Breaking Down the Class of 2010

Well, the announcements have been made. No Rush. No Journey. No Stevie Ray Vaughan. But we got ABBA in The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame!!! Alright, simmer down. At least the rest of the choices were good. Joining ABBA is The Stooges, Genesis, The Hollies, & Jimmy Cliff. A solid case can be made for each. Well, I'll get to that...

First off, we'll forgive that The Stooges hail from Ann Arbor, MI. That being said, The Stooges basically were to the hippie movement what Nirvana was to hair bands. They basically spat at the notion of an idyllic world of flowers, beads, peace & love. They saw the world for what it really was - one full of disappointment, hurt, and rage during the late 1960's. They didn't live in a dream, the lived in the now. Spawning classics like "No Fun," "1969," and "I Wanna Be Your Dog," The Stooges became the model for what would become punk. There is no other more iconic persona for the pre-punk era than Iggy Pop, hands down.

Genesis is an interesting group that I've learned to appreciate, especially the early Phil Collins stuff like "Abacab" and "Turn It On." Initially finding success with Peter Gabriel on lead vocals as an art/prog band with classics like "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway," Genesis really came into their own after Gabriel left in 1975, and drummer Phil Collins took over on vocals. The group always has had a tightly produced sound, with guitarist Mike Rutherford & keyboardist Tony Banks rounding out the "Genesis" style. I'm not really a fan of the "MTV-era" Genesis, although they did make some great videos like "Land Of Confusion." Should at least make for an entertaining look-see with Phil Collins & Peter Gabriel on stage at the induction ceremony.

As a member of "The British Invasion," The Hollies were somewhat less popular in the States than their English counterparts, but no less talented and perhaps the most accomplished vocally. Even though The Hollies did chart quite as often in the U.S. as they did in the U.K. , they never had a Number #1 song in America. Classics like "Bus Stop," "Carrie Anne," and "Stop! Stop! Stop!" all hit the Top 10 during the Graham Nash era, which came to an end in 1968 with his departure & formation of Crosby, Stills, & Nash. Lead vocalist Allan Clarke remained and The Hollies reached #2 in 1972 with an all-time favorite of mine, "Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)." Ironically, Clarke left the group after recording the song in 1971, but did an about-face after learning of the song's success & rejoined The Hollies in 1972.

It is hard to say that Bob Marley followed anyone's lead, especially in reggae music, but follow Jimmy Cliff and capitalize on his success is what he did indeed. While I'm not as up to speed as I should be on my reggae, at least I and everyone else knows Jimmy Cliff, and I was surprised that he wasn't already in the RRHOF, actually. He differs from Marley in that his vocals & style takes on an almost lamenting, gospel feel; whereas Marley & The Wailers had a more confrontational, brute force in their delivery. Cliff is perhaps most famous for his role in and soundtrack for the 1972 movie The Harder They Come, which popularized reggae all over the world. Cliff's work has been covered enumerous times, especially "Many Rivers To Cross." Cliff became popular with a younger, wider audience in the 1990's with soundtrack work, including a cover of Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now" from the film Cool Runnings, and "Hakuna Matata" from The Lion King.

And then there's ABBA. Forgive me, but even though I had a crush on Agnetha when I was a kid and they remain a guilty pleasure of mine thanks to my parents' upbringing, I can still boldly say they do not belong in the RRHOF. Sorry, I may sound cruel but they are way too "poppy" for this crowd. Even though for a period in the mid-seventies they were a worldwide phenomenon, the music was not all that great either. It was what it was. "Dancing Queen," "Waterloo" and "Fernando" are now enshrined with "Blowin' In The Wind" and "Atlantic City," folks...deal with it. "S.O.S." was a good enough song, but I'm thinking this induction was purely an apologetic gesture to the Swedish people, since Tiger Woods has been such a dick to Elin and all. I dunno maybe I'm the delusional one here?