Edge of '19

I may be a little late in commenting on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees for 2019, but better late than never.  This may be the last time you hear from me about anything for awhile, because my area of the country is under a severe-weather threat (although nothing as severe as yesterday's weather in Texas is expected), so that usually means a power and/or cable outage, and I've been getting too many of those lately.

Right.  The class of 2019 was as musically diverse as always, I guess, but there's only one black artist among them - a woman, and it's no one like Sister Rosetta Tharpe, or Labelle's Nona Hendryx - who made some records that sound more like prog and heavy rock than the sort of dance music associated with performers of her race and her sex.  It's someone who does make the sort of dance music associated with performers of her race and her sex.  Proving once again that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame doesn't seem to know what "rock" really is, and being politically correct is more important than musically focused.  Oh well, here are my takes on each inductee:

The Cure.  Robert Smith is God.  So I've been led to understand.  The Cure are edgy, to be sure, and the fact that they've never been hitmakers in the Top 40 sense and the fact also that they rarely get any radio play show that they have that rock and roll attitude.  So, yeah, this is a no-brainer.

Def Leppard.  This is the most indefensible induction this year.  Def Leppard were a hack metal band that came up with songs misogynistic enough to embarrass Brian Johnson, played with more flash than with substance (think of them as a heavy-metal Duran Duran), and clownishly aped their name from Led Zeppelin (not to mention the medieval obsession), and Joe Elliott's imitation of Robert Plant was hardly a sincere form of flattery.  If  any band was indicative of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's penchant for awarding mediocrity over artistic integrity.

Janet Jackson.  You know what I'm gonna say about her, don't ya?  Okay, I'm not saying Janet Jackson isn't a good singer or anything, and I agree that she's a first-rate entertainer, but so is Barbra Streisand, and no one is urging that the Rock and Roll of Fame induct her.  Janet Jackson's music has a good beat and you can dance to it, but it still isn't rock.  Good grief, her brother Michael made more records worthy of being called rock, and he did it so effortlessly.  Now, I know that some Janet Jackson fans consider her the Queen, and they're not going to like anything I've said against her Rock Hall induction, but guess what? I don't care.  The fact that she's sampled America riffs doesn't impress me - in fact, it shows how clueless she is - I mean, she thinks America is rock?  And they shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame either (and aren't, last time I checked).

Stevie Nicks.  Another no-brainer.  Stevie Nicks proved herself as a solo rock artist with her monumental 1981 album Bella Donna, which featured the classic "Edge of Seventeen" and also cast male LA rockers Tom Petty and Don Henley in subservient roles in their duets with her.  She's the best white female American singer of her time, and she is in complete control of her career.  Like Janet Jackson, but more of a rocker. 

Radiohead.  No contest.  They belong in the Rock Hall for bringing back prog from the dead after so many awful art rock bands killed it with their pretentiousness.  Radiohead are the smartest and most innovative prog band since Pink Floyd,  and they honor the prog genre as much as Floyd did.

Roxy Music.  They definitely deserve to be in.  Roxy Music were art rock in much different way than Pink Floyd or Yes, adding a dash of chic production and cool sophistication to their smart playing, and Bryan Ferry is one of the most compelling vocalists in all of rock.  Never heard Roxy Music?  Imagine New Romantic flair with some jazz-rock sensibilities and a little bit of  soul, and you get the idea. 

The Zombies.  The only question as to why the Zombies were inducted in 2019 is why they weren't inducted sooner.  "She's Not There" and "Tell Her No" are still infectious and enjoyable examples of sixties British Invasion rock, and they definitely had a sound all their own.

So, okay, not a bad class of inductees, but not a great one either.  I'm not going to complain about the usual snubs that persist annually, because all of my complaints are useless . . . except to say that, now that I have satellite radio, I couldn't help but notice how the broadcasts from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland almost never seem to include certain acts that get routinely snubbed by not even being nominated.  I think the Hall's directors have made themselves clear about those acts. 

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was originally established to honor rock and roll performers but has since gone on to include performers representing a variety of pop styles.  Whatever.