My Personal Picks from the Rock Hall's Class of 2022 Ballot
It’s hard to believe but it’s been over two months since the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame revealed its Class of 2022 nominees. Normally I would’ve written a blog reacting to the ballot, but I did things a little differently this year. I had the honor of having the great Alex Voltaire as a guest on my podcast where we discussed the nominees on the day they were announced. Check out that episode if you haven’t done so already because Alex brought his A-game that night.
In the last few years, I wrote a blog discussing the 5 artists I’d vote for if I had an actual Rock Hall ballot. I’m still doing but doing things a little differently. Instead of strategizing my picks (for the artists who I think probably need my votes), I placed greater emphasis on the artists whose catalogues I enjoy the most. The Rock Hall’s criteria for induction is so subjective that it’s impossible for voters to not take personal taste into consideration. And when there’s over 1,000 ballots at plays, such tactics are rarely successful.
Even though I write blogs and create podcast episodes focusing mostly on the Rock Hall, that institution does not define my identity as a music fan. Frankly, it shouldn’t be the case for anyone who actively follows the Rock Hall. That’s part of the reason why I do an ‘Album of the Day’ project via the excellent Rock Solid podcast on Twitter and I’ve discovered so much wonderful music that I wouldn’t have listened to otherwise. I’ve reminded myself that I’m a fan first and that was my approach to evaluating this year’s ballot.
I will write a follow-up blog sometime in the next few weeks with my final predictions. This year’s ballot is very tricky to predict and I’m holding off because I’m still deliberating. All 17 nominees have legitimate cases for induction and there’s really no wrong choices this year. But no matter how the final class turns out, it will be a fantastic group of inductees. But anyway…I wanted to take a step back and think about the artists that have impacted me the most. This ultimately boils down to personal taste and I hope you enjoy my selections.
For each of the 5 artists listed below, I provide 3 “essential” studio albums (no greatest hits compilations) and 12 “essential” songs that I believe are indicative of their legacies and contributions to rock and roll. I also included their rankings on my most-recent update of the Top 100 Rock Hall Prospects Project that was updated last January.
Here are my 5 selections (listed in alphabetical order):
1. Beck: I value originality and creativity when it comes to music. The second you hear a song, you immediately know it’s that artist. Beck is one of those artists and someone I’ve grown to admire over the years. It’s easy to write him off as a one-hit wonder for “Loser” or even that he’s the Gen-X version of Bowie, but Beck craved his own path to fame without comprising his artistic integrity or vision. His restless musical spirit allowed him to experiment with various styles and genres and yet still remains relevant 30 years into his legendary career. And, in turn, he created some of the most inventive and era-defining music of his generation. He’s the kind of artist the Rock Hall should’ve nominated in his first year of eligibility, yet he had to wait 4 years for his first nomination (which frankly feels too long). In terms of longevity, critical praise, and industry recognition, he just might be the most qualified nominee on this year’s ballot. He’s the type of artist they should be honoring as soon as they can (cough this year cough).
Ranked #7 on my Top 100 Rock Hall Prospects Project
Essential Songs: “Blue Moon,” “Deadweight,” “Debra,” “Devils Haircut,” “Dreams,” “E-Pro,” “Guess I’m Doing Fine,” “Loser,” “Lost Cause,” “The New Pollution,” “Nobody’s Fault But My Own,” “Up All Night,” “Where It’s At”
Essential Albums: Odelay (1996), Sea Change (2002), Morning Phase (2014)
2. Duran Duran: Ever since I started writing about the Rock Hall many years ago, I’ve always wanted to see the Fab Five on a ballot. In short, Duran Duran always suffered from critical snobbery and those elitists rarely took them seriously (and they probably never will). The band’s detectors saw them as an MTV creation and nothing more. But all of that is simply untrue. Duran Duran is one of the most popular, prolific, and definitive new wave acts of the 1980s. They, perhaps more than any artist of that decade, elevated the music video to an actual art form all the while creating some of the most infectious pop music ever made. Annie Zaleski’s recent 33 1/3 entry on Rio challenges us to reevaluate our understanding of the band’s impact on modern music and culture. Perhaps this is more of a personal favorite, my podcast’s second-ever episode focused on Duran Duran, but they are beyond overdue for induction into the Rock Hall. Heck, they’re one of the few performers on this ballot who could close this year’s ceremony and make it the end-of-night celebration it should be.
