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By Dave White, About.com Guide to Classic Rock since 2005

Rock Hall Inductees 2008

Thursday December 13, 2007

It could have been worse.

Three of the five new inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame are the closest thing to rockers that were among this year's nominees: Dave Clark Five, Ventures and John Mellencamp. Non-rockers Leonard Cohen and Madonna are the other two.

About.com's Cleveland Guide, Sandy Mitchell has more on the newest residents of the Rock Hall.

Comments

December 13, 2007 at 4:44 pm
(1) Mark says:

Madonna sucks, nothing about her or her music is rock. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a joke. 70’s rock is 10 times better than 80’s rock yet they’ve basically skipt most of the 70’s alltogether and jumped right to the 80’s. And what’s their beef with Progressive Rock? On a lighter note, I’m very happy that the Dave Clark Five finally got in.

December 14, 2007 at 1:02 am
(2) SGV says:

I guess this also means that Britney Spears will have her induction about 20 years from now?

December 14, 2007 at 10:01 am
(3) Greg says:

Great to see The Ventures in. They’ve influenced many, including classic rockers.

Approaching 100,000,000 units sold.

14 chart singles (6 top 40, 3 gold top ten) in the 1960s.

Walk Don’t Run – Grammy Hall of Fame. Gold / Walk Dont Run ‘64 – First act to go Top 10 with two different versions of the same song. Gold / Hawaii-5-0 – Surf anthem and biggest TV theme hit of the 1960s. Gold

1962’s 2,000 Pound Bee – first single ever to chart using the fuzz tone on the electric guitar. The Ventures had a customized fuzz box created as Maestro was designing a commercial model. / 1963s Surf Rider – Nokie Edwards oft-covered original surf classic.

6th BEST ALBUM PERFORMER AMONG 1960s ACTS (Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop Albums) with 33 charted in the decade, 16 of them Top 40. 4th BEST 1960s ALBUM PERFORMER AMONG ROCK-RELATED ARTISTS after Elvis, the Beatles, and Ray Charles. Among the first rock acts to sell albums on a style and sound, not needing hit singles on the albums.

1965’s Play Guitar with The Ventures – first musical instrument instruction album to chart. Thousands, including future rock stars, learned to play from this. / Walk Don’t Run, Surfing, and In Space are also all considered essential Ventures albums.

Credited by the All Music Guide To Rock as among the first to create thematically oriented or concept albums, rather than just collections of songs.

Guitar Player magazine (20 Who Mattered) – ‘The Ventures influenced not only styles, but also a generation’s choice of instruments’.

Encyclopedia Brittanica on-line – ‘The Ventures were a prototype for the guitar bands which followed’.

Major influence on surf music, two years before the Beach Boys first hit and at least one year before Dick Dales’s first regional hit.

Among artists listing them as a favorite/influence; George Harrison (Beatles), Joe Walsh (James Gang, Eagles), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Carl Wilson (Beach Boys), Stephen Stills, Peter Frampton, Roger Fisher (Heart), Jeff Baxter (Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan), Gene Simmons (Kiss), Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith). Even Elton John, in his Starbucks Christmas collection, pays homage.

Opened the Orient to electric guitar rock (40 million units in Japan).

December 14, 2007 at 12:37 pm
(4) Mike H says:

When will the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame bring some credibility to itself and their selection process?

Granted, it should never be a popularity contest, but come on. Look at the entire body of work, longevity, and impact on rock and roll as a whole. There are far more worthy bands than “The Dave Clark Five.”

It is amazing to me that “The Moody Blues” or “Chicago” aren’t in there.

December 19, 2007 at 12:26 am
(5) lewis dolgin says:

when will the rock and roll hall stop putting in idiots like maddonna. I can name 5 bands that deserve to be in: deep purple,grand funk railroad,blue oyster cult,bad company and chicago. oh well another year that classic rock bands are ignored. I refuse to visit the hall until some claic bands are inducted.

December 24, 2007 at 2:31 am
(6) Dave says:

Ummm, Alice Cooper?

January 2, 2008 at 10:21 pm
(7) Mike H says:

Jann Wenner should remove himself from the Rock and Roll Hall Nominating Committee. He has single handedly taken what should have been a place that honors rock and roll artists and turned it into his own private popularity contest.

Send a message loud and clear and stop buying his Rolling Stone Magazine.

He needs to go and only then will there ever be an ounce of credibility. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has become the Rock and Roll Hall of Shame.

March 11, 2008 at 8:43 am
(8) Melissa says:

Rock and Roll Hall of fame,,,YOU SUCK! Give me a f****** break. Madonna? I will give her credit for being the pioneer of pop but not rock. I’m so mad i can’t even say anymore!

August 18, 2008 at 10:56 am
(9) mike w says:

Rock hall has just blown it. Thanks to Jann Wenner, it will never again be a pure rock entity. Rap, HipHop and disco do not belong there. But now it’s obviously to late to set it right. I for one look at it like a joke. The rock hall is now, as it always has been is in our hearts and soul. Jann Wenner will never have the power to take that from me and you my rock brothers and sisters. KEEP THE FAITH.

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