records estimates that Skynyrd has sold over 30 million records over the past twenty-five years. Skynyrd is MCA's number one catalog artist -- out-selling every other catalog artist on their roster including The Who. According to BMI, 'Freebird' has been played on the radio more than 2 million times and the song remains near the top of all radio surveys." (FAQ)
posted by Dean_Paxton at 6:57 PM on December 17, 2001
You've mastered that... Man, I suck. Gary Rossington is right up there with Ritchie Blackmore on the list of un-sung guitar heroes.
Anyway, it is a slight. No doubt about it... As for them being rednecks. I think that if you asked them at the time, as well as most of the surviving members, they would agree with you whole-heartedly. Despite whatever we say here, or what they do at the Hall of Fame, they have done pretty well for themselves:
"MCA Records estimates that Skynyrd has sold over 30 million records over the past twenty-five years. Skynyrd is MCA's number one catalog artist -- out-selling every other catalog artist on their roster including The Who. According to BMI, 'Freebird' has been played on the radio more than 2 million times and the song remains near the top of all radio surveys." (FAQ)
posted by Dean_Paxton at 6:57 PM on December 17, 2001
The southern rock band "Dash Rip Rock" does a great song where they combine two "classic" rock songs into one:
"Stairway to Freebird"
A quick google search shows that this is a common practice. Hmmmm.
posted by ColdChef at 6:59 PM on December 17, 2001
"Stairway to Freebird"
A quick google search shows that this is a common practice. Hmmmm.
posted by ColdChef at 6:59 PM on December 17, 2001
I don't think there is such a thing as a Waffle House jukebox without Free Bird on it.
And I guarantee if you took it off that the jukebox profits would be cut in half, the other half belonging to Patsy Cline.
At least on 3rd shift.......
posted by bunnyfire at 7:09 PM on December 17, 2001
And I guarantee if you took it off that the jukebox profits would be cut in half, the other half belonging to Patsy Cline.
At least on 3rd shift.......
posted by bunnyfire at 7:09 PM on December 17, 2001
what is the deal with Patsy Cline in diner jukeboxes? Is she the patron saint of flapjacks?
posted by machaus at 7:22 PM on December 17, 2001
posted by machaus at 7:22 PM on December 17, 2001
...the other half belonging to Patsy Cline
I'd probably make it a three-way split, at least where I live, with Guns n Roses' "Sweet Child o' Mine". Whenever I hear that song I'm like Pavlov's dog, I start salivating for burgers and fries.
posted by blue at 7:31 PM on December 17, 2001
I'd probably make it a three-way split, at least where I live, with Guns n Roses' "Sweet Child o' Mine". Whenever I hear that song I'm like Pavlov's dog, I start salivating for burgers and fries.
posted by blue at 7:31 PM on December 17, 2001
Hey, don't forget the "Waffle House Theme Song." I play it every time I go into Waffle House, except at this one where all the records in the jukebox are too melted to listen to. It definitely does not belong in the Hall of Fame, at least the Rock and Roll one.
posted by donkeymon at 7:34 PM on December 17, 2001
posted by donkeymon at 7:34 PM on December 17, 2001
This CD is also available in the Atlanta area exclusively at EAT MORE RECORDS, 1210 ROCKBRIDGE RD NW, STONE MOUNTAIN, GA
Judas Priest! Eat More Records? What kind of monstrous place is this? And do they stock any Skynyrd?
posted by blue at 7:46 PM on December 17, 2001
Judas Priest! Eat More Records? What kind of monstrous place is this? And do they stock any Skynyrd?
posted by blue at 7:46 PM on December 17, 2001
Ty Webb -
Billy Joel is a very good songwriter and performer...but the hall is for the truly great, the innovators...most of this years inductees qualify...but so do skynyrd dammit...FREEBIRD! get them lighters out....
