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HOA: 1977 voting thread

The HOA has reached 1977--a very important year in rock history, of course, and there are also rumors that some guy named George Lucas has a weird sci-fi movie coming out this year. Bet it sucks...

Select the ten most deserving artists, based on records released through the end of 1976.

When considering your vote, you may want to check out the top 100 (!) 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, December 21, at 6:00 pm US Central time (midnight GMT).

Voting is now open.

Re: HOA: 1977 voting thread

First!

And Star Wars does suck, in my opinion!

1. Can- The induction of my top 2 from 1976 (hooray!) bumps Can up to the number 1 spot. It looks like I'm fighting a losing battle here, but their inimitable style and awe-inspiring music will continue to get my support!

2. Blondie- Yup- their debut album is solid enough for me to put them here at number 2, and they will only rise from here. Blondie is probably the most perfect pop band in history to me, and their auspicious debut showcases many of the reasons why, with its bevy of influences and delicious execution.

3. Nico- What a klon.

4. Patti Smith- Hopefully her strong showing in last year's ballot will continue here.

5. Sparks- Amazingly gifted glam act, and they are about to venture into disco and dance!

6. Ramones- Their debut is unbelievably fun. Who knew beating on a brat with a baseball bat could make somebody so giddy?

7. Kraftwerk- They're passed by a few new acts, but they are sure to rise...

8. Aerosmith- They don't get any kind of appreciation here, but they were, in my estimation, a great rock band.

Re: HOA: 1977 voting thread

1.Robert Wyatt : a true genius, a voice from nowhere. Good-natured, witty guy

2. Leadbelly : I'm afraid he's not gonna make it, but… Funny because the man was never famous during his life, but only afterwards.

3. Tom Waits : born the day after Leadbelly died (can you believe it ???). Small Change, with the beautiful "Tom Traubert's Blues", is his first excellent album from beginning to end.

4. Curtis Mayfield : a psychedelic soulman I really love

5. Serge Gainsbourg : L'Homme à la tête de chou was out in 1976. He is by far the French giant of the late sixties and the seventies.

6. Frank Zappa
7. Dick Annegarn
8. Fela Kuti
9. Django Reinhardt
10.Doc Watson

Re: HOA: 1977 voting thread

1. LEADBELLY - Click here for the reasons.

2. CHARLIE PARKER - A transformative figure in the history of jazz on par with Armstrong, Ellington, and Davis. From AMG: "One of a handful of musicians who can be said to have permanently changed jazz, Charlie Parker was arguably the greatest saxophonist of all time."

3. PATTI SMITH - Horses is pretty amazing.

4. RAMONES - Short and to the point.

5. TOM WAITS - Small Change is a great album. Many other good tunes already in the bank.

6. WOODY GUTHRIE
7. THE SUPREMES - Many many hits. Still sound good.
8. CURTIS MAYFIELD
9. PATSY CLINE
10. ZAPPA/MOTHERS

Backstage:
1. LEADBELLY - From AMG: "Ultimately, he was best remembered for a body of songs that he discovered, adapted, or wrote, including 'Goodnight, Irene,' 'Rock Island Line,' 'The Midnight Special,' and 'Cotton Fields.'"

2. WC HANDY
3. CLARENCE WHITE - Invented as much of the "country rock" as did Gram Parsons.

Giving up on: Bob Wills, George Jones, Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt.

Re: HOA: 1977 voting thread

1. Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - Hope this will be the push that finally puts Frank where he belongs. Btw, same goes for my numbers 2&3.
2. Charlie "Bird" Parker - It's time for another jazz inductee.
3. Leadbelly - enriched the songbook of folk standards with so many beautiful classics.
4. Cream - Divine.
5. Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Quirky, or should I say idiosyncratic? Either way, the guy's a genius and his music is inimitable and unrivalled.
6. Janis Joplin
7. Ramones
8. Patti Smith
9. Curtis Mayfield
10. The Eagles

Backstage:
1. Leonard Chess
2. W.C. Handy
3. Irving Berlin

Re: HOA: 1977 voting thread

Leadbelly is up to 27! Almost there...

