The Old Acclaimed Music Forum
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Bill Clinton is about to be inaugurated as the 42nd U.S. president, so it must be time for the 1993 HOA election.
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 3, at 6:00 pm US Central time (midnight GMT).
Voting is now open. Have at it!
1. Talk Talk - They almost made it last year. Such a shame... Maybe a little push would help?
2. Janis Joplin - My pearl.
3. Eagles - Did you hear the reunion rumors?
4. Deep Purple - One of the most important bands in (hard) rock history.
5. Jefferson Airplane - I don't really care for Starship, but their 60s material, when they were still an airplane, they made some of the freakiest, psychedelic popsongs.
6. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
7. Dusty Springfield
8. ABBA
9. Depeche Mode
10. Dr. Dre
Backstage:
1. Juan Atkins - Founding father of techno
2. Norman Granz - Jazz impresario with an impressive list of clients, and includes almost every jazz artist in the HOA and on the eligibles list.
3. Jools Holland - '92 was the birth year of his fantastic tv show "Later... With Jools Holland".
1. TALK TALK. They look like a lock anyway, but sure, Klauw, let’s make it official.
2. JESUS AND MARY CHAIN. Not giving up on them. If they were ahead of their time, well, it’s 1993, so I’d say we’ve reached that time. They invented swirly. (Musically, I mean. Although, come to think of it, look at their hair...)
3. BUZZCOCKS. OK, OK, I really am lowering them--one notch at a time.
4. BLUR. Modern Life Is Rubbish? Merely one of the great lost albums of the 90s. “For Tomorrow” is the best-known song, but this album’s just chock-full of preBritpoppy goodness: “Chemical World,” “Star Shaped,” “Oily Water,” “Popscene,” etc.
5. B-52’S. I remember seeing them on Saturday Night Live at about age 10. Blew my mind--I knew I liked them, but I had no reference point to figure out what the hell I was hearing.
6. BILLY BRAGG
7. PAVEMENT
8. DINOSAUR JR.
9. DE LA SOUL
10. LOS LOBOS. Pay no mind; this is just this week’s “someone should really vote for them” vote.
I’ve officially abandoned Van Halen. Gave it a shot, but by 1993 they seem pretty played, anyway.
Special edition of HOA: world music.
01. YOUSSOU N’DOUR: probably the biggest star ever coming from Africa, Youssou achieved his international projection due to his balance between tradition (his foundation is Senegalese music style mbalax) and innovation (he uses creatively occidental instruments and sounds).
My favourite album: Immigrés / Bitim Rew (1984).
My Top 3 Songs: Immigrés (Bitim Rew) (1984), Set (1990), My Daughter (1989).
02. CAMARÓN DE LA ISLA: his recent death from lung cancer has elevated Camarón to the status of idol and icon for Spanish gipsy population.
My favourite album: La leyenda del tiempo (1979).
My favourite song: Nana del caballo grande (1979).
03. NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHAN: the master of qawwali (the only music style allowed in Islamic celebrations in Pakistan) is getting to non-Indian audiences thanks to the recent releases by Real World.
My favourite album: Devotional Songs (1992).
My favourite song: Dam Mast Qalandar Mast Mast or Mustt Mustt (Massive Attack Remix) (1990).
04. CELIA CRUZ: the absolute queen of afro-Cuban son and salsa, she has developed a long and brilliant career fronting bands as La Sonora Matancera, Tito Puente Orchestra or Fania All Stars. Azúcar!
My favourite album: Celia & Johnny (1974).
My favourite song: Químbara (1974). Gorgeous!!
05. KHALED: the main figure of Algerian raï (a style banned by Islamic fundamentalism because of its lyrics about women and alcohol) had an international smash hit last year with his Don Was’ produced "Didi".
My favourite album: Khaled (1992).
My favourite song: Didi (1992).
06. GORAN BREGOVIC: the sounds of the Balkans, the sound of suffering, the time of the Gypsies.
My favourite album: Le temps des gitans (1992).
My favourite song: Ederlezi (1990).
