Greg's R&R HOF Nominee #4: Kool & The Gang

The Members:

-Robert "Kool" Bell  (Bass)       -Ronald Bell (Tenor Sax)                                                                        -George Brown (Drums)            -Claydes Charles Smith (Guitar)
-Larry Gittens (Trumpet)           -Clifford Adams (Trombone)
- J.T.Taylor (Vocals)                   - Robert "Spike" Mickens (Trumpet)
-Michael Ray (Trumpet)

To be honest, Kool and The Gang is kind of the impetus for this whole series of posts. Of the four nominees that I have listed, they are the one nominee that, at least for me, I can't understand why they aren't in already. So they kind of started this process for me.

Kool and the Gang formed in Jersey City in the mid 60s, but it wasn't until the early 70s that they would score their first big success. It was the age of funk and R&B and KATG (which they will be named for brevity in this post) scored their first 2 top ten singles with "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging".

However, their stay at the top would not last long as funk went out of style in the mid-70s and disco began to dominate the charts. It is at this point, in 1979, that KATG makes a decision that would prove to be a masterstroke. Up till the point, they had been more of an instrumental band, with no major vocalist. That was about to change when they hired J.T. Taylor to be their lead vocalist. He gave their music a voice. In addition, they tweaked their funky style to fit the lighter pop and disco era that was booming. And lo and behold, they were on a roll. They had 3 major top ten singles in this stretch: "Ladies Night" "Too Hot" and arguably their biggest hit and the song they are most remembered for: "Celebration"

                                    

And this time, as music styles shifted again, and disco went out of style, KATG was ready and quickly shifted to more of a soft rock style as they entered the mid-80s. And the top hits kept on coming with songs like "Fresh", "Misled" (more on that one later), "Cherish" and my personal favorite song of theirs; "Joanna"

                                         

They would have 2 more Top Ten Singles in "Victory" and "Stone Love" before J.T. Taylor decided to leave KATG to start a solo career and essentially the prime period of KATG ended. There is no question that they had Hall-worthy success: 21 singles in the Top 40 over the span of their prime period. In fact, from 1980 to 1986 they had more top 40 singles than the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

In terms of accolades, they won 2 Grammys and 7 American Music Awards. And, perhaps a sign that their time might be coming soon; KATG, through the Bell Brothers, Taylor, and George Brown, were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018. So maybe in a couple of years they might be entering the R&R Hall of Fame, but honestly, they should be in already. And for the life of me, I don't really understand why they aren't in.

 -Are they not in because they turned away from straight funk to produce more pop style/light music? Look at Chicago and they change they made in the early 80s led by Peter Cetera and Dave Foster. And they eventually got in.

-Are they not in because they are not considered rock enough? Similar band and well deserving candidate Earth, Wind and Fire are in; they got in in 2000. Now, they were one of the major innovators in the funk category, but they did not have great commercial success in the 80s while KATG managed to survive and flourish. 

Plus I should add this. People think selling out is garbage and shameful. To me, there is a difference between crappy shlock and quality shlock, and if you want to say that KATG sold out, you would have to admit that most of their pieces are quality shlock.

The Two Songs:

The two songs I have chosen to represent KATG show their ability to change throughout the years. First is the massively under renowned instrumental piece "Summer Madness" This was made in the middle of their pure funk period in 1974 and it showcases their use of synthesizers and smooth jazz. The sound reminded me of Pink Floyd and what they would do with long musical pieces, especially "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" except this has the funk of KATG in tact

                                     

The second song I have chosen comes from the mid 80s and it shows that KATG can indeed pull off a rock song, especially for that time. It is the 1985 Top Ten hit, "Misled":

                                     

Who would have thunk that KATG could pull off a great rock and roll style guitar riff that could have come from any popular 80s rock band (too many to name). Anyway I think this song, more than anything shows that KATG do indeed belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Because they have the success credentials and, despite what people think, they do know how to rock.

Thank you for joining on this musical journey. Please Please contact me at Facebook, @UnitedWhofans on Twitter or in the comments section below if you want more of these types of things and any other bands you want to suggest. Thank you very much.

