Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper, Tom Waits, and More Inducted In Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

[JamesG]

Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper, Tom Waits and Others Inducted Into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Mar 15, 2011
by Robyn Ross



Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper, Darlene Love and Tom Waits were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with Dr. John and Leon Russell.

Diamond, 70, is well known for his song 'Sweet Caroline', inspired by Caroline Kennedy and now used as the Boston Red Sox anthem.





Cooper (real name: Vincent Furnier) is known for his band's hard rock hits 'Eighteen' and 'School's Out'.

"We've always been a hard-rock band. We just wanted to decorate it a little differently," he said during Monday night's ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in Manhattan, wearing a blood-splattered shirt and a boa constrictor.





Waits, who has written songs for Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, Johnny Cash and the Ramones, told the audience: "They say that I have no hits and that I'm difficult to work with ... and they say that like it's a bad thing."





Love has lent her voice to several of singer Phil Spector's hits including 'Da Doo Ron Ron' and 'Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)'.

She was inducted by Bette Midler who said, "Listening to her songs, you had to dance, you had to move, you had to keep looking for that rebel boy."





John Legend inducted Dr. John, a global ambassador for New Orleans, and remarked:

"He has never stopped flying the flag of funk."





Russell is known for his hits 'Delta Lady' and 'A Song for You', and in recent years has collaborated with Elton John, who inducted him.




A tape of the ceremony will air Sunday at 9/8c on Fuse.








The performers inducted were:

- Alice Cooper, inducted by Rob Zombie

- Neil Diamond, inducted by Paul Simon

- Tom Waits, inducted by Neil Young

- Dr. John, inducted by John Legend

- Darlene Love, inducted by Bette Midler



http://www.tvguide.com/News/Neil-Dia...k-1030693.aspx

[catlover79]

Very cool!!

[TheCars1986]

Dr. John, Tom Waits, and Darlene Love? Are you kidding me? I knew of Tom Waits but thought he was horrendously overrated (his albums never sold yet they always made the "greatest" lists for some reason), but I can honestly say that the average John Q. Public has never heard of Darlene Love nor Dr. John. Glad to see Neil Diamond and Alice Cooper go in though.

[MrCleveland]

Not Bad, but tell me when Chicago or The Moody Blues get inducted!

[catlover79]

How about Connie Francis, who was for over three decades, the best-selling female singer in America (Mariah Carey has since broken most of her records)? She had 35 Top 40 hits, recorded almost all of her songs in multiple languages (broadening her appeal overseas), and 10 Gold Records. Yet Percy Sledge (five Top 40 hits) and Patti Smith (one Top 40 hit) were inducted ahead of her? What a crime!!

At least Neil Diamond (37 Top 40 hits) finally got in, so maybe Connie will finally get her due soon. I hope so; she earned it a long time ago.

[MickeyMac]

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

Dr. John, Tom Waits, and Darlene Love? Are you kidding me? I knew of Tom Waits but thought he was horrendously overrated (his albums never sold yet they always made the "greatest" lists for some reason), but I can honestly say that the average John Q. Public has never heard of Darlene Love nor Dr. John. Glad to see Neil Diamond and Alice Cooper go in though.

Quite a few people are familiar with Darlene Love and Dr. John

[MickeyMac]

Originally Posted by catlover79

How about Connie Francis, who was for over three decades, the best-selling female singer in America (Mariah Carey has since broken most of her records)? She had 35 Top 40 hits, recorded almost all of her songs in multiple languages (broadening her appeal overseas), and 10 Gold Records. Yet Percy Sledge (five Top 40 hits) and Patti Smith (one Top 40 hit) were inducted ahead of her? What a crime!!

At least Neil Diamond (37 Top 40 hits) finally got in, so maybe Connie will finally get her due soon. I hope so; she earned it a long time ago.

They dont always go by who has the big hits.

[JamesG]

Top 10 Rock Hall of Fame Snubs


A band is eligible for induction into Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after they release their first record.

