PETER GABRIEL - NEW BLOOD

I just got Peter Gabriel's album, New Blood.  Like his last one, Scratch My Back, it's orchestral, with no guitars and no drums.  But where Scratch My Back featured him covering other artists, New Blood sees him reinterpreting his own music.  I really thought I would like Scratch before it came out, and I was really disappointed with it. So I've been managing my expectations for his new album, but I'm sorry to say, it still falls short. I don't mind orchestral records either. I just can't get into this, I don't know why.  And I like every one of his albums, from his first self-titled solo record though Up, and also Big Blue Ball. And of course his albums with Genesis. So, here's hoping that he gets away from orchestras on the next album, and gets bass monster Tony Levin back in the fold.

PHIL COLLINS DID NOT KICK YOUR DOG.

Yesterday, Phil Collins was a trending topic on twitter due to an interview he did with a magazine called FHM that has been repeated in a number of places, including the UK's The Telegraph.  Rolling Stone recently did a in-depth (and overdue) piece on him, and just re-posted it to their website (most likely to cash in on the recent interest in the man). He didn't really say anything new to FHM, but now people are talking about his "retirement."

I'm a fan. Not a post-ironic, snickering, hipster fan, but a fan. I loved him as the drummer of Genesis when Peter Gabriel was the frontman. I am definitely a fan of his era as frontman of Genesis. I enjoy a lot of his solo work (generally his earlier stuff, but every album has good songs).  His drumming on other people's albums often kicked ass: I just listened to Robert Plant's first two solo albums, 1982's Pictures at Eleven and 1983's The Principal Of Moments. At that point, Phil was the frontman of Genesis and just launching his solo career.  I don't know why he felt the need to be anyone's drummer, but his playing on those albums is awesome. I love his playing on Peter Gabriel's early albums.  And he played for cred-heavy dudes like Brian Eno, Robert Fripp and John Martyn.  (Suck it, haters.)  He produced great pop singles for other artists: Frieda's "I Know There's Something Going On," and Adam Ant's "Strip" and Howard Jones' "No One Is To Blame" and yes, Phillip Bailey's "Easy Lover." A few years ago he went on his "First Final Farewell Tour," which was hugely successful. Then he reunited with Genesis for a tour that was a proper way to close the book (no one really knew that he was leaving the band after their 1992 We Can't Dance tour). It was huge. He's suffered injuries and health problems, he's 60, has NOTHING to prove, so this seems like a logical time to retire.

What bugs me is that he seems to be letting rock critics (who have never been friendly to him or his band) get to him. In most of his interviews, he talks about understanding why people hated him, and wanting to write himself out of the story. Just fading away, and no one will care.  I just think that's weak of him.  You know who would care?  The hundreds of thousands of fans who have gone to Phil Collins concerts and Genesis concerts over the decades.  Who, by the way, probably don't give much credence to rock critics, or to the insults slung at Phil by former members of Oasis.

Retire if you want to, Phil. Retire because of your injuries (of course, you can still sing, even if you can't play drums or piano, although I realize without drums it may not be as much fun for you anymore). Retire because you've done it all and have nothing left to prove. Or because you feel you have nothing to say.  But don't retire because critics don't like you. That's just silly, and worse, it's a cop-out.

By the way, why is is that so many people seem to hate (or seemed to hate, maybe that's changed, as he's finally getting some respect these days) Phil?  During the height of his fame (pretty much the entire '80s and some of the early '90s too) he was ubiquitous. These days, that doesn't seem to be a problem. Does anyone mind if Jay-Z pops up on a bunch of albums every year?

But Phil looked more like your dad than like a rock star. OK, I get it: that's not cool.  But isn't it cooler to just be honest with how you dress than try jumping on trends that don't really relate to you? Phil's music was very smooth and accessible. Which people don't seem to mind, if it's Luther Vandross. Of course, there's the gripe of the prog-rockers: he took Genesis and made them a "pop" band. I think that the truth is probably that he and the other guys in the band sort of grew out of doing long prog-rock epics (although they still had one or two of them per album). I mean, listen to Mike Rutherford's stuff with Mike + The Mechanics. Clearly Phil wasn't the only guy with a knack for soft-rock in the group. The guys in Genesis were growing up, they were honest about it, and hey, being age-appropriate actually boosted their career.

I try to be a generally positive guy, although I'm not above making fun of some of the most overrated (to me) bands like Pavement and Animal Collective and The Strokes. But even still, I don't hate them, and I wouldn't celebrate if something bad happened to one of those groups. I don't want to see something happen to a member of the Strokes or Pavement that would prevent them from performing music for the people who like their music.  I actually believe that if you don't like music, you can easily ignore it. Yes, even someone as ubiquitous as Phil in the '80s, you can ignore it. I mean, he didn't kick your dog, dude.

Interesting postscript :  I noticed that yesterday, Patrick Stump from the (excellently named) band Fall Out Boy tweeted twice about Phil yesterday.  First, telling Phil that he will be missed, he should "unretire" and that he wants to work together. And second, reiterating that he's serious about this, and that he would fly to Phil (in Switzerland) to work together. Stump (I don't know much of his music, but I've enjoyed the few record reviews he's written for Rolling Stone) was 1 when No Jacket Required came out, and 2 when Invisible Touch was released. Here's hoping Phil considers it.

TOMORROW ON OUTQ: A TALE OF TWO GENESIS SINGERS' COVERS ALBUMS

That headline may be an assault on grammar, so I apologize for that. But tomorrow morning on SIRIUS XM OutQ's The Morning Jolt with Larry Flick (featuring co-host Keith Price), I'll be talking about the latest releases from original Genesis singer Peter Gabriel and the guy who took over after Peter left the band, Phil Collins. They have both released new albums this year, both "covers albums." 

Phil Collins' Going Back sees him revisiting some of his earliest influences, namely Motown (or mostly Motown).  He's not trying to prove anything - he has nothing to prove to anyone.  Between Genesis and his solo career (not to mention the other artists he has produced and drummed for), the dude has sold more records than nearly anyone. A couple of years ago, he went on what he called "The First Final Farewell Tour," and then he did the Genesis reunion, which was pretty much a one-off deal. He's been pretty public about saying that he is happy to sort of finish his music career (in my mind, the dude pays way too much attention to his many critics). I kind of felt like this album, while being a labor of love, was likely prompted by his record label. I bet he had another record left on his deal, and they figured he could do a Rod Stewart "Great American Songbook" type deal. (I've heard that Elton John's label asked him to do that, but he wouldn't.) Famous adult-contemporary singer + songs that everyone knows and loves = $$$! I guess that could happen here, but whereas Rod did famous songs, Phil mixed some very famous Motown songs ("Heatwave," "Uptight," "Papa Was A Rolling Stone") and lesser known ones ("Blame It n The Sun," "In My Lonely Room"). It's not "hits" from start to finish. The album is enjoyable, Phil sounds like he is having fun, and The Funk Brothers (bassist Bob Babbitt, guitarist Eddie Willis and guitarist Ray Monette, who played on many original Motown tunes) are having fun also. They don't really add anything to the originals, but I don't think Phil was trying to make a Big Statement, he was just having a great time and paying tribute. It's a nice album without any pretentions.

Which brings me to Peter Gabriel's Scratch My Back, which I've written about before, and we have talked about it before on Larry Flick's show. I'm a huge Peter Gabriel fan, but I didn't like it (the first time I didn't enjoy a non-soundtrack album from Peter). I wanted to revisit it because (a) I felt guilty about kind of slamming it, (b) I thought it made an interesting contrast with Phil's album and (c) I wanted to talk about some of the I'll Scratch Yours covers of Peter's songs by other artists. The album features Peter doing no guitar/no drums covers of NPR and hipster approved acts. Peter's plan was to have everyone who he covered, cover him. A few of them flat out said no, including David Bowie and Neil Young. And supposedly Radiohead doesn't want to scratch his back, either. Peter is very much "too hip for the room," so it is interesting to see him get dissed. Anyway, as much as I try, I really can't get into the album, except for two songs: his cover of The Magnetic Fields' "The Book Of Love" and Lou Reed's "The Power Of The Heart." They are both such lovely songs. I have heard the original "Book Of Love," and I think Peter's version is an improvement. I hadn't heard "The Power Of The Heart," I think it is a semi-recent Lou song, but Peter does such a beautiful version of it. I'll Scratch Yours has been coming out one single at a time, and some of my favorites are Stephin Merritt's "Not One Of Us" (he is the leader of Magnetic Fields) and Paul Simon's "Biko," which sounds like it was written for him.

I also wanted to revisit Santana's Guitar Heaven, even though we talked about it last week. Last week, I'd only heard "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" with india.arie and Yo-Yo Ma. This week I went to iTunes to get "Whole Lotta Love" with Chris Cornell and "Little Wing" with Joe Cocker. "Whole Lotta Love" is all right, but there's no vibe. It sounds like a studio band recorded the track and emailed it to Carlos for some leads and Cornell for vocals. I think it would have been cooler if it were Chris backed up by Carlos and his touring band, live in the studio. This sounds like something recorded for Transformers or some other summer popcorn flick. Which is fine, but it could have been so much better. I'm not a huge Joe Cocker fan, I think he oversings a lot, but I think he does OK on "Little Wing," but he is a really good song interpreter (by necessity, as he doesn't write songs). I haven't heard anything else from the album: I really don't want to hear singers from Bush or Stone Temple Pilots or Train or Daughtry.

I also want to bring up some older "covers" albums, and one of the earliest ones that I am aware of is David Bowie's 1973 album Pinups. Bowie had retired his "Ziggy Stardust" persona but was still working with guys from The Spiders From Mars, and this album was a tribute to the garage rock that all of those guys loved: The Kinks, The Who, The Pretty Things, Them and The Yardbirds. Fun stuff.

Maybe my favorite covers record ever is Chris Whitley's 2000 album Perfect Day. I've talked about Chris recently, but we focused on his classic debut, Living With The Law. Recorded on March 28 and 29, 2000 (just two days) to tape (not harddrive) with Billy Martin and Chris Wood of the jazz trio Medeski, Martin & Wood, it is unbelievably beautiful. I got to interview him when it came out, and we both marveled over the first song on the album, Bob Dylan's "Spanish Harlem Incident." He said that that song was so perfect, it almost made him want to quit. I'm not the dude who says that everyone does Dylan songs better than Dylan does, but I like Chris' version of that song best. The title track is a Lou Reed cover, which I believe Susan Boyle has covered for her next album. Good for her, people should hear Chris' version.

The Ramones' Acid Eaters was their second to last album. It seemed kind of weird: they were covering lots of '60s stuff, lots of it affiliated with hippie music, which The Ramones supposedly helped to destroy with punk rock. Well, that's the way history was written, but The Ramones made history, they didn't write it. They loved bands like Love and The Jefferson Airplane, and they paid tribute to the songs, Ramones-style.

Finally, Metallica's Garage Inc. One disc was a collection of their previously released covers, the other were new ones. They've always done a great job at putting their own spin on songs, and there's no better example of that than their cover of Bob Seger's "Turn The Page." But the whole collection is awesome.

This only hits the tip of the iceberg as far as great cover albums, but these are some of my favorites.

PHIL COLLINS: ONE MORE KNIGHT?

Someone (actually a friend of mine) has started a blog called One More Knight (because no one deserves "sir" in front of their name more than Phil Collins), which is trying to get the very talented drummer/singer/songwriter/producer knighted. The Denver Post linked to him (without saying much about it).  I wonder how Phil will respond.  I have had the opportunity to interview him, and I actually got to chat with him the day that Genesis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He's received so much crap from critics that he seems a bit leery of compliments! He probably doesn't care about being knighted, but I bet he's moved that the fans care enough.

He has a new album coming out in the fall, Going Back, which is covers of '60s songs. He said that he had pretty much put his career to rest, but then the idea of this album came up. I bet he owed the label another album, and while no one at Atlantic Records probably has much idea what to do with a Phil Collins record in 2010, I'm sure a covers album was an easy thing to agree on.  It's the era Phil grew up in, and of course these albums tend to do well.  Phil had shut down his website for a while (it re-directed to the Genesis site) but now it's back up. He's announced a four night stand at Roseland in June - I wonnder if he'll play drums at all.  I think he played on the album, despite his injury.  He was able to tape his drumsticks to his arms and play like that (his problems are with his wrists, not his back as many people previously thought). I know Phil was fine with retiring -- and why not?  He's had an amazing career, his records don't seem to sell anymore, and he doesn't want to tour any longer. But I do hope that he can play drums again, if only for himself.

Speaking of the Genesis website, I read on a fan site that it is being shut down. They've done the reunion tour, got into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, put out a live album and five box sets, and with no further activity planned, they don't see the reason to keep up a website.  That's depressing.  But I guess dead websites are even more depressing.

CONGRATS TO THE STOOGES

I was really happy to see Genesis and Jimmy Cliff getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tonight. I've been listening to Genesis for almost as long as I've been listening to music, and Jimmy Cliff was the second reggae artist I ever got turned on to (after Bob Marley of course). I like The Hollies. And ABBA... well, I think they belong in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

But for me, and probably many others, it's all about The Stooges. They influenced almost every band who followed that I love. Not every band, but almost every band. Punk rock, "alternative," heavy metal, it wouldn't be the same without them. And their performance tonight was classic Stooges, they were as bad-ass as ever, they didn't water it down for the millionaire audience. They even invited the audience up on stage, and Eddie Vedder, Mike McCready, the Green Day dudes and some non-rock star folks obliged. It was amazing. For a lot of us, it was our first time seeing the band with James Williamson back. I will go to see them wherever they play, whenever they play there. I just read a quote by Henry Rollins, who said that he loves lots of older rock bands, but he isn't too into the idea of seeing guys in their '50s or '60s doing their old hits. Except for The Stooges. I get it. Congrats Iggy Pop, Scott Asheton, Dave Alexander, James Williamson and Ron Asheton. I wish the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame could have given this honor to you last year, so Ron could have been on stage with you guys.

THE STOOGES AND JIMMY CLIFF WILL PERFORM AT ROCK HALL INDUCTION

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation President and CEO Joel Peresman tells The Cleveland Plain Dealer that The Stooges and Jimmy Cliff will perform at thier inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the 15th. This is a cool opportunity for The Stooges to show off their new lineup, including reinstated guitarist James Williamson (I hope he is being inducted with the rest of the group, since he played on their classic album Raw Power).

It seemed pretty obvious that Genesis wouldn't be performing, since Peter Gabriel said he wouldn't (and he is in fact not even attending the ceremony, a bit of a dick move). Phil Collins, who will be there and who can sing, can't play the drums due to an injury.  So, I think that Phil, Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks, Steve Hackett (and maybe Anthony Phillips, he is the band's original guitarist/leader, I think he's being inducted as well) will attend and not perform. I'm not an ABBA expert, but I don't think there's a chance in hell that they will perform.

The Hollies can't perform, because original singer/leader Allan Clarke can't sing anymore, and two of the other former members can't be there. But Graham Nash is apparently planning on performing Hollies songs backed by some of the members of Maroon 5.

The Plain Dealer article also says that Faith Hill, Chris Isaak, Ronnie Spector, Peter Wolf and Eric Burdon will be among the other artists who will appear, but it wasn't clear if all or any of them were performing. The show will air live on Fuse Monday night.

TOMORROW ON OUTQ: PETER GABRIEL'S "SCRATCH MY BACK"

For those of you who are new to No Expiration, every Wednesday morning at 9 am ET I go on the SIRIUS XM channel OutQ. I am a weekly contributor to The Morning Jolt with Larry Flick. We talk about - surprise! - music.

Tomorrow the main topic will be Peter Gabriel's new album, Scratch My Back. It is an orchestral album of covers.  I am a huge, huge Peter Gabriel fan, but I have to say, so far I don't like it. What I like better - so far - is the companion piece he has been curating, I'll Scratch Yours, where the bands that he covers on the album return the favor. iTunes has Stephin Merritt of Magnetic Fields' cover of "Not One Of Us" (recorded right after California voted down gay marraige), and also Paul Simon's cover of "Biko." I hate to be negative about Peter Gabriel, but I can't help it, I don't like this album. It may actually be the first thing he ever did that I don't like. But I'm also kind of annoyed at him: I can't believe that he won't even show up at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction as a member of Genesis. I bet he wouldn't miss it if he was being inducted as a solo artist.

I suggested lots of other songs, I don't know what Larry will pick: there's a long out-of-print Bill Withers album 'Justments, which just was reissued, a song from Peter Wolf's next album, songs from a new live album by The Pretenders, Live in London, a song from Ringo Starr's new album and stuff from Santana's Supernatural.

ROCK HALL ANNOUNCES PRESENTERS: LITTLE STEVEN BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG, WYCLEF, TREY

Today Rolling Stone announced the presenters for this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day for The Stooges. You know I love Green Day. But Billie Joe, to me, isn't the right guy.  In my mind, it would have been Anthony Kiedis or Perry Farrell.  Even Kris Novoselic.  Of course, Billie Joe and Green Day did back Iggy Pop on his Skull Ring album, so there is some connection.

Trey Anastasio of Phish for Genesis. A weird pick, and I really thought Muse would have perfect for this. I know that when Trey split up Phish, he was really influenced by Peter Gabriel's solo song "Solisbury Hill," which was written about quitting Genesis.  I'm not sure that makes him the right guy to celebrate Genesis, especially the trio lineup from the '80s and '90s.

Wyclef Jean for Jimmy Cliff. That's who I would have picked. He does a great "Many Rivers To Cross," and at one point I heard that The Fugees were going to star in a remake of The Harder They Come.

Little Steven Van Zandt for The Hollies. I kind of picked that also. If you listen to Little Steven's amazing SIRIUS|XM channel The Underground Garage, you know that Steven is a huge champion of the more pop and harmony based '60s garage rock bands.  He gives a great speech: his speech about The Rascals in the '90s is what got him his role on The Sopranos.

And Barry Gibb and Robin Gibb of The Bee Gees will do the speech for ABBA, which makes sense. I was kind of thinking Madonna or Lady Gaga or even Elton John, but the Gibbs is a great choice.

Anyway, I can't wait for the ceremony, which airs on March 15 on Fuse.

KNEBWORTH GETS A 20TH ANNIVERSARY REISSUE

Wow, it's been twenty years? I remember working at sleepaway camp over the summer and listening to the live broadcast of this concert over the radio. The concert featured British rock royalty, and raised funds for the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy and the Brit School of Performing Arts. Nordoff -Robbins "specializes in transforming the lives of children and adults constrained by illness, disability, trauma or isolation, through the power of music." It's easy to understand why so many musicians would donate their time and efforts. Learn more about Nordoff-Robbins here.

The concert itself was incredible.  Tears For Fears, a very hot band at that time, opened. They were followed by two legendary U.K. bands that never caught on here, Cliff Richard & The Shadows and Status Quo. And then it got really good.

Robert Plant, who was absolutely huge at that moment thanks to his hit album Now & Zen performed, and towards the end of his set was joined by Jimmy Page. Phil Collins, one of the biggest stars in the world played a solo set.  After a few songs, most of his band (minus drummer Chester Thompson and guitarist/bassist Daryl Stuermer) left and Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks joined for a Genesis set. Then Phil's band rejoined for a huge-ass "Turn It On Again" medley. Eric Clapton and The Dire Straits (both at their commercial peaks) performed a set together, playing songs from both catalogs, and then were joined by Elton John for some of his songs (including his then-#1 single "Sacrifice"). 

Paul McCartney, who was at the time on his first tour in over a decade and played an abbreviated version of his usual show. And, believe it or not, he wasn't the headliner: Pink Floyd (the post-Roger Waters version, alas) closed the show. I lost my CD version of the show, and ended up finding it on eBay and buying a new copy. I really like some of it: especially Plant's set, but before and after Page joins.  He was really enjoying having a hit album, I think. I also liked the Clapton/Elton/Dire Straits thing. Plus it brings back memories of listening to it over and over that summer (of course we taped it off the radio. I wish I still had the tape, since not all the songs made it to the album).  But now, Eagle Rock Entertainment is reissuing it (unfortunately with no bonus tracks).  It comes out March 23.

THOM YORKE DISSES PETER GABRIEL DISSES GENESIS

I've written about Peter Gabriel's upcoming album, Scratch My Back, where he covers songs by other artists.  He's also hoping to put together an album of those same artists covering his songs.  That may not happen: the NME reports that he's worried that Thom Yorke may not be digging his version of Radiohead's "Street Spirit (Fade Out)." That's got to sting: he's always seemed a bit obsessed with having cred among younger rockers. 

On the other hand, he's always been very cavalier about the band where he got his start: Genesis. The AP reports that he won't be at the band's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That's a bummer: I could understand his not wanting to perform. He has talked about his one reunion with the band in the '80s: they didn't really rehearse, and apparently it wasn't really that good. But I think it would be have been cool for his former bandmates, and the fans, for him to at least show up.

PETER GABRIEL: NOT PERFORMING WITH GENESIS

Peter Gabriel tells Rolling Stone that he doesn't think he'll be performing with Genesis when they are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March. The picture at the left is a shot of Peter in the Genesis days... maybe it's best not to go home again.  On the other hand, I'd love to see that lineup of the band perform. I guess it could not really be a true Genesis reunion, as long as Phil Collins is physically unable to play the drums. I just hope they all show up

If *I* was in charge, I'd have Muse perform the old Peter-era stuff, and then have Rob Thomas join them to do some stuff from the Phil era.

PETER GABRIEL'S SCRATCH MY BACK DUE 2/15

A running joke among Peter Gabriel and his fans is that, when people ask when his new album is coming out, he says "By Christmas," adding that he won't the year that that Christmas is that he's referring to. So I was suprised that, after writing about his upcoming album Scratch My Back, and that it was coming out in the spring of 2010, it is actually coming out earlier.  His website says that it is due out on February 15, and they are taking pre-orders. The album is all orchestral (meaning no guitar or drums) covers. The album features David Bowie's "Heroes," Paul Simon's "The Boy In The Bubble," Talking Heads' "Listening Wind," Lou Reed's "The Power Of The Heart," Arcade Fire's "My Body Is A Cage," Randy Newman's "I Think It's Going To Rain Today," Neil Young's "Philadelphia," Radiohead's "Street Spirit (Fade Out,)" as well as songs by Elbow, Bon Iver, The Magnetic Fields and Regina Spektor.

It looks like Peter is doing some European orchestra shows for the album, but no U.S. dates yet. I've also heard that he wants to produce an album called I'll Scratch Yours, where all the artists who he covers return the favor. I doubt Neil Young would do that, and I don't imagine Talking Heads will reunite to record a Peter Gabriel cover, but you never know!

One month after Scratch My Back comes out, Peter and his former bandmates of Genesis will be getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 15. I doubt Peter will perform, and keyboardist Tony Banks has said he'll be happy just to be there and enjoy the night, (plus Phil Collins is injured and probably can't play drums), but I hope he shows up.

TOMORROW ON OUTQ PART 2: THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME

As I mentioned in my previous post, tomorrow morning (December 16) I will be on SIRIUS XM channel OutQ's The Morning Jolt with Larry Flick for a full hour (rather than my usual half hour) starting at 9 am ET. My original topic was going to be last minute holiday gifts, but since The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction class has been announced, we'll be addressing that as well. Feel free to call in with your opinions! 866-305-6887.

I've written a lot about The Stooges over the past few years: to me, if they don't deserve to be in, hardly anyone does. They didn't sell a lot of records, were probably never on the radio, classic rock radio doesn't play them today (instead opting for Boston, Styx, The Eagles, etc), didn't get much love in the press during their era. And yet. They influenced David Bowie, Patti Smith, The Ramones, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, U2, R.E.M., Jane's Addiction, PJ Harvey, Hole, Nirvana, Soundgarden, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nine Inch Nails and many more. Music would be really different if they never existed, and I don't know how many other bands you can say that about. They've been eligable for 15 years, they've been on the ballot and rejected I think eight times, but better late than never. Although it is really sad that guitarist Ron Asheton passed away just a few months before this announcement. If you're not that familiar with the band and want to get into them... well, there's no real "best of." But do yourself a favor, just pick up their three albums: 1969's The Stooges, 1970's Fun House and 1973's Raw Power (which I think is getting a deluxe reissue soon). Their 2007 reunion album The Weirdness is cool, but it's the first three that you need, trust me on that.

Jimmy Cliff is the only other inductee that I would have voted for. I don't remember why, but the soundtrack to The Harder They Come was one of the first reggae albums I ever owned. I'm not a reggae expert, but I do enjoy it a lot. Jimmy Cliff starred in that film, and is all over the soundtrack, which is the best non-Marley reggae album ever and maybe the best overall. It has a great song for children "You Can Get It If You Really Want It," a beautiful gospel tune (perfect for funerals!) "Many Rivers To Cross" and a rebel anthem "The Harder They Come, The Harder They Fall," which has been covered by Joe Strummer, Rancid, Jerry Garcia and Cher. "Sitting In Limbo" is another classic from the album. He also has other great songs like "Viet Nam" (not many reggae singers addressed Viet Nam) and "Trapped" (famously covered by Bruce Springsteen). If you're just looking to try out Jimmy Cliff, check out the deluxe edition of The Harder They Come (featuring lots of other great reggae artists like Desmond Dekker and Toots & The Maytals, the later of whom I might also nominate for the Rock Hall) and the 2 CD Anthology, released in 2003 on Universal.

Genesis? Would I have voted for them, despite the fact that I am a big fan? Maybe not. That said, I'll be glad to see a band that has recieved such sharp and venomous critical barbs through their entire career get this great honor. That said, it is terrible timing, because Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett might have performed with the other three, but now that Phil Collins is injured and can't play the drums, the opportunity to see the classic five-man lineup will probably never play again. My suggestion? Have Muse perform a Gabriel-era song, and then have Rob Thomas join them for a Phil-era song. If you are looking to get into Genesis, I would start with Turn It On Again, which concentrates on the Phil era. If you prefer Peter, the best albums are The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway and Selling England By The Pound.

The Hollies? They wouldn't have gotten my vote, although I love some of their songs, especially "Look Through Any Window." Still, I'm sure this is the result of much campaigning by Little Steven, maybe his speech about them will convince me. He is a great advocate of the more poppy '60s-era rock bands, which I respect. I certainly wouldn't own any Rascals or Dave Clark 5 if not for Little Steven. I only have one Hollies CD, Epic Anthology.

ABBA? Sorry - and I know that this may not be popular tomorrow on the radio - but no. Hell no. If this were the Songwriter's Hall of Fame? Sure. I'm not a "rockist" snob - I have no problem with Madonna in the Hall of Fame, or Michael Jackson. They both have a certain edge that makes them rock and roll to me, which ABBA lacks. I just don't think they should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and certainly not over KISS, Alice Cooper, The MC5, etc.

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!

THE FERGIE/PHIL COLLINS CONNECTION

The blog Idolator has a funny comparison between Fergie from Black Eyed Peas and Phil Collins -- both artists were able to balance, for a time, huge solo success and the huge success of their bands. Although I doubt Fergie and the Peas will be able to maintain as long as Phil and Genesis did. Not that I'm one to hate on the Peas, I liked them before she joined, and I like some of the stuff that they have done since. But there seems to be a backlash against them that dwarves the hate that Phil and Genesis got, and I don't know if they have the fanbase that Phil and the boys had. 

GENESIS: AND THEN THERE MIGHT BE FIVE AGAIN?

Genesis has just released thier third box set in recent years: this one contains the studio albums from the Peter Gabriel years. The band has always been talking about wanting to do a tour with Peter. Phil Collins has always said he'd be into just playing drums and having Peter sing; Steve Hackett has said he'd return to the band if Peter did. There was talk of such a reunion in 2004, and Peter decided against it because he was working on his next album (which hasn't come out, four years later). That led to a reunion of the trio version of the group. But Tony Banks, promoting the box set, has been talking about the band maybe doing some performances of their final album together, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway. Which would be cool - but my favorite album is Selling England By The Pound!

GENESIS: PROG ROCK'S "CATS"?

A friend of mine who is a jazz and classical musician used to work on Broadway musicals, and he told me this story. When Cats first hit Broadway, the show used the most cutting edge synthesizer sounds of the day; it was considered pretty hip, at least by Broadway standards. Broadway shows, he explained, rarely change anything about the production once the show opens. But seven or eight years in, the decision was made to update the synth tones, because they sounded so dated. You can probably figure out where this is going.

I attended Genesis’ recent Madison Square Garden concert with this same friend (a mutual friend hooked us up with a pair of tickets). My musician friend has rarely attended arena concerts – but after the show, he said that he felt that maybe Genesis might consider doing taking a cue from Cats. I thought it was an interesting comment: on one hand, Genesis, like most “prog rock” bands, aren’t big on changing the arrangements when they play their classics. Given the beatdowns that these bands have received for years from music critics, you can’t blame them for being a bit obstinate.

On the other hand, few prog rock bands – or any bands, period – have been able to evolve the way Genesis did through the ‘70s, ‘80s and early ‘90s. I don’t love everything the band has ever done, but I do respect the fact that, at a certain point, the guys said, "Well, maybe every song doesn’t need to be an epic." As adults, they addressed stuff that adults think about – relationships and the state of the world. Although always accused of being pretentious, they never made any pretensions of hipness, and I always respected that.

They have an interesting problem in concert: that they have at least four audiences to cater to: the people who love the Peter Gabriel-era prog stuff (and the longer pieces they’ve done with Phil Collins singing), the fans of the late ‘70s/early ‘80s rock radio stuff, the ‘80s MTV fans and the folks who like the adult contemporary stuff. I think they hit all the bases during the show.

Phil Collins isn’t just a great drummer, he’s also a great frontman, which is good because bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford and keyboardist Tony Banks have very little stage presence, and Rutherford is a very laid back player. The show wasn't like a religious experience, but I had a great time and I’m glad I went. They played most of my favorite songs from Phil’s era (notably the creepy “Mama,” the epic “Home By The Sea,” “Turn It On Again” “Throwing It All Away” – which I didn’t “get” until years after it came out, I think you need to have a certain amount of maturity to "get" some of these songs – “Follow You Follow Me” and a really rocking and fun version of “I Can’t Dance”) and Peter’s (“Firth of Fifth” and “The Carpet Crawlers”). The “Drum Duet” between Phil and their touring drummer Chester Thompson was pretty awesome, it reminded me of Stomp more than anything. I should also mention that touring bassist/guitarist Daryl Steurmer played some pretty great leads.

I bet Phil would have been down with making some changes to update their sound, but Mike and especially Tony are probably way too stubborn for that. And this tour isn't about proving how contemporary they are: I think it was about... well, money of course, but also I think Phil missed the guys. It was a nice way to say goodbye, because I don’t think that they are going to record more music or even tour much anymore. But when they did their last tour in 1992, no one really knew it was going to be their last. So it was a fine, if belated, goodbye. Anyway, here’s hoping they do it one more time – but with Peter Gabriel and guitarist Steve Hackett.

GENESIS: "THE BIGGEST TOUR YOU HAVEN'T HEARD MUCH ABOUT"?

RollingStone.com used that as a headline the other day. It was interesting: the dude acted suprised that anyone cared about the Genesis reunion tour. Of course, Genesis have always been one of the bands that critics hate, but they're also critic-proof.

Genesis has, like, four audience cliques. The prog-rockers who also like Yes and King Crimson. Of course, a lot of these guys hate everything the band has done since Peter Gabriel left the band. Those who stuck around dig songs like "Home By The Sea" and "Domino." Then you have the classic rock fans, who love the radio hits like "Turn It On Again" and "Abacab." Then, there's the adult contemporary folks, who also love Phil Collins' solo stuff, they're into "In Too Deep" and "Hold On My Heart." And, finally, the '80s kids, who got turned on to them via big video hits like "Land Of Confusion" and "That's All."

I don't love all of their stuff, but I do enjoy some of their music from all of the above categories. I'm fortunate in that I liked them before I knew it wasn't cool to. I mean, yeah, they weren't threatening in any way, but I felt they were creative, and they sort of grew up in a logical way - I know, not cool, but I respected (and still respect) them. That said, they're really asking a lot of their fans this year: they've released two box sets that cost over $100 each, and tickets for the shows are pretty steep. Still, I'm going to somehow get to the Giants Stadium show.