The Other 2016 Vote

The nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of  Fame's 2016 induction class have been named, and while Jethro Tull fans will be disappointed to know that their favorite band was snubbed again (I think rock critics believe that Ian Anderson only pretends not to take himself seriously), the Hall has nominated a pretty diverse group.  Take a look at this lineup:  Nine Inch Nails, N.W.A., the Smiths, Deep Purple, Janet Jackson, Chic, Steve Miller, Chicago, Chaka Khan, the Spinners, Cheap Trick, the Cars, the J.B.'s (James Brown's backing group), Los Lobos and Yes.

So you have a list of nominees that run the gamut of popular music (and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a Popular Music Hall of Fame at heart), from mainstream rock and alternative rock to pop and soul to hip-hop and art rock.  Deep Purple, the greatest heavy-rock group that isn't Led Zeppelin, should get in after having been passed by for so long, and I would definitely go for the Cars (a New Wave band that respected rock tradition), the Spinners (who were one of the greatest soul acts of the seventies), Cheap Trick (a great rock band with an equally great sense of humor) or Los Lobos (the Mexican-American Beatles).  However, Janet Jackson is too pop, and Chic is too disco . . . and as far as I'm concerned, and a string of pleasant hit singles in the seventies isn't enough to get Chicago in; their overbearing albums have undercut their seriousness as a jazz-rock ensemble.  And Yes?  Just say no.  Despite some fine moments of rock virtuosity, they gave art rock such a bad name that the subgenre almost died out completely before Radiohead revived it.  I'd be fine with Steve Miller, the Smiths and/or Nine Inch Nails getting in, and I'd have no problem at all with Chaka Khan.  N.W.A.?  Not A.O.K. with me.  Rap isn't rock (here come the nasty comments), and there are enough rappers in the Hall already (incoming!).

Fans can vote for their top five choices until December 9.  Here are the details, from this Rolling Stone article; you can vote there. I already did.

Write in Family? Uh, no, you can't do that. :-O