The lamest class in recent memory will be inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. Things are only at the nominee stage, but that list is so uninspiring that even the cream of that crop won't make the resulting class anything more than a yawner. Now, the nominees: Afrika Bambaataa, Beastie Boys, Chic, Leonard Cohen, The Dave Clark Five, Madonna, John Mellencamp, Donna Summer and The Ventures.

The Beastie Boys and Madonna are shoo-ins; Cohen is a critical darling that will likely join them. Afrika Bambaataa will receive the token hip-hop spot (see Grandmaster Flash, the Sugar Hill Gang et al) and the Dave Clark Five will get in through the geezer back door. Yikes, is this what we're in for as we move into the eligibility window for '80s acts? It's going to be a long few years until Kurt Cobain's ascendancy).

As usual, the hall could have had an outstanding slate of nominees, but left many worthy acts off the list. Metallica and Sonic Youth both were eligible, and each was considerably more influential than Mellencamp. The Cure also would have been a nice surprise on the list, while the Stooges, passed over for induction several years in a row, should have been given another shot.

Notice anything about who made it and who didn't? It's all about risk. Those who made it took few (save for perhaps the Beastie Boys, who left hitmaking behind for art), and those who didn't built their career on it. These days, the Rock Hall is beginning to resemble a warehouse for Grammy winners, and that's a shame. If you want to enshrine top sellers, so be it, but don't pretend that you're championing visionaries and influences at the same time.

Labels: music