Re: HOA: 1977 voting thread

1. Steely Dan
2. Jackson Browne
3. Warren Zevon - his debut is stunning. zevon deserves to be included in the pantheon of post-1970 american songwriters/performers. his wit is as sharp and scathing as randy newman's, his characters as memorable as springsteen's (if not as sympathetic), and his persona as hip and quirky as tom waits'. he's sort of the nathanael west of singer-songwriters his first 3 albums form an unrivaled triad of the "genre."
4. George Jones
5. John Cale
6. Todd Rundgren
7. Randy Newman
8. Woody Guthrie
9. Willie Nelson
10. Lynyrd Skynyrd

backstage

1. Hoagy Carmichael
2. D.A. Pennebaker
3. Norman Whitfield

Re: HOA: 1977 voting thread

Let's shake these rankings up a bit. I'm really disappointed that The Monkees aren't going to make it in since there aren't many bands that have anywhere near as many great singles as they do... and you can't say it's because they didn't write their songs either because once they did they proved that they could hold their own. But, I'll leave them down for now since I'm shocked that The Zombies, Nilsson and McCartney aren't in yet. I don't think we have our pop fans voting in this one.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. Todd Rundgren- Deserves to be in for Something/Anything alone.

6. Herman's Hermits- Back in the top 5.

7. The Ramones

8. Neil Diamond

9. Bill Fay

10. Electric Light Orchestra

Backstage:

1. D.A. Pennebaker



Reminders for later years: Art Blakey, Nico, Cream, Phil Ochs, The Turtles, Lovin Spoonful, The Supremes, Cat Stevens, The Groundhogs, Alice Coltrane, Rod Stewart, Donovan, The Bee Gees, Warren Zevon, Hollies, ABBA

Re: HOA: 1977 voting thread

1. Elton John - See last year.
2. Boston - I didn't expect them to be so high up, but their debut is one of the best albums of the year. Every song could have been a hit single, and most of them are.
3. Eagles - Welcome to the Hotel California. The Eagles' twisted tales of West Coast excess form one of the decade's most important releases.
4. Paul McCartney - See last year.
5. Queen - See last year.
6. Aerosmith - See last year, plus this year's Rocks.
7. Ramones - The first great punk band debuts with a classic this year. Hey! Ho! Let's go!
8. Lynyrd Skynyrd - See last year.
9. Steely Dan - See last year.
10. Kiss - I'm joking. This spot actually belongs to Kraftwerk.

Re: HOA: 1977 voting thread

1. RAMONES. Spin magazine had them at #1 on their list of the greatest bands of all time. I think that’s a little bit of a stretch, but not by much. Rock and roll doesn’t get any more elemental than these guys…I thought about giving them another year or two before putting them at the top of my ballot, but really, what are they going to do in the future that they didn’t do on their debut album?
2. PATTI SMITH. Really needs to be in now with Radio Ethiopia.
3. ZAPPA/MOTHERS. The Second Deluge is coming in the next couple of years, so this might be Frank’s best shot at getting in for a while. I’m still hoping he makes it before Dweezil and Moon Unit start their careers.
4. T. REX. My cause celebre #1.
5. PATSY CLINE. My cause celebre #2.
6. LEADBELLY. And since my own causes celebres look like they have little chance of getting in, I’ll give this guy a push. Warning: this may be a one-shot deal, but I can get behind this horse for this year’s election at least.
7. WILLIE NELSON. Giving up, Paul? I think he’s still got some fight in him…
8. MODERN LOVERS
9. SEX PISTOLS. Yes, this is on the basis of one single. But when that single is “Anarchy in the UK,” that’s a big deal. Destroy!
10. AEROSMITH

Backstage:
1. HILLY KRISTAL
2. MALCOLM McLAREN
3. SCOTT MUNI. Just because I think we need more DJs.

