Tag: Hall of Fame

2024 National Recording Registry Listing

Also, rock hall

The 2024 National Recording Registry includes 25 items as usual. For me, the real find is the Kronos Quartet’s Pieces of Africa, which I will probably buy. The McFerrin track’s inclusion amused me since he had said years ago that he would never sing it again.

Links in the left column are to the single or the whole album. Links in the right column are to a song from the album. * means I own it.

Also check out Coverville 1486: Covers of 2024’s National Recording Registry.

Eclectic
Clarinet Marmalade
(single)		 Jim Europe’s 369th Band
Additional Information		 1919 2024 Pop (Pre-1955)
Kauhavan Polkka
(single)		 Viola Turpeinen & John Rosendahl
Additional Information		 1928 2024 Folk
Wisconsin Folksong Recordings
(collection)		 Various
Additional Information		 1937-46 2024 Field
Rose Room (single) Benny Goodman Sextet with Charlie Christian
Additional Information		 1939 2024 Jazz
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer*
(single)		 Autry, Gene
Additional Information		 1949 2024 Pop (Pre-1955)
Tennessee Waltz*
(single)		 Patti Page
Additional Information		 1950 2024 Country/Bluegrass
Rocket “88”*
(single)		 Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats
Additional Information		 1951 2024 Pop (Pre-1955)
Catch A Falling Star*/Magic Moments
(single)		 Perry Como
Additional Information		 1957 2024 Pop (1955-1975)
Chances Are*
(single)		 Johnny Mathis
Additional Information		 1957 2024 Pop (1955-1975)
The Sidewinder
(album)		 Lee Morgan
Additional Information		 1964 2024 Jazz; The Sidewinder (1st track)
Surrealistic Pillow*
(album)		 Jefferson Airplane
Additional Information		 1967 2024 Pop (1955-1975); Comin’ Back To Me
Ain’t No Sunshine*
(single)		 Bill Withers
Additional Information		 1971 2024 Pop (1955-1975)
This is a Recording
(album)		 Lily Tomlin
Additional Information		 1971 2024 Comedy/Novelty; The Bordello
J. D. Crowe & the New South
(album)		 J.D. Crowe & the New South
Additional Information		 1975 2024 Country/Bluegrass
Arrival
(album)		 ABBA
Additional Information		 1976 2024 Disco/Dance; Dancing Queen*
Parallel Lines
(album)		 Blondie
Additional Information		 1978 2024 Disco/Dance
The Cars
(album)		 The Cars
Additional Information		 1978 2024 Pop (1976-1996); Good Times Roll*
El Cantante
(single)		 Héctor Lavoe
Additional Information		 1978 2024 Latin
La-Di-Da-Di
(single)		 Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick
Additional Information		 1985 2024 Rap/Hip Hop
Don’t Worry, Be Happy*
(single)		 Bobby McFerrin
Additional Information		 1988 2024 Pop (1976-1996)
Amor Eterno
(single)		 Juan Gabriel
Additional Information		 1990 2024 Latin
Pieces of Africa
(album)		 Kronos Quartet
Additional Information		 1992 2024 Classical; Mai Nozipo (“Mother Nozipo”)
Dookie*
(album)		 Green Day
Additional Information		 1994 2024 Pop (1976-1996); Longview
Ready to Die
(album)		 Notorious BIG
Additional Information		 1994 2024 Rap/Hip Hop; One More Chance
Wide Open Spaces*
(album)		 Dixie Chicks
Additional Information		 1998 2024 Country/Bluegrass’ Wide Open Spaces
Rock Hall

About 24 hours before the fan ballot for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame closed,  I captured the tally. I was curious how closely the “will of the people” jibed with the final inductee decision.

