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HOA: 1974 voting thread

If you can tear yourself away from the Watergate hearings, it's time to participate in the 1974 Hall of Acclaim election.

Select the ten most deserving artists, based on records released through the end of 1973.

When considering your vote, you may want to check out the top 50 eligible candidates. For a reminder of who’s already been inducted, see the results thread.

For your ballot to be eligible, you must submit a ranked list of your ten most deserving artists.

***IMPORTANT!***
Also, for your top FIVE artists (at least), you must explain why they deserve to be in the HOA. You may recycle your comments from past elections if you wish, but I want us to have a context for WHY we're selecting these artists. Ballots without comments for the top five will NOT be counted!

In addition, you may nominate up to three people for the Backstage Wing. This is optional; your ballot will still be eligible even if you don’t vote for Backstage candidates.

Deadline for ballots is Sunday, November 30, at 6:00 pm US Central time (midnight GMT).

Voting is now open.

Re: HOA: 1974 voting thread

1. GRAM PARSONS – Nobody is hurt more by the categorization rules than GP. Through 1972, Gram has been the leader and driving force behind five excellent albums (1 by the International Submarine Band, 1 by The Byrds, 2 by the Flying Burrito Brothers, and 1 solo). His compositions are classic (Hickory Wind, Sin City, Luxury Liner, She, etc.). He is the father of country rock. Next year his final solo album will be added to the mix.

2. BIG STAR – I forgot to list them last week. Their first album is a power pop classic that has inspired many musicians over the past 35 years.

3. LEADBELLY – He’s a legendary figure. The kind of guy halls of fame were made for.

4. CHARLIE PARKER – Most influential be-bop jazz performer.

5. TOWNES VAN ZANDT – A brilliant folk songwriter and drunk whose legend continues to grow years after his death.

6. GEORGE JONES – A brilliant country singer and drunk whose legend apparently has not reached Merle Haggard levels.

7. WILLIE NELSON – A giant in the world of country music. One of the very few acclaimed artists whose career really took off after the age of 40.

8. RANDY NEWMAN – Great and funny songwriter.

9. BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS – Replacing Jimmy Cliff as my reggae entry.

10. TOM T. HALL – Probably my favorite country songwriter, but no chance of wider acceptance. Oh well.

Re: HOA: 1974 voting thread

Lots of first-timers on my list this year.

1. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon is enough to catapult Floyd from out of the top 10 to #1. I rank it as the best psychedelic album ever, and a personal favorite.
2. Bob Marley - In '73 Marley is beginning to enter his classic period, and this year he released not one, but two classic albums, Catch a Fire AND Burnin'.
3. Elton John - Looking at his output, I feel bad for not putting EJ on already. But Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is enough put him in the top 3 now.
4. John Lennon - Lennon drops a spot for me this year - will he ever get in? I hope so, but the prospects are looking more dire this year.
5. Paul McCartney - Another Beatle on the list this year. I think Paul gets overlooked for "selling out," (next year) but Band on the Run is enough for me.
6. The Doors - Big drop this year. They only have so much material, and no more new stuff to add, so they're going down.
7. CSN&Y - Nothing new here.
8. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Two words AM types hate: Free Bird! 9 minutes of bliss at #8.
9. Curtis Mayfield - I'd like to see him make it in, but I don't know that he will.
10. Black Sabbath - I overlooked them last year. I forgot about how good some of their earlier stuff was, so they sneak in at #10.

Re: HOA: 1974 voting thread

1. Bob Marley & The Wailers - The biggest star to come from a Third World country, more famous than The Beatles.
2. Pink Floyd - Some of the profits of DSotM were invested in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. That alone should be enough.
3. Frank Zappa & The Mothers - And yet another year without Frank. Influential, comical, experimental and highly original.
4. Charlie Parker - Isn't it time for another jazz legend?
5. The Doors - They were good enough for Oliver Stone, they were good enough for Apocalypse Now, so they're good enough for me.
6. Leadbelly
7. Black Sabbath
8. John Lennon
9. Cream
10. Janis Joplin

Backstage
1. Les Paul
2. Leonard Chess
3. Irving Berlin

Re: HOA: 1974 voting thread

lots of new entries!

