Still Down the Hall From the Hall
Five Rock artists who still aren’t in the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame, but should be
As a late period baby boomer (born 1963), I was too young to properly experience Beatlemania and the burst of creative music which followed it. I have just a few scattered music memories of that decade, plus one memory involving tie dying by my older sister-my sole hippie memory.
The music of the 70s was not as creative as the 60s-some professionalism creeped in to replace the exhilaration and energy of the 60s garage bands. Despite that, it was still a time when musical giants walked the earth: the mighty Zeppelin, a resurgent Dylan, a newly emerging Aerosmith. I entered the 70s with limited grasp of the musical landscape. My knowledge slowly growing, by the end of the decade, I had begun a deep love for the genre now known, sometimes sarcastically, as “classic rock”.
Much of my music appreciation time since the 70s has been spent catching up, filling in knowledge gaps of the music created in the 60s and 70s. A rewarding element of this process has been seeing many of my musical heroes honored with induction into the Rock Hall of Fame.
In any contest, you win some, you lose some. This article is about my losses. These are my top five rock artists who should be in the Hall, but aren’t there yet.
1. Jethro Tull
Widely influential. Seven albums in the US Top 10 during their 70s heyday, including two #1s. Groundbreaking use of flute in a rock context. Maybe it’s something personal against Ian Anderson…
Never nominated for the Hall, Jethro Tull tops this list of artists who have been done wrong.
The only flute driven/medieval/heavy metal/folky band to ascend to the top of the Rock’n’Roll hill, Jethro Tull should have been inducted years and years ago.
Ian Anderson’s soundscapes featured clever acoustic riffs and winding, extended flute passages. They were augmented by Martin Barre’s powerful bursts of electric guitar, and an excellent, though frequently changing, supporting cast on bass, keyboard, and drums. His evocative vocals and clever lyrics, teamed with the instrumental backdrop to create music of unusual sophistication, while still being (mostly) easy to assimilate.
This band deserves the recognition given to a Hall inductee.
Recommended deep cuts: “Inside” from Benefit. “Acres Wild” from Heavy Horses. “Dun Ringill” from Stormwatch.
2. Procol Harum
Briefly famous for “A Whiter Shade of Pale”, and somewhat later and less so for “Conquistador”, Procol Harum has largely disappeared from popular consciousness due to a paucity of any other radio hits. Nearly any fan of classic rock has heard “A Whiter Shade of Pale”, but it’s unlikely most could name the group performing it, and fewer still could name any other songs by them. More’s the pity.
Procol Harum may be seen as the English version of The Band, in that they both successfully combined piano and organ into a well integrated mix. But while The Band relied heavily on three part harmonies from Richard Manuel, Rick Danko and Levon Helm, Procol Harum relied almost completely on the bluesy voice of pianist Gary Brooker, who also wrote most of the music.
Unusually, Procol Harum’s lyrics were written by Keith Reid, a non-performing member. Brooker was able to add nuance, and occasional menace to Reid’s often surreal lyrics. Blues rock guitar hero Robin Trower got his start with Procol, and he added brief but sharp guitar punctuations to their early albums.
Respected by the critics, but never widely popular, recognition from the Hall would help raise Procol’s profile to a more appropriate level.
Recommended deep cuts: “Pilgrim’s Progress” from A Salty Dog. “ Beyond the Pale” from Exotic Birds and Fruit. “Pandora’s Box” from Procol’s 9th.
3. Little Feat
Little Feat had the ability to perform rock, country, soul, and boogie woogie music at a high level. While it never brought them true commercial success, it made them one of the most critically respected bands of the 70s.
Little Feat was led by Lowell George on guitar and vocals. George was a member of Frank Zappa’s band in the late 1960s. He formed Little Feat in 1970; their first album was released in 1971. From the beginning, George’s eclectic songwriting, gruff vocals, and stinging slide guitar made Little Feat unique.
They continued generating music at a high level through the mid-seventies. Subsequent records suffered from a jazz fusion obsession, and diminishing input from George, who was growing less interested, and diving deeper into drug abuse. George would die of a heart attack in 1979, brought on by a cocaine overdose.
Little Feat, the quintessential “album artist”, never came close to a hit single from their 70s output (a later post-George version did have some radio hits in the late 80s). Despite limited radio play, they did ring up 3 gold albums in the 70s, and a place in the hearts of rock fans who wanted something a little different.
Recommended deep cuts: “Crazy Captain Gunboat Willie” from Little Feat. “Easy to Slip” from Sailin’ Shoes. “Two Trains” from Dixie Chicken.
4. Blue Oyster Cult
BOC were one of the “heaviest” groups of the early 1970s, so it’s ironic that their presence on modern day radio consists almost entirely of “Don’t Fear the Reaper”, “Godzilla”, and “Burning for You”. While these songs all feature hard hitting guitar, their pop music catchiness belies the dark nature of much of the BOC catalog.
Many devoted BOC fans would argue that their best work was to be found on their first three albums (pre-dating “Don’t Fear the Reaper”). On these albums, inscrutable lyrics about space, cretins, diz-busters and subhumans compete in the mix with thrashing guitars-this was the heavy music of its time.
BOC was never an enormous selling band, but their records sold well, and they were one of the most in-demand touring bands during the late 70s. Their influence on later heavy metal and hard rock bands has been substantial, attested to by dozens of musicians in those genres.
Over the balance of their career, BOC would go on to add pop elements, a little jazz, some conventional rock, and even some sentimental ballads to their mix. While not all their fans liked all the styles represented, some felt the eclectic mix simply showed the depth of their talent, and their musical interests. I agree.
Recommended deep cuts: “Flaming Telepaths” from Secret Treaties. “Morning Final” from Agents of Fortune. “The Vigil” from Mirrors.
5. Richard Thompson
It’s generally understood that inductees to the Hall get in based on some combination of quality, sales, and influence on future musicians. The Velvet Underground barely sold anything, but their music was great, and it was said that everyone who listened to them went out and started a band.
I would make the case for Richard Thompson that the quality of his music merits entrance into the Hall by itself. He’s never sold much in America, and his influence is not easy to quantify, but he is highly regarded by other musicians, and his music has been covered by artists as disparate as Bonnie Raitt, David Gilmour, Tom Jones, the Neville Brothers, and Alison Krause and Union Station.
Beginning in 1976, at age 18 with the band Fairport Convention, playing a sort of electrified medieval folk-rock, and on his own since 1971, Thompson has forged a career of songcraft based on the darker side of life, featuring his slashing guitar, and mournful vocals.
Unlike many of his peers, Thompson has continued to produce work of high quality right up to his most recent album in 2018. His music seems immune to the ravages of age, perhaps because he has always sounded old, and wise.
Recommended deep cuts: “Missie How You Let Me Down”, from Daring Adventures. “Keep Your Distance” from Rumor and Sigh. “Mascara Tears” from Mirror Blue.