Time for the 1994 HOA election. Is there anyone reading this who isn't born yet?

Submit a ranked list of your ten most deserving artists. 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 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 have the option to nominate up to three people for the Backstage Wing. This isn't required.

Deadline for ballots is Sunday, May 10, at 6:00 pm US Central time (midnight GMT).

Voting is now open. And awaaay we go...

It's about time to jump on this train!

1. Scott Walker – This is a mystery. Have I missed that he has been included or have you forgotten that he has not been included? Scott 1-4 is simply the best chamber pop ever. Marvelous takes of Jacques Brel songs and his own compositions were equally impressive.

2. Ennio Morricone – Totally unique! Honestly, I could live without many of my favourite artists. For example, I would probably be OK without Marvin Gaye if I still had Sam Cooke, Curtis Mayfield and other soul singers. But what would I do without Ennio Morricone? His songs work just as well in the CD as in the DVD.

3. ABBA – Although there are lots of other disco artists, the ABBA sound is always instantly recognizable. I absolutely love their vocals and the production. They never made a perfect album, but they surely have most great hits among the non-HOA-included artists.

4. The KLF – I’m fascinated by Bill Drummond and Jimi Cauty. The music they created and what they stood for. This is a band that is a lot more than the sum of its records.

5. Judas Priest – One of the best hard rock bands, hands down. Especially before they became really popular in the beginning of the eighties. Yes, expect many JP entries from me in the 70s poll.

6. Genesis – My favourite prog-rock band.

7. Eurythmics – Whatever Moonbeam has said, he’s right.

8. Talk Talk – Another unique band. At least at the time they recorded their music.

9. Janis Joplin – I find it strange that she has not been included yet. I remember finding a book at the library a long time ago about rock icons. It was a very short easy-to-read book that only included a few artists, but Janis was one of them and it seemed right to me.

10. Astor Piazzolla – Let’s fill the true genre holes and vote for the great man of tango.

Backstage wing:
Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the 4AD label. He gets the only vote from me.

1. Townes Van Zandt - how bout a push for the late great TVZ? paul, nic, schleuse?
2. Smashing Pumpkins - THE best ROCK band of the decade (all apologies to nirvana, etc.)
3. Wu-Tang Clan - RZA immediately enters the pantheon of great producers, and the group's debut is still one of the genre's landmarks
4. Ennio Morricone - i'll jump on that train, henrik. a great composer, and obviously influential far beyond the realm of soundtracks.
5. The Blue Nile - why these guys never scored any movies, i don't know.
6. Gang Starr
7. Ice Cube
8. Warren Zevon
9. Jackson Browne
10. Dwight Yoakam

backstage

stickin w/ these for now

1. Marley Marl
2. Larry Levan
3. David Mancuso

1. Eurythmics- With Henrik on board, they're now up to 14 points. For those still in doubt about them, I posted a thread here explaining my affinity for them.

2. Siouxsie and the Banshees- I'm finally learning to play bass guitar thanks to their music! "Israel" was the launching pad, and I'm now onto "Arabian Knights", "Night Shift", "Happy House" and "Cascade". It's been great to learn another instrument! My fingers are now totally calloused, but it's such a joy to be learning!

3. Janet Jackson- While janet. (1993) may not be her best album, it's likely her coolest. Three huge blockbuster albums under her belt now has made her a genuine icon.

4. Grace Jones- Only "Sex Drive" made its way to the public in 1993, and it would be a long wait until she resurfaced with a proper album. Grace is pure class.

5. Björk- Her debut album was apparently pieced together over the better part of a decade, and it made her a bit of an alternative it-girl for awhile! Better things were on the way, and she'd really start pushing boundaries in a few years.

6. Donna Summer

7. Can

8. Echo and the Bunnymen

9. Joan Jett

10. Kim Wilde

Hi Henrik! Welcome to the Country Hall of Acclaim (just kidding). I was missing you…

And now my own second special edition of HOA: alterna-chicks.

01. BJÖRK: her “Debut” has shown to the world a new star with strong personality. It’s not really her debut, she was the fascinating singer of The Sugarcubes and has two Icelandic solo albums, but her deep immersion in dance music and club culture (not losing her arty and eccentric edge) created a brand new style absolutely contemporary.
My favourite album: Debut (1993).
My Top 3 Songs: Violently Happy (1993), Venus as a Boy (1993), Play Dead (1993).

02. PJ HARVEY: Hope that Schwah doesn’t mind if I quote him. He wrote about “Rid of Me” for the 90s poll: “I was just voting out Metallica for Survivor, thinking about how undangerous they are. PJ, on the other hand, is actually dangerous. I mean she’s going to tie me up and make me lick her injuries, for God’s sake. That’s a hell of a lot scarier than the freaking Sandman. I love how she takes and uses the male fear of true female sexuality and ratches up the stakes. And she’s got the chops, the theatricality and the balls… er, ovaries to follow through”. Well said, Schwah.
My favourite album: Rid of Me (1993).
My favourite song: Rid of Me (1993).

03. LIZ PHAIR: another girl exiled in Guyville, delivering a clever play about male fantasies on female sexuality in the shape of a double album intended as an answer to the Stones own “Exile”, from now on a pinnacle of “lo-fi” style.
My favourite album: Exile in Guyville (1993).
My favourite song: Never Said (1993).

04. THE BREEDERS: Kim Deal, teaming with Tanya Donelly (from Throwing Muses and Belly) or her sister Kelley, showing not only that there’s life after Pixies but even that the talent was on the female part.
My favourite album: Last Splash (1993).
My favourite song: Cannonball (1993).

05. MAZZY STAR: Hope Sandoval front the band with her suggerent presence and his dreamy vocals, don’t forgetting the atmospheric guitar work of David Roback.
My favourite album: She Hangs Brightly (1990).
My favourite song: Fade into You (1993).

06. SAINT ETIENNE: the talent of pop nerds Stanley and Wiggs is remarkable, but the impact of the band owes a lot to the wonderful voice and presence of Sarah Cracknell.
My favourite album: So Tough (1993).
My favourite song: Avenue (1992).

07. TORI AMOS: she succeeded in combining the rawness of 90s alternative rock, the sophistication of 80s divas like Kate Bush and the introspection of 70s singer-songwriters.
My favourite album: Little Earthquakes (1992).
My favourite song: Silent All These Years (1992).

08. HOLE: Courtney Love, the controversial wife of the man of the decade, is developing herself an interesting career fronting the noisy, rough and wild female band Hole.
My favourite album: Pretty on the Inside (1991).
My favourite song: Teenage Whore (1991).

09. AIMÉE MANN: the recent debut album of Mann shows her complete command on song-writing.
My favourite album: Whatever (1993).
My favourite song: I Should’ve Known (1993).

10. ELASTICA: only a single is enough for voting for this irresistible all-female band and its pop-punk sound.
My favourite song: Stutter (1993).

And at the backstage (some great men behind these great women):
01. STEVE ALBINI: he refuses to be called a producer, he prefers to be called as engineer, but from his Electric Audio studio of Chicago he is creating an incredibly innovative and cohesive sound, from “Surfer Rosa” to “In Utero”, not forgetting the astonishing album from one of our girls of the year, “Rid of Me”.
02. IVO WATTS-RUSELL: I’m not sure if he belongs to this group, but seeing Henrik vote I’m going to seize the opportunity of inducting him. And, what the hell? He has released works from Throwing Muses, Cocteau Twins, The Breeders, Lush, Belly...
03. NELLEE HOOPER: the talent behind Soul II Soul was not expected to make a bold move producing Björk’s “Debut” in such a brilliant way.

1.The Jayhawks : To me one of the best alt country acts, Louris and Olson blended together Gram Parsons, Neil Young and the Everly Brothers. Hollywood Town Hall and Tomorrow The Green Grass are their best.

2.Townes Van Zandt : great idea, Greg. Pancho and Lefty is one of my all time favourite songs, and it's just the tip of the iceberg. Although iceberg may not be the right word, Townes' work ain't icy at all.

3.John Mellencamp : I'm in an Americana mood today. Well, the guy has his limits, but he's sure more than just a Middlewest Springsteen ersatz

4.The Eagles

5.The Smashing Pumpkins : love their early 90's work, reminds me when I was a student living in a small room, you know what I mean

6.Björk

7.John Lee Hooker

8.Wu-Tang Clan

9.A Tribe Called Quest

10.Suede

None of my people got in last year...first time that’s happened in a while.

1. TALK TALK. The only “new wave” band with a critically successful second act?
2. JESUS AND MARY CHAIN. Did anyone else used to get them mixed up with Prefab Sprout? Or is that just me?
3. BLUR. Formerly a truly bizarre late-eighties art-punk combo called Seymour (you could argue they became Seymour again, after they stopped being the Kinks).
4. BUZZCOCKS. And down another notch.
5. PAVEMENT. There were a lot of critically-acclaimed non-mainstream acts in the early nineties I only discovered later, as my interest in music was on the wane at the time--MBV, Dinosaur Jr., and so on. Pavement was the first one, not too surprisingly, since they’re the most conventionally poppy, at least on the surface.
6. PJ HARVEY
7. DE LA SOUL
8. DINOSAUR JR.
9. SMASHING PUMPKINS. Yes, Billy’s an insufferable twit. But Siamese Dream rocks. Oh, and Mike Mills produced it, iirc.
10. ELASTICA. I again reserve my ten-spot for an artist I think should at least be mentioned. Pitchfork more or less writes them off as clones of Wire, which I think is a tad unfair.

Dropping the B-52’s and Billy Bragg, since I was the only one voting for them (I may bring Billy back, though).

That's a shame, schleuse. Let's try to get your number one in.