1. Bob Marley - legend
2. George Jones
3. John Cale - 2 beautiful, elaborately orchestrated "pop" albums - the classic paris 1919 and the less celebrated vintage violence. he is also establishing himself as a cutting-edge producer with nico (the modern lovers and patti smith's horses soon to come).
4. Pink Floyd - i've heard DSOTM hundreds of times, front to back, and i never get sick of it. everything just jelled here: waters' conceptual ambitions, gilmour's note-perfect guitar solos, and the streamlining of meddle's epic space rock - quite an accomplishment and deservedly one of the world's best-selling records
5. Todd Rundgren - a wizard, a true star

6. Black Sabbath
7. Steely Dan
8. Big Star
9. Roxy Music
10. Lou Reed

backstage

1. Hoagy Carmichael
2. Jann Wenner
3. Lester Bangs

Re: HOA: 1974 voting thread

1. JEFFERSON AIRPLANE - Music to take drugs to. Fantastic songs. Great voice. What the hell is up with my computer? The letters are coming out in random order. Look what happens when I write Jefferson Airplane without pressing the end button all the time: Jefeso Ailaneprnrf. Wt he hel?ltah I'll come back ater wih he rest. Stupid sit. Probaly soee-mavrs.ui li o mbhttl
2. BLACK SABBATH
3. LOVE
4. ELTON JOHN
5. JOHN LENNON
6. DEEP PURPLE
7. T. REX
8. THE FOUR TOPS
9. CREAM
10. NICO

Re: HOA: 1974 voting thread

1. Leadbelly : legend
2. Bruce Springsteen : 2lesser-known first great albums are enough for me (even if the best is yet to come)
3. Pink Floyd : in 1973, they had done their best
4. Al Green : Huge singer, huge sound
5. Doc Watson
6. Lou Reed
7. Bob Marley
8. Curtis Mayfield
9. The Doors
10. John Lennon

Re: HOA: 1974 voting thread

Now my computer is ok again. Some evil spirit must haunt it. Here's the whole list again.

1. JEFFERSON AIRPLANE - Music to take drugs to. Fantastic songs. Great voice. I have more than once sung Somebody to Love on karaoke, and it's success every time.

2. BLACK SABBATH - They were innovators of the genre I listen to the most nowadays.

3. LOVE - I love Love. If Jefferson Airplane is music to do drugs to, I don't know what to do with Love. They've made the druggiest record ever. Far out, man!

4. ELTON JOHN - Early Elton John was smashing. Now he's just a puffy flowerboy, but back then he made history.

5. JOHN LENNON - The best Beatle outside of the Beatles. As if anyone were surprised by that..

6. DEEP PURPLE
7. T. REX
8. THE FOUR TOPS
9. CREAM
10. NICO

Re: HOA: 1974 voting thread

1. PINK FLOYD: No question that they deserve entry after 1973. DSoTM is a legitimate masterpiece; a revolutionary recording whose 43 minutes is as close to perfect as I've ever come across.

2. JOHN LENNON: Plastic Ono Band must have been such a breath of fresh air for him. After eight years of hiding behind heaps of mush, allegory and LSD-fueled poppycock, he finally got the chance to say what he really wanted to say: "I don't believe in Beatles". Fuckin' eh.

3. GEORGE HARRISON: Well, I can't find him on the results thread nor the eligibles list, so I guess I'm not retarded -- the underrated Beatle hasn't made an appearance yet. Strange, considering "All Things Must Pass" is the best of the post-Beatles lot; gems like "Awaiting On You All", "Beware of Darkness" and "If Not For You" really show the true breadth of his talent.

4. DAVID ACKLES: The man behind this masterpiece, which has been described as "the Sgt. Pepper's of folk". As AMG writes, "... it waits to be rediscovered."

5. ELTON JOHN: I'd be lying to myself if I didn't include him on my ballot. I'm less of a fan now than I was a few years ago, but I still can't deny the raw emotionality of a line like "...I should've stayed on the farm/should've listened to my old man..." Sure, he didn't write it, but it's the combination of melody and phrasing that turns a lyric like that into a cheese grater on the ol' heartstrings.