posted by jonmc at 7:47 PM on December 17, 2001
Billy Joel is a very good songwriter and performer...but the hall is for the truly great, the innovators...most of this years inductees qualify...but so do skynyrd dammit...FREEBIRD! get them lighters out....
posted by jonmc at 7:47 PM on December 17, 2001
The only time I've heard freebird actually performed in concert was by a local ska band that is known for doing very sarcastic covers of bad overplayed music. During the same concert, they also did five variations on the theme "YMCA". And covered all of the major Duran-Duran hits in just under 60 seconds. Quite thankfully, the rest of the band segued into something else preventing the lead singer from finishing the first verse.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 8:16 PM on December 17, 2001
posted by KirkJobSluder at 8:16 PM on December 17, 2001
let me give you a hint.
DO NOT under any circumstances play the Waffle House Song (or any of the other waffle house songs) on that jukebox unless you truly despise every employee in the place.
They hate it.
And trust me. You don't want to get a waffle house waitress mad.....
posted by bunnyfire at 8:29 PM on December 17, 2001
DO NOT under any circumstances play the Waffle House Song (or any of the other waffle house songs) on that jukebox unless you truly despise every employee in the place.
They hate it.
And trust me. You don't want to get a waffle house waitress mad.....
posted by bunnyfire at 8:29 PM on December 17, 2001
Since there are apparently some fans here, could someone explain Sweet Home Alabama to me, it sounds like a pro-segregation song. Am I completely not getting it?
posted by chrismc at 8:31 PM on December 17, 2001
posted by chrismc at 8:31 PM on December 17, 2001
chrismc-It's not pro-segregregation at all..it was written as a semi-joke response to Neil Young's "Southern Man" which Ronnie Van Zant felt unfairly stereotyped southerners. The references to Governor George Wallace were kind of in a "what can you do type of vein. Van Zant was actually anti-racist as "Ballad of Curtis Lowe"makes very clear. As terrific as the "Sweet Home Alabama" is musically, misinterpretations of that songs lyrics may be the reason Skynyrd has never recieved it's due from the rock intelligentsia.
posted by jonmc at 8:38 PM on December 17, 2001
posted by jonmc at 8:38 PM on December 17, 2001
While waiting Skynyrd's turn to enter the Hall of Fame, take a photographic tour of every building in Jacksonville associated with the band.
posted by liam at 8:43 PM on December 17, 2001
posted by liam at 8:43 PM on December 17, 2001
they introduced the twin-lead-guitar configuration to rock
Hardly. Ever hear of the Yardbirds? Or *kaff* Wishbone Ash?
posted by rodii at 8:46 PM on December 17, 2001
Hardly. Ever hear of the Yardbirds? Or *kaff* Wishbone Ash?
posted by rodii at 8:46 PM on December 17, 2001
rodii-touche...you're right even if the Yardbirds only had Beck and Page together breifly...but Skynyrd definitely had the first three-lead-guitars-at-once configuration once Steve Gaines joined up...I was going to say only but then I remembered Molly Hatchet. And Wishbone Ash were OK but they never utilized the setup as well as Skynyrd did.
posted by jonmc at 8:51 PM on December 17, 2001
posted by jonmc at 8:51 PM on December 17, 2001
In Birmingham they love the governor
Now we all did what we could do
Now Watergate does not bother me
Does your conscience bother you?
Tell the truth
Commonly misunderstood, these lyrics are hazy but, not difficult to interpret.
jonmc is completely correct.
Wallace himself repented for his actions in those days: "He was more readily forgiven by the Alabama blacks who knew the imprint of his heel than by Northern whites."
posted by Dean_Paxton at 8:51 PM on December 17, 2001
Now we all did what we could do
Now Watergate does not bother me
Does your conscience bother you?
Tell the truth
Commonly misunderstood, these lyrics are hazy but, not difficult to interpret.
jonmc is completely correct.