  1. Dave Matthews Band 564,296. IN, I didn’t vote for.
  2. Foreigner 507,349. IN, I didn’t vote for. But I like songs with sax solos. Urgent
  3. Peter Frampton 507,091 IN, I voted for. Show Me The Way (Live)
  4. Ozzy Osbourne 464,364 IN, I didn’t vote for.
  5. Cher 329,649 IN, I voted for. Just Like Jesse James
  6. Lenny Kravitz 300,319 NOT IN, I voted for occasionally. A friend of mine sent me this fun video labeled Cool Church Choir’s Unexpected Guest from 2010
  7. Kool & the Gang 277,231 IN, I voted for. Hollywood Swinging. The top 7 was the collective fan ballot.
  8. Mariah Carey 243,282 NOT IN, I didn’t vote for. Early on, Carey was ahead of Kool but fell further behind by the week.
  9. Sinéad O’Connor  163,901. NOT IN, I voted for
  10. Oasis 162,307 NOT IN, I didn’t vote for
  11. Sade 157,892 NOT IN, I voted for
  12. Jane’s Addiction 137,229 NOT IN, I didn’t vote for
  13. Mary J. Blige 110,874 IN, I occasionally voted for. Real Love
  14. A Tribe Called Quest 86,672 IN, I Voted for. Scenario
  15. Eric B. & Rakim54,250 NOT IN, I voted for
Also

I was more excited about the other awardees.

Musical Excellence

Jimmy Buffett: Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes

MC5 (who I’ve voted for): Over and Over

Dionne Warwick, a recent Kennedy Center honoree:   A House Is Not A Home

Norman Whitfield, songwriter/producer for Motown’s Temps, Pips, et al.:  War

Musical Influence

Alexis Korner: Get Off My Cloud

John Mayall: Room To Move

Big Mama Thornton: Hound Dog

Ahmet Ertegun Award

Suzanne de Passe – Motown executive and more

Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame 2024 nominees

Blige, Carey, Cher, Matthews, Eric B., Foreigner, Frampton, Jane’s., Kool, Kravitz, Oasis, O’Connor, Osbourne, Sade, Quest.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2024 nominees were announced recently. They are Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Eric B. & Rakim, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Jane’s Addiction, Kool & the Gang, Lenny Kravitz, Oasis, Sinéad O’Connor, Ozzy Osbourne, Sade & A Tribe Called Quest.

Yes, please don’t tell me it doesn’t matter. I might even agree with you. But I loved visiting Cleveland in 1998 and 2016 to see the exhibits anyway.

For some years, I know precisely which three or four people I would vote for in the fan ballot, for which you can vote until April 26. I vigorously supported underappreciated artists such as Fela Kuti, John Prine, and Warren Zevon when they were recently on the ballot, but they were not inducted.

The nominees

This year, there was only one sure thing: Cher. Curiously, I don’t have any of her albums, though she does appear on compilations I own. She’s gone from being a background singer for Phil Spector to her days with Sonny Bono to becoming an icon. I watched her shows with and without Bono. Not that it’s particularly relevant here, but she was good in a trio of 1980s movies: Silkwood, Mask, and  Moonstruck. Absolutely YES.

I scattered my votes – one can vote for seven instead of five this year – among 11 artists.

Mary J. Blige: I have none of her music. Yet her influence is well-documented. PROBABLY YES.

Mariah Carey – I have her greatest hits album on CD. Still, I didn’t bother voting for her because 1) she’ll get in without my help, and 2) she has a five-octave voice, which she often uses unnecessarily to the music’s detriment. NO

Dave Matthews Band – I don’t own any of the music. A funny thing about me and Dave Mathews: I saw him at the Willie Nelson 90th birthday bash and the Rock Hall induction, and I NEVER recognized him, visually or sonically. MAYBE.

Eric B. & Rakim – I don’t own their music, but I appreciate their contribution. MAYBE.

Foreigner – I have a couple of their LPs and some irritating live CD. MAYBE.

An old Ray Charles song

Peter Frampton – I have Frampton Comes Alive. But my YES vote comes from his brief tenure with Humble Pie, particularly Rockin’ The Filmore, an LP I own. Specifically, I Don’t Need No Doctor was a staple of FM radio in the 1970s.

Jane’s Addiction is a group I don’t own, but again, I recognize their importance, in this case, to alternative rock. MAYBE.

Kool & the Gang – I have one of their LPs. Of course, it contains Celebration. And Pulp Fiction brought back Jungle Boogie. I am inclined to favor older acts, and they first charted in 1969. YES.

Lenny Kravitz – There are a LOT of artists for which I have one of their albums. I have one Kravitz CD. MAYBE

Oasis – Ditto. MAYBE.

