Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Playlist on Spotify

Hey guys, now's the time that I share one of my playlists...

This one is about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I started the playlist a back in 2013, and have added on to it over the years. After they announced the 2019 Inductees a few days ago, I decided to "revamp" it for many reasons. Since 2013, so much has changed on Spotify. At that time, there were still some artists, such as AC/DC, the Beatles and Bob Seger, that did not have their whole catalog available on the streaming service. One by one, it would be marked as an occasion when that artist would allow the public to stream their stuff on Spotify. Also, there have been some changes to certain artists' catalogs on Spotify. With some of the older groups like the Drifters and the Flamingos, sometimes their songs would disappear and get regrouped under some other album, thus making my playlist uneven. As of 12/19/2018, the only Hall of Fame artist that does NOT have their catalog on Spotify is the Dave Clark Five. Sounds pretty random, I guess.

RANT ABOUT DAVE CLARK:

Since I'm already on the subject, I might as well put my two cents on here about Dave Clark. Clark is one of two surviving members of his Hall of Famed band, as well as the sole rights-holder of its catalog. He's been quite a tightwad since acquiring all of the DC5's songs since 1978. Very rare, especially in these fast-changing times in the music industry, is the fact we'll ever see a re-release of any of the Dave Clark Five's music. Not very much of the band's little-known tracks have ever been released on CD, just a 2-disc Greatest Hits set in 1993. Fifteen years later, Clark would put that same compilation on iTunes. The band's music is still playing on oldies stations all around, but if a 15-year-old was curious about learning about the history of the DC5, they'd have to turn to Youtube. Fans have uploaded their songs on their channels. I'm not sure what's rolling through Clark's head as he hasn't put a stop to any of this, as well as "keeping up with the digital times" - in this case, just sitting back letting the fans take over. To most musicians of all levels, that's a big no-no. The quote "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" is often attributed to Mikhail Gorbachev. That should apply to Mr. Clark, who has no one to blame but himself that not very many people under the age of 40 are not familiar with him or his band's music. You're like Garth Brooks, you seem to be living in your own dream world about making more money (thinking that people will actually buy your stuff these days) and profits. Maybe that's not the case. Just get your head out of your arse. Rant over.

Back to the playlist: two songs are represented by every Hall of Famer, except for you-know-who. Sometimes it's a song that defines their career, or maybe its one of my personal favorites by the band. This was actually a challenge for me. I had to turn to a few good sources on what songs are the artists best known for - mostly for those I wasn't familiar with much, like Jerry Reed, Albert King and Miles Davis. This also goes for groups/artists that had a long catalog of hits, such as Chicago and Janet Jackson. I tried to spread it out from time spans (ex: like one song from Chicago in the 70s, and one from the 80s). Every Hall of Famer was added in chronological order, with the exception of the order of how they were at induction ceremonies.


Shortest song on the list: "Great Balls of Fire" - Jerry Lee Lewis  (1:51)
Longest song on the list: "East-West" - Paul Butterfield Blues Band  (13:12)


Please keep in mind that this list is not really family-friendly, as there are songs that are labeled "Explicit", mostly with hardcore and rap artists. Also, not all of certain artists' catalogs are not available on Spotify. One fine example is Ray Charles, whose post-Atlantic era material is not available on the service. If so, I would have included "Crying Time" and "Busted".

Want to hear? Just click on the big Spotify logo before, and get ready to rock. Putting it shuffle is recommended.

2019 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees

Today is one of the few days us Rock Hall Watchers all get together, and excitedly, go crazy on social media. For the right reasons, of course. We all had mixed thoughts as always; actually, this time around everyone seemed to be in good spirits and satisfied (well, with the exception of some person that calls itself Zuzu...). Satisfied of the fact that some unpredictable moments occurred (which I'll get into). In short, in the words of Hall of Famer Ice Cube, "today was a good day".

Your 2019 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees:

Def Leppard-Stevie Nicks-Janet Jackson-Roxy Music-The Cure-The Zombies-Radiohead


I didn't get all of them right, but close enough. That's usually what happens, with the exception of two years ago! Still, this is great. I agree with all the Rock Hall Watchers that this is one of the best inductee lists in years. I like to think of it as a Heinz 57 class, you know where the Rock Hall 'catches up' with some of the backlog. As Nick B. put it, it is a step forward for alternative rock in the HOF. The baby boomers generation is about to end, which is a good/bad thing - that's for another time. After years of "classic rock-heavy" classes, this may be a new page in the history of the RRHOF. What's even great about this class is the diversity. Even greater is that all new inductees have expressed their appreciation on their social media pages (with the exception being Radiohead...).