Wallace himself repented for his actions in those days: "He was more readily forgiven by the Alabama blacks who knew the imprint of his heel than by Northern whites."
posted by Dean_Paxton at 8:51 PM on December 17, 2001
chrismc-if you've never heard "Curtis Lowe", do so ASAP..as well as clearing up Ronnie Van Zant's views on race, it's a terrific peice of rock and roll.
posted by jonmc at 8:52 PM on December 17, 2001
posted by jonmc at 8:52 PM on December 17, 2001
Well, if it's three-guitar lineups you want, I think Black Oak Arkansas has Skynrd beat by a couple years (1971). And let's not forget Moby Grape, four years before that (1967). And Paul Butterfield had a two-lead-guitar lineup two years before that (1965).
posted by rodii at 9:11 PM on December 17, 2001
posted by rodii at 9:11 PM on December 17, 2001
"what is the deal with Patsy Cline in diner jukeboxes? Is she the patron saint of flapjacks?"
Well, now that you mention it:
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:22 PM on December 17, 2001
Well, now that you mention it:
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:22 PM on December 17, 2001
rodii-
I thought I was the ultimate rock and roll mind on MeFi...but I bow before you...as good as Gary Rossington and Allen Collins were, Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop definetly have them beat. Moby Grape however, were only interesting for their first album and Skip Spence's solo work. Black Oak Arkansas may have had three guitarists first but they didn't take advantage of them as well as Skynyrd did.
However, can you name the only band made up of two(count 'em, two) bass players?
posted by jonmc at 9:30 PM on December 17, 2001
I thought I was the ultimate rock and roll mind on MeFi...but I bow before you...as good as Gary Rossington and Allen Collins were, Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop definetly have them beat. Moby Grape however, were only interesting for their first album and Skip Spence's solo work. Black Oak Arkansas may have had three guitarists first but they didn't take advantage of them as well as Skynyrd did.
However, can you name the only band made up of two(count 'em, two) bass players?
posted by jonmc at 9:30 PM on December 17, 2001
The only band? Uh, Hugo Largo? I can think of a few two-bass bands, but they have singers'n'stuff too. Just two basses and nothing else?
posted by rodii at 9:34 PM on December 17, 2001
posted by rodii at 9:34 PM on December 17, 2001
rodii-
the answer is DOS, consisting of Mike Watt(of Minutemen and Porno for Pyros fame) and his wife Kira Roessler(formerly of Black Flag.)
Man, me and you should get together and trade MP3's or something, between the two of us we probably know everything.
posted by jonmc at 9:41 PM on December 17, 2001
the answer is DOS, consisting of Mike Watt(of Minutemen and Porno for Pyros fame) and his wife Kira Roessler(formerly of Black Flag.)
Man, me and you should get together and trade MP3's or something, between the two of us we probably know everything.
posted by jonmc at 9:41 PM on December 17, 2001
Oh yeah, Dos, I knew that!
Jon, I think a lot of people here know a lot about all kinds of music.
posted by rodii at 9:56 PM on December 17, 2001
Jon, I think a lot of people here know a lot about all kinds of music.
posted by rodii at 9:56 PM on December 17, 2001
i've always had respect for rock bands whose bassist is so unique that guitarists aren't necessary. morphine and three mile pilot come to mind.
posted by afx114 at 10:42 PM on December 17, 2001
posted by afx114 at 10:42 PM on December 17, 2001
another band in the two bassist category, volta do mar who i saw at a basement show and caused me, like mcsweetie, to explode. they've also got a drummer and a guitar player, which i don't think should put them out of running for a mention, they were amazing.
posted by mikeyb at 11:02 PM on December 17, 2001
posted by mikeyb at 11:02 PM on December 17, 2001
Rothko beat that by consisting (until recently) of three bassists. (They're now working on expanding the lineup).
posted by rbrwr at 3:19 AM on December 18, 2001
posted by rbrwr at 3:19 AM on December 18, 2001
jonmc - innovation is not the sole, nor even the greatest, measure of music.
posted by NortonDC at 4:33 AM on December 18, 2001
posted by NortonDC at 4:33 AM on December 18, 2001
bunnyfire is, of course, correct, as confirmed by the Waffle House menu.
posted by MrMoonPie at 6:58 AM on December 18, 2001
posted by MrMoonPie at 6:58 AM on December 18, 2001
Skynyrd should be in because of their kickass (and anti-drug) “The Needle and the Spoon.”