Sinéad O’Connor – I have only her albums, the one with Nothing Compares 2 U, a video that has always gutted me. And it was before she died. But she became a probably YES after I heard the Coverville tribute to her.

Ozzy Osbourne – I wasn’t into Black Sabbath. Ozzy, I know more as a personality on that MTV show. He’ll get in, I’m sure. NO.

Sade – Lovely voice. I own one of her albums.  Also, Rebecca Jade will be doing a show of Sade songs plus her own in Philadelphia on my next birthday. MAYBE.

A Tribe Called Quest – They show up on a couple of my compilations, and I love what they do. YES.

Voting

So that’s six YES or PROBABLY YES, two NO, seven MAYBE.  I’ll admit to a certain bias. In Bernie Taupin’s acceptance speech, he pointedly lifted up articulate women and black people. It was a clear rebuke of Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner and his comments about why his then-current book included only white men. The statement got Wenner removed from the board of directors of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.

Who would you vote for?

The folks who decide on the new inductees can also select people in the category of  Musical Excellence, which “shall be given to artists, musicians, songwriters and producers whose originality and influence creating music have had a dramatic impact on music.” Taupin, the lyricist for most of Elton John’s songs, was selected this way.

Besides Kuti, Prine, and Zevon, I’d like to see more of the Wrecking Crew picked, particularly Carol Kaye, who created the bass line for Sonny and Cher’s The Beat Goes On in the studio. They should also pick Glen Campbell, a mighty guitarist, before having success as a singer.

STAX

Finally, they need Estelle Axton, the co-founder of STAX Records, in, as I have been nagging about since 2015. As I noted, her brother, Jim Stewart, was inducted in 2002! My late friend Dustbury opined: ” So why is Stewart in the Hall and Axton not? Because Stewart, who couldn’t comprehend contract law, signed all those early Stax masters over to Atlantic, and at the Hall, Ahmet Ertegun sits at the right hand of God. Estelle, had she seen the paperwork, would have figured out the deal from day one.”

Estelle Axton for the ROCK HALL. Estelle Axton for the ROCK HALL. Oh, and Estelle Axton for the ROCK HALL.

Academy Awards nominations et al.

baseball, The Daily Show, JEOPARDY!

As I’m sure I mentioned once upon a time, I pay attention to the Academy Awards nominations. In the early 1990s, I’d listen to the radio at work and jot down the major selections. Now I can wait ten minutes and find it online.

The issue of an awards snub currently seems particularly energized. Academy Award winner Whoopi Goldberg denies it happened this year but one of her The View costars says otherwise. A guy on my Facebook feed says no, and is accused of mansplaining.

THR writes:  “One irony of the backlash to the Barbie snubs is that it has attempted to pit women against women. (Barbie Land would never!) One column has been excoriated for appearing to diminish the performances of the nominated actresses in defense of [Margot] Robbie.”

For me, it’s clear I need to see more performances. There are five women Best Actress in a Leading Role:

Annette Bening (Nyad)
Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon)
Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall)
Carey Mulligan (Maestro)
Emma Stone (Poor Things)

I’ve seen only Mulligan.

Likewise, these folks were nominated for Best Directing:

Justine Triet (Anatomy of a Fall)
Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon)
Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)
Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things)
Jonathan Glazer (The Zone of Interest)

I’ve seen only Oppy, so I can’t say of Greta Gerwig was snubbed or not.

Best pics

Ten films were selected as Best Picture nominees. The ones I’ve seen I’ve starred:

*American Fiction (Ben LeClair, Nikos Karamigios, Cord Jefferson and Jermaine Johnson, Producers)
Anatomy of a Fall (Marie-Ange Luciani and David Thion, Producers)
*Barbie (David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Robbie Brenner, Producers)
*The Holdovers (Mark Johnson, Producer)
Killers of the Flower Moon (Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas, Martin Scorsese and Daniel Lupi, Producers)
*Maestro (Bradley Cooper, Steven Spielberg, Fred Berner, Amy Durning and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers)
*Oppenheimer (Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan, Producers)
*Past Lives (David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, Producers)
Poor Things (Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone, Producers)
The Zone of Interest (James Wilson, Producer)

Time to get to the theater, where these films have either shown up for the first time or have made an Oscar nom return.

