The "Be Unique" archives

[ "Be Unique!" Archives]

• • March 19^th - March 23^rd

Nominate a performer to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

Players had to abide by the Hall of Fame's criteria:
Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Criteria include the influence and significance of the artist’s contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll.

Some pretty passionate responses were received, including an essay by Mr Jaded about his nominee. :) This is a great list! Well done, everyone!!! Enjoy!

Three point responses: (Completely unique - no other players gave same answer)

Jim Croce
submitted by HalJordan

Al Kooper
submitted by SameOldHal
stating: "I nominate Al Kooper, for his great keyboard work on hits like "Like a Rolling Stone" & "You Can't Always Get What You Want"; for being a founding member of the very influential jazz/rock groups The Blues Project & Blood, Sweat & Tears; for "Super Session" album with Mike Bloomfield & Steve Stills; discovering Lynyrd Skynyrd & producing their first 3 albums; television & movie scores; producing, arranging, song-writing & session work with many rock greats, from '60's to present, solo albums too...he should be in there, I think! : )."

The Guess Who
submitted by ccrider

Three Dog Night
submitted by JRussell

The Zombies
submitted by Spnnrn

The Doobie Brothers
submitted by SingDeeDee

The Carpenters
submitted by RuthGee

Billy Preston
submitted by Ladylion14
stating: "while his solo career may have not been huge, he never charted lower than #22 and held his own, and the rest of his career was playing with every supergod and talent in the music industry."

Larry Williams
submitted by Fourhbcaps
stating: "I nominate Larry Williams, who was way ahead of his time in writing his own songs, and was a huge influence on The Beatles (they recorded several of his songs: Slow Down, Bad Boy, Dizzy Miss Lizzie). You never even see his name in history books, and he's at least as deserving as The Flamingos!!"

Steve Winwood
submitted by KENSQ1411
stating: "I never heard him mentioned--it's ridiculous--Spencer Davis Group---Traffic--Blind Faith, solo, etc.--what gives?"

Arthur Alexander
submitted by Scoty
stating: "I would like to nominate Arthur Alexander for two reasons. Firstly, although he only had one Top 30 U.S. hit he was one of the primary influences for both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, that is an influence that can't be underestimated. Both groups chose to cover his material to kick their careers off. Secondly he occupies a special place in musical history, as he was the first artist to emerge from the legendary Muscle Shoals studios in Alahbama."

Todd Rundgren
submitted by MsTinTear
stating: "Todd Rundgren is one of Rocks eccentric talents he started out in a local bar band and went on to being one of the greatest Rock Guitarists It was with his Double album Something/anything that this porformer truly florished The first three sides of this album were entirely his own creation as writer, singer,musician and producer and contained some of his most popular songs like I saw the light and it wouldnt have made any difference. He produced for such greats as grand funk railroad and hall and oats going on to produce one of the best selling album of all time Bat out of Hell by Meatloaf also a video pioneer one of his videos was the second to be shown on MTV Still performing he just finished a US Tour last year."

The Dells
submitted by GBate
stating: "I propose the Dells ('Stay In My Corner'. 'What A Night') for the (imaginary) Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame. In the recent Doo Wop 51 PBS program, they performed the more recent version of 'What A Night', and to me, they personify the old 50's and 60's R&B harmony groups."

Cat Stevens
submitted by MuziKatNat
stating: "This was a no-brainer for me...however, i'm not sure how unique my inductee will be...when i look at my LP collection, which is mostly Beatles, i have to say it i also mostly "CAT STEVENS"...i would say he, along with THE BEATLES & BOB DYLAN had an enormous influence on my life back then...(however, i must also express my utmost dismay & dissapointment at the exit of CAT with no real explanation, only to resurface years later as Yusuf Islam (WHAT IS HE THINKING!)...couldn't believe he had chosen Islam over all that wonderful music & those incredibly great songs he once wrote...for me this was the day the music died!!...(believe me, yours truly knows about the hypocrisies of the Muslim religion thru personal experience)...i recently saw him interviewed, where he admitted that he put rock n' roll behind because his life then was really out of control & that he's still terrified of picking up a guitar...can you imagine the denial!!...i still hope & pray that some day he'll come back to the real world - this "wild world"...he owes it to all his fans and most of all to his true self....nevertheless, I will always love his music... NEW ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE...CAT STEVENS."