Besides, they opened the door for .38 Special.
posted by kirkaracha at 7:02 AM on December 18, 2001
Besides, they opened the door for .38 Special.
posted by kirkaracha at 7:02 AM on December 18, 2001
spinal tap did 3 basses way back when... "big bottom"
posted by afx114 at 9:19 AM on December 18, 2001
posted by afx114 at 9:19 AM on December 18, 2001
To me this just proves what a joke the Hall of Fame is. Skynyrd didn't make the cut, but the Ramones did?
It probably was "Sweet Home Alabama's" lyrics that blackballed Van Zant & Company. Or should I say "tarbrushed" (a la Neil Young)...
btw Neil Young has made some of my all-time favorite songs as well as many I can't stand. "Southern Man" falls into the latter category.
posted by StOne at 9:33 AM on December 18, 2001
It probably was "Sweet Home Alabama's" lyrics that blackballed Van Zant & Company. Or should I say "tarbrushed" (a la Neil Young)...
btw Neil Young has made some of my all-time favorite songs as well as many I can't stand. "Southern Man" falls into the latter category.
posted by StOne at 9:33 AM on December 18, 2001
Ned's Atomic Dustbin gets a gold star for being named for a Goon Show episode.
The Rock and Roll hall of fame has always sucked and will continue to suck.
posted by dagnyscott at 4:22 PM on December 18, 2001
The Rock and Roll hall of fame has always sucked and will continue to suck.
posted by dagnyscott at 4:22 PM on December 18, 2001
...great song where they combine two "classic" rock songs
ColdChef, check out Dread Zeppelin, if you haven't already. One joke band, but it was a great joke.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:38 AM on December 19, 2001
ColdChef, check out Dread Zeppelin, if you haven't already. One joke band, but it was a great joke.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:38 AM on December 19, 2001
One more twist to the Neil Young/Lynyrd Skynyrd story...
Neil Young allegedly wrote "Powderfinger" to actually be performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd, which to my knowledge never actually happened... but it's interesting none the less, and just something else worth noting.
Anyone know if there is any truth to this?
Also, I'll chime in with a "WTF" vote as for LS not being inducted... they are well known as the definitive southern rock band...and certainly better known (and played more often) than any other, save maybe the Allman Brothers.
posted by canoeguide at 4:57 AM on December 19, 2001
Neil Young allegedly wrote "Powderfinger" to actually be performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd, which to my knowledge never actually happened... but it's interesting none the less, and just something else worth noting.
Anyone know if there is any truth to this?
Also, I'll chime in with a "WTF" vote as for LS not being inducted... they are well known as the definitive southern rock band...and certainly better known (and played more often) than any other, save maybe the Allman Brothers.
posted by canoeguide at 4:57 AM on December 19, 2001
Who cares if LS aren't inducted into R&R H/F. That doesn't diminish the fact that they are -- were -- an awesome band. Ronnie Van Zant, along with Hendrix, SR Vaughn, J. Morrison and Janet Joplin, among the few, are now immortal because of their untimely death.
I could give a rat's ass about the H/F distinction. Al Pacino didn't win an oscar until 'Scent Of a Women,' but that didn't mean that he wasn't a good actor before that. I mean, they overlooked his performance in both the Godfathers', for chrissake. That in itself ought to tell you something.
posted by Rastafari at 6:11 AM on December 19, 2001
I could give a rat's ass about the H/F distinction. Al Pacino didn't win an oscar until 'Scent Of a Women,' but that didn't mean that he wasn't a good actor before that. I mean, they overlooked his performance in both the Godfathers', for chrissake. That in itself ought to tell you something.
posted by Rastafari at 6:11 AM on December 19, 2001
Ronnie Van Zant, along with Hendrix, SR Vaughn, J. Morrison and Janet Joplin, among the few,
Among the few what?
are now immortal because of their untimely death.