           

Greg's R&R HOF Nominee #3: The Monkees

-Mike Nesmith

-Peter Tork

-Davy Jones

-Micky Dolenz

The Monkees being in the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame has been a debate for ages and ages. A lot of people have written petitions and spoken out about it but they are still not in. The reason for that is believed to be that most people view the Monkees as a "fake" band. Which you can argue they were, at least at the beginning.

The Monkees were created around a sitcom premise that they were a struggling band trying to be the Beatles. The show was a success both with audiences and critics, winning the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy in 1967. Along with that show success came musical success. Their first 4 albums reached #1 and their 5th reached #3. In terms of singles, 6 of their first 7 made the top 3 in the US charts and the one that didn't reached #2 in the UK.

But in time, the series wore down and so did the records. The show was canceled after 2 seasons and soon their music began to fall out, partially assisted by the movie Head, which is now a cult film, but poorly received at the time. They recorded up until 1971, eventually starting to write their own music.

Now if that was where the story ended, then I don't think there would be much of a case for them. 

However....

In 1986, MTV And Nickelodeon began rerunning the Monkees TV show and all of the sudden, the Monkees were hot again with a brand new generation of children and perhaps some people with nostalgia. The Monkees, who had gone seperate ways for the most part, toured again and released a new single "That was Then and This is Now" which reached #20 on the charts.

                                 

Another interesting thing happened. The production company tried to do the whole thing over again with "The New Monkees" Never heard of it? There's a reason. It was gone in a blink of an eye. What it shows is that the Monkees themselves were not built in a mold. You just couldn't copy them over. It speaks to their individuality outside the machine. Ever since then the Monkees have been remembered very fondly by the public and by musicians in general. The thing that I find most interesting is that the Monkees gained respect from the very people that they were built to imitate in the first place; The Beatles. John Lennon famously told Mike Nesmith that the Monkees were the greatest comedy act since the Marx Brothers. And even Ringo had some fun with them.

                                 

Now the fan respect for the Monkees is all well and good but that still doesn't make them Hall-worthy even for me. So I have to look to the music. For the past two entries I have picked two songs that I believe makes them stand out. The two I have for the Monkees is a classic and new song. The classic is "Daydream Believer"

                               

It was written by The Kingston Trio's John Stewart, who said it was supposed to be about suburban life and emergence from a haze of two lovers. From reading these past lists, you know that I like songs that have hidden meanings. Especially hidden behind glossy fronts. But in this case, the glossy front becomes a bit scratched if you listen to the chorus. You can hear a touch of melancholy in the voice of Davy Jones as he sings "Oh, what can it mean?"  It is a brilliant touch and what propels this song above their others in my opinion.

Davy Jones passed away in 2012, which led to another little rise of interest in the Monkees. In 2016, the surviving members, including Nesmith, who most Monkee fans know is a bit aloof when it comes to the Monkees, recorded a new album called Good Times! to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Monkees. The album went to #14 on the charts and was critically lauded and raved. I picked this second song because it shows the craftsmanship of their musical talents in terms of what they can pull off. The song is called "Me and Magdalena"

                                  

It is a great harmonical piece by Nesmith and Dolenz, written for them by Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie. And it speaks to a simpler time in life. It sounds like it comes out of that time where the Monkees came from.

Now to the opposition. Clearly in the beginning they did not write their own songs, and still don't much. Who cares? Bernie Taupin's lyrics combined with Elton John's melodies brought him to stardom. People write for other musicians all the time. The other complaint is that they did not play instruments in the beginning. That I believe is true because the show was the primary outlet. But as time went on, they began to become confident with instruments and learned to write songs for themselves and play their own tunes. They became a proper band. Unfortunately, by the time they grew into it, the fad died out and they were done.

At least it seemed they were done, when in fact they were not. The fact that their legacy has lasted so long and they have become more and more respected over time and they have created good music to this day shows that they are a proper band and should qualify for the Rock and Roll HOF.

