OFF: This year's RnRHoF inductees

[K Henderson]

Well...

The Ramones
Talking Heads
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Isaac Hayes
Brenda Lee
Gene Pitney

Another year, another bunch of puzzling names.  Not that I can't see that
one or two of these artists were 'important' or anything (I even *own*
albums by Talking Heads, which certainly makes *them* important) :)

I just look at the below and am baffled.

IN:
The Kinks
Grateful Dead*
Billy Joel
Michael Jackson
BeeGees
roughly 324 names I've never heard of from before 1960

NOT IN:
Black Sabbath
Blue Oyster Cult
Deep Purple
Jethro Tull
Judas Priest
Moody Blues
Motorhead (now eligible...forget it!)
Rush
Steppenwolf
Supertramp
Traffic
Yes
(UK-specific bands, that had no shot to begin with, not included)

It makes no sense, LZ, Cream, Airplane, the Who, Hendrix, Pink Floyd and
Velvet Underground (for chrissakes!  How many albums did they sell when they
were together?) are in (as of course, they absolutely should be!)...and I
guess Queen you can throw into the lot here as what most 'classic' rock
radio is all about.  But there wasn't one second that I thought (when I
learned there was going to be a RoRHoF) that these 11 artists wouldn't be,
like, charter members.  And there are about three times as many names in
there that I expected - half of them I've never heard of before - and these
11 aren't even in.  Just goes to show you that people have very different
definitions of what "Rock and Roll" really is.  :)

Who the *hell* is Gene Pitney?  Brenda Lee I don't know from Eve either.
And Isaac Hayes - the guy who did Shaft?  Is there something else about
Isaac Hayes that I just don't know about?  Granted, I don't know *anything*
about him *except* that.

Grakkl (FAA)

P.S.  Oh, crap...next year (1977-) is prolly gonna have Johnny Cougar (seems
about the right time?), Van Halen, Donna Summer, Devo, and the Knack.  And
you see, how the heck are they going to be able to fill in the other 11 now
that they keep having this 'new' class of miserable garbage to add in each time?

P.P.S.  Question: Will Ozzy Osbourne (solo) be inducted in 2005 with Black
Sabbath still not a member?

P.P.P.S.  Why do I even care?  :)

* I picked up "Anthem of the Sun" just for curiosity sake, and tried with
all my might to listen to it without thinking horrid thoughts, like, "My
God, I'm listening to the *Dead*!"  :)  It's not awful I guess, but I can't
really see myself thinking that this is anything that special.  We'll
see...old habits die hard.  :)