FINALLY! THE STOOGES INDUCTED INTO THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME

Time and time again, I have criticized the fact that The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - an institution that I respect and generally am a fan of - has not yet inducted one of the best and most influencial bands of all time, The Stooges. I'm glad to say that's over - they are finally getting in this year, after fifteen years of eligibility and being rejected eight times. Better late than never! Although it's a shame that it finally happened just months after the death of founding guitarist (and bassist) Ron Asheton. Hopefully they will perform at the ceremony, and it will be one of thier first performances with guitarist James Williamson, who joined the band for thier classic album Raw Power (bassist Dave Alexander had been fired, and Iggy Pop forced Ron to switch to bass). If you are a fan of rock and roll, you should have The Stooges, Fun House and Raw Power, period.

The rest of the inductees: reggae legend Jimmy Cliff (the soundtrack to The Harder They Come, which he starred in, features most of his greatest songs, and is maybe the best non-Marley reggae album ever, and one of the best albums ever in any genre).

Genesis - a band I am a big fan of.  Were they super influencial on rock and roll?  Hard to say. But the timing couldn't be worse: Peter Gabriel may be willing to peform with the band, but Phil Collins is sadly unable to play the drums at the moment.

The Hollies - I'm sure Little Steven campaigned hard for this one, as he did in years past for The Dave Clark 5 and The Rascals. I wasn't convinced about either of those bands either, until I heard Little Steven and Tom Hanks' speeches about them, respectively. 

ABBA - If this was the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, no question.  I wouldn't have voted for them in a million years.  I feel the same way about Hall of Famers James Taylor and Leonard Cohen.  Great songwriters, not rock and roll.

My ballot would have featured The Stooges and Jimmy Cliff, as well as The Red Hot Chili Peppers (maybe they pulled themselves off the ballot due to their recent lineup change), KISS and LL Cool J. 

And the Hall of Fame still needs to induct Alice Cooper, The New York Dolls, The MC5 and Motorhead!