This year's finalists were announced Sept. 24 — giving new hope to fans of two long-suffering bands — but the gala will leave a bitter taste in the mouths of fans of many bands whose idols haven't yet made the cut.

Here are 10 of the Hall's most notable snubs.








1. KISS







Could this be the year?

When the list of 2010 nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were announced Sept. 24, KISS made the list, despite the fact that they might have been a greater gimmick than a band.

Despite the recent surge of nostalgia for the rockers and talk of a new album, the Hall of Fame has never seemed inclined to let Gene Simmons and his posse of masked hell-raisers gatecrash.




Maybe 1978's four simultaneously released (and equally awful) solo albums doomed KISS chances, but no matter. Hell hath no fury like an aging KISS fan scorned, and the Hall learned that in 2006 when nearly 200 of them protested the band's snub, many dressed in full KISS regalia.

Their enshrinement in 2010 is no sure thing: only five of the 12 bands nominated will make it into the Hall, based on the decision of 500 voters.

Protesters shouldn't stow away those masks just yet.












2. Genesis






The band that sang 'Invisible Touch' shouldn't be allowed within a thousand feet of any self-respecting Hall of Fame, but Genesis joined KISS on the list of potential 2010 inductees.

The band, which admittedly had one of the lamest third acts of any long-running act, wasn't always a Phil Collins-led trio cranking out dentist-office hits. It was once a Peter Gabriel-led quintet generating prog rock oddities, some of which were way ahead of their time.

Even Genesis' middle act — the 'Follow You, Follow Me' to 'Illegal Alien' period — was rich with respectable tunes.












3. Def Leppard







If lyric writing and making sense were not part of the job description for a great band, you could argue that Def Leppard is the greatest band of all time.

'Pour Some Sugar on Me', 'Animal', 'Armageddon It' — these monster hits off the band's 12-million selling Hysteria album (1987) aren't just favorites of the exotic dance industry, they're unbeatable for singing along with at the top of your lungs.

They are also so devoid of meaning that it's possible they were written with an R-rated version of Refrigerator Magnet Poetry.

Oh, and if that's not enough for you, remember that Def Leppard has the world's greatest one-armed drummer.












4. Pat Benetar







Greatness may be too strong a word, but anyone who can inspire a generation of teenage girls to rock headbands must have had something going for her.

In Benatar's case, that something was a bantam squint that infused her songs with a unique female attitude. Or at least it infused her videos; no singer dominated early MTV like Benatar.

And while Madonna erased her presence from the fossil record, Benatar's influence is still felt in the careers of Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani and others.












5. Chicago







Despite five No. 1 albums, the success of jazzy rockers Chicago was always a bit of a mystery to music critics who never fully embraced the group.

And while Chicago's horn section was huge, their musical output was bigger — like clockwork, the band put out 11 albums in the 1970s alone.


Perhaps less would have been more, at least as far as the Hall is concerned. Inconsistency, caused by their ever-rotating slate of band members, may continue to keep Chicago out.












6. Boston







Bands named after cities just can't get any love. Boston was never a critical darling, but their songs were woven into the fabric of the '70s.

Lead singer Brad Delp had a soaring range, which he put to heavy use during days spent slaving in the studio overdubbing and harmonizing with himself.

Boston's first album, 1976's self-titled release, went platinum 17 times, but Boston could not parlay that success into long-term relevance.












7. The Doobie Brothers







Let's just get this out of the way — any band with Michael McDonald for a lead singer automatically loses some of its rock star cachet.

That said, The Doobie Brothers may have been at their best with the heavily-maned crooner at the helm.



When McDonald took over in 1975, he changed the band from biker-bar rockers into a more soulful sounding group.

And therein lies the problem — The Doobie Brothers soon became little more than McDonald's backing band, and a decidedly mediocre one at that.












8. Rush






Rolling Stone has called Rush fans the "Trekkies" of rock — they defend their Canadian rock heroes vehemently. The band certainly has carved out a place in rock history.