I won’t be seeing these films, though. Razzie Awards: ‘Expend4bles’ Leads Nominations. ‘Exorcist: Believer’ and ‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey’ also nabbed multiple mentions.

MLB HOF

I’m happy Adrián Beltré, Todd Helton, and Joe Mauer were selected for the Baseball Hall of Fame. But I’m sad that, in his 9th try out of ten chances, reliever Billy Wagner came up five votes short.

Gary Sheffield: HE was snubbed, falling off the ballot after receiving 63.9% of the vote, with 75% needed.

Next year’s ballot will include Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia. Both should get in on the first ballot, with Ichiro, the only MLB player I know to have his first name on the back of his jersey, a mortal lock.

I’m sad to read that  Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame infielder Ryne Sandberg has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and has begun treatment. Part of it is that my father died of the disease. 

NFL playoffs

Go, Detroit Lions! General Motors is delaying a shift on Sunday so that their workers can see the Lions’ NFC title game completion against the San Francisco 49ers. 

Like the return of Michael Jordan to the Bulls

I’m glad Jon Stewart is back on The Daily Show, even if it’s once a week on air, plus serving as executive producer, at least through the election.  TDS veterans are thrilled. I liked the top-secret intrigue in luring him back.

J!

To my surprise, I found this season’s Celebrity JEOPARDY more interesting than the previous iteration. It’s also a lot more fun than the regular game’s interminable Champions Wildcard, where they bring back players from the past three seasons. That said, I’m rooting for Martha Bath, who won back in 1972 when Art Fleming was the host and then won again a couple of years ago.

Celebrity J! fans criticized ABC for revealing the winner ahead of the final tournament: ‘Thanks for the spoiler.’ An ad for Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night program featured the winner. (If you’ve recorded it without watching it, I’M not going to provide a spoiler.) Luckily for me, I watched it fast-forwarding through the commercials.

2024 Hall of Fame (baseball)

Jim Leyland

Adrian Beltre, Rangers at Orioles 7/19/2017

On January 23, 2024, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America will announce the results of its Hall of Fame vote. Any electees will be inducted into the 2024 Hall of Fame during the HoF Weekend on Sunday, July 21. They’ll be joined by previously announced legend, manager Jim Leyland, selected by the committee deciding on Contemporary Baseball Era Non-Players

Of the 26 people on the ballot, 14 were on for the first time. Here are the possible picks. 

If I could actually vote, the first one I’d pick would be Gary Sheffield (10th and final year, 55%). But I expect he’ll come up short because of both the steroid allegations, his mouth, and his mediocre defense.

The next three have also been on the ballot for a while
2. Todd Helton (6th year, 72.2%) – definite HoF numbers diminished in  writers’ minds because his home games were in a mile-high stadium, but he’s on the cusp of 75%, and I expect he’ll make it
3. Billy Wagner (9th, 68.1%) – a solid reliever for many years

4. Andruw Jones (7th year, 58.1%) – great defensive outfielder. He provided great offense, too, until his numbers took a precipitous drop.

I suspect Helton and Wagner will make it to the HoF.

Newcomers

5. Adrián Beltré (1st year) – with over 3,000 hits, decent power and batting average, plus a great glove, he’s the only newbie who is close to a lock to get into the Hall 

6. Matt Holliday (1st year). A solid performer for a lot of years.

7. Jimmy Rollins (3rd year, 12.9%) – I’m hoping his numbers would go up in a less crowded ballot, but it hasn’t been the case

8. The problem with  Carlos Beltrán (2nd year, 46.5%) is the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. Many voters don’t see his guilt to be significant enough to keep him out of the Hall, if not this year then down the road.

9. Francisco Rodriguez (2nd time, 10.8%), a solid reliever, not getting much love

10. Andy Petitte (6th year, 17.0%). He came clean about his using PEDs early, and MLB did not ban it at the time. But I doubt he will ever make the Hall.