Next week, the final installment in this round of my nominees: Kool and the Gang

If you have ideas for nominees at a later date and if you want this to continue, please let me know in the comments or on my Facebook page

Greg's R&R HOF Nominee #2: The Go-Go's

Usually, when you induct a band into the R&R HOF, you have to specify the members of said band, perhaps due to lineup changes. So, in keeping with formalities. the Go-Go's include:

-Belinda Carlisle
-Charlotte Caffey
-Jane Wiedlin
-Gina Schock
-Kathy Valentine

Now to the case itself.

Clearly, the Go-Go's were a trendsetter in the sense that they were the first all-female group to write and play their own music. Of course there were all female groups before (The Supremes), but they did not act with the independence that the Go-Go's did. However, that stand out fact doesn't make them worthy of induction alone. As I stated last week with Phil, there needs to be substance there to back them up. Otherwise, I could very easily look at other girl groups like the Bangles (who might come up at a later date) and gasp....The Spice Girls.

But what sets the Go-Go's apart from those 2 is the fact that not only were trendsetters in the feminine sense, but also in the musical sense.

The Go-Go's were born out of the L.A. punk scene, which tends to get overshadowed by its New York counterpart (CBGBs and all that). And if you listen to an early version of their biggest hit, "We Got the Beat" you can hear a punk edge.

This punk edge was brought about by attitude and a bassist (Margo Olavarria) who was total punk. In time however, they replace Olavarria with Valentine and their music began to take on a more pop style.

So what you end up with is the meshing of pop that sounds peppy and maybe even a bit light/frothy but with a lyric and context that is anarchic in nature.

And this style would quickly win over an audience and would be a trendsetter in the New Wave era.
Especially their first album, Beauty and the Beat, which is to the Go-Go's what A Night at the Opera is to Queen and what London Calling is to The Clash. A signature album which is a statement, a trendsetter, and a requirement to get into the HOF. The album went double platinum and was the #1 album for 6 consecutive weeks

This underlying theme would continue in their two subsequent albums, with songs like "Vacation" which was rumored to have been about Charlotte Caffey's addiction to heroin.

And the song 'Turn To You" which was written about Caffey's short-term relationship with baseball pitcher Bob Welch.

The next two albums for the Go-Go's while successful (Vacation reached #8 and Talk Show reached #12), were not as critically acclaimed as their first. Meanwhile, the band spiraled out in the usual depths of drugs, sex and addiction. They broke up in 1985, reconvening at certain points later.

The Go-Go's seemed to have a certain MO: Let out inner feelings, angsts and anger and coat them in sugar sounds and chords. A process that inspired a lot of the coming new wave bands that would define the early to middle part of the decade. So, being that kind of inspirer, we have to ask the question.

Why aren't they in?

As mentioned before, the band only released 3 albums and were together for 5 years during their peak so not much thought is given to them. However, short term bands have gotten into the Hall. One notable band were the Mamas and the Papas, who were together from 1966-1971 and released 5 albums with a small split in between. Another short term band is Nirvana, who in their peak released 3 albums from 1989-1994, when Kurt Cobain's death ended them. So I don't think the length of time a band produced their product is that much of an obstacle. In addition to that, the Go-Gos did score a hit after their peak. In 1994, a reformed Go-Go's released the single "Has the Whole World Lost Its Head" which, while sinking in the States, turned out to be their only top #30 hit in the United Kingdom.

This song harkens back to the original punk side of the Go-Go's which is probably why it didn't do well here, which leads me to my other point.

Like Phil Collins prior, I think people tended to think of the Go-Go's being frothy and light without seeing the substance. I believe that to be false, and the last song I will present was a surprise to me when I heard it, and will probably be a surprise to you. It is "Mercenary"; the last track of the last album made during the Go-Go's peak; Talk Show.

I would not have taken the Go-Go's to make an Irish/Scottish lilting song like this but there you are. The band has said in interviews that if parents, who let their kids go see them because they looked safe, knew who they really were, they would be shocked and reconsider. Nothing is what it seemed to be with the Go-Go's which in the end, is what makes them worthy of entrance into the R&R Hall of Fame.

Next Week: The Monkees, a "fake" band that had real impact.

Hit me up on Facebook or in the comments below.