6. DEREK AND THE DOMINOS: The alias "Derek"; the name "Layla"... all of it, just a clever production -- a way for Clapton to hide his boner for Boyd.

7. HARRY CHAPIN: tal·ent (tlnt) n. 1. A marked innate ability, as for artistic accomplishment. 2. a guitar player purposely playing horribly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CPldnVLYCI.

8. AL GREEN: "Ohhhh! Al Green... ohhh! Say la da da da da da / La da da da da da la la ooooo"

9. THE ZOMBIES: If they didn't get in 1969, they sure as hell won't be getting in now. I just don't have the heart to remove them entirely.

10. BILL EVANS: symbolic vote.

Re: HOA: 1974 voting thread

01. PINK FLOYD: this English band has survived to a nearly perfect debut and to the (forced) desertion of leader and alma mater Syd Barrett because of schizophrenia. And they had not only survived but almost bettered their original psychedelic sound giving way to their particular brand of cosmic rock using electronic effects, a polished production and lyrics with so wide generational appeal that made them the best selling act of today.
My favourite album: Meddle (1971).
My Top 5 Songs: Echoes (part 1 and part 2) (1971), Time (1973), Chapter 24 (1967), Summer ‘68 (1970), Astronomy Domine (1967).

02. LOU REED: the former leader of The Velvet Underground is carrying out a fascinating solo career so far, developing his street-wise poetry in albums as different (but equally brilliant) as the glittery and vicious “Transformer” and the sick and morbid “Berlin”.
My favourite album: Transformer (1972).
My Top 3 Songs: Walk on the Wild Side (1972), Caroline Says II (1973), Perfect Day (1972).

03. JOAN MANUEL SERRAT: a singer-songwriter from Catalonia that is having simultaneously big problems with the Spanish dictatorship regime because of singing in Catalan (with a rebel attitude) and a big success due to his sweet sentimental songs filled with popular poetry.
My favourite album: Per al meu amic (1973).
My Top 3 Songs: Mediterráneo (1971), La primera (1973), Nanas de la cebolla (1972).

04. SERGE GAINSBOURG: sex, sex, sex. The quintessential enfant terrible of French pop, the genuine provocateur, the chanteur not afraid of singing about sex and its perversions, smart or lucky enough to rely on the most beautiful poupées as France Gall, Brigitte Bardot and, of course, Jane Birkin.
My favourite album: Histoire de Melody Nelson (1971).
My Top 3 Songs: Je t’aime (moi non plus) (1969), Ballade de Melody Nelson (1971), L’hôtel particulier (1971). And don’t miss this fabulous bonus track, la délicieuse FRANCE GALL chante Poupée de cire, poupée de son (1965)

05. DEEP PURPLE: the pioneers of the hard rock, almost as ambitious as Led Zeppelin and almost as loud as Black Sabbath, and the most competent players of their instruments. Virtuoso-rock.
My favourite album: Made in Japan (1972).
My Top 3 Songs: Highway Star (1972), Child in Time (1970), Smoke on the Water (1972).

06. AL GREEN
07. JOHN LENNON
08. THE WAILERS
09. BIG STAR
10. ROXY MUSIC

And at the backstage:
01. D. A. PENNEBAKER: the creator of the rockumentary, from Monterey to Toronto, from Bob Dylan to David Bowie, his camera is documenting the history of rock. Favourite song: BOB DYLAN Subterranean Homesick Blues (1965).
02. NORMAN WHITFIELD: the main responsible of introducing psychedelic sounds and social issues in Motown factory, writing and producing groundbreaking hits for Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight and, of course, The Temptations. Favourite song: MARVIN GAYE I Heard It Through the Grapevine (196 .
03. JOE BOYD.

Re: HOA: 1974 voting thread

“Mojo Magazine: The 50 Best Albums of 2008”: 916 views in 2 days
“HOA: 1974 voting thread”: 114 views in 3 days

Are we obsessed for actuality? For being up to date, for the trends? The sign of the times? The hype, always the hype…

Re: HOA: 1974 voting thread

I have noted the same trend, Honorio, but I'm neither surprised nor alarmed by it. The holiday season is beginning, so of course people are inclined look back on the year that was. Besides, it's pop music; if it didn't retain any sense of immediacy and freshness, it would be truly dead.