Not voting for 

Alex Rodriguez (3nd year, 35.7%). A great offensive and defensive infielder, one of the greats in baseball history. As Wikipedia noted, “Rodriguez amassed a .295 batting average, over 600 home runs (696), over 2,000 runs batted in (RBI), over 2,000 runs scored, over 3,000 hits, and over 300 stolen bases, the only player in MLB history to achieve all of those feats.” Yet, he was using PEDs after they were banned and lied about it. He was ultimately suspended for the 2014 season. His vote increase from the previous year was negligible.

Manny Ramirez (8th year, 33.2%), a quality player, served a 50-game suspension in 2012 for the second drug policy violation.

Omar Vizquel (7th season, 19.5%), a great defensive shortstop, “is seeing his chances at the Hall of Fame disappear because of two scandals involving domestic violence and sexual harassment.” The latter is particularly lurid. His vote count went DOWN by over four percentage points.

Several others I would consider include first-timers Chase Utley, Joe Mauer, and  Bartolo Colon. 

November rambling: Ham Sandwich

Vote for Rebecca Jade!

Can conservatives be allies against climate change?

Electronic waste is a growing problem globally.

Trump Proposes Imprisoning Journalists Who Don’t Name Sources

Political Attack Ads: Bad for You, Bad for America

Borowitz satire: Republicans Blindsided That People Who Vote Believe in Democracy

Cherokee delegate could be seated in the House of Representatives

John Aniston, ‘Days of Our Lives’ Star and Father of Jennifer Aniston, Dies at 89. I started watching DOOL, and the evil Victor, in 1990 for about three years.

KFC apologizes after its German Kristallnacht promotion

Our Kids Can’t Do the Math

The first anti-racists

The Rise of DISCMASTER

Russel Kwong, a student worker at Cornell Program on Applied Demographics, has updated New York State reference maps with names and locations of incorporated villages, cities, towns, and American Indian reservations. They are now based on 2020 Census geographies.

She Spent a Decade Writing Fake Russian History. Wikipedia Just Noticed.

How Do You Cope with Being Ghosted?

John Green: Instantly Debatable

The Hollywood Reporter’s Comedy Star of the Year: Quinta Brunson

Andy Borowitz satire: Elon Musk Accidentally Includes Himself in Latest Round of Mass Layoffs

The Oatmeal comic: Taking  selfies from various angles, and I have firsthand experience with the undead

Jaquandor linkage

Now I Know: The Tale of Monkey Island and The Tiny Lie in Your Pantry and Why You Shouldn’t Piss Off The Architect and The Sugar Cereal Edition of Where’s Waldo and The Ultimate Fortune Teller? and The Original Chicken Dance? and Trick-or-Treating… But on Thanksgiving?

Abolitionists

Myers Banner Sponsors Oliver 10-22-22Descendants and sponsors traveled from a dozen states to participate in the abolition symposia and inductions of three abolitionists to the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum in Peterboro, NY. Mary Liz Stewart and Paul Stewart nominated and presented Stephen Myers on behalf of the Underground Railroad Education Center (UREC) in Albany, NY. The UREC is located in the 19th C home of Stephen and Harriet Myers. Two descendants of the Myers joined the Stewarts on stage for the unveiling of the banner which will be installed in the Hall of Fame.

Also inducted were Rev. Robert Everett and Calvin Fairbank.

Incidentally, UREC is deactivating its Twitter account “in response to irresponsible decisions at its highest level. Tweets supporting unsubstantiated reports, allowing hate speech, and allowing accounts to be held by dangerous individuals are not acceptable.”

MUSIC

Rebecca Jade has just been nominated for Smooth Jazz Network’s 2022 “Breakout Artist of the Year”! You can vote DAILY from now until December 2nd!  Vote HERE. Also, she will be joining Dave Koz and Friends for a very special 25th Anniversary Christmas tour from November 25 to December 23. Tickets HERE.

Drive My Car – Peter Sprague featuring Rebecca Jade

Music from The Story of an Unknown Actor by Alfred Schnittke

Coverville 1419: The Herman’s Hermits Cover Story II

A Big Black Lady Stops the Show – Capathia Jenkins from Fame Becomes Me, with Martin Short

This Must Be The Place – Ham Sandwich

Here’s That Rainy Day – Aubrey Logan

Man Of La Mancha – Richard Kiley and Irving Jacobson

Poet and Peasant Overture by Franz von Suppe on solo piano

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