07. CÉSARIA ÉVORA: the barefoot diva, the voice of the saudade (nostalgia), the most notorious performer of morna (style typical of Cabo Verde with obvious debts to Portuguese fado).
My favourite album: Miss Perfumado (1992).
My favourite song: Sodade (1992).
08. CHAVELA VARGAS: the most controversial performer of Mexican ranchera (she never hide her lesbianism and alcoholism) is living a second youth after being vindicated by Almodóvar because of her intense performances.
My favourite album: Piensa en mí (1991).
My favourite song: La llorona (1991). Amazing!!
09. SALIF KEITA: one of the best singers ever, he was marginalized in his own country (Mali) and family because he is albino, a sign of bad luck in mandinga culture. Relocated in Paris he is achieving international success.
My favourite album: Soro (1987).
My favourite song: Souareba (1987).
10. FABRIZIO DE ANDRÉ: the Italian troubadour made a giant step with his 1984 album sang in Genoese dialect, with an open-minded approach to different Mediterranean styles. What can I do if I was born in Mediterranean?
My favourite album: Crêuza de mä (1984).
My favourite song: Crêuza de mä (1984), with comments, you may prefer this live version
And at the backstage:
01. NICK GOLD: the founder of World Circuit Records, home of Ali Farka Touré, Oumou Sangare, Toumani Diabaté or Orchestra Baobab.
02. CHARLIE GILLETT: the responsible of introducing the world music to the Occidental ears from his radio program 'A Foreign Affair', being the first DJ to program Youssou N’Dour or Salif Keita.
03. PETER GABRIEL: the founder of Real World Records, home of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Geoffrey Oriema or Papa Wemba.
1. Red Hot Chili Peppers : Blood Sugar Sex Magik is the album I listened the most during my teen age, I still have a found tenderness for it, much more than for any other. No song can get me back to those days more easily than I could have Lied of Breaking the Girl (still one of my all time favourite)
2. Rage Against the Machine : if I made a top 10 of the albums which have had the biggest influence in my musical taste development, their first album would be among them, just behind BSSM. Those heavy riffs seem to talk to me, I think Morello is a true guitar god !
3. Mano Negra : engaged, fun and creative, maybe the closest to world music I listened to !
4. Violent Femmes : the only band I think of when I put together the terms of rock, good and "pre Pixies 80s"
5. Noir Désir : the best is yet to come, but in 1992 they created the greatest french guitar riff ever for their song Tostaky, and they already had released 3 great albums
6. Pearl Jam
7. de La Soul
8. Depeche Mode
9. Motörhead
10. Alain Bashung
1. THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS - Now they've got a couple of albums released. They're all catchy, fun and clever.
2. DEPECHE MODE - Synthpop never felt so scary before. Or good.
3. LOVE - They've made one of the best albums ever released. Nobody should ever tire of Forever Changes.
4. JEFFERSON AIRPLANE - Same as with Love, only with Surrealistic Pillow.
5. VIOLENT FEMMES - Actually, it's the same comment for Violent Femmes too.
6. ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN
7. THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN
8. ERIC B & RAKIM
9. DR DRE
10. TALK TALK
Clearly I need to learn more about Talk Talk.
My big question is whether Pavement, my on-and-off second favorite artist of all time, deserve a first ballot vote.
1. A Tribe Called Quest - Okay... I'm alone in my extreme love for Tribe. The contribution of Tribe and De La are already paying dividends this past year: Arrested Development, Black Sheep, Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth put out some very nice work in 1992. But so did Dr. Dre... and he led the way for the next decade, not Tribe.
2. Crosby, Stills, Nash (& Young)
3. They Might Be Giants
4. George Jones - Let's see if we can get him in.
5. Peter Gabriel - I like Us a lot, so he moves up.
6. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
7. The Grateful Dead
8. De La Soul
9. Pavement - What the heck. Slanted and Enchanted is great. So were other debuts that didn't lead to a vote, but I'm not feeling the competition. Will be my #1 in two years.
10. The Staple Singers
Backstage:
1. Norman Granz
2. David Fincher
3. Anton Corbijn
We enter into a hard-rocking 1993.