And Moonbeam, I agree about Star Wars.

Re: HOA: 1977 voting thread

gauchy b'day, Greg!

Re: HOA: 1977 voting thread

danke, nj! acht und zwanzig...

Re: HOA: 1977 voting thread

Glad to see Springsteen and, especially, P-Funk in. As I said before, I would have waited on Lou Reed until New York, but happy to see him in as well.

I am going to engage in some reshuffling. Django and the Impressions are geting no love, but Bird could get pushed over the top.

I'm still conflicted about whether a vote for Steely Dan needs to wait for Aja.

As for the Ramones I'm sticking with my guideline of not voting for an artist after just one album. Would that be fair? That may not be so for the Sex Pistols and particularly Television next year. Do the Sex Pistols never get my vote because they only have one (proper) album?

1. Charlie Parker

2. Django Reinhardt -- How long to I keep him up here?

3. The Impressions -- Ditto

4. Fela Kuti - My lack of familiarity with his work is trumped by his patent import. The AM rankings have him and his countryman King Sunny Ade as the most acclaimed artists from Africa. For those of us who love mix and match artists, Kuti took jazz, rock, funk, and more traditional African rhythms and made something entirely new. Perhaps no artist that we have been discussing has accomplished more under such trying circumstances. Read this description (from Wikipedia) of the reaction to his 1976 release, Zombie:

[Zombie was] a scathing attack on Nigerian soldiers using the zombie metaphor to describe the methods of the Nigerian military. The album was a smash hit with the people and infuriated the government, setting off a vicious attack against the Kalakuta Republic [a commune set up by Kuti], during which one thousand soldiers attacked the commune. Fela was severely beaten, and his elderly mother was thrown from a window, causing fatal injuries. The Kalakuta Republic was burned, and Fela's studio, instruments, and master tapes were destroyed.

No offense to the Sex Pistols, whose music I enjoy, but this makes their provocations seem quaint. They killed his mother, for God's sake.

5. Crosby, Stills, Nash (& Young)

6. Patsy Cline

7. Curtis Mayfield

8. The Staple Singers

9. The Grateful Dead

10. Steely Dan - They've done enough pre-Aja to get a vote, I think. Still love "My Old School."

Backstage:
1. Irving Berlin
2. Norman Granz
3. Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff

Re: HOA: 1977 voting thread

I'm happy that you picked Fela, he's the second third world hero after Bob Marley, and his music is excellent and highly recommendable !

Re: HOA: 1977 voting thread

1. 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.

2. New York Dolls – They only made two albums, but they’re one of the all-time great bands, and their influence is incalculable. David Johansen and Johnny Thunders came off like Mick & Keith if they’d never taken off the drag from the “Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby” video and started gobbling amphetamines 24/7. The Dolls were unabashedly hip, but there wasn’t a cynical bone in their bodies: they may have needed both a fix and a kiss, but you always sensed that the kiss was more important (even if that sadly wasn't true for some of them in real life).

3. Brian Eno – He’s one of music’s most relentlessly adventurous and experimental figures, but what really qualifies him for the Hall of Acclaim are the solo albums he made in the years immediately following his exit from Roxy – brilliantly eclectic, highly accessible, and more often than not, funny as all hell (he’d deserve to be here just for the wicked Bryan Ferry impression he briefly whips out on “Dead Finks Don’t Talk”).

4. The Ramones – As of 1976, they’ve only made one album, but they’d deserve to be in the Hall even if it had turned out to be their only one. 1977 may be the year that punk broke, but that’s largely because the year before, these guys broke punk; that remarkable, deceptively unassuming debut is one of the most influential records ever made.

5. Curtis Mayfield – It’s past time to recognize a long, distinguished career that broke a lot of boundaries. Mayfield could have coasted to easy pop-R&B success on the strength of his beautiful tenor voice, incisive guitar, and ace songwriting chops, but his ambitions and social consciousness always ran deeper, even with the Impressions. On his classic string of seventies albums, the anger and sorrow of the lyrics meld with the beauty of the music in breathtaking fashion.