1. TALK TALK - An darwinist's dream: there are no missing links in the evolution from synthpop to post-rock. Just follow their discography.
2. JANIS JOPLIN - This year, she would have turned 50. One of my favorite singers.
3. EAGLES - Number one in the eligibles list for a reason, people.
4. JEFFERSON AIRPLANE - Remember what the dormouse said: Feed your head! Feed your hea-ead!
5. PETER GABRIEL - I So completely forgot to vote for one of music's greatest geniuses.
6. CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG
7. ABBA
8. BJÖRK
9. PJ HARVEY
10. A TRIBE CALLED QUEST

Backstage:
1. Juan Atkins
2. Anton Corbijn
3. Steve Albini

1. THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS - Still my number one. They made the soundtrack to my 1990s, and well into the 2000s.

2. LOVE - I went to a party last weekend, and I was asked to find a great song. I went for Love.

3. JEFFERSON AIRPLANE - Getting pushed up a few places. I listened to Journey, their greatest hits collection. It's packed with gems.

4. ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN - One of the best bands of the 80s.

5. VIOLENT FEMMES - Made the grittiest, and one of the best albums of the 80s, and it still sounds fresh today.

6. ERIC B. & RAKIM
7. THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN
8. PJ HARVEY
9. GANG OF FOUR
10. DEEP PURPLE

1. Soundgarden - See previous

2. RATM - " "

3. RHCP - " "

4. Smashing Pumpkins - If you can get past Billy Corgan's horribly annoying nasal voice, he writes some pretty good stuff.

5. Alice in Chains - " "

6. Snoop Dogg - When your main man is Dr. Dre, you know you must be doing something right.

7. Aerosmith - " "

8. De La Soul - " "

9. Sinead O'Connor - " "

10. Wu-Tang Clan - Influential in the years to come.

Almost missed it this week – sorry!

1. PJ Harvey – A restlessly, relentlessly experimental and original artist. Every album has its own distinct personality while still being recognizably her work, and as a result she’s built up arguably the most consistently impressive catalog of any artist who’s emerged during the last 20 years.

2. Pavement – Smug, arch, inordinately pleased with their own smarts – but able to back up the attitude with frequently exhilarating controlled-chaos music and Stephen Malkmus’ undeniable left-field gift for improbably catchy melodies.

3. Bjork – The first one and a half sentences of my Polly Jean entry above also apply to Ms. Gudmondsdottir, but she hasn’t been quite as consistent. She’s definitely earned a spot here, though.

4. New York Dolls – They only made two albums, but they’re one of the all-time great bands, and their influence is huge.

5. Ornette Coleman – A true visionary who, unlike far too many of his contemporaries, lasted long enough to become a living legend.

6. Love
7. Peter Gabriel
8. Wire
9. Can
10. The Eagles

BACKSTAGE WING
1. Nicky Hopkins
2. Rudy Van Gelder
3. Greil Marcus

Yikes. I almost missed it also.

Okay so among my favorite artists of all time: Bjork, Pavement, PJ Harvey, Liz Phair. I only feel entirely comfortable voting for Harvey (now with two sterling albums to her credit). I voted for Pavement last week, and will do so reluctantly this week, but still feel they need to wait for a second album. But I'll probably give 'em a vote now anyhow.

I love Debut... but based on my prior criteria I can't give Bjork a vote on that alone. I'm really trying to let aritsts build up at least something of an ouevre before voiting for them. Show that they're not one hit wonders. I may have trouble keeping to that next year when Beck pops up.

Which makes Phair a very, very tough call. Exile in Guyville is my #15 album of all time. Much higher than Slanted and Enchanted, Debut, Rid of Me, or Dry. It is, IMHO, a masterpiece. One album was enough for me to vote for the Sex Pistols, and relcutantly Pavement. Why do I feel that Phair does not deserve a vote now? Maybe because I'm not sure that she will ever deserve a vote. Putting aside that I like Whip-Smart (but not a top-100), I question whether her career ever will be HOA-worthy. I'm leaving her off for now... but really might rethink that and give her some love later on.

1. A Tribe Called Quest - Added Midnight Marauders.

2. Crosby, Stills, Nash (& Young)

3. They Might Be Giants

4. PJ Harvey - Even at this early stage it is clear... she is an Artist with a capital "A." She will get even better, but Rid of Me is an incredibly strong, raw, vivid, dirty album. Thanks for the quote Honorio.

5. Peter Gabriel

6. The Grateful Dead

7. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

8. De La Soul

9. Pavement

10. The Staple Singers

Backstage:

1. David Fincher
2. Anton Corbijn
3. Chris Lomoardi/Gerald Cosloy -- Principals of Matador Records... for my money the finest indie label of the past 20 years (newly signed distribution deal with Atlantic notwithstanding). It may be a little early for them, but they already have relaeased Slanted and Enchanted, Exile in Guyville, Yo La Tengo's Painful and albums by Superchunk, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Bettie Serveert (in the US), and Thinking Fellers Union Local 282.