Me, I'm glad that many people on this Forum are interested both in handicapping the releases of the last 12 (well, 11) months, and in casting an ear back 34 years to see what is still vital and interesting from the early 1970's. It's good to keep track of what's in the news; it's also good to realize that, as Ezra Pound (almost) said, the classics are "news that stays news."

Still, I guess I should give Fleet Foxes a listen.

Re: HOA: 1974 voting thread

Well, that's embarassing...posting on the wrong thread on my own project. Blush smiley.

1. BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS. A slam dunk. Yes, I’m not always in the mood for ol’ Bob, but he can’t be beat for combining an immeasurable influence with being just a whole lot of fun.
2. ZAPPA/MOTHERS. There’s a group of about six artists (including Lennon and the Doors) who have been hanging around on the fringes of the serious contenders for a few years now…this is still my pick out of that group. There’s nobody like Frank.
3. ROXY MUSIC. There you go, Moonbeam. They just had their annus mirabilis, and they tower over most other acts of this era for wit and flair. They’re also writing some brilliantly quirky songs.
4. PINK FLOYD. I’m more ambivalent about them than many here, but Dark Side is terrific if one can forget how many times one has heard it…actually, that’s probably why I prefer Wish You Were Here.

[Completely irrelevant sidebar: last week, I accidentally went to see the Coldplay concert here (yes, accidentally…it’s a long story) and a friend of mine came out comparing them to Pink Floyd live. At first I thought he was off his meds, but I’ve heard the same thing from a couple of other people in the last week. I’ve never seen Floyd live, and Coldplay still sounds to me like U2 phoning it in (though the show wasn’t terrible); can someone tell me who’s crazy here?]

[Back to my ballot…]

5. T. REX. This is the last year of Marc Bolan’s AM-relevant career.
6. AL GREEN
7. PATSY CLINE
8. BLACK SABBATH
9. MOTT THE HOOPLE
10. FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS. I think this is my farewell to them; I really think they should be in, but I doubt their candidacy has any legs anymore (if it ever did).

(I’m surprising myself a bit by not putting Lou Reed on my ballot so far. Yes, the fact that he’s already in the Hall as a part of VU has something to do with it.)

Same old for backstage:
1. JANN WENNER
2. LESTER BANGS
3. ANDY WARHOL

Re: HOA: 1974 voting thread

Schleuse, I love the Flying Burrito Brothers, but I'm hung up on the idea that Gram Parsons should get credit for all of his various projects.

Of course that is giving short shrift to Sneaky Pete and Chris Hillman.

I will probably make a push for both Parsons and the Burritos next "year." Then it's time to give up on country music and just be glad that we got Monroe and Haggard in there.

Re: HOA: 1974 voting thread

Anthony,

Thanks for the David Ackles vote. It got me to listen to his record for the first time. I'm not yet sure whether I like it or not, but I think I do--or that I will after it settles in. Anyway, it's definitely an interesting record.

Re: HOA: 1974 voting thread

Three posts in a row...

Backstage: 1. Lester Bangs, 2. Les Paul, 3. Adolph Rickenbacker

(Incidentally, this is the only topic I've been checking at AM lately. I'm hopeless stuck in the past.)

Re: HOA: 1974 voting thread

I take your point, Paul. I think I can guarantee that Parsons will show up on my ballot next year. (To give you a peek behind the curtain: thanks to Grievous Angel, he's going to make the eligibles list for the '75 election.)

And I probably won't completely give up on country until Willie's had his fair shot...although I have to give you credit for carrying that flag 'round these parts, Paul.

Re: HOA: 1974 voting thread

That's cool that you checked out David Ackles, Paul. "American Gothic"... yeah, definitely an interesting listen. Very dramatic; theatrical. I'll represent the Ackles-fan contingent for a few years yet I think.

schleuse... I can't see how anyone would be able to draw a comparison between the live versions of Pink Floyd and Coldplay. I've seen Coldplay live; Chris Martin is the most awkwardly spastic frontman that I've ever seen. And not in the cool Thom Yorke way either; Martin's bodily movements are just embarrassing. Pink Floyd, on the other hand, was all about atmosphere... and, as cliche as it is... the music. (Granted, I've never seen them live, but I do own "Pulse".) Whoever's making these claims is off their rocker.