6. Randy Newman
7. Patti Smith
8. Frank Zappa
9. Captain Beefheart
10. Elton John

BACKSTAGE WING
1. Nicky Hopkins
2. Brian Holland/Lamont Dozier/Eddie Holland
3. Rudy Van Gelder

Re: HOA: 1977 voting thread

01. JOHN CALE: recently we inducted Lou Reed, so why not the other genius from The Velvet Underground? Welshman John Cale has developed a fascinating career since he left the band, with stabs at avant-garde, classical and underground rock but with a surprising tendency to pop songs and singer-songwriter ways, not losing his eccentric edge.
My favourite album: Paris 1919 (1973).
My Top 5 Songs: Paris 1919 (1973), Gideon’s Bible (1970), Fear Is a Man’s Best Friend (1974), Heartbreak Hotel (1975), Andalucia (1973).

02. PATTI SMITH: she’s not the first fusing rock and poetry (Zimmerman was first), but she’s probably the first of doing it in such a furious way. And of course she has redefined the role of women in rock music, with her androgynous look and her uncompromising attitude. Jesus died for somebody sins, but not hers.
My favourite album: Horses (1975).
My Top 3 Songs: Gloria (1975), Pissing in a River (1976), Free Money (1975).

03. RAMONES: a deep breath of rarefied air from the New York sewers. The Ramones encapsulated stories about dysfunctional families, kids sniffing glue, nazi Germany and communist Cuba, horror B-movies or man whores into two minute pills with their own electric version of Phil Spector wall of sound.
My favourite album: Ramones (1976).
My Top 3 Songs: Blitzkrieg Bop (1976), I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (1976), Judy Is a Punk (1976).

04. PAUL SIMON: and the three New Yorker in a row (well, Patti only in location and “sound” , but very different to the previous two. The creative half of Simon & Garfunkel has released three excellent solo albums filled with his trademark delicate sound and his introspective lyrics.
My favourite album: Paul Simon (1972).
My Top 3 Songs: Kodachrome (1973), Still Crazy After All These Years (1975), Mother and Child Reunion (1972).

05. ABBA: entering into stardom with such an uncool way as wining the Eurovision contest shouldn’t be taking as a drawback. The perfect craft of composers Bjorn and Benny (with meticulous arrangements often with classical touches) and the fabulous voices of Frida and Agnetha deserves wide recognition, and not only popular.
My favourite album: Arrival (1976).
My Top 3 Songs: Dancing Queen (1976), S.O.S. (1975), Waterloo (1974).

06. FRANK ZAPPA: The Torture Never Stops , sang Zappa in his last album “Zoot Allures”. Let’s end his torture and induct him.
07. STEELY DAN: always improving, just listen to Kid Charlemagne.
08. ELTON JOHN: come on, vote for Elton, Don’t Go Breaking His Heart.
09. MODERN LOVERS.
10. BRIAN ENO.


And at the backstage:
01. KING TUBBY: the creator of dub, the innovator of the “version”, the B-side of Jamaican singles, that with King Tubby was not only the instrumental version of the A-side. He not only took out the vocal part but all the instruments except drum and bass, floating in and out of the mix immersed in an ocean of effects as echoes or phasing. Favourite song: AUGUSTUS PABLO King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown (1975).
02. HIPGNOSIS: one of the most memorable covers during 1976 has been Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Presence, Year of the Cat, How Dare You! or To the Hilt.
03. JOHN CALE: yes, we have Cale on stage and at the backstage. Apart from playing viola in albums of Nick Drake or Brian Eno and producing several albums of Nico, another ex-member of the Velvet Underground, Cale has produced three albums that I’m sure that will be considered “historical” in coming years, “The Stooges”, “Horses” and “Modern Lovers”. Favourite song: THE STOOGES I Wanna Be Your Dog (1969).