Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame

[Music Head]

from rolling stone

The Stooges, Genesis and ABBA lead the list of accomplished artists that will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next year. The class of 2010 also includes the Hollies and Jimmy Cliff.

Iggy Pop says his band has been patiently awaiting this honor for some time. "We've been rejected seven times, and we would have set a record, I think, if it happened again," the Stooges' frontman tells Rolling Stone. "It started to feel like Charlie Brown and the football. I had about two hours of a strong emotional reaction after hearing the news. It felt like vindication. Then I kind of scratched my head and thought, 'Am I still cool? Or is that over now?'

The news was quite surprising for the Swedish pop group ABBA. "I didn't think this would happen, because we were a pop band, not a rock band," says Benny Andersson, who helped found the group in 1970. "Being a foreigner from the North Pole, this feels really good."

The Hall of Fame has earned a reputation for convincing long dormant groups like Talking Heads and Led Zeppelin to perform at induction ceremonies. Though Graham Nash hopes to play with the Hollies for the first time since 1983 ("I'll be there with bells on," he says), an ABBA reunion is less likely; the group split in 1983 and has refused all offers to reform ever since. "It's very tricky because Agnetha [Fältskog] is not flying," Andersson says. "The people who are really fond of ABBA for what we did, I think we are doing them a favor by not going out." He said he wouldn't completely discount a performance, but wanted to talk it over with the rest of the group. "It's 99 against 1 [odds], though."

A reunion of the Peter Gabriel era of Genesis, who haven't played together since a one-off in 1982, is more likely — however Phil Collins' recent medical problems have left him virtually unable to play the drums. "I don't think he'd be itching to play early 1970s Genesis music at the moment," says Genesis keyboardist Tony Banks. "Peter [Gabriel] is a bit elusive, but I'll probably talk to him soon and see if he has any concept of what he wants to do. I don't feel a great need to play. I'm happy just to drink."

Cliff, known internationally for his work in the 1972 The Harder They Come and its iconic soundtrack, becomes the second reggae pioneer to join the Hall, after Bob Marley, who was inducted in 1994. Cliff's "Many Rivers to Cross" is one of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The 25th annual induction ceremony will be held March 15th. The event, which is returning to New York's Waldorf Astoria, will be broadcast live on Fuse. The Hall of Fame will also give the Ahmet Ertegun Award (an honor for non-performers) to record executive David Geffen and songwriters Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, Ellie Greenwich & Jeff Barry, Jesse Stone, Mort Shuman and Otis Blackwell.

[JonG]

I have similar feelings about the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame as I do about the Grammys. That is, I do not care about it. That me, I'm not one for ceremony and formalities.

Do others feel differently? Is it a big deal for you if your favorite artists and bands are inducted? If so, why?

[Music Head]

Although it is not nearly as big a deal, especially to the industry insiders, I have much more interest in the Hall Of Fame induction ceremonies than the Grammys, only because it is a last chance for some usually well deserved legends of the past to receive some well deserved recognition for their contributions that may have been overlooked even when they were popular. I'm sure most of the recipients consider it an honor to be cherished.

[Music Head]

from billboard



The Swedish hit machine ABBA and English progressive rockers Genesis accepted inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday, despite prominent members staying away from the ceremony.

British Invasion harmony kings The Hollies, reggae superstar Jimmy Cliff and raucous rockers Iggy Pop and the Stooges also entered the hall. So did a group of songwriters responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars in sales.

After "Waterloo" started them off winning a European songwriting contest in 1974, ABBA released a string of pop hits such as "Knowing Me, Knowing You," "Fernando" and "Dancing Queen." Members Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad drew salutes for that work on Monday. Partners Bjorn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Faltskog weren't there, the absence unexplained.

"These songs have brought us all the way into the great Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," Andersson said, "and I speak for all of us ... we are deeply, deeply honored."

Lyngstad pointed out her grandson in the audience, noting that while he was a heavy metal musician he still appreciated grandma's music. Also cheering from the audience was actress Meryl Streep, who starred in the recent "Mamma Mia!" movie, which, along with the Broadway show, has helped keep ABBA's music alive since the band's 1982 breakup.

