once again stevie gets passed over for the rock n roll hall of fame

[WildHearted]

Originally Posted by tilthefirefades

I wonder what their credentials for induction are? I don't really care that Pat Benatar, Heart, or Stevie haven't been since they haven't done anything relevant or commercially astounding in many years. But at the same time why The Meters? I had never even heard of them until I read through this thread. Their method's seem very contradictory, and I at this point am confused as to why anyone even cares who is in or out?

I mean..the Hall of Fame is kind of a joke. It's just for the prestige, really. It's kind of like winning Grammy's. At this point, with the people they give them to, it's kind of like, "Why even care?" But you still want to see the artists you love recognized for their worth, etc.

The Hall of Fame isn't about people doing commercially astounding things in the present, it's about the long-lasting effects people have had on music/the industry (which is why the credentials have to do with how long it's been since the artist first released music - they're not going to induct you until it's been I think 25+ years, so they cangauge how influential a person/group actually was in the grand scheme of things). I think Stevie as a solo artists is deserving of some praise in that regard.

[MikeInNV]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

Agreed. She's in with the Mac and that's all that matters to me. I guess I'm alone here in regards to the fact I really don't think she's worthy of the Hall as a solo act. She's sold what, less than 10 million solo records, has only had a handful of classic top 40 hits, and was only relevant for a short period in the 1980s (Rolling Stone even argued back then that she wasn't relevant). I obviously love her to death, but I don't think Stevie has earned a place in the Hall as a solo artist. Especially when you consider acts like Heart, who ARE worthy, haven't even gotten in yet.

There's quite a long list of inducted artists who have sold fewer than 10 million records; it's obviously not just about sales. It's also about influence, and she's had a lot.

And Louie, I love you to death, but "only relevant for a short period in the 1980s"????? She's cited and mentioned and pictured all over the place.....fashion, music, TV, pop culture. I've been blown away by how much I've seen and heard about her in the last couple of years. And when you look at her peers, some of whom are fantastic like Heart, Stevie still moves more CDs and concert tickets.

[seekerj]

Originally Posted by WildHearted

I mean..the Hall of Fame is kind of a joke. It's just for the prestige, really. It's kind of like winning Grammy's. At this point, with the people they give them to, it's kind of like, "Why even care?" But you still want to see the artists you love recognized for their worth, etc.

The Hall of Fame isn't about people doing commercially astounding things in the present, it's about the long-lasting effects people have had on music/the industry (which is why the credentials have to do with how long it's been since the artist first released music - they're not going to induct you until it's been I think 25+ years, so they cangauge how influential a person/group actually was in the grand scheme of things). I think Stevie as a solo artists is deserving of some praise in that regard.

I agree. It's meaningless. This is supposed to be the ROCK & ROLL Hall Of Fame, not the "Any Popular Music At All Hall Of Fame". The moment that Madonna was inducted it lost any credibility or prestige as far as I'm concerned. It became a joke of itself. Now we have Donna Summer. No offense to those people, and this is no comment about their talents, etc., but they simply are not rock & roll. How were they ever even considered for nomination into any Rock & Roll anything????! So to those who have written about Stevie's relevance and it's duration, I have to say, at least she does Rock & Roll, which automatically should give her more consideration than any dance/bubblegum/Tiger Beat music artists. If those artists need to be recoginized somehow, then they should start a Bubblegum Music Hall Of Fame. Even if Stevie had only been "relevant to" (whatever that means) or contributed to Rock & Roll for only one day, it would still have been one day more than Madonna or Donna Summer.

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by MikeInNV

There's quite a long list of inducted artists who have sold fewer than 10 million records; it's obviously not just about sales. It's also about influence, and she's had a lot.

And Louie, I love you to death, but "only relevant for a short period in the 1980s"????? She's cited and mentioned and pictured all over the place.....fashion, music, TV, pop culture. I've been blown away by how much I've seen and heard about her in the last couple of years. And when you look at her peers, some of whom are fantastic like Heart, Stevie still moves more CDs and concert tickets.

If we're just looking at Stevie's influence in the strict musical sense (as it pertains to her solo career), she peaked in 1981, and each album she released after that sold about half the amount it's predecessor did. Her solo career was arguably comprised of pretty safe pop music, too. If she pushed any musical boundaries, it was with Fleetwood Mac.