Peter, Paul and Mary
submitted by Nalavia
stating: "They should get it just on the virtue of Puff the Magic dragon.. a song that spans the generations"

Charlie Gracie
submitted by Rockin Ron Cade
stating: "His guitar work admired by Eddie Cochran....influenced George Harrison....admired by Paul McCartney (who not to long ago recorded one of his songs)."

The Hollies
submitted by LindyBeat
stating: "The Hollies have had many hits such as "I'm Alive,"( a hit in England but not in the U. S). "Bus Stop," "Carrie Anne," "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother," and the "The Air That I. Breathe" (the latter two, post-Graham Nash) to name a few. I love their harmonies and lyrics. You need only to listen to their songs to prove that they are Hall of Fame material."

Linda Ronstadt
submitted by Frisc1

The Monkees
submitted by Loganmint

Billy Vaughn
submitted by Pookie

Pat Boone
submitted by Snads73

Frank Sinatra
submitted by Raynode

Harry Chapin
submitted by SN0REFEST
stating: "Barbara I don't care what anyone says. The man that deserves to be there BEFORE ANYONE else is Harry Chapin. He was an Unreplaceable talent as well as a Humanitarian. What a waste of a wonderful life. I Cried when this man died. It hurts knowing that even the Biography Channel skipped him over and does features on people like Shaun Cassidy"

King Crimson
submitted by Clete6
stating: "My first choice would be Love, but I'm afraid others (Roxie and Brad?) will pick them. Brad may choose Gene Pitney even though it won't be unique."

Brenda Lee
submitted by ARE7

Yes
submitted by Mysticrhythms69

Neil Diamond
submitted by CAK1946

Jeff Lynne and the Electric Light Orchestra
submitted by DADDYOAL

Gene Pitney
submitted by Wmbradspa
stating: "Well, even though it WON'T "BE UNIQUE" there's only ONE answer I can give here, although I will mention several other acts I deem worthy of the honor....so what if I don't get the 3 points........ GENE PITNEY belongs in the HALL OF FAME!!!!!!!!!
However, so do the Hollies, the Moody Blues, Brenda Lee, Bobby Vee, Connie Francis and Dionne Warwick.
In ALL these cases, I think they are worthy not just because I like their music (I'm not a huge fan of a couple of them as a matter of fact). But they all had major careers on the charts that are worthy, or, in the case of the Moody Blues, began a new genre that had great influence on other groups."

Jackson Browne
submitted by Raywiggs
stating: "His songs have been around since 71' and have been sung by such notable artists as Tom Rush, The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt and many more. He has also had a stellar career of his own."

Lynard Skynard
submitted by Layla48977
stating: "One of my favorite bands of the 70's is Lynyrd Skynyrd.....would love to nominate them for the rock and roll hall of fame.....their southern rock style was a big influence for many groups, and had many great songs including sweet home alabama, and free bird which i personally think is a classic, and im sure others will agree. Losing van zant and gaines was a great loss, im sure the surviving members would be honered to be nominated"

Herman's Hermits
submitted by Jackie0203

Donna Summer
submitted by DevilWo
stating: "I don't know if most would consider disco a contribution, but she DEFINED the period right along side the Bee Gees.......I can't believe she isn't in yet."

Peter Frampton
submitted by Andreeyt
stating: "He may not have been in the business long, but I believe it was because of a bad car accident. He was very influential when he was an artist, and I believe he is making a comeback, and his music from the 70's is still an icon, especially his 'talking guitar.'"

Joan Baez
submitted by Baggyguy
stating: "My answer is going to be: Joan Baez. While I feel a LOT of people ought to get consideration ahead of her, I think she clearly meets the criteria. If Joni Mitchell can be inducted, so should Joan Baez. My REAL first choice would be Gene Pitney, but I'll leave that honor to Brad. I also think the Moody Blues ought to be there, too. So I'll stick with that great voice and folkie, Joan Baez for this question. A great question, by the way!!"

Jethro Tull
submitted by Caravntrip
stating: "Still making music 30+ years later!"

Petula Clark
submitted by Reishi
stating: "Good topic this week - my vote goes undoubtedly for Petula Clark... first lady of the British Invasion, she deserves to be in the HOF ten times over but isn't!"