Ranked #8 on my Rock Hall Prospects Project
Essential Songs: “A View to a Kill,” “The Chauffeur,” “Girls on Film,” “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Is There Something I Should Know,” “Notorious,” “Ordinary World,” “Pressure Off,” “Planet Earth,” “The Reflex,” “Rio,” “Save a Prayer,”
Essential Albums: Duran Duran (1981), Rio (1982), Notorious (1986)
3. Eurythmics: A landmark new wave act, the Eurythmics were a game-changing group who redefined the conventions of 80s pop music. Thanks to singer Annie Lennox’s angelic voice and Dave Stewart’s wizardry abilities as both a performer and producer, they made some of the greatest records of that decade (or really any era). I think of them as soulful artists with a synthesized sound and a rock and roll attitude. That’s essentially the Eurythmics in a nutshell. I don’t love everything they made but it’s hard to deny their unbelievable musical talents. In addition to Lennox’s gender-bending stage persona that dominated MTV, they brought trailblazing concepts of gender identity and sexuality so rarely seen up until that point in time. They have the minimum number of big hits to qualify for the Rock Hall and they’re so worthy of induction. These two need to be honored and put on a hell out a show at the ceremony later this year. It’s really all I want right now.
Ranked #20 on my Rock Hall Prospects Project
Essential Songs: “Here Comes the Rain Again,” “Love is a Stranger,” “Missionary Man,” “Right by Your Side,” “Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four),” “Shame,” “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves,” “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” “There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart),” “Thorn in My Side,” “Who’s That Girl?,” “Would I Lie to You?”
Essential Albums: Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (1983), Touch (1983), Be Yourself Tonight (1985)
4. Carly Simon: To paraphrase one of her greatest songs, I’ve been waiting in anticipation for Carly Simon to receive a Rock Hall nomination. She’s simply one of the most prolific and beloved singer-songwriters of all time yet she had to wait nearly 25 years to appear on a ballot. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who is unfamiliar with her music (even if they only know “You’re So Vain”). But, for whatever reason, Simon was never held in the same critical esteem as her contemporaries and I don’t understand why that’s the case. Her catalogue is just as strong and impactful as any singer-songwriter currently inducted into the Rock Hall. She made some of the greatest songs of her generation that spoke to millions of listeners. And along with Joni Mitchell and Carole King, she essentially created the blueprint for the Lilith Fair-era of female singer-songwriters that cannot be overlooked. Simon’s unapologetically bold, fiercely independent, and supremely intelligent. It’s a damn shame the Rock Hall waited this long to nominate her.
Ranked #22 on my Rock Hall Prospects Project
Essential Songs: “Anticipation,” “Attitude Dancing,” “Coming Around Again,” “Give Me All Night,” “Haven’t Got Time for the Pain,” “Jesse,” “Legend in Your Own Time,” “Let the River Run,” “Nobody Does It Better,” “Vengeance,” “You Belong to Me,” “You’re So Vain”
Essential Albums: No Secrets (1972), Playing Possum (1975), Coming Around Again (1987)
5. A Tribe Called Quest: Born out of the Afrocentric Native Tongues movement in late 1980s New York City, A Tribe Called Quest brought positive change, both sonically and socially, to hip-hop that continues to shape our understanding of the genre today. Tribe represented a true alternative that breathed new life to a genre often plagued by violence, and misogyny. Tribe were one of hip-hop’s first socially conscious groups that wrote intellectual songs about the experiences of modern black youth. They were more of an album-eccentric group focusing on concepts and themes, something that was rarely done in hip-hop at the time. In terms of quality, very few match Tribe’s impeccable approach to songwriting and brilliant use of sampling. They were visionaries who truly craved an alternative path in the world of hip-hop and became so massively influential to almost everyone that followed them. They’re just as responsible as anyone for bringing the genre to the mainstream and gain wider acceptance from non-rap audiences. While they never had a crossover moment, Tribe remains one of the most beloved, influential and acclaimed artists in hip-hop history. There’s no storage of praise from musicians, writers, and fans who absolutely adore this collective. I also love these guys; they’re so wildly inventive and original that their music still sounds fresh. This would be an easy box to check off on this ballot.
Ranked #24 on my Top 100 Rock Hall Prospects Project
Essential Songs: “Award Tour,” “Bonita Applebum,” “Buggin’ Out,” “Can I Kick It?,” “Check the Rhime,” “Electric Relaxation,” “Find a Way,” “I Left My Wallet in El Segundo,” “Scenario,” “The Space Program,” “Stressed Out,” “We the People…”
Essential Albums: The Low End Theory (1991), Midnight Marauders (1993), We Got It from Here...Thank You 4 Your Service (2016)
I strongly considered the following (in order): Kate Bush, Rage Against the Machine, Lionel Richie, Devo and Dolly Parton [I respected Dolly’s wishes requesting not be considered this year; if this didn’t happen, she would’ve easily made my top 5]
The rest of the Class of 2022 nominees and their rankings on the updated Prospects Project list:
Judas Priest (#5), Kate Bush (#6), Pat Benatar (#9), Rage Against the Machine (#10), Dionne Warwick (#14), New York Dolls (#18), Devo (#26), MC5 (#36), Dolly Parton (#39), Fela Kuti (#51)
*Lionel Richie’s solo career wasn’t included but his former band Commodores ranked #32
*Eminem is nominated in his first year of eligibility and did not qualify for the project
Thoughts? Comments? Send me an email to continue the conservation!