If we're talking about Stevie's influence on style, all that was arguably born in Fleetwood Mac. That's where she first unfurled her signature batwing sleeves, witchy boots, shawls, ruffly chiffon skirts, top hats, crescent moon necklaces, and that famous shag haircut. When it comes to style in her solo career, she was arguably just building on the foundations she laid during her formative Fleetwood Mac years.

I'm not saying her solo career is to be dismissed; obviously it's a big part of her collective fame. There's no doubt Stevie is a cultural icon, a much beloved rock and roll legend. But I just can't find a reason why Stevie's solo career has legs to stand on it's own to merit inclusion into the Hall of Fame. There's no doubt Stevie's solo career helped cement her as an icon, but in my opinion, it simply bolstered everything she first built with Fleetwood Mac.

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

If we're just looking at Stevie's influence in the strict musical sense (as it pertains to her solo career), she peaked in 1981, and each album she released after that sold about half the amount it's predecessor did. Her solo career was arguably comprised of pretty safe pop music, too. If she pushed any musical boundaries, it was with Fleetwood Mac.

So what if Stevie's album sales have declined over time? Nobody with a career of any significant longevity has ever been able to sustain a phenomenal level of success. Even Michael Jackson couldn't. Tusk, Mirage and Tango in the Night each sold a fraction of Rumours. What's your point? And since when did "safe pop music" become antithetical to RRHOF induction? Ask Paul McCartney, Billy Joel and Elton John whether making "safe pop music" adversely impacted their induction into the Hall of Fame.

Also, I defy you to identify a hit song that is as unusual and original as "Edge of Seventeen" - a six-minute opus that barely includes the song title in the lyrics and contains more bridges than Paris. It seems that she threw out every convention about songwriting and inadvertently produced an iconic masterpiece that has been re-purposed over and over in music (multiple covers), film ("School of Rock") and television ("Up All Night."). At the end of the day, this song will be about as classic as "Freebird," "Hey Jude" and "Knockin' on Heavens Door."

If we're talking about Stevie's influence on style, all that was arguably born in Fleetwood Mac. That's where she first unfurled her signature batwing sleeves, witchy boots, shawls, ruffly chiffon skirts, top hats, crescent moon necklaces, and that famous shag haircut. When it comes to style in her solo career, she was arguably just building on the foundations she laid during her formative Fleetwood Mac years.

You're missing the point about Stevie as a solo artist. At the time she broke out as a solo artist, there was nobody like her within the realm of rock and roll. For one thing, there were only a handful of women in rock and roll at the time. But what differentiated Stevie from the others was that Stevie symbolized the strong-but-sensitive singer songwriter who was shamelessly feminine and weaved an air of mystery rather than displays of overt sexuality. Meanwhile her contemporaries in rock- like Patti Smith, Joan Jett, Heart and Pat Benatar (and even Deborah Harry to some extent)- were more-or-less approaching rock from a more straightforward, traditionally masculine approach. They went the "leather" route while Stevie held onto her "lace." One could argue that Stevie, in a very subtle way, was a role model in the sense that she let women know that they don't need to sublimate their femininity to be strong and independent in a male-dominated field/society.

I'm not saying her solo career is to be dismissed; obviously it's a big part of her collective fame. There's no doubt Stevie is a cultural icon, a much beloved rock and roll legend. But I just can't find a reason why Stevie's solo career has legs to stand on it's own to merit inclusion into the Hall of Fame. There's no doubt Stevie's solo career helped cement her as an icon, but in my opinion, it simply bolstered everything she first built with Fleetwood Mac.

The fact is that although Stevie was famous as being that hot chick in Fleetwood Mac, her solo career arguably made her a household name. For example, you could mention "Stevie Nicks," and chances are that at least half of the western world has at least heard of her. But mention the name "Christine McVie" and perhaps a tiny fraction of them will recognize it. They were both in Fleetwood Mac at the same time (and Christine was arguably the most prominent of the three vocalists), yet Stevie is the one everyone knows because of... wait for it... her solo career.

In addition to being a style icon, the singer/songwriter of a number of iconic solo songs and an artist of enduring legend and relevance, Stevie has inspired legions of musicians, a number of whom are the cornerstones of popular music today, e.g., Maroon Five. There really is no legitimate excuse to deny her entry into the RRHOF based on the merits of her solo career alone.