With 24 consecutive gold or platinum albums, they trail only The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Aerosmith. But commercial success belies a career that took the occasional wrong turn.




Critics cite the band's over-fascination with synthesizers in the 1980s, but fans say the period is simply proof that Rush doesn't care about convention.

That independent streak might keep Rush from the Hall, but it doesn't seem to bother them in the slightest — guitarist Alex Lifeson called the Hall selection process a "joke."












9. The Moody Blues






The Moody Blues burned fast and bright. While still around today, they're only a smoldering flicker of the band they were in their prime.

During a five-year period from 1967-1972, the Moody Blues put out seven albums that sold millions, producing such hits as 'Nights in White Satin' and 'Question' (all while rocking the occasional flute solo).

The band enjoyed a brief comeback in the 80s, but if they make it into the Hall, it will likely be on the basis of their early material.












10. Cheap Trick







Calling your band "Cheap Trick" puts you at risk of self-prophesy.

In their '70s iteration, Cheap Trick produced the skin deep (but sugary sweet) 'I Want You To Want Me"'and rock standards like 'Surrender'.


But they lived up to their name in the '80s, reduced to penning songs with bad hooks and worse titles — 'Good Girls Go to Heaven (Bad Girls Go Everywhere)'? Really?

Cheap Trick may not be Hall bound, but they continue to be hugely popular in Japan and did their patriotic duty stateside by penning the opening ditty to "The Colbert Report", their best work in decades.

http://www.time.com/time/specials/pa...889203,00.html

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by MickeyMac

They dont always go by who has the big hits.

That's not fair. Connie Francis belongs in the HOF, no question about it.

[TheCars1986]

Originally Posted by MickeyMac

They dont always go by who has the big hits.

I know there are exceptions to the rule, but by definition those who have big hits obviously struck a chord with the majority of the public. And those artists talented enough to continue to garner hit after hit would be classified as a "game changer". Isn't that what the HOF is all about? People who changed the game in terms of rock and roll and music. How exactly did Darlene Love do this? By singing others material? And other than "Right Place, Wrong Time" what did Dr. John have to offer that was a "game changer" in terms of music? All ten of those snubs that were posted should definitely have gone in well before Tom Waits, Darlene Love, and Dr. John.

[MickeyMac]

In the 90's there was a book out called The Worst Records of All Time (which needs an update). In the preface there was 33 rules to follow on how not to make a bad record. One of the rules was "The rock and roll hall of fame is an oxymoron, if you want your work recoginized in a museum, learn to paint"



I think that says it all.

[Nighthawk76]

Weren't Genesis inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame last year? I don't really pay much attention to who they induct and who they dont, but I'm pretty sure Genesis were inducted last year. I truly believe that both Chicago and Rush deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, not only because I love them both, but because they created music that many people still love. If I'm not mistaken it took them years to finally induct Black Sabbath into the Hall, another very importand band.

[MrCleveland]

Originally Posted by Shine

Weren't Genesis inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame last year? I don't really pay much attention to who they induct and who they dont, but I'm pretty sure Genesis were inducted last year. I truly believe that both Chicago and Rush deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, not only because I love them both, but because they created music that many people still love. If I'm not mistaken it took them years to finally induct Black Sabbath into the Hall, another very importand band.

I think Sinatra should be in there as an Early Influence (No Sinatra...No Lady Gaga) and/or Non-Inductee because he founded Reprise Records which gave musicians the ability to be more creative.

And I also think Procol Harum should get the nod...but that's like Cleveland winning a Championship!

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by MickeyMac

In the 90's there was a book out called The Worst Records of All Time (which needs an update).

I've read that book - it is a very entertaining read. The authors take no prisoners and mince no words!!!

[ComedyGuy]

Hey JamesG I agree that all 10 bands you posted should be in the R&R HOF but they made sure that freakin ABBA got in though.

Question if KISS makes it in. . . . . . .
Will the original members be there ???
Will they perform a few songs ???
Will one of the songs be Rock and Roll All Nite ???
Will they be in full makeup and costumes ???