Rock Hall of Fame 2020 Inductee Podcast

2020 Rock Hall of Fame 

Place listening Paris France - continues to lead the list, Mountain View, CA and San Jose CA, Amsterdam and long lost friends in Ashburn VA all checking in the top 5 or 10 places listening this week 

France, USA and Netherlands are the top 3 countries - also UK, Spain, Australia, Iran, Turkey and Iraq - based on episode 299 - not shocked on those countries listening 

Bad Boys for Life aka part 3, I’m all over it. Feel like it’s rare in hollywood to take like 7 years before part 2 and then like 17 more years before part 3. Both Spiderman and Batman have been rebooted twice each between Bad Boys 2 and Bad Boys 3

For the first time in 7 years the winner of the fan vote didn’t get inducted. And this year it was first time nominee, Dave Matthews Band.

Fans are up in arms, 1,000,000 people voted for them, USA Today is covering it — and frankly — I’m not a big fan of snubs — but this Manufactured Controversy is probably good for the Rock Hall’s awareness in the public consciousness.

Getting In: 

Whitney Houston — the second biggest oversight of the past 3-5 years after Janet Jackson and now they are both in

The Notorious BIG - this is a no-brainer for me - but the Hall Has snubbed LL Cool J - so it’s great to see them get one right. 

Depeche Mode

Nine Inch Nails

Doobie Brothers 

T. Rex - they are about to spur on a spinoff podcast titled “Who is the worst act inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame”.

I voted on November 7th - My Votes were Biggie, Whitney, Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden (soft spot for Cornell), Dave Matthews Band. I felt the biggest LOCK was DMB. 

At the Time of My vote in November: 

DMB was leading with 385,656 votes  (Only the beatles and rolling stones have had more #1 albums)

Pat Benatar was 2nd with 363,191 votes (this is a huge snub as well) - 8 gold albums from 1979-1988 including 6 straight going platinum. Her “You better run video” was the 2nd ever to be on MTV. 4 straight GRAMMYS for female performer of the year. 

The Doobie Bros were 3rd with 328,435 votes  HOF 

Soundgarden was 4th with 325,264 votes (first Seattle grunge band to sign to a major label)

Judas Priest was 5th with 286,131 votes 

Depeche Mode was 6th with 265515 votes  HOF (arguably the best version of synth-pop out there) 

Whitney Houston was 7th with 247,791 votes  HOF  (Basically invented the national anthem as a spectacle at Super Bowl 25)

8th Thin Lizzy 

9th Motorhead

10th Nine Inch Nails  200,116 votes  HOF  (Godfather of pop/ industrial rock)

11th Todd Rundgren

12th T Rex 150,692 votes  HOF  (There are people saying they essentially invented Glam Rock when they left “Psychedelic Folk Music”- welp 

13th Biggie Smalls 148,173 votes HOF  (Biggie is what this is all about. Larger than life persona who did his version of music at the highest level possible). He’s always listed on the mount rushmore of MC’s - he’s gotta be in. I’m stoked and shocked that they got this right. 

14th Kraftwerk 

15th Rufus ft. Chaka Khan 68,852 votes 

Ultimate Yacht Rock Playlist and Podcast

Yacht Rock Extravaganza

places listening: 4 way tie for second place - UK, Denmark, France & Australia - New places listening Bosnia & Herzegovina, Slovenia and New Zealand 

#1 US city - Glen’s Falls, NY home of hacksaw jim duggan

stayed away from jimmy buffet and the cocktail movie soundtrack (especially kokomo) - good work

i’ve had baby come back, by player in my head for 6 days

Yacht Rock is the concentric circle where disco, rock and pop music met in the late 70s and early 80s

Yacht Rick - fake rapper on the week

Dwayne fords album. Needless freaking. Oh lord that's a great name - Lovin’ & Losin’ you is the final song on this playlist BTW

Awards: 

Most intentionally Yacht Rock song of all-time: I’m alright by Kenny Loggins — Caddy Shack theme song - Kenny Loggins’ music is so much more funk driven than i remembered “This is It” & “Heart to Heart” 

Biggest pop-hit from a Yacht Rock artist: Need nominees - 

I Keep Forgetting (Mainly because it spawns Nate Dogg and Warren G’s Regulators) 

What A fool Believes - Doobies 

Is she really going out with Him - Jackson Browne - also Somebody’s Baby 

Kiss is on my list / You make my dreams come true - Hall & Oates 

Still the one by Orleans 

Lovely Day - Bill Withers (This song has such a sick bass line) 

Let it Ride by BTO Bachman Turner Overdrive (this might be a top 5 song in the history of LIFE) 

Prog rock band masquerading as Yacht Rock: Toto - Rosanna

Mr ubiquitous award goes to Michael MacDonald. He sings back up on like 6+ songs on this record - in addition to songs he's lead singer on

Brandy - literally about sailor’s drinking and trying to pick up a waitress at a seaside bar. And the sound is yacht rock personified - strong horns/ brass in most yacht rock songs as well as harmonization — this song has both in spades - great lead off song - props to “Looking Glass” for such a jam that really holds up 40 years later

Escape (Pina Colada song) - it’s quintessential — but played out. Rupert Holmes would’ve loved Tinder/ Bumble and online dating — the personals of the news paper sounds so sketchy 40 years later. 

Sailing by Christopher Cross — I mean “yes” because it’s about Sailing — in my mind this song is a “Lady in Red” / “Cherish the love” slow jam — i’m not recommending this one - Christopher cross has a great voice though  — Also “ride like the wind” by Chris Cross is a Disco Inspired Yacht rock anthem

Rock the Boat - by Hues Corporation works well - total jam and you snagged it from Carlito’s way soundtrack - Dave Clinefeld is one of my all time favorite Sean Penn roles ever - between Clinefeld and Jeff Spicolli, we should’ known Sean Penn has infinite range

Doobie Bros - Might be Yacht Rock - but they are also “Road trip rock” and “quasi-stoner” rock — tip of the cap fellas

Lowdown and Lido Shuffle by Boz Scaggs is 100% yacht rock royalty

News Flash — Despsite the fact that it belows on this list — I must confess: I hate SUMMER BREEZE by Seals & Crofts

Baby Come back by Player — is smooth as EFF, nothing anybody can say to change my mind

Sleeper of this list might nominees - Steal Away by Robbie Dupree // Lonely Boy by Andrew Gold (like a poor man’s Billy Joel) // The Nightly by Dan Fagen (super funky)  // No Ordinary Lady by Orleans — Orleans is an unknown slice of AM Gold for me

Some notable omissions: 

Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty (on the Yacht Rock 2.0 Play list) that one needs to sneak on- Plus I used to drink at Baker Street with is where they filmed Tom Cruise’s cocktail on 60th and 1st ave

If this is it - huey lewis & the news - Huey Lewis is the Adam Levine of the 80’s - LA Band - paid its dues for ever and finally broke through

Peg by Steely Dan - Lots of Steely Dan could be on this

Valerie by Steve Windwood also the Finer things by Winwood — pretty much any mid-80s winwood

Mandolin Rain by Bruce Hornsby

Easy Lover by Phil Collins and Philip Bailey

Blinded by the Light - Manfred Mann

Evil Woman by Electric Light Orchestra