That's final, too: Lyngstad told the audience ABBA would never perform together again.

The Waldorf-Astoria hotel audience got one-fourth of ABBA in performance. Andersson took to the piano as country star Faith Hill sang "The Winner Takes It All."

Genesis had two distinct incarnations, one led by theatrical lead singer Peter Gabriel and the other when drummer Phil Collins took over the microphone. Trey Anastasio, of Phish, paid tribute to both with his own band, which performed "Watcher of the Skies" and "No Reply at All."

Gabriel was missing on Monday. Former bandmate Mike Rutherford said Gabriel wanted to send his apologies.

"He has a very legitimate and genuine excuse," Rutherford said. "He's actually starting a tour."

Anastasio recalled buying Genesis albums as a teenager. He called the band "rebellious, restless and constantly striving for something more."

"Every musical rule and boundary was questioned and broken," he said. "It's impossible to overstate what impact this band and musical philosophy had on me as a young musician. I'm forever in their debt."

Steve Van Zandt, Bruce Springsteen's guitarist, honored The Hollies and the spirit of rock and roll in an eloquent induction speech. Allan Clarke and Graham Nash's "exquisite English harmonies were second, or shared only by the Beatles."

Their British Invasion hits included "Bus Stop" and "Carrie-Anne," both of which the band performed on Monday.

Clarke recalled telling his father he was going to become a professional musician. His father told him that bands only last three or four years, so bank as much money as you can.

"Well, Dad, I'm being inducted into a museum," Clarke said. "How's that for longevity?"

Nash jokingly thanked his colleagues for having "the audacity, the gall" to have three No. 1 hits after he left the band in 1968. Those 1970s standards were "The Air That I Breathe," "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" and "Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)."

Jamaica's Cliff was among the first to export reggae. His best-known songs include "You Can Get It if You Really Want," "The Harder They Come" and "Many Rivers to Cross," and he energetically performed each of them on Monday.

Haiti's Wyclef Jean recalled loving Cliff's songs so much he translated some of them into hymns so his father would allow them to be sung in church. One of his biggest thrills came when, after a recording session, Cliff accepted his invitation to stay over in his New Jersey apartment.

"When we saw Jimmy Cliff, we saw ourselves," Jean said. "Meaning, coming from Haiti and the Caribbean, you have to see someone do it for you to be inspired to think you could do it. When I saw Jimmy Cliff, I could see my face."

The Michigan-based Stooges never sold many records. But the brutal force of their 1973 album "Raw Power" influenced the punk movement to come, and the rubber-limbed Pop was an electric frontman.

Pop delivered middle-finger salutes to his audience and, at the black-tie affair, had his shirt off even before performing "Search and Destroy." He prowled through the audience for "I Wanna Be Your Dog," and the Stooges were joined onstage by inductor Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam.

"Roll over Woodstock," Pop said. "We won!"

For all their toughness, the Stooges seemed genuinely touched by the honor. Scott Asheton paid tribute to his brother and bandmate Ron Asheton, who died last year. Pop choked back tears in thanking his colleagues for getting back together and working.

"Here we are in the belly of the beast - a lot of power and money in this room," he said. "It's a big industry. If it makes the right decisions, it will stay an industry. Music is life, and life is not a business."

Songwriter Carole King inducted old colleagues from an era (the 1950s and early 1960s) when performers largely left songwriting to others. They included Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil ("You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," "On Broadway"), Ellie Greenwich & Jeff Barry ("Leader of the Pack," "Be My Baby"), Otis Blackwell ("All Shook Up," "Don't Be Cruel"), Mort Shuman ("Save the Last Dance for Me," "This Magic Moment" with Doc Pomus) and Jesse Stone ("Sh-Boom," "Money Honey").

How's this for tough luck: Barry missed his big moment when his plane was canceled because of bad weather.

Another non-performing inductee was David Geffen. Before he spread his influence to other parts of the entertainment business, Geffen started the Asylum and Geffen record labels.

The ceremony was telecast live on the Fuse music network.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is in Cleveland.