The Marvelettes
submitted by HUGYBEAR

Conway Twitty
submitted by Jharvill

Neil Sedaka
submitted by KWENI

Bob Seger
submitted by Wilburn1955

The Neville Brothers
submitted by RandyPNY

Johnny Maestro
submitted by TerryT
stating: "He was great then and he still is today. THEY HAVE GOT TO QUIT OVERLOOKING THIS GUY!!!

The Beau Brummels
submitted by MrJaded
stating: "Yes, they only had 3 top 40 hits, but that is one more than 2001 inductee Richie Valens, whose career was cut short by his death in the tragic plane accident of 1959. The career of the Beau Brummels was cut short by the demise of their record label (Autumn), and some bad decisions by their new record label (Warner Brothers).
If you listen to the Rhino CD "The Best Of The Beau Brummels 1964-1968", you will discover how well most of their music has held up over time. Furthermore, their B sides were at least as good as much of the music that charted at the time. Listen to Still In Love With You Baby (the B side of Laugh Laugh) and tell me that couldn't have been a hit record on its own. Another classic Beau Brummels B side is In Good Time (the B side of Don't Talk To Strangers).
The Beau Brummels were one of the first American bands to compete against the British Invasion groups that dominated the charts in 1964. Also, they were one of the pioneers of the San Francisco rock sound whose influence would grow over the next few years, and you could make a case for them being the first folk-rock group of significance.
Unfortunately, after the success of Laugh Laugh (which IS in the Hall Of Fame already as one of rock's 500 most influential songs) and Just A Little, Autumn records was faced with serious financial problems, and was unable to effectively promote singles such as Don't Talk To Strangers and You Tell Me Why.
The Beau Brummels were one of only a handful of groups who were writing their own songs in 1965. The irony of this would become apparent in 1966, when Autumn records folded, and the Beau Brummels were signed by Warner Brothers. Some idiot at Warner Brothers decided that the Beau Brummels, despite their success with original songs, should record their next album consisting entirely of covers, of songs such as Louie Louie, Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter, and Bang Bang. I'm not knocking those songs per se, but they had already been done, and there certainly was no point in wasting the talent of the Beau Brummels to do cover versions of them.
Their career, predictably, went into a tailspin at this point, as they lost the momentum they had from their 3 hits from 1965. They recorded 2 more fine albums of original songs, "Triangle", and "Bradley's Barn", but the sales were not there, and the Beau Brummels split up in 1968. They reunited in 1975 for one last album, which had some more good songs, but again was not a commercial success, and the band broke up once more.
And if that's not enough, their classic 1965 appearance on The Flintstones (as the Beau Brummelstones) should be enough to ensure their membership in the Hall Of Fame!"

Two point responses: (Two players gave same answer)

The Righteous Brothers
submitted by Yankeedog and LWhiteDove
LWhiteDove states: "I'm hoping everyone else will think this one is taken, but even if I don't get the points....I Love Em!!"

Chicago
submitted by OldiesKing933, FLMyst
OldiesKing states: "There's a tie on my list between Chicago and Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. I will go with Chicago though as they have had 50 chart hits, two or three number 1 hits and some on the best instrumental breaks I have ever heard."

The Moody Blues
submitted by Jmiller and Loonatique
Jmiller says: "They certainly meet the criteria, with their first release sometime around 1965, and made a definite and positive addition to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll with their sound combining a full orchestra with traditional-sounding electric guitars and bass."
Loonatique explains: "My choice for RnR Hall of Fame is: The Moody Blues. I hope they are eligable because they have been a favorite of mine for about 30 years, and this is one time I hope I am not unique in my choice bcause I do not understand why they are in there yet. Their 1st top ten hit, Go Now, was in 1965. After that their style changed. I their influence has been blending classical music to RnR...adding more classical instruments into the blend and the significance of that is obvious if you have listened to rock and rock evolve over the past 30-something years."

One point responses: (Three or more players gave same answer)

Connie Francis
submitted by Faithflem, DRWALDOPEPPER and Milmar13
Faithflem states: "Pop's #1 female vocalist from the late 50's to the mid 60's, stopped performing after she was raped in a Howard Johnson Motel in 1974, had comeback with a performance on Dick Clark's Live Wednesday TV show. 56 top 100 billboard charted hits (16 in the top ten). Connie's music represents the late 50's & early sixties period of simplistic teen dating & romances with a crisp clean easy listening pop sound.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Please play this week's game! Here's how! Be Unique!