The Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame has announced the class of 2012, and, to be honest, it’s not that bad of a class. Joining hard-rock titans, and unquestioned headliners Guns ‘N’ Roses at the induction ceremony on Saturday, April 14th at the Cleveland Public Auditorium will be two bands from the alt-rock era — The Beastie Boys and Red Hot Chili Peppers, ’60s singer/songwriter, Laura Nyro, ’60s folk singer, Donovan, and the constantly overlooked, but overlooked no more, The Small Faces and Faces.
Yes, believe it or not, Rod Stewart once had a respected career and that band Faces, would end up influencing both early New York City punk rock and college rock bands of the early ’80s like the Replacements.
Hell, I’d campaign for The Faces on the basis of one song, “Stay With Me.”
Granted, everyone loves to complain about the Rock Hall. Bitching about the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame’s nominees and inductees has become a sport all its own over the past years. Everyone has their favorites, and some people, most notably Rush fans, can be especially obnoxious when it comes to campaigning for their favorites. There there’s The Cure fans and The Smiths fans and those who hate everything that doesn’t fit into their narrow definition of rock, and those who think the Rock Hall is too white or has too few women.
No class will ever please everyone. If the worst you can say about the class of 2012 is Axl Rose has gotten fat, and the band that recorded Chinese Democracy and the band that tours with Rose today, isn’t the real Guns ‘N’ Roses, then it’s not that bad of a class.
Even the Red Hot Chili Peppers, a band who’ve captured the scorn of the underground in recent years (Reference this quote by Nick Cave, ‘”I’m forever near a stereo saying, ‘What the fuck is this garbage?’ And the answer is always the Red Hot Chili Peppers.”‘) have an important place in rock history. Along with fellow inductees, The Beastie Boys, they were one of the biggest acts behind the alternative rock explosion of the ’90s, and their induction will likely pave the way for other artists from the same era, artists like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and maybe even Nine Inch Nails to gain entry into the Rock Hall, too. From a historical perspective, each artist on this list deserves their place, and lest we forget, preserving Rock ‘N’ Roll history is the primary mission of the museum.
Complete List of 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees
Performer Category:
· Beastie Boys
· Donovan
· Guns N’ Roses
· Laura Nyro
· Red Hot Chili Peppers
· The Small Faces/The Faces
Early Influence:
· Freddie King
Ahmet Ertegun (nonperformer) Award:
· Don Kirshner
The Award for Musical Excellence:
· Cosimo Matassa
· Tom Dowd
· Glyn Johns
Tickets for the induction ceremony on April 14th will go on sale Saturday, December 16th at rockhall.com at 10 AM EST. If the internet isn’t your thing, there’s also this phone number, (877) 212-8898. A special pre-sale for Rock Hall members will be held on Friday, December 15th at 10 AM EST, same website and same phone number.