Def Leppard easily won the Fan Vote, which to this day has been a success from the beginning. (Like I always say, it only counts for one ballot!) Stevie Nicks was no surprise either. The Rock Hall Watchers community seemed a bit divided on this one. Many feel she isn't deserving as a solo act. As for me, I know about her influence among several female singers today and I do agree her solo career isn't very noteworthy. I look at it both ways, so I see where the others are coming from. But it happened. I'll be the 498th person to say that she will be the first woman to get into the Clyde McPhatter Club - or the 'inducted more than once' group. I do feel that distinction should have went to someone else, be it Carole King, Tina Turner or Diana Ross. I'll save that conversation for another time. Radiohead - hey, I'm happy they got in on second try. At least I don't have to worry about them, Janet or the Cure popping up again on future ballots. The only thing with Radiohead is there's a strong possibility that they won't show up (as Tom Lane pointed out) to the ceremony, so maybe that's why there's an additional spot for them on the list. Roxy Music finally got in, as this was a group that has appeared on several Rolling Stone lists in the past. I'm very happy for Janet, as many have doubted her chances for not being "rock and roll". (Pssttt...tell that to Vernon Reid, who I hope will be part of her induction performance) Many have already pointed out that Janet's induction will open doors for several divas including Whitney, Mariah, etc. I'm happy for the person behind the Twitter account, InductJanet, that their efforts to get Janet in have paid off. The Zombies, I don't even know where to start...in a great way! Finally, the Cure. It is awesome that they will finally open the door to possibly several alternative/80s indie groups. Ever since my big sis turned me on to them when I was little, I've been a dedicated fan of theirs. (I still have to see them in concert though!)

Those who didn't get in: LL Cool J, Todd Rundgren, John Prine, MC5, Devo, Kraftwerk, Rufus/Chaka Khan, Rage Against the Machine

As the saying always goes, "Better luck next time, or in this case, better luck next year...". The biggest shocker is Todd Rundgren, whose name appeared on the ballot for the first time. He's well known all around in the music world, so it was a bit odd not seeing him on the list. I'm positive he'll get in soon, now that he's on the board. Devo and John Prine were also new names, and I also see them getting in sometime in the next few years - maybe sooner. All respect to Tom Morello (nah, I'm pretty sure he's not reading this, haha), I'm not at all worried about Rage. I'm one of many who are concerned about Kraftwerk's chances of getting in. I have to keep telling myself that it took Black Sabbath a ridiculous 8 nominations (in a span of ten years) to get in. But the German electronica pioneers have waited longer, time-wise. Please no back-door inductions for this group! I'm one of the few concerned about LL Cool J. I'm sure he'll get in, but I'd hate to see him get in when its time for Jay-Z and Eminem to get inducted. Many of you know how I feel about Rufus/Chaka Khan. If not, I'll give you the short explanation: I do recognize their worthiness, but I'd rather someone else from that genre and time period get in than them.

Some interesting notes and observations. Many Rock Hall Watchers tweeted about them and/or put them on the FRL site:

-Janet Jackson is the first female inductee born after 1960. There are 66 living male inductees born from 1960 on. (Thanks, FRL guy!)

-With Janet going to be in the Hall of Fame, she will extend the Jackson family's record as the family with the most inducted members (Michael, Tito, Jackie, Marlon, Jermaine - who were all part of the Jackson 5, and Janet). All members of the family were involved in music and released singles of their own, but its very unlikely any more will be inducted into the Hall.

-One more thing about Janet: she is the first living black woman to be inducted since Claudette Robinson (who was inducted with the Miracles in 2012). (thank you Alex Voltaire!)

-According to one of FRL's tweets:
     -This is one of the largest class of performers since 2004.
     -5 out of the Top 6 finishers in the official fan poll were inducted
     -3 of the inductees were inducted on first nomination
     -36 total people inducted (4 are deceased)
     -2 woman inductees

-5 out of the 7 inductees are British acts (thank you Gassman)

-Many are already saying that this will probably be the best Induction Ceremony in years. Anyone who will be lucky to get a ticket will get to witness several legends on-stage, that's assuming most will show up! One pointed out that Janet, Def Leppard and Stevie Nicks may have to fight over the headlining spot. It will for sure be a star-studded event, maybe with some surprises. Even if Radiohead chooses not to show.

I'm sure there's more, just can't think of any at the moment.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with this class. I can't wait to do my annual Rock Hall Special on my radio program in March. I know I'll be playing lots of Cure! (laughs)   I am disappointed, like every recent year, there are no inductees in the other categories (outside of Performers). However, it was revealed there will be more Song Inductees - we all can't wait to hear who/what they are. Now for predicting, who will induct whom.....