Last Week...Paul, Chris and the Hall....

Let’s talk about Last week….

I saw the full R&R Hall of Fame 2013 Ceremony, and it was great. It pains me to say that, really it does. I spend a ton of time bashing them, but they actually gave props to fallen heroes in bands they don’t recognize. In particular, they actually said goodbye to Jon Lord (Deep Purple) and Bob Welch ((Fleetwood Mac – Solo Artist (read: welching out on a legacy – previous blog)) in a video tribute to fallen stars. I have to say it was very classy.

BUT…. Why the hell Deep Purple is not carved in every hall of your dumb house is amazing to me you stupid hall of fame. I digress… I guess you have to go with the devil you know and they finally got Rush right. I could have lived without Alex flubbing the acceptance speech, but hey, I‘ll take it even though I was embarrassed for him.

Along with the HBO Hall of Fame coverage, I went and saw Paul McCartney and Wings “Rockshow” at the I-Max in Pittsburgh Mills. It was awesome and I was very impressed with the re-master/re-release of the film.

I blog about the Beatles from time to time, but I do love me some Wings. Not everybody would go to the theater to see a show like that from 1976, but given the opportunity, I’m there. I forgave the studio overdubs about 5 minutes in, and just sat back and enjoyed it for what it was. I am sure it will be out on DVD very soon, and it is worth the price, so check it out.

Beyond that, I saw Soundgarden last Sunday. I love them, but I will not spend another dollar on Chris Cornell. I saw him last year at Carnegie Music Hall, and it was not great. I loved hearing Sunshower live, but I actually left early out of boredom after that. The Soundgarden show could have been better if they would just realize that they could benefit from actually playing hits and not deep cuts… That hurts to say, but they have an amazing catalog of songs we actually know. Just an observation, so take it for what it is.

Was it a good music nerd week? Yes it was!!! I hope that they all work out like that going forward. On the immediate radar is Frank Turner at Smalls, BARONESS at Smalls (so stoked), and Peter Frampton/Robert Cray at Stage AE.

If you actually read my blog, thank you… I know that my opinion is not always the most unbiased, but 2300+ views is not bad for a music nerd from Western PA.  Feel free to leave feedback.

Quit dissin the Purple people.

How the hell is Deep Purple not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

I'll go one step further: They have never even been nominated. That's right, not even once.

Before I digress into how Rush has also never been nominated, or how Kiss gets shunned every year, I want to focus on Deep Purple.

I'll start by losing focus and listing some of the many artists that ARE in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:

Beastie Boys - 2012
Red Hot Chili Peppers - 2012
Guns and Roses - 2012
ABBA - 2010
Metallica -2009
Run DMC - 2009
Madonna - 2008
John Melloncamp - 2008
Grand Master Flash -2007
REM - 2007
Patti Smith Group - 2007
Van Halen - 2007
Sex Pistols - 2006
Blondie - 2006
Lynyrd Skynyrd - 2006
Pretenders - 2005
U2 - 2005
Prince - 2004
AC/DC - 2003
The Clash - 2003
Tom Petty - 2002
Talking Heads - 2002
Ramones - 2002
Aerosmith - 2001
Queen - 2001
Michael Jackson - 2001
Earth Wind and Fire - 2000
and so on........

I mention the above artists for various reasons, some because they are technically not Rock and Roll of any kind, some because they were influenced by Deep Purple, some because they have no reason being in before Purple, but all because Deep Purple predates them...

Building a case:

• Exhibit A: Smoke on the Water

Deep Purple should be in the hall of fame on the back of Smoke on the Water alone. That song was the first riff ever played by MILLIONS of souls driven to play guitar. It is one of the most recognizable riffs ever created.

Smoke on the water holds a Guinness World Record for the most guitarists playing at one time (or something like that) and has actually broken the record 3 times since setting it in 1994. The most recent was in 2009 in Wroclaw Poland, when 6,346 guitar players gathered to play the song together.

The song itself was a pretty basic 4 note blues riff that Ritchie Blackmore (writer - guitar player) has dissed as "too commercial". I guess the commercial appeal of the song speaks for itself.

Released on the bands LP, Machine Head in 1972, and as a single in 1973, the song reached # 4 in the States, #2 in Canada, #21 in the UK and #20 in Germany.... Not to shabby.

• Exhibit B: Machine Head

One of the most beloved early metal/classic rock albums of all time, it reached # 7 in the Billboard LP Charts, and stayed in the top 200 for 118 weeks after it's release in 1972.

This gem features Smoke On the Water, Highway Star and Space Truckin'. 3 Staples of Rock music that define an era.

It is the 3rd album of the MK 2 version of the band, which could arguably be the version that gets into the House that Rock Built with no resistance.

• Exhibit C: Eligibility

Deep Purple released it's first LP in July 1968 making them eligible for nomination in 1993 (25 years after the release of their 1st album as according to the Hall of Fame guidelines).

• Exhibit D: Ritchie Blackmore

This man invented neo-classical modern rock guitar, period. When Clapton and Page were wanking to Robert Johnson, Blackmore was studying Beethoven. His playing inspired millions. His style was imitated by the likes of everyone from Uli Jon Roth to Malmsteen to basically everyone in Modern Prog music, especially of the Scandinavian variety.

Oh yeah, he wrote the most Iconic rock riff of all time.

Blackmore led Purple to heights most bands never will see, including co-headlining the Cal Jam in 1974 to 400,000 fans.

Acts that performed at the '74 Cal Jam in order of appearance:

• Rare Earth
• Earth, Wind & Fire
• Eagles
• Seals & Crofts
• Black Oak Arkansas
• Black Sabbath
• Deep Purple
• Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Every one of these bands should be in the hall for playing to 400,000 fans at one time in 1974. Call it the "Holy Shit" award or something. To date, only Earth Wind & Fire, Eagles and Black Sabbath are in the Hall of Fame.

Cal Jam may get it's own blog soon. I would love to find footage of Seals & Croft singing "Summer Breeze" to 1/2 million Sabbath fans.

If you find the YouTube bootleg footage of the GnR RnR HoF induction speech, Steven Adler actually calls out the Hall for not inducting Purple. That part of the speech was edited out of the HBO version. The executive producer was JannWenner. No surprise there, you elitist pig.

I would actually make the argument that Ritchie Blackmore could be in the Hall of Fame on his name alone.

The fact that this band has been ignored is stupid. Jann Warner, you are an asshole. Not only does Purple belong, they helped make Rock and Roll a respected art form. They brought classical music to Rock (with all due respect to Beatles producer George Martin's solo in "In My Life").

Just to recap..... Deep Purple is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. WHAT????

Until next blog.

Nerdin' at your back door.