Re: HOA: 1974 voting thread

Case in point:

"Still, they lack the spontaneity, innovation, and effortlessness that usually accompanies edge-cutting phenomena. Take their recent performance on "Saturday Night Live": For a guy who's played to millions of fans at shows, festivals, and on TV, Martin came off like a clutzy ham not unlike former "SNL" mainstay Mary Katherine Gallagher. He was startlingly out of breath and made an effort to act out each of his simple couplets, all while yipping and hooting like a man poking fun at Tourette's syndrome. It was awkward, but kinda endearing."

[from Pitchfork]

Re: HOA: 1974 voting thread

I missed voting in 1973 and I think my votes might have changed things so sorry about that.

1. Pink Floyd- Tough to see them not getting in now, but my vote will always be for Piper first.

2. The Monkees- How are the Monkees not on that top 50 list? More of the Monkees and Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones came out in '67 (Headquarters as well, but that's not as great as those two). The only thing essential that's missing is Valleri. EDIT: And now Head is out too. It would be a shame if they don't make it in.

3. The Zombies- One of the greatest albums ever and a few other singles should put them in right now... I'm sure they'll get in later if not now.

4. Harry Nilsson- One of the guys the Beatles raved about and his solo career (well his only career) was better than any of the Fab Fours.

5. Paul McCartney- I love his debut album but not enough to make the list. Now that Band on the Run is out he's in.

6. Black Sabbath

7. Herman's Hermits

8. John Lennon

9. Neil Diamond

10. Todd Rundgren

Backstage:

1. D.A. Pennebaker
2. Lester Bangs


Reminders for later years: Art Blakey, Nico, Cream, The Doors, Phil Ochs, The Turtles, Led Zeppelin, Lovin Spoonful, The Supremes, Paul McCartney, Cat Stevens, Funkadelic, The Groundhogs, Alice Coltrane, Rod Stewart, Donovan, The Hollies, The Bee Gees, Rod Stewart, Big Star

Re: HOA: 1974 voting thread

1. Roxy Music – The most creative, original band of the early Seventies, even after Eno left. Art-rock that at its best, in contrast to the precision-tuned perfection of most of the groups that fit under that umbrella, always sounded like it was on the verge of exhilarating collapse.
2. Al Green – Had a run of both singles and albums in the Seventies unmatched by anyone else, and he’s still going strong. You could make a strong case that he’s the true King of Soul, and part of the reason is that he’s just so gosh-darned -unassuming- about it.
3. John Lennon – Those first two albums are more than enough to merit his induction as a solo artist.
4. Steely Dan – The contrasts were always heady: fiendishly complex music (executed by the best session pros money could buy), performed in brilliantly crafted and highly accessible pop contexts, all in the service of a ferociously cynical and near-misanthropic view of the world. Becker and Fagen are the Coen Brothers of rock, and the early albums – made before, to borrow Robert Christgau’s phrase, pursuit of The Tasty became its own reward – are masterpieces.
5. Bob Marley – One of the most singularly influential figures in music history. I’m not the world’s biggest reggae fan, but the more I listen (especially to the classics from this decade) the more I appreciate it, and Marley is the entry point.
6. Pink Floyd
7. Black Sabbath
8. Frank Zappa
9. Randy Newman
10. Captain Beefheart

BACKSTAGE WING
1. Nicky Hopkins
2. Jann Wenner
3. Lester Bangs

Re: HOA: 1974 voting thread

1) Black Sabbath - Desperate attempt to make them snap up the 4th position
2)Big Star - I don't know if their pop is "power" but it is just delightful
3)Boby Lapointe - I love this guy and his songs, mostly because he is incredibly witty
4)Serge Gainsbourg - most influent French artist ever, one of the few to have seen his influences reach abroad
5)The Zombies - just forget them half of the time, maybe the discography is not as rich as those of the Beatles, the Beach Boys or the Kinks, but there ain't much albums by those 3 bands as perfect as Odyssey and Oracles
6)MC5
7)The Sonics
8)Lou Reed
9)Al Green
10)Janis Joplin