1. Pearl Jam - Ten rocks. That's it. Overproduced? A tad. Overblown? Not in the least.
2. Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger also rocks, but in a cathartic, f-ed up way.
3. RATM - Their debut also rocks, in a political, in-your-face way.
4. RHCP - Blood Sugar Sex Magik also rocks, in a funky, hyped-up way.
5. Alice in Chains - Both their albums to date rock in a gloomy, metallic way.
6. Dr. Dre - Dr. Dre raps, and produces, like a G. Rap's most important figure of the 90's.
7. Aerosmith - See previous.
8. Depeche Mode - See previous.
9. De La Soul - See previous.
10. Sinead O'Connor - See previous.
1. George Jones - still hoping
2. Dr. Dre - in honor of that ridiculous (and probably racist) rap-bashing thread, let's celebrate dre's west coast classic
3. Gang Starr - and for the east coast, nothing (until next year) can match the one-two punch of step in the arena and daily operation
4. Ice Cube - and then back on the west coast, cube's first 3 albums set gangsta standards for the rest of the decade
5. Eric B & Rakim - and then back on the east coast, these two should've been inducted 5 years ago for the groundbreaking paid in full and its strong follow-up follow the leader
and then back to the whities
6. The Blue Nile
7. Warren Zevon
8. Jackson Browne
9. Dwight Yoakam
10. Prefab Sprout
backstage
1. Marley Marl - at this point, only dre and premier have a better claim to best rap/hip-hop producer
2. Larry Levan - the legendary paradise garage
3. David Mancuso - the legendary loft
1. 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.
2. George Jones – A vote for the Possum, as a badly needed reminder that not all country music sucks.
3. Pearl Jam – An argument can be made that they never really topped their ’91 debut, but their longevity and consistency over almost 20 years have more than earned them a place here.
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. Dr. Dre
8. Peter Gabriel
9. Wire
10. Can
BACKSTAGE WING
1. Nicky Hopkins
2. Rudy Van Gelder
3. Greil Marcus
I haven't voted for awhile because I've enjoyed having my family visit from overseas, but I'm back!
1. Eurythmics- Their peak from 1981-1984 rivals the best of Prince for me, I love it that much. I think this vote is rather fruitless, but it'll stay until we reach the present day, if necessary!
2. Siouxsie and the Banshees- Upgraded due to more eligible material and a greater appreciation of the material itself. The immense diversity of their styles and themes has left me awestruck. Easily my favorite musical discovery of the past 5 years.
3. Depeche Mode- Violator is one of the best albums of the 90s, and their 80s canon ain't too shabby either!
4. Janet Jackson- Rhythm Nation 1814 is the perfect pop album, and beats the pants off of anything that her more celebrated brother has done. In fact, it's my favorite album not by Prince.
5. Grace Jones- This is my voice, my weapon of choice! Living art she is.
6. Donna Summer- I'm surprised she didn't receive more of a push. Her singles (and a few of her albums) represent the greatest disco music and some of the greatest soul/R&B music of the 70s and 80s.
7. Can- My musical palate was greatly expanded by hearing their music.
8. Echo and the Bunnymen- Great vocals, great arrangements, and great brooding music!
9. Joan Jett- Now this woman just kicks ass- left, right and center!
10. Kim Wilde- I'm pumped that her first 3 albums have been remastered with bonus tracks, so I don't have to shell out $400 for a rare CD of Catch as Catch Can (which I very nearly did after spending $60 to get Select).
1. George Jones - Amen to that!
2. Wanda Jackson – A female rockabilly pioneer who totally rocked.
3. Buck Owens & His Buckaroos – Defined the influential Bakersfield sound
4. Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys – Personified Western Swing.
5. Townes Van Zandt – A great lyricist and legend
6. Lefty Frizzell – One of the all-time greats.
7. Waylon Jennings – Leading figure in the 1970’s outlaw country movement.
8. Doug Sahm – A Texas legend who played all styles.
9. Ernest Tubb – Another Texas legend. A giant in country music circles.
10. The New York Dolls – really influential.
Backstage: Dr. Dre
This HOA is making me realize that I like a lot of chicks. 