Greg's R&R HOF Nominee #1: Phil Collins (solo artist)

So, here we are at last. The presentations of the cases of 4 candidates that I believe should be in the Rock and Roll HOF. You may disagree or agree, but I will try to present my along with several reasons why the candidates are not currently in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Let us begin with Phil Collins as a solo act, for of course he is in with Genesis.

The song above might very well be representative of the 1980s in all accounts. It is stylish, it has smooth synthesizers, and it has one of the most recognizable drum riffs in music (3:16). 

The 80s, for lack of a better word, belonged to Phil Collins. In the period from 1981-1990, he had 15 Top 20 Singles, including a stretch of 12 Top Ten singles in a row on the Billboard Charts. He was everywhere, which would, IMO, eventually keep him out as a solo artist (more on that later). He and Paul McCartney are the only 2 recording artists to sell over 100 million records worldwide as a solo artist and a member of of a band. In addition, while his career never came back to the massive popularity it was in that period, he still had success songs and albums up into the late 90s.

But, I'm not going to be that easy. If I were that easy, others would get in too. I also wish to look for style and certain nuances that make them stand out and different. And with Phil Collins, this might be part of the reason why he is kept out. A lot of people criticize his music as being samey and sentimentalized. And for some of these songs, I think it is fair to say that. The song most people point to when being derisive is "Sussudio"

                                      

Outside of that wicked bass riff, there's really nothing memorable about this song. It's just there. Which I think is what a lot of people think of Phil Collins music; fun but just there. However, I will disagree with that thinking by looking at two songs that break away from that Phil Collins ideal, one obviously and one not obviously. First, the obvious one: Another Day in Paradise.

It is dark, lilting yet still has that Phil Collins smooth sound to it. The song was written about the homeless epidemic in countries. A lot of music critics called it too soft, but I think that would take away the identity of the song and the person who wrote it. It matches Phil's voice very well and it gets the subject across. Now to the non-obvious one and my personal favorite Phil Collins song: Take Me Home.

I love this song. It is powerful instrumentally and melodically; and it seems to have a melancholy yearning for home, or at least that's what the video suggests. But what makes this song stand out in my case for Phil Collins is that this song does not mean what most think it means. In many interviews, Phil Collins has stated that the real representation in this song is that a man is stuck in a mental asylum and yearns to get out a la One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. 

Yes. This positive sounding song has a dark secret. And I love that because it shows the artists capability to say something and wrap it in any type of disguise or clothing. Just like "Pumped Up Kids" by Foster The People is a happy sounding number but it's discussing a school shooting. This works in the same wa. And I think it shows Collins has the substance to match the success to get in.

Why is he not in?

Two main reasons. One, I mentioned before was because his songs to many sound samey. The other is quite simply a matter of oversaturation. Remember, during the time he was doing solo albums, he was also doing work with Genesis, so his voice was out there over the radio/TV in two seperate channels. After a while of this, it is clear that people simply got sick of hearing him or seeing him. An incident he points to is that of Live Aid where he played in Britain and then flew the Concorde across the Atlantic Ocean to play in the US. Once again, there is only so much people can take. The oversaturation leads to acrimony. Combine that with with some of his samey songs being played in stores (including the one I work for) and you have full on hatred. That to me is why he is not in.

In conclusion...

Genesis, as most people know, had two main singers throughout their history: Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins.

Peter Gabriel went on to have a successful solo career, one that eventually and deservedly got him in the HOF. Yet his solo career success pales in comparison to Collins'. And yet he is in and Collins is not. This is why I believe Phil Collins needs to be inducted as a solo artist..

Next Time, I will go around the same period to the Go-Gos, a band with a great influence in a very short window

Comment below or hit me up at Facebook with thoughts

Super Bowl Pick

I will keep this short and sweet. Aaron Donald will be a problem for the Pats OL because Brady doesn't like to be hit straight up. However, I think Belichick will negate that by having a moving pocket for Brady who will throw to his backs, specifically, James White. And one thing that I have noticed from the Rams is that their linebacking corps is GARBAGE. That is why I believe they will control the game like KC and the Rams, who are here for the first time, will make mistakes.

The Patriots will win the Super Bowl.

Don't forget. Next week begins my series on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees.