Congratulations go out to Rush & Public Enemy for their acceptance into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Both groups have led to a few discussions by the boys of the Discordants.
Rush, although eligible since 1998, were only put on the ballot for the first time. The Canadian trio are something that girls just cannot understand, but seems to resonate with most 30+ men. The master drummer & lyricist, the quiet guitar soloist, the bass, playing, keyboard playing high pitched lead singer make up a group that has spanned almost 40 years. They deserve their moment in the limelight.
Public Enemy was just discussed in our Three for the Road: Hip-hop post. I will share this little anecdote. About 20 years ago, my father was flying (1st class.) when he returned home, I remember him telling this story that he sat next to this strange man. He was African-American with gold teeth. He had a baseball hat with a top hat on top of it, and he wore this giant clock around his neck. He was on a cellular phone (before it was common to have one) the whole time. My mother cracked up, and I was floored to know my dad brushed with a legend - only he thought the guy was crazy. Keep on fightin' the power boys!
As a middle school teacher, I am surrounded by kids who love Beiber, One Direction and Ke$ha. I usually am listening to music on my prep period while I work. As my sixth period shuffles in, they usually are curious as to what I am listening to. They also love to give requests - mostly to songs I would never be playing. But, for some strange reason, this class loves to request RUSH. Guys, girls, you name it. Strange to see a 12 year old girl ask for "Tom Sawyer." So, if you need three by the Canadian trio, here is what I would go with:
1. "Spirit of the Radio": It is a great wake up song as it tells of getting in your car and starting your day, only to be influenced by commercialism. It also features Geddy Lee hitting astronomical high notes with the words, "...of salesmen."
2. "Closer to the Heart": name anotehr song that uses bells so well. It interrupts the song only to bring it back to the next verse. I actually think it's a nice song.
3. "Fly by Night" : Is there an automobile company that better implements music than Volkswagen? From "Da, Da, Da" to this gem, which is, by far, my favorite commercial of the year.
There are 15 nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. And the list couldn't be more eclectic.It includes Rush, Deep Purple, Public Enemy, N.W.A. and the Marvelettes-- all nominated for the first time. And returning nominees include Heart, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Randy Newman, Donna Summer, Chic, Albert King, Procal Harum, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Kraftwerk.
And for the first time, we the people can vote for the inductees, who will then be honored on April 18th in Los Angeles.
So who would you choose?
If I had to pick five from the list, I would choose the following.
Kraftwerk - I know, big surprise, right? But in the 1970s, the hugely influential German band laid the groundwork for much of the electronic-based music that was to follow. And "Trans Europe Express" extended their influence to hip-hop and house music as well. Plus my niece learned to count in German thanks to "Pocket Calculator".
Public Enemy - One of the biggest rap acts of the late 1980s, PE brought political and social consciousness to the world of hip-hop, mixed it with rock, and made it mainstream. It Takes A Nation Of Millions... remains one of the greatest recordings of my lifetime.
Rush - Of all the cheesy hard rock bands out there, these guys are my favorite to love to hate. Songs like "Trees" are just so easy to pillory. But these three Canadians had serious chops. I mean, when Chester Cheetah tips his hat to Neil Peart, you know you're destined for the Hall of Fame.
Chic - I'd put these guys in the Hall on the strength of Nile Rodgers ubiquitous bass line from "Good Times" -- it practically launched hip-hop and that chunky bass sound helped fuel the 80s New Romantic sound of Duran Duran. Plus their music was catchy, interesting and - of course - danceable.
Donna Summer - What can I say? It's her first time on the ballot since her death in May, and you can bet she'll make it in this year. And even though she's probably best remembered as the Queen of Disco, her 1977 song "I Feel Love" advanced the genre light years into the future, influencing the likes of David Bowie and Brian Eno and changing the course of club music for the next decade and a half.
We have discussed in previous posts(1) & (2) about the music that is best suited to be played when coming up to bat. The website, The At Bat Music Project has done a real nice job compiling a list of songs players use before coming to bat.
Some quick highlights:
Eric O' Flaherty of Atlanta uses Billy Ocean's "Caribbean Queen." ???
Kevin Youkilis of Boston comes out to Biz Markie's "Just a Friend."
The Yankees' Mark Teixeira uses Run-DMC's "It's Tricky."
Arizona's Jason Kubel's two options are both Beastie Boys songs
Two players use Bob Marley songs.
Three players use the Outfield's "Your Love."
The Dodgers Andre Either is an old school rap fan using Snoop Dogg's "What's My Name," or, one of my personal favorite's Ice Cube's "Check Yo Self (remix)"
The Phillies & ex-Phillies seem to use the craziest collection of songs.
Chooch has switched songs to Phil Collins "In the Air Tonight."
Raul Ibanez uses Rush's "Tom Sawyer."
Catcher Rod Barajas uses Dr. Dre's "Nuthin' but a G Thing"
Jason Bartlett uses Kris Kross' "Jump."
It's a fun list that I'm sure you can find something amusing.
One final note; the new organist of the Chicago White Sox has been playing "Ghost Town" by the Specials since attendance has been down. Awesome!
These are the words that flashed across my screen as I was flicking channels and came across VH1 Classic. Needless to say, I stayed for about an hour watching the 2010 documentray Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage.
Here's the trailer - it says it all...
The documentary was well made, filmed in HD, and featured some great and interesting musicians who all seem to love Rush. My favorite was this one (just a snippet of his interview.)
Neil Pert's take on things was actually interesting. I liked that he said that he never gets sick of playing "Tom Sawyer." He feels the song is so difficult, that when he does get it right live, (which he claims doesn't happen often) he feels great about it.
Also, has there been a more male-centric audience in music than Rush? Think hard. Name a girl, who not only might like Rush, but could name a Rush song. Strange, I never really got into them. I remember in college, all my fraternity brothers were jacked to go see them, and they were shocked, knowing I was a music guy, who had no interest in them at the time. Oh well. I passed on other great shows too.
Lastly, in a recent comedy that no one has seen, I Love You, Man, Paul Rudd and Jason Segel find each others as "bros" and share a love for all things Rush.