Oxymoron of the day award!
posted by rodii at 6:27 AM on December 19, 2001
Among the few what?
are now immortal because of their untimely death.
Oxymoron of the day award!
posted by rodii at 6:27 AM on December 19, 2001
Janet Joplin
Janis Joplin. And she's among the immortal because she was an awesome vocalist.
posted by anapestic at 6:43 AM on December 19, 2001
Janis Joplin. And she's among the immortal because she was an awesome vocalist.
posted by anapestic at 6:43 AM on December 19, 2001
Time to play down the conspiracy a bit. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame voters are industry veterans who know a thing or two about music (my former boss at Billboard among them). The list of nominees every year is overwhelming in its excellence, which means that someone is destined to feel slighted.
As noted above, inductees are elected for their lasting contribution, pioneering and influence. Lynyrd Skynyrd has two great songs, three guitarists, and, well, what else? Billy Joel, for all the knocks one can make against him, has a three-decades-full catalog of memorable and against-the-grain songs.
The same argument against Skynyrd can be made for AC/DC--adored by angry teens everywhere, but never more than a heavy riff and a whiskey-addled voice--and Kiss, long a favorite of mine but banished to rock purgatory for emphasizing style over substance.
posted by werty at 7:41 AM on December 19, 2001
As noted above, inductees are elected for their lasting contribution, pioneering and influence. Lynyrd Skynyrd has two great songs, three guitarists, and, well, what else? Billy Joel, for all the knocks one can make against him, has a three-decades-full catalog of memorable and against-the-grain songs.
The same argument against Skynyrd can be made for AC/DC--adored by angry teens everywhere, but never more than a heavy riff and a whiskey-addled voice--and Kiss, long a favorite of mine but banished to rock purgatory for emphasizing style over substance.
posted by werty at 7:41 AM on December 19, 2001
I just need to say that I never expected Ned's to be a drift topic in a thread about Skynyrd.. I love this place.
posted by tj at 11:20 AM on December 19, 2001
posted by tj at 11:20 AM on December 19, 2001
I hate to disrupt the cheer that's brimming over around here, but -- have we really slipped into an alternate universe in which Billy Joel is not the worst performer of the rock 'n' roll era? Good God, tell me someone else thinks combining the calculated schmaltz of Tin Pan Alley with the smarmy egotism of the singer/songwriter era is a terrible idea. That, and the clumsy self-righteousness he conjures up whenever he tries to Rock On Out (just listen the Glass Houses if you don't believe me) -- it's just terrible. Please people.
posted by argybarg at 2:04 PM on December 19, 2001
posted by argybarg at 2:04 PM on December 19, 2001
Billy Joel is the Neil Diamond of the eighties.
posted by elvissinatra at 2:06 PM on December 19, 2001
posted by elvissinatra at 2:06 PM on December 19, 2001
Billy Joel, for all the knocks one can make against him, has a three-decades-full catalog of memorable and against-the-grain songs.
While Cold Spring Harbor came out in 1971, I think it's safe to say that BJ's career didn't really start until 1973's Piano Man. I think it's also fairly safe to say that his "memorable" songs were pretty much all written by 1983's An Innocent Man. That would be one decade of pop hits, none of which could really be considered "against-the-grain" other than possibly the doo-woppy "The Longest Time." I finally picked up his Greatest Hits Vols 1 & 2 on CD (for free) this weekend, and while there are a lot of fun songs from my childhood, there is nothing worthy of nomination for an award that's supposedly given to people who have made a lasting impact on rock and roll.
posted by elvissinatra at 2:18 PM on December 19, 2001
While Cold Spring Harbor came out in 1971, I think it's safe to say that BJ's career didn't really start until 1973's Piano Man. I think it's also fairly safe to say that his "memorable" songs were pretty much all written by 1983's An Innocent Man. That would be one decade of pop hits, none of which could really be considered "against-the-grain" other than possibly the doo-woppy "The Longest Time." I finally picked up his Greatest Hits Vols 1 & 2 on CD (for free) this weekend, and while there are a lot of fun songs from my childhood, there is nothing worthy of nomination for an award that's supposedly given to people who have made a lasting impact on rock and roll.
posted by elvissinatra at 2:18 PM on December 19, 2001
I'd like to take a moment here to defend The Ramones. I mean, come on. "I Wanna Be Sedated"? "Blitzkrieg Bop"? "The KKK Took My Baby Away"? "Rock and Roll High School"? Even if you think Skynyrd shoulda been in the Hall of Fame, don't deny the Ramones' rightful place as the godfathers of American punk and as the masters of three-chord RAWK.
Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours ago...I wanna be sedated...
But yeah, the R&RHOF is inherently bogus. I mean, come on: these are rock critics deciding the Canon. This is Jann Wenner and Greil Marcus deciding what the best of rock was. Of course they're not gonna pick Skynyrd! I'm looking over all their inductees and I see a few questionable ones, IMHO. I mean, THE BEE GEES are in there. So is Dion. It's entirely subjective, like all awards and lists.
posted by solistrato at 6:44 PM on December 19, 2001
Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours ago...I wanna be sedated...
But yeah, the R&RHOF is inherently bogus. I mean, come on: these are rock critics deciding the Canon. This is Jann Wenner and Greil Marcus deciding what the best of rock was. Of course they're not gonna pick Skynyrd! I'm looking over all their inductees and I see a few questionable ones, IMHO. I mean, THE BEE GEES are in there. So is Dion. It's entirely subjective, like all awards and lists.
posted by solistrato at 6:44 PM on December 19, 2001
another band in the two bassist category
Cop Shoot Cop
posted by drezdn at 12:17 PM on December 20, 2001
Cop Shoot Cop
posted by drezdn at 12:17 PM on December 20, 2001
To clear things up:
Billy Joel is a rock'n'roller like Liberace was a classical pianist. The Ramones, on the other hand, invented rock and roll. (This may not by HISTORICALLY accurate, but it is SPIRITUALLY accurate) Lynard Skynard is neither as great as y'all think they are, nor do they suck as hard as I think they do.
The greatest band of all time might be The Mekons. Or The Minutemen. Or maybe The Dickies....no, wait, not the Dickies....
posted by BitterOldPunk at 10:04 AM on January 2, 2002
Billy Joel is a rock'n'roller like Liberace was a classical pianist. The Ramones, on the other hand, invented rock and roll. (This may not by HISTORICALLY accurate, but it is SPIRITUALLY accurate) Lynard Skynard is neither as great as y'all think they are, nor do they suck as hard as I think they do.
The greatest band of all time might be The Mekons. Or The Minutemen. Or maybe The Dickies....no, wait, not the Dickies....
posted by BitterOldPunk at 10:04 AM on January 2, 2002
Better late than never:
The middle-aged woman who doles out unused concert tickets in my office once left a classic voicemail informing us that a Mr. Leonard Skynard would be appearing, and would any of us like a ticket?
Maybe that's the Hall of Fame blocker: the Hall thinks that Leonard Skynard is their accountant, not a band...
posted by Rubicon1 at 7:23 PM on January 7, 2002
The middle-aged woman who doles out unused concert tickets in my office once left a classic voicemail informing us that a Mr. Leonard Skynard would be appearing, and would any of us like a ticket?
Maybe that's the Hall of Fame blocker: the Hall thinks that Leonard Skynard is their accountant, not a band...
posted by Rubicon1 at 7:23 PM on January 7, 2002
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posted by skwm at 4:55 PM on December 17, 2001